Thor: Vikings

Thor: Vikings is very far from being the best Garth Ennis (Preacher, Hellblazer, Punisher) has to offer; it's an insignificantly entertaining action comic at best. Still, it shines with Garth Ennis's bleak and self-aware sense of the absurd, and even if it lacks severely in plot and characters, it's still a fun read, written with some wit and humor, with some wonderfully crafted action sequences. Ennis clearly had lots of fun with Vikings, and he completely let go with the absurd and ridiculously bloody violence and gore that he so loves.

The simplistic story is helped along by fantastic artwork by Glenn Fabry. Fabry is one of the most crafty masters of anatomy in the field (he even wrote a couple of instructive books for drawing muscles and human forms) and his highly detailed and sensitive art compliments the action scenes; it works particularly well in the wide, crowded panels, where Glenn gives as much attention to each and every bloody detail as he does to the overall compositions. The page layouts are fantastically dynamic, and all of that makes Thor: Vikings a quick and fun read that grabs hold of the reader and doesn't let go till the last pages. It's far from being a masterpiece, and it's certainly among Garth Ennis's lesser creations, but it's worth the effort for fans of Ennis's and of Thor's, and for those who enjoy well crafted and highly violent fight sequences.

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