Meet the Cast: THE VIKING GUNNARSON

It's time to introduce you to another one of the characters you'll be seeing in "The Wolves of Odin."

While Tyr very much filled the role of "lead hero" in my story, I knew I wanted a rough-n-tumble character as well. Someone who could be a good guy, but really be more of a random element. You see, with Tyr, it's all about destiny and fate -- his path is laid out before him and Thor is making sure he sticks to that path. With Gunnarson, however, you know he can work outside of the rules, so to speak. He can be that diehard berserker. He can be that guy with no pre-written destiny -- someone the reader can maybe identify with a little more.

And I've told this to people before -- I must proudly own up to it -- Gunnarson is also an homage to the Techno Viking, who's something of a YouTube celebrity (if you've never watched the video, here's the link - go check it out). The guy in that video is the most awesome and crazy human on the planet. How could I not put him in my viking comic? I had to do it. :) And it worked out for other reasons, too -- Tyr had darker hair, so the blonde hair on Gunnarson was perfect. Visually he worked well with the cast.

Gunnarson wears a Mjöllnir necklace (Hammer of Thor) to show his allegiance to the God of Thunder. I wanted to show that not all followers of the deities automatically get to see or speak to the gods, as Tyr does. Gunnarson is a follower of Thor, but he does not actively converse with him. For him, religion is more of a good luck charm than a way of life.

Readers of the book can look forward to lots of Gunnarson going head to head with the wolves. He definitely isn't one to shy away from a bloodbath. Let's just hope he survives the fight...

That's it for now. Thanks for reading! Come back soon for another inside look at one of the other cast members of "The Wolves of Odin" and more WoO news and updates!

~ Grant

Meet the Cast: THE WOLF FENRIR

In Norse mythology, Fenrir (also known by Fenris, Fenrisulfr, and other names) is the famous and terrible wolf. He is the unstoppable monster that cannot be caged. He's the troublemaker, the doom-bringer, the one that ends up biting Tyr's hand off. I knew from the get-go that he'd be playing a major role in my story. I was always intrigued by him, and always wanted to know and read more.

In my comic, Fenrir is the lieutenant of the wolves -- the smartest, the most cunning, the most powerful. I wanted to make sure each character (both wolves and humans) looked different from one another. Whereas Hati is reddish-brown and Skoll is a very light grey, I wanted Fenrir to be a dark grey -- almost black in contract to the snowy terrain. He's literally the big, bad wolf.

Odin trusts Fenrir above the others. He looks to him to succeed, and ultimately -- as it is in the mythology -- Fenrir will face Tyr. As I've mentioned before, this shared fate is the centerpiece of "The Wolves of Odin." The building up to that encounter between Tyr and Fenrir, and the aftermath. He, like Hati and Skoll, was once a north-man. But his greed and his battle-lust drove him down a dark path, and he became one of the AllFather's prized berserkers. Odin transformed him into a beast, and now he's a pawn, an instrument of hate and murder.

More to come!

Meet the Cast: THE WITCH BERGTHORA

Each week I'm talking about a cast member from my upcoming graphic novella "The Wolves of Odin," and offering some insight into that character. This week's cast member is Bergthora.

At a glance, one might suspect that Bergthora is a Valkyrie, but in the case of this particular character, not all is as it seems. While she very much wants to be a Valkyrie, Bergthora is a witch, and her true appearance is something she goes to great lengths to hide.

Long ago, the God of Thunder made Bergthora his lover and his servant. In return for her loyalty, she asked to become one of the legendary Valkyries of Valhalla. Thor promised that he could make that happen once her services were no longer needed. Many years have passed since then, and with this new mission unfolding - the approaching confrontation between the wolves and Tyr - Bergthora is hoping that her eagerly awaited reward is near. Thor has chosen Bergthora to guide Tyr and to set his plans in motion.

For her appearance, I knew I wanted it to be very Valkyrie-like, because of her desire to become one. I tried to design something that was a mixture of Valkyrie and "ragged outcast witch." Of all the human characters, Bergthora's clothing is definitely the least realistic in terms of what people of the viking era really wore... Not to mention, it's not a very practical outfit for wintertime. I took some artistic liberties with this one. But hey, if Red Sonja can wear a metal bikini in the snow, my witch can show some leg. :P And let's face it, we're seeing an illusion -- for all we know, the witch is wrapped in furs under that magical disguise of blonde sexiness.

Her staff is actually a heater of sorts, so that also helps explain why she isn't more bundled up. The orbs on her staff hold earthly energies that radiate heat and light, keeping her from freezing her butt off.

Anyway, that's Bergthora in a nutshell. I'm in the middle of preparing for San Diego and am way behind, so I have to cut this post short. I'll be back post-Comic-Con with the next "Meet the Cast" feature.

If you're going to Comic-Con, definitely swing by the Super Real Graphics table (S16) and my table in artists' alley (CC-18). We'll have "Wolves of Odin" goodies you don't wanna miss out on!

Thanks for reading -- Talk to you again soon!

Grant

Meet the Cast: THE VIKING TYR

Over the next few weeks I'll be introducing you to the cast of "The Wolves of Odin," and offering some insight into what went into the creation of these characters. First up is Tyr, which is a name some of you fans of Norse mythology are sure to recognize... "Wait a minute.. Isn't Tyr one of the gods?"

In most versions of the mythology, he is, yes. And this is something that's addressed and actually sort of set the stage for where I wanted to go with the story. While I was preparing to write "Wolves," I did a lot of research on the Norse pantheon. I'd always been somewhat familiar with it, but I wanted to really dig in and work the various tales into my own... Turns out, there are about twenty variations of every tale, about twenty variations of every personality... Ultimately, I realized there is no definitive Norse legend. There are different versions, and really, it's about picking and choosing the parts that you enjoy and that make the most sense.

So I made Tyr the central character, and part of his journey is that he's being guided and manipulated by the gods, and faces a great destiny. I took parts of the mythologies, such as Tyr's fateful encounter with the wolf Fenrir, and made them my own. This comic isn't about me translating a Norse tale -- It's about me telling my own version of a Norse tale.

Tyr is a bold warrior who cautiously follows (and seems to trust) Thor, the God of Thunder. He has a special connection to the deity, and literally speaks to him. Which is another thing I wanted to do a little differently with "The Wolves of Odin." We always see Thor and the other Nordic figures as these mighty human type of characters, but I started to think... If these gods were real, and they were appearing to their followers and speaking to them... What if they appear more as ghosts than people? That idea appealed to me, so when Tyr sees Thor, he's seeing a spirit that's only vaguely humanoid. As if to suggest that maybe the gods were once human, and now they're something more.

I wanted Tyr's helmet to be very true to what viking helmets really looked like (as many people know by now, the whole "horned helm" thing is completely inaccurate). I wanted his armor and his outfit to look pretty close to what real vikings wore. I wanted to give him a big fluffy iconic wolfskin cloak, which is both practical (gotta keep warm in those blizzards) and symbolic of the showdown to come. I also wanted him to wield two weapons -- and since I couldn't decide between swords or axes, I just went with one of each.

And, I'll leave you with one last nerdy little fun fact: I gave Tyr a topknot as a little shout-out to Cutter, the lead character in "ElfQuest" (which is 30 years old this year). I discovered ElfQuest in the early '80s and it essentially introduced me to comic books and the fantasy genre, and it's always been one of my great loves and inspirations. So how could I not pay tribute in some small way? :)

That's it for now. Thanks for reading -- I hope you're all getting excited for the book! Come back soon for another inside look at one of the other cast members of "The Wolves of Odin."

~ Grant