All right. There's really only enough screaming from the rooftops we can do from this blog. We've told you that Northlanders is the best comic you're not reading, but you're all probably a bunch of free thinking individuals that just won't take a bunch of awesome people's words as absolute facts. Well now you don't have to. This has probably been up for a while now, but I just noticed it today. The fine nerds over at Vertigo have the entire first issue of Northlanders up on their site so you can read it for free. Did you hear that? You don't even have to part with $2.99 to decide if you like it or not. Head on over and check it out.
Now, I know you're going to be instantly hooked so you're going to want to immediately run out and buy the entire run. Well, the pending holiday season is making us feel a little generous right now. If you email us at spoilerzplz[REMOVETHISPARTWEHATESPAM]@gmail.com with "I Love Northlanders" in the subject line we will randomly send a few people a copy of the first trade.
Not bad, eh?Now get to it. There are some blood thirsty Vikings waiting for you.
I already have Amy Racecar on board (see below post), but I wanted to remind everyone that Greatest Hits #3 is set to release tomorrow. Definitely very near the top of my read pile right now (and trust me- it's a large stack), so do yourself a favor and pick up all three issues when you hit your shop and read them in one sitting. It's a six issue mini so you're not making a huge commitment. I'm all about getting everyone to read the best of what's out there and this one is a lot of fun.
I haven't had a chance to read this article yet, but CBR interviewed P. Craig Russell about his adaptation of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters. The first installment is at your comic shop waiting for you right now (and it's gorgeous).
While issue #1 was engaging it also seemed slightly overambitious about the story it was trying to tell in only a half dozen issues. #2 sees things starting to come together nicely and is shaping up to be a classic Vertigo mini.
Taking the larger than life status of British rock n roll bands in the 1960's and applying it to a superhero team, Greatest Hits centers around The Mates: four young lads fighting crime and becoming the world's biggest celebrities in the process. That means dealing with all the trappings that superstardom brings- the press, the parties, the groupies...the blumpkins!
The story is told with a split narrative. Nick Mansfield is a present day director and the son of Archie Sugg, one of The Mates. He's reluctantly making a documentary about his father's team, so one half of the story is the trials and tribulations involved with working in the midst of a large familial shadow. The second half of the story is flashbacks to the heyday of The Mates as we experience their growing pains as they happened- drugs, lineup changes and the death of a former member.
All in all when the last panel is done, it left this reader wanting more right away. You gotta respect when a comic that could have gone either way after the inital issue decides to take an emphatic turn down Awesome Street. Can't wait for the next four chapters!
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