Not the smartest thing to do, starting
a post with a confession... but I was never good at dissembling,
and so, even though it reveals that I've no idea what I'm talking
about, I'll say it right away: I hardly ever read graphic novels. My
husband has tried to lure me into liking them, so I have read my
share of Conans etc., but I never really understood the appeal.
Therefore, I surprised everyone – myself included – when I
declared that I'd found a graphic novel I wanted to read.
It was Volume 1 in the Pakanat
(“Pagans”) series by Tuomas Myllylä. I read the first book a few
years ago, and the second late last year. And I was not disappointed.
In fact, I've read the first volume twice now, and will certainly
re-read the second one as well.
So why this sudden interest? It all
started with the fact that the series
is set in one of my favourite periods: Viking Age. And it
gets better! Even though
the adventure takes the reader on a journey to other locations, such
as the Byzantine Empire and various
places along the
Varangian Way,
the main setting is Viking Age Finland. There aren't many books with
such a setting, or
at least I haven't come across them. Viking
Age counts as prehistory in Finland, and there
are few sources (we rely mostly on archeological evidence),
which is part of its fascination for me. We know something, and yet
we know so little! It's a mystery... and for a writer, it is both a
burden and a blessing. On one hand, you can do research, but
it will only get you so far, for relatively little is known about
those times. On the other hand... relatively little is known about
that time. Which means you can use your imagination, you can make
your own interpretations. One might even say that, to a certain
degree, artistic license is a must.
It seems to me that Myllylä has done
his research (but I'm no expert, just an enthusiast). Things like
clothing, weapons, dwellings, seem to be about right for the period.
So do the behavior of people, their values etc. There may be certain
genre conventions at play here, and they are respected: the battles
are gory, the men are merciless, the warriors are driven by their
hunger for honour and revenge.
Some of the characters are named after figures in Finnish mythology
(Finnish national epic, “The Kalevala”). I don't know whether
Myllylä simply turned
to the epic to find
names suitable for the
period or whether this is his interpretation of (some
of) the events and
characters in “The Kalevala”. I
suspect the latter, and I
must say I like
this rather down-to-earth interpretation.
The
story itself is a classic tale of revenge. Yes,
it's been done many
times over, but it always works. I don't know what it
says about human nature that we so readily accept vengeance
as a powerful motivator, but I'm not here to discuss that, and
anyway, this is Viking Age: avenging
murdered loved ones was a question of honour.
The first volume
introduces the
characters and contains
quite a lot of
backstory, but all of that is relevant information, and, more
importantly,
interesting. I want to avoid all spoilers here, so I'll say nothing
about the plot, only that there are bloody battle scenes, a
nice amount of humour, and plenty
of plotting. While the story is fast-paced and action-packed,
there are quieter moments when the characters sit in a sauna,
thinking or talking. If you know anything about Finland and Finns,
you know what a huge dose of realism that gives to the story. ;)
The artistic
merits are beyond me to discuss (read: I don't know anything about
these things and have virtually nothing to compare to, so who am I to talk?).
But it seems to me that there is a certain grim grittiness to
Myllylä's style (see the covers above, they'll give you some idea of what I'm trying to say), which I find
a perfect fit for the story. The illustrations are very eloquent
and have a unique feel to them. When
the characters are in the sauna, you sense the heat; when they ski
through a wintry forest, you shiver with cold. It's in the details:
birds huddling
on the branches; wind-blown hair; breath
misting in the cold
air.
The story doesn't end in volume two,
which means there will probably be at least another book in the
series. I'm definitely looking forward to reading it, and hoping that
the story would continue even after that. Encouraged by this
experience, I have even added a couple of other graphic novels to my
TBR list!
