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Released by: Oni Press
Released on: March 26, 2014
Blending some Norse mythology into a world of witches and zombies this TPB collects all six issues of Helheim into a single fantastic package.
The story primarily follows the tale of Rikard, a strong, noble Norse warrior fighting for his village that's being ravaged by the grotesque resurrected minions of the evil witch, Groa. Returning from a bloody, costly encounter he, his father, his friend Shad and the others think themselves safe for the time being. Rikard meets his woman, Bera, who's relieved to see him back safely. But just then the corpses they just created at their gates become reanimated, attacking the open gates of the village. While they fight it's Rikard's father that throws Bera to them, believing it's her they're after. Rikard disagrees and, while trying to protect her, is struck down.
The next day, Rikard's father and Shad mourn the warrior's passing but dad is shocked to hear that Bera is tending to Rikard's body. He rushes into her house, only to find the freshly-resurrected Rikard who's been patched together and upgraded in the body-parts department with parts of the evil corpses. It's thus revealed that Bera is also a witch, one who wooed Rikard only long enough to get him after he was freshly killed and to turn him into what the Norse call a draugr, an enormous, seemingly unstoppable death machine.
Rikard's father, Kirk, and Shad set out to hunt down this abomination while Rikard now sets out on his path of revenge and destruction. Kirk reminisces that Rikard had been a sickly child, one that he was going to just leave in the woods as a newborn. But his mother protested enough to keep him alive and, as both men agree, became the best of all of them. Rikard, on his way, encounters a group of savage wildmen attacking a farmer and his children. It's his first chance to try out his new grave-stinking body and he massacres the lot of them - but not before losing a hand in the process. Bera appears, telling him that he can be injured but that new parts can be sewn onto him to fix any injuries that aren't fatal.
Meanwhile, across the water, in Groa's village, the old witch senses the draugr's coming. However, she also senses that this one is “maimed by a lingering soul,†that Bera's control over the creature is not complete. She convinces her fellow villagers to rally against this beast and magically enhances them to be a version of slaughtering machines as well. These fresh demonoid creatures go out and attack Rikard, exacting a heavy toll in their loss.
Rikard, then, needs mending/upgrading. Wandering, he finds a young girl named Kadlin alone washing clothes at the water's edge. Kadlin is a very world-aware creature, though, and knows what Rikard is and what help he needs. She gets his name and asks for the name of the witch that he serves. Realizing he's unaware of this bond she explains it all in detail to him on the way back to her village where she lives alone. Kadlin provides the larger story's exposition here, namely that there are two witches locked in combat with one using an army of demons and the other using an army of the dead. She's seen all these creatures but sensing a “lost†aspect to Rikard, which he keys in on to get at the truth of his new existence. He also teaches Kadlin how to stitch him back together.
Kirk and Shad find the remains of this battle, wondering why Rikard took their heads. Dad, though, is more set than ever that this is not his son and that he must be destroyed. Rikard tells Kadlin that he must move on, realizing now that he's something different and that both witches must be stopped once and for all. Oh and he's also now stitched on half of one of the demon's heads, horn and all.
Kadlin, then, heads to where Kirk, Shad and all the other villages able-bodied men have gathered to prepare to try and fight the witches once and for all as well. Shocked at her entrance, they're even more disturbed by the news she brings: That Rikard has raised his own army for this fight and that they need to join him, to follow Rikard into battle against these things. They do so, reluctantly led by such a beast, especially Kirk who says this changes nothing, that he'll still give his son a proper final death once this whole mess is done with, regardless of whether they win it or not.
Rikard's army is soon engaged then with Groa's demon army, at first suing for peace with Rikard but then engaged in full combat. All manner of nasties get to show their unique skills but Rikard and his army hold, even against the winged creatures that set upon them. Meanwhile, Bera is confronted by a minion of Groa, both knowing this is their endgame but realizing that Groa is pretty spent while Bera still has a trick or two up her sleeve - namely, that she saw her draugr's turning against her and has a plan to deal with that directly.
Rikard, victorious against Groa's forces, snags himself a pair of demon wings and flies to meet the old witch. She's surprised by his arrival but defiant; he gets to tell her of her failure to kill Bera before he throws her off a cliff. Kirk is still disturbed as well, mostly by the fond memories he has of raising his son and what he seems to be now. Kadlin asks Rikard if he's ready for what's next, the big battle with Bera and Rikard knows this will be the end of all things for him.
Rikard flies in solo at first and confronts Bera, showing her that she has no power over him. The rest of the army enters but this is Bera's trap as she reveals that she's trapped all the spirits of the dead into Rikard, to fuel him to this point, that he alone is their “helheim†or hell-prison. She thus summons those spirits out of the draugr and to have them posses his army, to kill all of them. Bera runs away in glee but is soon stopped short - by the simple knife of Kadlin and the teeth of her hungry dog. The spirits are still trying to get out of Rikard who's powerless to stop them. He appeals to Kirk as his father and tells him he needs to do what he set about, to truly set his son free. So, through tears, Kirk carries out his grim mission, killing the draugr and stopping the war at long last.
Kadlin and her dog are the only ones to remain in the village then, the memories too painful for anyone else to stay. That suits her just fine, now that the witches' curse is gone the land has become fruitful again and livable. And, she says, she's not really alone as the final panel reveals her macabre display of the witches' and the draugr's bodies all setup on display.
The story is straight-ahead chock full of Norse violence but told with heart and enough horror-mystical elements to really move it into its own category. Cullen Bunn does a fantastic job here of keeping it all simple but deep, with compassionate characters in the midst of bloody carnage. Helping keep that balance is Joelle Jones' fantastic artwork that's dynamic and detailed just enough without being gratuitous. A heavy reliance on shadow and darker hues gives this whole volume the wonderful cold, wintery vibe of the setting and a menacing mood. Together these two artists have made a fantastic story of thwarted revenge and ultimate peacefulness.
