In Dark Horse’s Sword Daughter, writer Brian Wood and artist Mack Chater tell the story of Dag and Elsbeth. A father and daughter travel across sprawling landscapes during the time of Vikings, a tale of survival, full of hardships, war, and revenge.
Sword Daughter V.1 TPB collects the first 3 issues of this ongoing series. A murderous clan burned a village to the ground, leaving just 2 people alive: a father and his teenage daughter. https://t.co/sSERauPeK6 @brianwood, @mackchater, @blambot, Jose Villarubia, Greg Smallwood pic.twitter.com/U2UgIOmCBx
— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) November 29, 2018
Writer Brian Wood, who delivered the frightening, post-apocalyptic The Massive from Dark Horse, brings Viking lore to life with grit and authenticity. Mack Chater’s art captures beautiful, unscathed landscapes with attention to detail, portraying the lead and supporting characters as elegant heroes, and when warranted, ferocious combatants. It’s a story made for fans of Conan, Red Sonja, Excalibur, or The Lord of the Rings.
Sword Daughter: Swords, Lots of Swords
Sword Daughter wasn’t a title that I intentionally sought out but I’m glad that I got my hands on it. Months ago, I had an appetite for comic books taking place in the Dark Ages and Middle Ages. I had watched Conan the Barbarian (1982) again—I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it—and asked my local comic book shop owner to recommend titles that have what Conan’s narrator would call, “days of high adventure.” Arduous journeys on foot, on horseback. Rivalries. Revenge. Epic battles full of swords, lots of swords.
Savage conflict epitomized by the palace battle scene from writer & director John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian (1982), co-written by Oliver Stone and based on the characters originally created by Robert E. Howard.
To hunt for comic books on par with Conan, I could have navigated through titles myself but there are so many these days, by so many publishers. Asking for recommendations helps cut through the clutter. Without hesitation the comic shop owner said, “How about Sword Daughter?” I purchased number 1, went home and read it, returning the next week to grab every additional issue. I also had the title added to my pull list of comics set aside each week for me.
Sword Daughter 001 comes out today! SUPER proud of this book, my first creator owned with @brianwood and @DarkHorseComics – If you are hitting the LCBS please give it a go! #ncbd #darkhorse #sworddaughter pic.twitter.com/4DOIuLrghK
— Mack Chater
(@mackchater) June 6, 2018
Characters and Connection
Wood & Chater have delivered a gripping, epic story with characters you become attached to. The challenges that Elsbeth must endure are traumatic, her father faces his own horrors, and their unique relationship keeps you invested. Communication, time spent together, and the love they show each other—or at times neglect to show—comes across beautifully thanks to Chater’s art. During their revenge quest, many battles take place without Dag and Elsbeth saying anything at all.
Focusing on the art, seeing and reading each image, you can feel the fight scenes accelerating as you look at one panel and move to the next. Decelerating to study Chater’s art and its nuances, where each weapon begins to move, eventually landing damage, you feel the battle happening in slow motion.
Sword Daughter returns in SWORD DAUGHTER VOL.2: FOLDED METAL: https://t.co/eD1rvAF7Ch
Father and daughter continue their epic quest for revenge against the ruthless Vikings. Collects issues #4-6. Creators @brianwood @mackchater @josevillarrubia @laurenaffe and Ben Oliver pic.twitter.com/cowRMCf2Cx— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) May 21, 2019
An Enduring Quest
Reading Sword Daughter, comparisons can be made to other stories that take place in the Dark Ages or Middle Ages, be it Conan or Red Sonja. The look and feel that Wood & Chater have created is also on par with Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2009 movie, Valhalla Rising starring Mads Mikkelsen as One Eye, who resembles Odin from Norse mythology. On another note—another continent, more specifically—Dark Horse marketed the series as “a visually stunning tribute to samurai cinema” and that essence is also present.
SWORD DAUGHTER #7: https://t.co/VDXMJ1Ayba
From all-star creators: @brianwood @mackchater @blambot Jose Villarrubia and @thisisbenoliverElsbeth hasn't forgotten the oath her father made: to deliver revenge upon the clan that burned their village. pic.twitter.com/dNnCKrpp7B
— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) June 4, 2019
But for this reader, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road came to mind the first time I read Sword Daughter. Winning a 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, McCarthy’s book is about a parent and child who make their way through a dusty wasteland, enduring brutal hardships, desperate and fighting for survival. In The Road, as in Sword Daughter, humanity may be lost, trust is hard to come by, lives may be lost, but the love between a parent and child endures.
Portions of this review were typed with Conan the Barbarian’s soundtrack by Basil Poledouris playing in the background.
The post Comic Book Review: Sword Daughter appeared first on Print Magazine.
