'Black Road Volume Two: A Pagan Death' – Wood, Brown, McCaig and Wands (Image)

It doesn't feel like a month ago that I read Volume One of 'Black Road' but the blog says that I did and who am I to doubt the blog...? Where is the time going these days? You can go back and read the review if you like but the bottom line was that Volume One was a beautiful comic book (writing and artwork) that came across as a little too straightforward, only to smack you in the face with a betrayal just when you were wondering whether to pick up Volume Two or not. There was no question in my mind as to whether I'd be continuing with the story so one payday later, here I am ready to go again.'A Pagan Death' is not the comic that you think you'll be reading but you need to read it, let me tell you about it...

Having located Bishop Oakenfort on the extreme northern coast of Norssk, Magnus The Black moves in on this rogue Vatican outpost with the intent to shut it down. But as formidable a Viking warrior as Magnus is, he is still one man versus a fortress. Will Magnus get anywhere near Bishop Oakenfold? And whyhas he really made the trip on the Black Road...?

'A Pagan Death' isn't the book that you think you'll be reading but you really need to read it. There's some amazing stuff going on here and if you're anything like me, it will stay with you for a long time afterwards.

While we get a conclusion to the 'Bishop Oakenfort arc', any initial misgivings at how quickly this is resolved soon fade when you realise that Wood has taken the chance to switch the focus onto what is going on for Magnus himself. I won't spoil it, lets just say that it's the whole point of why Magnus moves in a shadowy world that lies between his people and the invading Christians., trying to get everyone to meet on common ground. Magnus goes from being this hulking figure of vengeance to someone who is not only a character with depth but someone who I'd defy anyone not to feel sorry for. We've all asked the question that he asks and that's the common ground that we share with Magnus. You can't help but hope that Magnus will find the answer that he needs and this is all down to some superb writing by Brian Wood who strikes a fine balance between Magnus as a man of war and all those little inner struggles that make actually make a character interesting, someone that you want to spend time with and learn more about.

As good as all of this is, it is a bit of a shame that it all comes at the expense of the bits of plot that we got on board for. Don't get me wrong, it's a fair trade (in terms of what we get out of it) but it does leave the rest of the plot falling back into that trap of being almost too straightforward for comfort. It's a very good job then that Garry Brown and Dave McCaig maintain the standard they set, with their artwork, in the first volume. That sense of cold brutality is still there and really adds to the atmosphere which, in turn, helps you navigate those moments in the story where you find yourself hoping for just a little bit more. As with the first volume, art and story complement each other almost perfectly and the end result is a really engaging read.

There isn't a lot of story here then but what I would say is that what story there is does pretty much just what is needed to round things off in a more than satisfactory manner. 'A Pagan Death' is a surprisingly thoughtful piece (with just enough bloody action to provoke that thought and keep the story flying) on what the Christian incursion into Viking lands would have actually meant to all involved. Like I said earlier, a book that will have you thinking about it long after you have finished it.