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Comic Title: Heathen #1 – 4
Publisher: Vault Comics/Tapas Media(Digital)
Story & Art: Natasha Alterici
Letters: Rachel Deering

*Minor Spoilers Ahead*

I’ll just come right out and say this off the top, Heathen is the kind of book I love to get my hands on. Most of the projects I get review access to are generally pretty polished by the time I see them. Slick content, packaged and targeted for maximum impact. That certainly isn’t a bad thing. A cohesive creative and editorial team that knows and caters to its audience is generally considered the pinnacle of execution in any medium. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I love the risk-takers, like writer/artist perfectionists who are consumed by a story they have to tell. Something that comes from a place so deep inside that creating the world, its inhabitants and its intermingling stories are as essential as breathing. With Heathen, Natasha Alterici seems to be on that latter path. 

The story follows a young Viking woman, Aydis, as she ventures into an unforgiving wilderness to prove her worth as a warrior and lifemate to the immortal Valkyrie, Brynhild. Punished for disobeying the god-king Odin, Brynhild was cursed to marry a mortal and live out her days in exile among humans. Incensed, the Valkyrie insisted on the right to chose the manner in which her suitor would be tested. She enveloped herself in a ring of mystical fire, waiting in solitude for a champion brave and hardy enough to the traverse the flames. 

This quest is one of great exigence, rife with unforeseen perils, as Aydis herself is in exile. Discovered as queer and having engaged in “unnatural” intimacy with another woman, she was consigned to marriage or death for her transgression. As she comes across the object of her forbidden affection, Liv, we learn that Aydis’s father faked her death and memorial rather than kill her or force her to marry. Though well equipped and exceptionally well trained, she has set out as a lone warrior on the path to redemption. Along the way, embroiled in stakes far beyond the implications for her own future, a supernatural encounter portends that Aydis may have drawn the attention of the Gods themselves.    

I personally found Alterici’s art style to be a raw and compelling treat, purposefully muddy and barbaric. It fits this tale perfectly, as does her lean, understated dialogue. Aydis seems a clever and uncommonly worldly heroine for her time and her unassuming intellect is easy to root for right off the bat. As the forces of nature and magic shift around her titanic undertaking, we get the sense that she is not simply prepared for the adventure ahead, but predestined for it. This is taught, captivating storytelling, exquisitely conceived and unpretentious. Originally published by Vault Comics, Heathen is making its debut this week on creator-centric web platform tapas.io through a fledgling association between the comic publisher and Tapas Media.  

Christian Davenport
cable201@comicattack.net