So far this series has fulfilled all expectations and surpassed them.  It has been strong enough on character development even if not particularly overwhelmed with dialogue, and its action have been fun and engaging.  With the last issue the series took a somewhat strange turn, with the local town girl seeming to have a crush on Rikard, and then her transformation into a Valkyrie.  While this is likely not where most people would have thought that the series was going after the first or second issue, the direction was at least logical if not necessarily built up correctly, and it therefore fell to this issue to ensure that everything was in place for a coherent story.

It is to the credit of the creative team, that while this story took a sharp turn in its theme and story telling that it still manages to make sense here, even if the readers will not be sure that they are reading the same series.  The characters though lacking a bit of focus still get what they need to make the story more grounded, and the story takes on some deeper themes such a death, which also gives it more gravity, even if the premise is somewhat unlikely.

By the end of this issue things get even weirder, and readers might even end up shaking their heads to see if what they are reading is the same story.  At the same time it ties in concepts not entirely foreign to deeper themes, showing not only the focus on death but also the enduring power of love.  It is an unconventional story, but it is also still a standout in terms of its quality and the novelty in the story telling.  Readers who only look as far as Image for their reading from the independents are missing a good series here, and really this is yet another series that too few people know about.

Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Joelle Jones
Story: 8.7 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review