Where Nothlanders is all abotu characters, plot, and historical themes, this Viking graphic novel relies almost entirely on the quality of the artwork for its success. Each page is lushly saturated with colour (both the reds of battle and the greens of the scenery are good places to draw from), but the artists's style is painterly to the point of becoming difficult to track characters throughout the plot. It doesn't help that the story jumps around so much that you're never quite sure which characters are supposed to be the protagonists, much less the supporting characters. I would like to see more from the artist, but I would be happier to see him doing stand-alone covers or true artwork rather than attempting to confine himsdelf to the linearity of the graphic novel format. ( )