Northlanders
Encyclopedia
Northlanders is an American comic book
series
published by DC Comics
under their Vertigo imprint
. The stories are fictional but set in and around historical events during the Viking Age
.
Northlanders is written by Brian Wood, illustrated by various artists on a per storyline basis, and with painted cover art by Massimo Carnevale. The first issue of the series was published on December 5, 2007.
On June 9, 2011, Brian Wood announced via Twitter that the series had been canceled by Vertigo. It will end in March 2012, at issue #50.
In the first arc, "Sven the Returned," (issues #1-8) we follow the protagonist Sven, a self-exiled Viking warrior serving in the Byzantine Varangian Guard, as he returns (in A.D. 980) to his birth region in the Orkney Islands in order to reclaim his rightful inheritance.
The second arc, "Lindisfarne," (issues #9-10) is about a young boy and the sacking of the Lindisfarne monastery in A.D. 793, the beginning of the Viking Age
.
The third arc, "The Cross + The Hammer," (issues #11-16) is set around Dublin, Ireland circa the Battle of Clontarf
(A.D. 1014), and follows the chase of an Irishman who attacks the occupying Viking forces using guerrilla tactics. He also accompanies his daughter Brigid while on the run.
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series
Ongoing series
The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
under their Vertigo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. The stories are fictional but set in and around historical events during the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
.
Northlanders is written by Brian Wood, illustrated by various artists on a per storyline basis, and with painted cover art by Massimo Carnevale. The first issue of the series was published on December 5, 2007.
On June 9, 2011, Brian Wood announced via Twitter that the series had been canceled by Vertigo. It will end in March 2012, at issue #50.
Plot
Wood has said that the series will be divided into long story arcs alternated with short arcs.In the first arc, "Sven the Returned," (issues #1-8) we follow the protagonist Sven, a self-exiled Viking warrior serving in the Byzantine Varangian Guard, as he returns (in A.D. 980) to his birth region in the Orkney Islands in order to reclaim his rightful inheritance.
The second arc, "Lindisfarne," (issues #9-10) is about a young boy and the sacking of the Lindisfarne monastery in A.D. 793, the beginning of the Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
.
The third arc, "The Cross + The Hammer," (issues #11-16) is set around Dublin, Ireland circa the Battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
(A.D. 1014), and follows the chase of an Irishman who attacks the occupying Viking forces using guerrilla tactics. He also accompanies his daughter Brigid while on the run.
Collected editions
The series is being collected into trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material | Artists | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sven the Returned | ISBN 1401219187 | October, 2008 | Northlanders #1-8, "Sven the Returned" | Davide Gianfelice | |
| 2 | The Cross + the Hammer | ISBN 140122296X | July, 2009 | Northlanders #11-16, "The Cross + the Hammer" | Ryan Kelly | |
| 3 | Blood in the Snow | ISBN 1401226205 | March, 2010 | Northlanders #9-10, "Lindisfarne" Northlanders #17, "The Viking Art of Single Combat" Northlanders #18-19, "The Shield Maidens" Northlanders #20, "Sven, The Immortal" |
Davide Gianfelice, Vasilis Lolos, Dean Ormston Dean Ormston Dean Ormston is a British born comic book artist. His most notable work has been for the British comic 2000 AD and for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint.-Biography:... , Danijel Zezelj Danijel Zezelj Danijel Zezelj is a Croatian comic book artist, painter and illustrator and author of a number of graphic novels.-Biography:Zezelj studied classical painting, sculpting and printing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, Croatia.... |
|
| 4 | The Plague Widow | ISBN 140122850X | October, 2010 | Northlanders #21-28, "The Plague Widow" | Leandro Fernández Leandro Fernández (artist) Leandro Fernandez is a comic book artist, known for his work on various Marvel comic book titles.-Career:Fernandez is best known for providing the art for The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine and Spider-Man: Tangled Web series, as well as one story arc of the Oni Press publication Queen & Country.His... |
|
| 5 | Metal | ISBN 1401231608 | July, 2011 | Northlanders #29 "The Sea Road" "Northlanders" #30-34 "Metal", "Northlanders" #35-36 "The Girl In The Ice" |
Fiona Staples Fiona Staples -Biography:Staples' first published work was 2006’s Done to Death with writer Andrew Foley for Markosia. She was one of the illustrators of WildStorm's Trick 'r Treat graphic novel, an adaptation of the Michael Dougherty film. She was the penciller and inker of The Secret History of the Authority:... , Riccardo Burchielli Riccardo Burchielli Riccardo Burchielli is an Italian artist who draws the Vertigo-comic DMZ. This series is his first in the United States.... , Becky Cloonan Becky Cloonan Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo Comics.-Career:... |
|
| 5 | Thor's Daughter | February, 2012 | Northlanders #37-41 | Simon Gane, Matthew Woodson, Marion Churchland |
Awards
- 20072007 in comics-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
: Nominated for the Eagle AwardEagle AwardsThe Eagle Award is a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They are awarded by UK fan voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's Eagle comic, the awards were set up by Mike Conroy, Nick Landau, Colin Campbell, Phil Clarke and Richard Burton, and launched...
for "Favourite Comics Cover published during 2007" for cover the of issue 1B by Adam KubertAdam KubertAdam Kubert is an American comic book artist known for his work for publishers such as Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and DC Comics, including work on Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Superman and Ghost Rider.Kubert has established himself as one...
External links
- Official site
- Northlanders #1 at DC/Vertigo comics
- Northlanders on Brian Wood's website
- Viking Clash Pits Old Against New in Northlanders, Publisher Weekly, November 13, 2007
- Comics Wikia page
Interviews
- Y1K PARANOIA: Brian Wood talks "Northlanders", Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, October 16, 2007 - Interview/Preview: Vertigo's Northlanders, IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, October 22, 2007 - Ragnarok n’ Roll: An interview with Brian Wood, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
, November 20, 2007 - Brian Wood Talks Northlanders 2009, Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, January 27, 2009 - The Viking Chronicles: Brian Wood Talks Northlanders, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
, June 24 , 2009
Reviews
- Northlanders #1 #4, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
- Northlanders #1 and #2, IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...