Vikings come to the shores of Vinland, a new world full of fertile lands and untamed wilds. It’s a relief to be free of the confines of a ship. When scouting for their kin’s settlement, what they find is anything but welcoming. Something dangerous lurks within the woods. A monstrous beast with ill intent stalks anyone brave enough to try and call this place home. Viking Moon starts here!
- Written by Joe Pruett
- Art & Colors by Marcelo Frusin
- Letters by Joe Martin
- Logo Design by Lydia Pruett
Viking Moon Kicks Off a Battle Like No Other!
Vikings vs Werewolves?! Sign me up! Viking Lord Ulf leads his people to the new world of Vinland (aka America) in search of a new life. Everyone is excited to get off of the ship and start building a new settlement. Ulf sends scouts out to get a lay of the land and find the settlement of Thorfinn Karlsefni. What they find is a horrific massacre of bodies long since dead, with bodies ripped apart and scattered in pieces. Was it the locals they call “Skraelings”, or was it something bigger and beastly?
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What Viking Moon Brings to the New World
This issue opens up in the heat of the battle between the Vikings and the Indigenous people. It’s brutal and action-packed! It’s not long before howls ring out and the Vikings suddenly find themselves alone on the battlefield. That’s when the Werewolves make their appearance!
A Great Character in the Making
It’s immediately in that reveal when we are thrown back into the events that lead us up to here. The Vikings arrive and the work begins. Ulf is shown to be a good and noble leader, strong as well. He understands what it takes to survive in this new world. He instills that confidence in his men and his family. My favorite moment is one where they come face to face with the Skraelings and cautions against violence to his men. He wants to set a good example. Of course one of them shoots is arrow anyway and Ulf laments that whatever good will they may have had is gone now.
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The story tries to stay within the boundaries of historic accuracy. The Vikings finding the Americas and all of the obstacles that go along with it. I really enjoy Ulf wanting to set off on the right foot with the Indigenous people. He is developed as a smart, strong, and caring man. He knows how to lead with strength, but also with wisdom. It’s he that determines that Thorfinn’s settlement could not have been ransacked by men, but massacred by beasts.
The Art of Viking Moon
Speaking of the beasts, these werewolves rule! Marcelo Frusin takes a page out of the 80’s and designs these Werewolves in the same vein as The Howling (1981). The tall, hulking humanoid wolf hybrids truly embody monster movies and the fears that come with them. Frusin obviously understands how to work with horror from his Hellblazer days, and this issue is a perfect blend of it with historic figures and beautiful natural landscapes. I love everything about the artwork in this book!
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Overall Grade 9/10
These are the Werewolves I love. Big, humanoid, and scary! Frusin just takes this whole issue to the pinnacle of horror and history! The story itself is standard. It’s Invaders vs Natives. Man vs Nature. I do love the character work with Ulf. He feels larger than life and yet very real. I feel like this is a book that will get better with every issue. Get in while you can, readers!
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