NORTHLANDERS (2009)

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Ryan Kelly Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Cross + The Hammer' part 6 of 6. Ragnar and his Irish armies appear to be the lone victors of the day as they break the back of Viking rule and finally pin Magnus down in what seems like certain death. But in an unexpected 11th-hour reveal, Ragnar and Magnus both discover that nothing in this battle was ever what it appeared to be. On sale March 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Vasilis Lolos Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Viking Art of Single Combat' continues. On a snowy coastline of Norway, two Vikings face off in single combat. Seconds slow to minutes. Minutes slow to hours. Then, slower still, until the fight takes on a greater meaning. Viking warfare is deconstructed and dissected in this bitter and lonely brawl to the death with visually stunning art from Vasilis Lolos (Last Call). On sale May 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Danijel Zezelj Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Shield Maidens' part 1 of 2. The notion of brave Norse women who would follow their men into battle has been the subject of a lot of mythology, stories, Valkyrie-lore and fairy tales. The reality of such a thing, though, would be much, much different... Featuring breathtaking art from renowned graphic illustrator Danijel Zezelj (LOVELESS, DESOLATION JONES)! On sale June 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Danijel Zezelj Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Shield Maidens' concludes its blood-drenched telling of Thyra, Grettr, and Lif - three wives of slain Danish warriors who seek revenge on their killers. The myth of the Valkyries, the idyllic figures who guide dead warriors to Valhalla, is shattered by the stone-cold reality of love lost. On sale July 29 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Davide Gianfelice Cover by Massimo Carnevale When we last saw Sven at the end of NORTHLANDERS Vol. 1, he was in exile on a remote island with a brand-new family and questioning if he truly managed to escape the dangers of the mainland. 'Don't worry,' his wife Enna had said. 'There's no one coming.' Well, after several decades pass, the epic story of 'Sven, The Returned' is on the lips of poets across the land. And now a few mercenaries have decided to look him up... On sale August 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Leandro Fernandez Cover by Massimo Carnevale The next NORTHLANDERS epic begins now! Set in Viking Russia in A.D.1020, 'The Plague Widow' examines a year in the life of a remote settlement under siege by a contagious outbreak. The residents of this village are so focused on shutting the outside world out, they don't think about who they're shutting themselves in with. Mixing equal parts crime, history and survival fiction, this is the most brutal NORTHLANDERS story to date! On sale October 28 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Leandro Fernandez Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Plague Widow' part 2 of 8. It's A.D. 1020 on the Volga river, and a Viking city has just sealed itself off against an unknown contagion. Hilda, newly widowed and trying to care for her young daughter, struggles to survive in a community rife with paranoia, thievery, violence and xenophobia. When she is called upon to 'donate' her own supply of food to the corrupt local militia leader, she commits an act of defiance that may get her killed. On sale November 25 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Leandro Fernandez Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Plague Widow' part 3 of 8. 'Deathships' haunt the Volga - floating mass graves, Viking ship crews struck down by the plague in transit. They present an irresistible temptation to the quarantined town: precious cargo there for the taking if only a volunteer could be found to risk infection and pull the ship to shore. But the plague's been hard on everyone, and to a boatload of dying Vikings, they could be thinking the same thing. On sale December 23 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS"

"Written by Brian Wood Art by Leandro Fernandez Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Plague Widow' part 4 of 8. As temperatures plummet and both fuel and food start to dwindle, some of the townspeople start to panic. Gunborg seizes on this to organize an expedition outside the sealed city in order to forage. But considering the plague, he seems too eager to take that risk. And as Hilda finds out herself, one doesn't have to travel far for danger to find them. On sale January 27 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS"

"On sale February 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS Written by Brian Wood • Art by Leandro Fernandez Cover by Massimo Carnevale 'The Plague Widow' part 5 of 8. The plague finally claims a victim within the city walls, and in the outburst of violence that follows, several scores are settled. By the time dawn breaks, will there still be '700 souls on the Volga' - and who would be left to command them?"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD • Art by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE 'The Plague Widow' part 6 of 8. The settlement, driven half into the ground by crushing isolation and starvation, suffers anew in the brutal hands of Gunborg. Hilda, having been spared much of the recent violence, realizes her survival wasn't by chance, and what she is expected to pay in return is unthinkable. "

"Written by BRIAN WOOD • Art by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE In the penultimate issue of 'The Plague Widow,' scores are settled and bodies start dropping. During the darkest hours of the long winter, Hilda makes a shocking concession for Karin's benefit. And after so many issues of staring each other down, Boris and Gunborg go toe-to-toe."

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE The final issue of 'The Plague Widow' sees Hilda and Karin faced with an impossible choice and a leap of faith. The brutal Russian winter closes in like a vice, and salvation could just as easily be a death sentence for one of them."

"Written by BRIAN WOOD • Art by FIONA STAPLES Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Throughout their time as masters of the sea, Vikings traveled thousands of miles over Open Ocean in shallow boats with little protection from the elements. In this standalone issue, Brian Wood and artist Fiona Staples (North 40) chart the path of one boat headed horribly off course and into the realms of myth and terror."

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Kicking off a new storyline with art by DMZ regular Riccardo Burchielli! Erik, a blacksmith living in Viking-era Norway, meets Ingrid, a poor girl fallen in with corrupt Christian missionaries. When the unlikely lovers find themselves duly banished from their respective societies, they launch a crusade of violent retribution! On sale JULY 28 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Trying to survive in rigid 9th century Norway, young outcasts Erik and Ingrid continue fleeing all forms of society, turning increasingly to the past, to paganism and the 'old ways,' hoping to find something - anything - they can feel is their own. But they're dogged every step of the way. The Church sends out heavily armed search and rescue teams to bring Ingrid back to the flock from which she recently ran away. On sale AUGUST 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Taking the timeless motif of 'young lovers on the run' to an alarming extreme, Erik and Ingrid, outcasts in 9th century Norway, strike a series of blows for individuality against the rigid conformity of the local priesthood in part 3 of 'Metal.' On sale SEPTEMBER 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Blessed by the gods, for better or for worse, and driven by rage and sadness, Erik cuts a massive swath through the Christian-dominated Northlands. He seeks nothing less than a total cultural purging, and it seems like his one-man jihad will succeed On sale OCTOBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE In the middle of all the blood, all the burned churches, all the scorched land, all the fouled water, all the dead bodies, all the stinking battlefields, all the smoky skies, all the hate and pain and anger and prejudice, Erik and Ingrid encounter a moment of such pure and shining happiness that it overwhelms them entirely. Is it too late for redemption? 'Metal' concludes here!"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by BECKY CLOONAN Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Set during a period of civil war, an Icelandic fisherman finds the body of a young girl embedded in the thick ice ringing his lake. Unable to leave her, he goes to great lengths to excavate the corpse and vows to solve the mystery of her death. But when warriors associated with the local clan come around, he's driven to conceal the body, and events quickly spiral out of his control. 'The Girl in the Ice' is part 1 of a 2-part story featuring art by fan-favorite Becky Cloonan (DEMO)! On sale DECEMBER 8 • 32 pg, FC"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by BECKY CLOONAN Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Set in late-period Iceland during a period of intense clan warfare, an elderly fisherman investigates the death of a young girl found embedded in the ice. As the fisherman's furtive actions catch the attention of the local warriors, blame for the crime shifts over to him. If this is the last good thing he can accomplish in life, so be it, as long as the truth can be uncovered. 'The Girl in the Ice' concludes here! On sale JANUARY 12 • 32 pg, FC, MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by SIMON GANE Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE A new storyline kicks off with 'The Siege of Paris!' This is a grunt's-eye view of the famous event, a relatively unsung chapter in Viking history, where hundreds defended against thousands, and political maneuvering was as important as the clash of the shield wall. Featuring the gorgeous art of Simon Gane (DARK RAIN: A NEW ORLEANS STORY). On sale FEBRUARY 9 • 32 pg, FC"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by SIMON GANE Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE 'The Siege Of Paris' continues as foot soldier Mads documents the brutality of the siege and winter threatens to do what the trebuchets can't quite manage: wipe out his army. One late night commando-style raid across the frigid Seine to the very walls of Paris suggests a possible way out and a victory that a few hundred have denied tens of thousands. On sale MARCH 16 • 32 pg, FC"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by SIMON GANE Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE 'The Siege Of Paris' concludes not with a bang or a whimper, but with a political settlement. What of the warriors who bled and died on the battlements for all those long months? Mads and Abbo try to make sense of it from Mads' rather bleak new perspective. War was a bitch back then just as much as it is now."

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by MATTHEW WOODSON Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE In the middle of a long Scandinavian winter, a solitary hunter stalks the forest for what seems like weeks on end. His elusive prey starts to take on added significance as the hunter descends into helplessness and despair, to the point that the skills of even this seasoned outdoorsman are put to the ultimate test. Lavishly illustrated by Matthew Woodson, whose illustrations have appeared in Wired, Spin, Penthouse, Glamour and more, 'The Hunt' is destined to be one of the most memorable Northlanders stories to date. On sale MAY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD • Art by MARIAN CHURCHLAND Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Set in the desolate Hebridean islands, a young woman, newly orphaned, steps into her late father's rather large and intimidating shoes. In her teens and in command of the largest army in the region, will she fail to lead - or will she live up to the title 'Thor's Daughter'? Featuring gorgeous artwork by Marian Churchland (Beast, Elephantmen, HOUSE OF MYSTERY). On sale JUNE 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • Mature Readers"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by PAUL AZACETA Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE Kicking off the next big NORTHLANDERS story, 'The Icelandic Trilogy,' Brian Wood and Paul Azaceta (Daredevil, BPRD, Spider-Man) take on the history of the mythic island nation, starting with its settlement in 874 and ending with civil war in 1262. This brutal crime drama is the most ambitious NORTHLANDERS story to date! On sale JULY 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by PAUL AZACETA Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE The decades-spanning crime drama 'The Icelandic Trilogy' continues with part two of nine. Young Ulf Hauksson is growing up into the enforcer his father needs, but at a truly terrible cost. As his father hesitates, Ulf only sees opportunity - and the settler community at large feels the effects. On sale AUGUST 10 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by PAUL AZACETA Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE 'The Icelandic Trilogy' continues with part 3 of 9, titled 'Slavery.' Ulf Hauksson, now head of his clan, takes the fight directly to the rival family, in an unprecedented orgy of violence that rocks the young nation and makes the name Hauksson one to be feared for decades to come. Part one of the trilogy comes to a shocking conclusion!"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD • Art by PAUL AZACETA Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE On sale OCTOBER 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS Two hundred years have passed since Ulf Haukur rose to power and established the Haukursson Clan as a force to be reckoned with. But the wild frontier days of Iceland are long gone. Can the family line continue into more modern and complicated times? 'The Icelandic Trilogy' continues with part 4 of 9, titled 'Conversion.'"

"Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by PAUL AZACETA Cover by MASSIMO CARNEVALE The generational crime drama we call 'The Icelandic Trilogy,' continues! The Hauksson's making inroads into Icelandic politics, swapping one form of intimidation for another. The son of the son of the son of the son of Ulf Hauksson possesses his great-grandfather's frontier brutality, but can he navigate the modern world?"

"'The Icelandic Trilogy', continues with part 6 of 9, titled 'Commerce.' Where once the Haukssons lived a frontier life, conquering lands with sword and shield, the twin siblings who now carry the name conquer their enemies with money and influence. As the entire nation undergoes a huge cultural shift, can the Hauksson bloodline survive?"

"'The Icelandic Trilogy' continues with 'War.' In a time of civil strife, Iceland threatens to split in two, while the Haukssons have climbed the social ladder to become statesmen. But will the children of Ulf succeed in dominating Iceland, even if it means tearing it to pieces in the process?"

"'The Icelandic Trilogy,' continues with part 8 of 9, titled 'Wealth.' Civil war rages and the independence of Iceland hangs in the balance. During what was called the Age of The Sturlungs, the Haukssons toil in the background, in secret, always plotting, never giving up."

"Final issue • MATURE READERS 'The Icelandic Trilogy' concludes with 'Waygone,' rounding off the epic, centuries-spanning tale of the Haukssons, Iceland's notorious organized crime family, also bringing Brian Wood's critically acclaimed series to an end."