Northlanders #3

Vertigo's Northlanders hits its stride with issue three of the "Sven the Returned" arc, written by Brian Wood with art by Davide Gianfelice. Massimo Carnevale's cover delivers a visceral snapshot of a lone warrior — clad in chainmail and a blood-red tunic, dual blades raised — surrounded by the dark silhouettes of adversaries closing in from every side. The stark red-and-black palette gives the whole image a raw, urgent energy that perfectly captures the brutal Norse world Brian Wood has set out to explore.