Vikings: Godhead #1: Much Ado about Norse

Vikings: Godhead #1: Much Ado about Norse

Story By: Cavan Scott

Art By: Staz Johnson & Richard Elson

Release Date: April 27th

Vikings: Godhead #1 by its title alone is charged with conflict. Godhead is often associated with Christian theology. The title foreshadows what we can expect in the story following. Ragnar the viking is having to walk between the two worlds of medieval Christendom and that of the Norse Pantheon. He makes an alliance with the Christian King Ecbert of Wessex, which makes his loyal and devout Odin worshiping friend Floki uneasy.

Ragnar has a special place in western society. His face can be seen on the side of the Minnesota Viking’s Helmets in the NFL. His stories were told by Scandinavian immigrants to their children here in America. Although Vikings have been romanticized by media for the last couple of centuries, they wouldn’t be adored now if all they’re exploits were brought to common knowledge. Vikings the show doesn’t shy away from the amoral activities done by Ragnar and his raiding partners. The comic book companion Vikings: Godhead #1 has all the gory details that the show employs. The setting in which Vikings: Godhead #1 takes place in, has competing  moral foundations that we see our heroes having to navigate. The Medieval Norse mythology has one trying to achieve Valhalla with Odin or Folkvangr with Freyja. To do so, one must be a warrior and die in combat. If you want something contemporary to get you in the mood for this just listen to Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song. Then juxtaposed to Odinism you have the medieval form of Christianity, where king believed to be the ushers of the physical Kingdom of God. That it was their divine right to rule and reign. That’s why even today you have the current monarch of England as the head of England’s church. You can find a form of it today in modern U.S. Politics, it’s known as dominionism.

I like the two worlds that Ragnar has to walk in this series. Vikings: Godhead #1 gives the reader the sense of conflict one would feel in these scenarios. Writer Cavan Scott keeps the story grounded in the time period. Since we have a possibly real figure told to us throughout history in myth, Scott gets to enact some artistic license. Though he is limited to the what the television show has set up prior to the book. Even with this we get treated with the grit, drama, and action of the show. If you’re not a fan of the show then don’t read this book. This book is very much the show, which is a good thing. I for instance enjoy the series immensely.

The artist Staz Johnson and Richard Elson do great in portraying the actors who played the vikings in the show. Floki stands out the most in both formats, with his lanky features, mannerisms, and his eye make up. Floki is the center piece in this book and seems to be the important in this story arc. His distrust of the King Ecbert and his disliking of the Christians is brought to life by Johnson and Elson. The way they draw the brooding brow of Floki is done extremely well. Cavan Scott’s writing goes hand in hand with Staz Johnson and Richard Elson’s artistry.

This was a fun comic book with plenty of intrigue. There are a lot of players in this story, and I appreciated the way Scott told the story through Floki’s point of view. Even if you haven’t seen the television show Vikings: Godhead #1 is a good jumping in point for newcomers.