Northlanders #30

Vertigo's Viking anthology series kicks off the "Metal: The Old Ways" arc with a cover that grabs you immediately — a massive, long-haired warrior raises a heavy hammer overhead, chains hanging at his side, bathed in fire and amber light against a burning, skeletal landscape. Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli bring their gritty Norse storytelling to what promises to be a raw, forge-hot tale, while Massimo Carnevale's cover painting sets a tone of brute determination and barely contained fury. If you've been following Northlanders, this September 2010 opener looks like exactly the kind of primal, no-frills chapter the series does so well.