Northlanders #2

Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice's Viking saga continues in this second chapter of "Sven the Returned," part of Vertigo's mature-readers line. Massimo Carnevale's cover draws the eye immediately — a battle-worn, bloodied warrior hunches in the foreground while a pale, dark-haired woman stands above him amid a swirl of ravens and bare branches, the contrast between the two figures charged with quiet tension. It's a striking visual introduction to a series that announced itself in 2008 as one of Vertigo's more atmospheric and uncompromising offerings.