Thorgal Book 8: Wolf Cub

Thorgal Book 8: Wolf Cub, by Jean Van Hamme & Grzegorz Rosinski, Cinebook

THORGAL IS homeward bound. After travelling alone during his detour in the previous volume that was The Master of the Mountain, the Viking hero has collected his pregnant wife Aaricia and their son Jolan and they now sail down familiar waters... But not all is as it was!

A man arrived in these parts the previous winter, the chief of a clan from the south it seems. He’s not only brought along some of his men, but a dream: to unite the clans into a single nation. Many have flocked to his cause, and since fame is everything to a Viking it is little wonder he is known as Wor the Magnificent.

Wor has need of the ship Thorgal’s family are passengers on. He wants it for his latest expedition, or raids as Saxons would more aptly call it.

Thorgal’s reputation leads Wor to invite him to join him but the hero declines and Aaricia herself reminds Wor that her father was king of the Northern Vikings and so demands the vessel is not taken. Wor mocking the late King Gandalf then makes the further mistake of doing the same to Thorgal. Thorgal knocks him to the ground with a single punch then draws his sword threatening to do far worse unless Wor’s followers step back and let his family leave the ship safely. It is spring, home is near and there’s a child who may yet be born there if Thorgal can get a ride for them, so he leaves his family to go on ahead.

Alas, Wor is the conniving two-faced bastard sort and he not only hates someone getting the better of him, he’s also afraid Thorgal’s return might cause his kingly dominion to come to nothing. To this end he sends a message to his followers on land to make sure Thorgal and his family don’t reach home alive. When these would be murderers meet up with Aaricia and Jolan, they find they’re not such an easy target and what’s more there’s something deadly waiting in the woods to be more than afraid of.

Unaware of his loved ones’ predicaments Thorgal continues his journey, and in so doing learns that Wor’s cause isn’t one all the clans have followed with relish for there have been threats, villages burnt, and those who stood in his way ultimately got rid of. Even more revealing is that Wor isn’t quite the person he made himself out to be to those clans of the north who have joined him. But before Thorgal can do anything about this he finds himself trapped between Wor’s raiding party and the survivors of those who tried to kill Aaricia. Events move quickly, several cliff hanger events ensue, the action becomes all the more ferocious... and the thing in the woods returns again!

It’s one hell of an emotional roller coaster this one. Part inspired Viking political thriller, peppered with classic heroic adventurism whenever Thorgal takes centre stage, and a dash of horror chiller akin to when Americans Bruce Jones and Bernie Wrightson used to collaborate on strips that would have monsters that lurk in the woods.

These events interweave or remain defiantly separate as themes of savagery and nobility begin to dominate, culminating in Aaricia giving birth to her second child. Rosinski’s brilliantly passionate painted cover practically demands you be present at the delivery.

An excellent read, a visual pleasure!

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