There has been a huge expansion in Viking content in recent years, with a variety of television shows, movies, video games, novels, and comics about various aspects of Norse mythology and history, from the stories of Odin and Thor and Loki to historical retellings of Viking invasions of England, France, and beyond. Much of this media counters some of the false narratives around the Viking world, mostly inspired by white supremacist misinterpretations of Norse culture and society. I love Norse mythology and history, and I love exploring new, exciting works set in that mythos, but unfortunately, Beware the Eye of Odin proves to be little more than a story caught up in the general appetite for Norse myth.
Beware the Eye of Odin is a four-issue series from writer Doug Wagner, artist Tom Odland, and colorist Michelle Madsen and published by Image Comics. This series, whose first issue drops on June 22, follows Viking prince Helgi, town blacksmith, former warrior Stigr, and Kadlin, who is convinced she is a valkyrie, as they travel to return the Eye of Odin to frost giant Mimir lest Helgi dies of a horrible curse. The story begins in media res, with Helgi already in possession of the cursed Eye, a frost giant dead at his feet. However, at least in the first issue, you are never told how Helgi gains the Eye, nor why all of a sudden they are surrounded by mythological creatures Helgi did not believe existed despite living very near these creatures for his entire life.
The biggest grievance with this story is the lack of consistency. In one panel, Helgi has stubble, and Stigr’s hair is swept to one side; in the very next panel, on the same page, Helgi is now clean-shaven, and Stigr’s hair has flipped. Other inconsistencies abound, including completely different facial structures for Helgi, absolutely insane proportions for Stigr’s arm, and strange decisions for Kadlin’s facial expressions. These inconsistencies in the art are a shame because Odland is clearly a talented artist, which his detailed illustrations clearly show. Better oversight of the broader work would have greatly benefited this book. In addition, the gore in this book is well beyond any sensible amount needed to tell this story. The graphic fight with the battle swine is largely inconsequential to the story, and depicting the gruesome way they killed this beast does not add to the depth or progression of the book. This gratuitous violence solely serves as shock value to the reader.
The inconsistencies continue to the story, most notably when Helgi lashes out in anger at Stigr regarding his father’s axe when immediately before and after he is telling a somber story regarding the misfortunes of his childhood, including the death of his mother in childbirth, for which he blames himself. However, the biggest misstep of the writing is in the characterization of Kadlin. Despite being the best tracker and warrior in the group, she is depicted as the crazy woman who somehow believes she is a valkyrie (not that far-fetched in a world with actual gods, giants, and trolls)! And it is not just the characters’ opinions that make it feel this way, but through the staging of the scenes and the truly unhinged facial expressions they decided to give her. Even more concerning is the scene following the defeat of the battle swine, where Stigr compliments Kadlin’s cooking, to which she replies, “Well, valkyries don’t spend all their time just circling battlefields, you know.” It is hard to see this as anything other than an insistence that women adhere to traditional gender roles even if they are engaged in traditionally non-feminine pursuits like war and battle.
As I mentioned, Norse stories find themselves in a questionable grey area due to their co-opted association with white supremacy and the traditionally oppressive society they idolize. The Viking world was very different from the world these racists believe, including a surprising amount of ethnic diversity, impressive gender equality compared to much of the world at the time or since, and even pretty standard acceptance of queer people. Any work based in the Viking Age or inspired by Norse mythology must counter the misinterpreted version spread by hatemongers in our society. Unfortunately, Kadlin’s depiction in Beware the Eye of Odin does not do this. I can only hope this and the other issues this book has, are rectified in the remaining three issues.
