Hello Enthusiasts,
Today's review will be of the first volume of Image's comic, Black Road. As a head's up to any parents looking to get this one for a younger reader, this story is a little graphic, so be warned. Also, as I go through this, it's a good idea to remember that there may be Mild Spoilers Below.
So this story takes place during the expansion of Christianity in Scandinavia, which would have been somewhere between 700-1100 C.E. This comic revolves around a warrior from a small village named Magnus ( often referred to as "Magnus the Black"), who is escourting a Cardinal north on the Black Road. The Cardinal dies early on, and his mission is passed along to his adopted daughter, Julia. The Black Road is dangerous for a number of reasons, but it is the only way to travel on foot to a Christian fortification on the northern coast.
The action scenes in this book are pretty exciting, the movements are all very fluid and believable. The main character, Magnus, is relatable, but also a giant mass of murderous muscle. It would have also been easy for Magnus to have been written with no personality but angry (much like how many buff Scandinavians are written), but he is given a range of emotions, though he still never really cracks a smile. I also liked the art in thr comic, which is sketchy, but I feel like it really fits with the setting being so far in the past.
The book does have a few flaws though. It jumps around a lot, seemingly skipping a good amount of the journey; it's almost like watching a highlight reel of a longer story. I realize that I'm not going to see every step the character's take, but leaves a lot to be assumed. This makes the story a bit more difficult to follow, which I found frustrating. This is no more apparent than near the end, which has a plot twist, and then a COUNTER plot twist, both of which happen within a page or two of each other. Also, as someone who really appreciates historical accuracy, I was pretty upset with the language used in the book. The writers don't even try for an older dialect of english like Thor uses, instead using much more modern words and phrases in the conversations.
So is this comic terrible with those flaws listed above? No, it was still enjoyable, but I think the writers over at Image need to slow down. Maybe they're used to writing really short stories or they had some strict deadlines, but I certainly felt like parts of this wete really rushed. Pick it up, if only to have a basis for later volumes, which could be a lot better, the story certainly has the potential, it's just not reached here.
I give Black Road: The Holy North a 6 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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