Writer: Doug Wagner
Art: Tim Odland and Michelle Madsen
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 22nd, 2022
A cursed Prince teams with a one-armed warrior and a Harley Quinn-type Valkyrie (she may be nuts!) to return the Eye of Odin to its source in Beware The Eye of Odin #1. It’s an extra-length debut for this promising new series.
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The Story
Beware the Eye of Odin #1’s main protagonist is cursed Prince Helgi. And this guy truly seems cursed, despite the fact that the one-armed warrior Stigr, who’s his right-hand man (no pun intended) insists he’s not.
Helgi thinks his curse is due to having The Eye of Odin in his possession, and he becomes obsessed with returning it to where he found it, in a far distant land.
It’s a solid basis for a quest, and in the course of this first issue, there are a couple of thrilling encounters with mythic creatures, but what makes the book stand out are the characters and their depths, most fascinating of which is the “Valkyrie” Kadlin.
Kadlin seems to pop up from nowhere and claims she’s a Valkyrie, but it’s never really certain whether she is or not, because she seems to bounce between insane and totally manic. It’s fun watching her interact with Helgi and Stigr, with Helgi totally annoyed by her at every turn and Stigr (who’s an older warrior) calmly responding to her as if talking to a precocious child.
Stigr, despite only having one arm, is formidable in combat, and wields a powerful intimidating weapon that’s a combination of an anvil and a chain, smashing through everything.
Of all the various creatures popping up throughout the book, the trolls are the most fascinating and grotesque, and lend an almost horror vibe to the book, with their multiple disfigured heads and fused eye sockets. I look forward to seeing the other creatures that pop up over the course of the series, and I hope the creative team is able to maintain the balance between horror and light-hearted action.
The Art
Tim Odland’s art on Beware the Eye of Odin #1 has a Tolkienesque feel to it. The characters are drawn in Kirby-style heroic fashion, with everyone large and the background scenery epic. Kadlin’s expressions are especially expressive and accentuate the fact that she’s quite mad.
The creatures are drawn in a wonderfully grotesque manner and are of a great variety.
Final Thoughts
Beware the Eye of Odin #1’s is filled with interesting characters and bizarre creatures. It’s a great beginning to the series and the heroes’ quest, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens next.