Brilliant conclusion

Well, color me Norse, this is a brilliant conclusion to brilliant story arc! Three issues, three acts, one great story. I love how BRIAN WOOD has written the whole SIEGE OF PARIS. In the first issue we met the main character, a seasoned mercenary in the Norse troops sieging the city of Paris. A very promising premise for Northlanders series, but then two suprising things happened, and I am talking about the issues #2 and #3. In issue two, instead of the bloody action one was assuming to see in it after the end of first issue, we were introduced to the gruelling and deadly boredom of siege in stalemate. In the end of second issue our protagonist makes a drastic move out frustration and with a great personal cost, a move that breaks the defences of Paris and...

...then the issue three. Again, it is nothing one would expect. There is the great decicive battle, but our protagonist is not part of it. this last act of story is a bittersweet swan song of ageing and wounded professonial soldier who no longer can - nor does want - to fight. And instead of going to the halls of Walhalla, he get´s a change of peacful, if a bit forced, retirement. But when everything changes, nothing changes. You can take the man out of the war, but you can´t take the war out of a man.

Ladies and gentlemen, THE SIEGE OF PARIS is a great, great comic, and the last issue is pure masterpiece. It is mature visual storytelling that dares to slow down the pace, and yet maintains it´s entertainment value. For me it is by far one of the best comics I have read in a long, long time.

Name

The Siege of Paris, Conclusion

Volume

Northlanders

Issue Number

Cover Date

June 2011

In Store Date

April 13, 2011

Northlanders #39

stuka69's Northlanders #39 - The Siege of Paris, Conclusion review