Written by: Nicolas Pothier
Illustrations: Marc Lechuga
Coloring: Sylvain Lauprêtre
Publisher: Glénat
Walhalla #2 Het Onverenigd Koninkrijk – Comic Book Review
Vikings have always been feared warriors, even though history has often proved them to be compassionate as well. Nonetheless, at a certain point in time, they were raiding other countries, hoping to bring home the many spoils of war. This time the cookie crumbles differently though, as the very cute looking Vikings in the Walhalla series are looking for a new home, as their own home is slowly getting destroyed by an active volcano. All of that being said, it’s been since the Lost Vikings on the SNES that such cute Vikings have crossed our paths.
Vandahr, Rüdolf, Ongür, Kilt and Bernard (who happens to be a sheep) are still continuing their journey, hoping to find a new fertile home for the rest of their brethren to settle. Sadly, all of the lands they come across already has inhabitants, making it quite hard to settle there, as they only posses a small fighting force at the moment. When a storm hits their galley quite hard, Rüdolf, Kilt and Bernard topple inside the water, getting separated from Ongür and Vandahr. To make matters even worse, Ongür and Vandahr crash into the cliffs, destroying their ship and making it even harder to find their lost allies. After exploring, it seems the Vikings all ended up in England, which is currently under rule of king Richard, who is out fighting in the crusades.
Amusingly enough, if king Richard was ruling, it would mean ‘Jan’ (John), Richard’s brother would be on the throne and that Robin of Loxley would be in the vicinity as well. The nearly drowned party of three bumps into the latter, who is a tad different than in the stories we know of him. It seems Robin Hood is a righteous cunt in this universe, as he wants to keep the monarchy intact, given he does not want equal rights for women and so on. Meanwhile the other two run into Jan, who is holding elections to start a democracy in England, of course hoping he’d win. Nonetheless, both iconic figures wish to get rid of one another, both giving missions to their new Viking allies to kill the other. All of this happens, while Vandahr and Ongür keep getting mistaken for being Frenchmen. No matter how much they knock out someone’s teeth, the opposition, as well as their allies keeps confusing them for their overseas French neighbors.
The flow is rather rapid in this one, as the Vikings find themselves in one predicament after another, all while the Vikings in their home country use their magic to keep an eye on the noble party of three men, a woman and a holy sheep. You’ll get sufficient information to piece the puzzle together, while the subtle winks and nods to famous characters are very pleasing as well. Nicolas Pothier does a great job in presenting a story for pretty much all ages, as some jokes are a bit more on the adult side, but vague enough for children, who will likely enjoy the antics of the Vikings even more.
Marc Lechuga handled the illustrations in a very funny fashion. Every character has its own quirks and funny features, making the overall experience very enjoyable, cut and humoristic. All of this makes for a very light and whimsical album, which is again great for young and old. The fighting scenes are rather inexplicit, along the lines of series such as Asterix. The bright colors used by Sylvain Lauprêtre add to the overall light atmosphere of all that was mentioned above.
Conclusion
Walhalla #2 Het Onverenigd Koninkrijk is a great second issue of the Walhalla series, with enough witty situations to keep you entertained for the entire duration of the album. The totally different Robin Hood who is featured in this story is an amusing twist on the already well known tale of the ‘hero’. We’re looking forward to see what country they’ll torch next time.
Walhalla #2 Het Onverenigd Koninkrijk - Comic Book Review,
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