THE RIVER OF BLOOD
A stand-alone heroic saga of Vikings finding themselves in hellish circumstances. If this sounds like something up your alley. Then The River of Blood is the captivating yet harrowing fable you have been looking for. Follow Wulfgar and crew on their perilous journey down the Volga River, where ancient evils await them seemingly around every corner.
BLACKJACK PRESS
WRITTEN BY: SEAN FAHEY
ART BY: CARLOS TRIGO
COLORS BY: JOK
LETTERS BY: KEL NUTTALL
What is The River of Blood about?
The Rivers of Blood follows Wulfgar and crew, The epic begins with a prologue of merchants being attacked by vampiric creatures on the Volga River. The poor merchants not being warriors have a tough time of it. The story then jumps to Wulfgar and his companions as they escort an Emperor through a city. There is an ill-fated assassination attempt on the Emperor, some word with the Royal Guard followed by merry-making in a local tavern. Wulfgar gets caught up in a sticky situation and is thrown in jail. After a couple of days, his trusty companions come to the rescue and they make their escape. Now finding themselves on the cursed Volga river. From here the story actually begins and the epic saga of Wulfgar and his brave Northmen should be sung in song for eons to come.
However, I am not going to spoil the story for you. But I will give you a quick rundown of what to expect. A starving village, a cunning yet psycho chieftain, witchcraft and, vampiric creatures. This is what awaits the brave Northmen on their journey of epic proportions.
The Art.
Art differs from book to book, and there is no right or wrong way I suppose. In saying that the art of The River of Blood, does not quite set the tone for this book which is marketed as a Viking Horror story. Yes, there are some absolutely brutal scenes and imagery, unbelievable eery events take place, and a horrific transformation however the mood and tone of the art do not entice fear. Or should I rather say it does not make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. There are also some consistency issues, some panels are beautifully drawn and colored, and some panels feel rushed. On the upside, the fight sequences flow tremendously well.
The question is does this take away from the story? No, and yes. Like I stated before there are some beautifully drawn panels and the art although not perfect is well suited, it does not create a sense of danger or fear. But that just might be because Vikings feared nothing…
Final Thoughts.
The River of Blood is enjoyable. Therefore it deserves a follow-up, especially with an ending like that. Does it accomplish all that it set out to be? Not entirely. But it is an epic adventure that tells the tale of brave men not standing back in the presence of pure evil. In conclusion, The River of Blood could easily garner a cult following. If you like series like Vikings and Supernatural and ever wonder what would transpire when those two worlds meet, then don’t look any further than The River of Blood.
You can also support them in their Kickstarter campaign here: The River Of Blood
Available soon at Drive Thru Comics (Digital) and IndyPlanet.com (Print).
SCORE: 7