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ctgt's review
4.0
Magnus the Black is hired to escort a church official to a investigate circumstances in a town to the north. Despite his better judgement he allows the official to take the quickest route...The Black Road. Let's just say there's a reason they call it The Black Road. Gritty, violent, with some mystery and double dealing that makes for an entertaining story.
Really strong artwork with a rough style that fits well with the story.
8/10
Really strong artwork with a rough style that fits well with the story.
8/10
bookstorebinge's review
3.0
Time taken to read: 30 minutes
Rating: 3 stars
The art style of this graphic novel was really impressive. The best descriptor I could give is gritty. It makes use of a limited colour panel, using splashes of red to really make an impression and make the frequent blood really pop on the page. Making it more vivid and in some cases shocking. The disappointing part of this novel in parts for me personally was the story. Some pages were quite text heavy, which isn't really traditional in this style of comic, and at the time of writing this review (a significant period of time after reading the graphic novel), I am quite limited in what I remember from this story. It is quite a brutal story, and definitely for those with an interest in on the road, adventure stories based within a nordic or viking style setting.
Rating: 3 stars
The art style of this graphic novel was really impressive. The best descriptor I could give is gritty. It makes use of a limited colour panel, using splashes of red to really make an impression and make the frequent blood really pop on the page. Making it more vivid and in some cases shocking. The disappointing part of this novel in parts for me personally was the story. Some pages were quite text heavy, which isn't really traditional in this style of comic, and at the time of writing this review (a significant period of time after reading the graphic novel), I am quite limited in what I remember from this story. It is quite a brutal story, and definitely for those with an interest in on the road, adventure stories based within a nordic or viking style setting.
rosseroo's review
3.0
For me to pick up a graphic novel, I have to like both the look of the art and the setting for the story -- this ticked both boxes for me. It's set sometime around the 11th-century, when the Christian church is forcibly converting pagans of Norway. The protagonist is a hulk of a warrior who makes ends meet by acting as a guide/bodyguard, and here he is tasked with escorting a Vatican official along the dangerous titular road.
The characters and landscape are rich material for the amazing art and color work. The use of solid black inks and washes is exactly the kind of technique I love. I have to say, however, that I didn't love the storytelling quite as much -- where the art is crisp and vivid, the writing is more vague and fuzzy. There are skips in time and action that are a bit jarring, and sometimes the dialogue reads as if there's a whole backstory that I should have known from a previous set of issues. At one point, I actually did check to make sure this was the first collection in the series.
I do want to read the next, but before I do so, I'll probably need to go back and reread this to try and get it all straight in my head. Overall, good stuff -- especially if you're a fan of work grounded in real-life history and horrors, and/or have a special enjoyment of Norse-themed stuff.
The characters and landscape are rich material for the amazing art and color work. The use of solid black inks and washes is exactly the kind of technique I love. I have to say, however, that I didn't love the storytelling quite as much -- where the art is crisp and vivid, the writing is more vague and fuzzy. There are skips in time and action that are a bit jarring, and sometimes the dialogue reads as if there's a whole backstory that I should have known from a previous set of issues. At one point, I actually did check to make sure this was the first collection in the series.
I do want to read the next, but before I do so, I'll probably need to go back and reread this to try and get it all straight in my head. Overall, good stuff -- especially if you're a fan of work grounded in real-life history and horrors, and/or have a special enjoyment of Norse-themed stuff.
wcs53's review
4.0
I borrowed this graphic novel from the library without knowing very much about it. It was the Viking theme that drew me in. It was probably a lot darker than I thought it would be, but that wasn't a bad thing. I liked the bleakness of the artwork and the story moved along quite well, with a couple of unexpected twists along the way. This volume is a compilation of the first five issues of the comic and I believe that volume 2 is available now, so I'll have to look out for that, as this one finished with a lot still to be worked out.
I've read quite a few of the old Norse sagas and this story has the spirit of some of them. The main character, Magnus the Black, is stuck between two worlds - the pagan and the Christian - and hasn't decided which side he will land on, as he's not too sure who he can trust anymore. Something dark and secret is going on and he is on the brink of discovering what that is. But who can he trust and will he be able to stop what is going on? I'm looking forward to finding the next instalment in this dark tale.
I've read quite a few of the old Norse sagas and this story has the spirit of some of them. The main character, Magnus the Black, is stuck between two worlds - the pagan and the Christian - and hasn't decided which side he will land on, as he's not too sure who he can trust anymore. Something dark and secret is going on and he is on the brink of discovering what that is. But who can he trust and will he be able to stop what is going on? I'm looking forward to finding the next instalment in this dark tale.
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