The successful video game saga arrives in comics at the publisher Black River. It begins with a prequel about the bloody chapter of the Vikings, Assassin's Creed Valhalla. But do we find the spirit of the game in the comics? Read our column to find out
A family, a clan and a raid
The French video game company has had many successes but it exploded with the historical saga Assassin's Creed. Initially inspired by the Templar order of the Middle Ages, it has been able to adapt to different historical periods while keeping the original spirit. In the episode Assassin's Creed Valhalla, we found both the mission of a medieval killer and the violence of the Viking period. The screenwriter Cavan Scott proposes here to tell the beginnings of some characters of this game in a complete story in one volume. So we are in the middle of the ninth century A.D. when a region of Norway is experiencing a conflict between two clans. The Viking warrior Eivor comes to help the inhabitants of a border village attacked by a neighboring king. However, she does not release them but claims dominance and loot for her father, King Styrbjorn. Among the adversaries, she discovers a mysterious slave. The latter would be in communication with the Aces, the Viking gods, and could lead her to their treasure. At the same time, his brother Sigurd is also on a treasure hunt but, rather than gold, he hunts down a steel sword. We are quite far from the game because the assassin appears quite late. There is just a treasure quest with hidden pieces.
A bloody tale
Cavan Scott is a specialist in the adaptation of spin-off series. Author of several novels and comics on Star Wars, he is one of the main architects of their new universe, the High Republic. He knows how to blend into different genres. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, we find the obligatory passages of Viking stories. This can be seen first of all by the exoticism of names like Kjotve's army. In these uncertain times, violence is omnipresent with looting, rape and murder during a struggle between clans. In contrast to the Western nobility, these warriors even from high lineages are very violent. The struggles affect not only neighboring kingdoms but also families because of the complex filiations. King Styrbjorn had two children. Sigurd teams up with his cousin Knud. Eivor faithfully served his father by defending the borders of Kjotve's army. However, she receives no recognition from him. This lack of love is explained because she is not his legitimate daughter but that of an enemy of her father.
The narrative is not only historical but also becomes supernatural. Indeed, women are magicians who certainly speak with the gods but the answer is made by abstruse words. These prophetesses have different bodies. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Skald the storyteller has an ivory body dotted with tattoos. However, Assassin's Creed Valhalla doesn't just copy ancient narratives. Like modern stories such as the Northman there are no heroes but all the main characters are brutes who live for blood, glory and combat. The war also concerns women combatants. Eivor leads a squad. She is, like her brother, a leader using violence.
Images between Scandinavia and the United States
The cartoonist Martin Tunica has a style that can be linked to the historical Franco-Belgian comic. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, he aims for the realism of costumes and sets but the reading remains fluid with an abstraction during the fights. Tunica seems to have trouble keeping up with the monthly rhythm of episodes. Michael Atiyeh's colors may look bland with grayish skin.
Rather than extending the game, Assassin's Creed Valhalla keeps the violent atmosphere of Viking raids while offering a family story and a treasure quest. Fans of the game will be pleasantly surprised and fans of historical comics will be delighted by this complete story.
You can find other historical chronicles with On the side of hell and July 14.
