Riding aback their dragon-prowed longships, vikings have sailed through the popular imagination since they first pillaged along the English coastline. With swords flashing and axes raised aloft, these Norsemen have become the epitome of a brave warrior society in the popular imagination. This is why they make such great comic book characters.
Historical comics are far less popular than superheroes, so there are fewer vikings comics than there ought to be. Still, there are some truly amazing series out there. If Odin keeps comics in his personal library, then these are ten viking comics that should be enjoyed in Valhalla:
10 Viking Prince
The Viking Prince is the titular character of an ongoing series, first introduced in the debut issue of The Brave and the Bold all the way back in August, 1955. He appeared alongside two other historical heroes, the Golden Gladiator and the Silent Knight.
The Viking Prince stories were swashbuckling fantasy tales of high seas adventures. They came out just one year after Fredric Wertham's book The Seduction of the Innocent was first published--a book that blamed all the problems of American youth on the corrupting influence of comics. As such, this series is perhaps overly lighthearted in its tone. Despite that, it left on indelible mark on the comics industry.
9 Northlanders
This comic spans the full length of the Viking Age, both in terms of time and geography. Its first story, "Sven the Returned," follows a young warrior of the elite Varangian Guard as he returns to his childhood home to Orkney and confronts a petty chieftain. The next story, "Lindisfarne," is a father-son drama revolving around the first viking attack when Lindisfarne Abbey was sacked in 793.
This comic does it all! There is a survival story set in the Russian winter, a horror-fused romance against the backdrop of Norway's violent Christianization, and a glory-seeking tale of exploration following a crew rowing west across the endless sea. Writer Brian Wood carved his name in comics history with this fantastic Vertigo series.
8 Vinland Saga
This fan favorite manga series by writer-artist Yukimura Makoto is actually inspired by the historical documents The Vinland Sagas, which tell the story of how Norse explorers settled among the western lands west of the English isles, finally settling in what is today Canada.
Its protagonist, Thorfinn Karlsefni, is based on the real viking of the same name. Some of the fighting is a bit revisionist with a clear anime influence, but Yukimura clearly did his research before making this epic historical comic!
7 Eternal
This short graphic novel tells the story of a shieldmaiden who leads the people of her village to victory against a malevolent warlock, only to have his vengeance revisit her from beyond the grave.
Throughout the pages of this short self-contained story, artist Eric Zawadzki beautifully illustrates the harrowing chill of winter, the ruthless grit of battle, and the tenderness that binds a family together. Meanwhile, writer Ryan Lindsay juxtaposes sentimental moments between characters with flashes of intensity. The whole story winds about a series of central events, twisting like the knotwork patterns in an old tapestry.
6 Viking: The Long Cold Fire
Values change over time. Concepts like compassion, mercy, and respect for human life are relatively new and culturally tend to be associated with Abrahamic or Enlightenment beliefs. However, even by the blood-soaked standards of the 9th Century, the characters of this comic are utterly ruthless.
This story follows two brothers, Egill and Finn, looting and slaying their way through life (and many a life along the way). Small character moments bantering about the cost of goods and weapon traditions within a family's history add a sense of realism, while dark humor is ever-present to give some extra levity to this dark tale.
5 Sword Daughter
This comic is by the writer of Northlanders, Brian Wood. It follows a father and daughter whose lives have been ruined by a band of reavers, the Forty Swords. Taking stylistic influence from Westerns and Samurai cinema, Sword Daughter captures the aesthetic of these genres against the rocky coastal backdrop of Iceland and the Western Isles.
The protagonist is a strong-willed shieldmaiden, Elsbeth, who grows into a young woman incredibly skilled with a sword. Considering that this is a story focusing on an empowered woman, it is relevant to mention that the author has been accused of making unwanted advances upon two women who were not interested in him--something readers have a right to know.
4 Helheim
Vikings! Zombies! Witches! Helheim is a horror comic set in the war-torn chaos of Scandinavia before the onset of the Viking Age, combining some of the best supernatural elements found in the sagas with a mixture of action and terror.
Fans of the Icelandic Sagas might see parallels to events in Eyrbryggja Saga, in particular the inclusion of one character being transformed into an undead draugr. One of the characters, Groa, is directly inspired by the volva who appears in both the Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturlusson's Prose Edda. Writer Cullen Bunn is great (as usual for him), but it is Joelle Jones's art and Nick Fillardi's amazing color palate that bring this story to life.
3 Black Road
This comic by writer Brian Wood and artist Gary Brown is an on-the-road tale that takes place during the Christianization of Norway. The protagonist is Magnus the Black, a man who exists between the extremes of the times, yet whose word is strong as the iron of his blade.
Black Road feels like a meditation on the ideas that Wood was not able to include in Northlanders, exploring concepts like honor, battle, regret, vengeance, and the struggle between the new Christian faith and ancestral polytheism practiced by the Scandinavian peoples. It is filled with heart, both in its writing and its absolutely stunning art.
2 The Darkness: Lodbrok's Hand
This story is a one-shot issue that sheds some light on one of the historical wielders of the Darkness--a powerful magic artifact that is passed from father to son. Most stories in The Darkness comics follow Jackie Estacado, a mob hitman who manifested the power on his twenty-first birthday. This story is different.
In an interest narrative twist, the tale is a saga, told by one crewmate to another, and so rather than relying on historical accuracy, it slips into the mythic mists of lore. It also has a loose connection to the Top Cow crossover event Broken Trinity.
1 Heathen
Comic fans may be surprised to see the final entry on this list is not Marvel's Thor. That is because the Thor comics--though inspired by a god worshipped by the vikings and other Germanic peoples--is about a godly superhero, not the people who worshipped said deity.
Heathen is a historical fantasy inspired by Norse myths, but it is about people--specifically a viking shieldmaiden who rescues the valkyrie Brynhild. Gods and trolls appear, as do other figures from Norse lore. In fact, the early part of the story is a retelling of The Saga of the Volsungs. There is action, romance, and excitement, but also real stakes.