Taking Out Trolls: Advance Review Of ‘Beware The Eye Of Odin’ #3

Remember that time in The Hobbit when Bilbo outsmarts three dumb ogres with his clever and pacifist ways? Yeah, well this ain’t that kind of story as Doug Wagner and Tim Odland put the sword into sword and sorcery and have their characters carve their way through this oversized issue. An almost all-action issue that sees blood spilt by the bucket load and Odland relish the fun he must be having in depicting so many startled trolls as they get their comeuppance at the hand of our brave heroes, who get a surprising helping hand from characters I didn’t expect to see, that’s for sure.

Blood and got are something of a trademark for writer, Wagner, but there is far more to this issue than an all-out bloody battle. Fun as that may be in its execution on the printed page. Knowingly or not, Wagner and Odland have created characters that have their roots in the Iceland sagas of old. Prophecies and heroes who will embrace these prophecies no matter the dark message they often convey. Hearty heroes who would sooner die in battle than in any other past time. A fun series this may be, but it has a certian authenticity to the portrayal of the central characters too. 

The environment Odland portrays is suitable gnarly and perilous looking. Nothing good could ever live in these ancient looking forests. The earthy colours utilised by colourist Michelle Madsen only helps sustain the sense of Adding to the sense of perilous dangers is the lettering of Ed Dukeshire who fills the forest with the sounds of battle in the distance that convey the fight going on just out of eyesight of Helgi and the reader. And when the action is visible, it is often laid out in larger panels and either splash pages or double page spreads to really convey the size of the skirmish.

With our heroes most definitely deep within enemy territory and just one issue left, I can only sense the action notching up one more gear, at least, before the dust settles on this Viking-inspired fantasy saga. 

Beware The Eye of Odin #3 is out Wednesday 24th August from Image Comics.