Utterly brilliant sword and sorcery comic from a 1960’ British weekly comic, Lion. Karl is adopted by the Eingar after his family and village are raided by the Eingar’s Vikings. In the first introduction to the subtle use of the supernatural in the series, Eingar is persuaded to adopt Karl by a mysterious old woman. Karl grows to be a strong Viking who gains the leadership of the Viking and Eingar’s sword. Winning the sword and the leadership is not easy nor are the rest of the adventures that follow.
The stories are structured around the format used in the comic, two pages of story in each edition, the following par opening with a large panel. Tod Cowan uses the structure rather than fighting against, the story breaks are set ups for the opening panel in the next part and the momentum is maintained. In the collection the stories are seamless, the follow on naturally and effectively. The sword part of sword and sorcery is given prominence, these are action stories about Viking raiders who live by the sword. The supernatural element is cleverly woven into the story flow, giving a gentle nudge rather than breaking the tension or momentum. Karl wins because he is smart and competent, the supernatural is never used to resolve a problem.
The simply beautiful art dominates, it could hardly fail to do so. Don Lawrence’s mastery of comic art is staggering. He can deliver a big opening panel and a close-up that reveals the character with equal confidence. The cast are varied, and the body language is natural and eloquent. They move and inhabit their detailed context in a natural way, the reader is immersed in the situation. The art never just stands there to be admires, it has a fierce purpose, the deliver the story in the most engaging way. It embodies Tod Cowan’s story and brings out every nuance and element in it.
There are no hidden depths in the story, it is straight ahead adventure, designed to pull a reader in and give them sufficient thrill in two pages to keep them wanting more. Don Lawrence and Tod Cowan take this work deeply seriously and the results are a joy to read. An outstanding comic.
