‘The Outlaw’.
Adapted from the original Saga by Hrannar Alti Hauksson.
Based on ‘Grettis Saga’ (author unknown).
Black and White interiors - 28 pages.
The Story - ‘In the early decades of 11th century Iceland there lived a man, Grettir Asmundarson. His strength and prowess in battle was legendary, and he and his saga have become bowline mythic.
However a series of unfortunate incidents caused him to be declared an outlaw. He spent twenty years on the run from the law, knowing that any man he met would be justified in killing him on sight.
For the last few years of his life he sought refuge on the perilous island of Drangey, located just off the north coast. But even there his enemies would continue to hunt him....’
This comic tells the story of what happened next.
The Review - I lucked out at the MCM Comicon this weekend in London’s East End. Not only did I meet some great comics fans but I also got to meet a certain Icelandic comic creator called Hrannar Alti Hauksson and he handed me his comic ‘The Outlaw’. It was a tranquil ten minutes in a sea of body paint, hairy men wearing skirts, pokey bore-offs, furries and inflatable dinosaurs (and no I haven’t been on the acid again!)
This comic may have been part of Hrannar’s BA in Illustration at Bournemouth University but it is as far as it can be thematically from paintbrushes and photoshop! This is a black and white story told on a gritty and cold canvas. Full of men with nothing but death in their intentions and axes in their hands.
The story starts slowly with a visit by warriors from the sea. They approach almost wordlessly under cover on the night. The shadows play long and deep on the cliffs with only the pinpricks of the light of stars overhead. An old Grettir is in his bed, ill and hallucinating his surroundings. As the assassins approach his door the story rolls back to this warriors earlier life. Back in those earlier years he came up against a Demon in the shape of a man in a sequence full of tense and trembling aggression. You hear the foot steps of this monster on the roof of the house and then are presented with it. Excellent pacing. Hrannar keeps a tight hold on the feelings of the reader in this twenty-eight page comic. He let’s you know exactly what you need to know and exactly at the right time. You hold the cold intake of breath as things unfold before you.
This story is one that I found riveting from start to end. There is a compelling story that is simple yet well told and drawn with flair and a feeling for the darkness of a saga of this kind. It centres around one single notion, the fate of a man. A man who has one incident in his life that shapes the rest of his years to come. He is a mighty and straightforward man who acts with no hesitation.
The art carries all that is required of it and whilst there are moments that could do with more sharpness of intention (the interiors of buildings seemed like they could do with more shaping and less of a Dutch Tilt for example) overall I enjoyed this story. The cover has a striking moment of battle in a stark white background that suits the narrative and could easily be something from Dark Horse or Image comic (it’s that good).
I’m afraid that the lettering could do with some real work. Personally I would have chosen a time/place specific font that says something of the Viking vibe. This is hand lettered and shows some amateurish work that certainly isn’t akin to the great black and white art. I cant imagine why a tutor hadn’t pointed that out? It might be that a second print of this book improves on this lettering issue.
Recommended.
You can find the creator at his website here http://www.hrannarhauksson.com/about or on Twitter @HAHauksson
Many thanks for reading.
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