Northlanders #13

Part three of Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly's "The Cross + The Hammer" arc arrives with a cover by Massimo Carnevale that stops you cold — a cloaked rider on horseback raises a sword against the sky while an enormous, snarling beast dominates the foreground, jaws agape and glowing red-eyed, with the rocky wilderness stretching between them. The tension between that silhouetted mounted figure and the massive creature below captures everything that makes this Vertigo series so compelling: raw, elemental conflict set against an unforgiving landscape. Dave McCaig's colors on the interior promise the same moody atmosphere that makes this 2009 series a genuinely rewarding read for anyone drawn to Viking-age drama.