Heathen

A YALSA 2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens pick

WOMAN. WARRIOR. VIKING. OUTCAST. THE GODS MUST PAY.

Aydis, the banished viking, sets sail on the open sea to reach Heimdall, the magical entrance to the land of the gods. She'll need the help of a crew of worldly pirate women and man-eating mermaids to survive the dangerous journey. Back on land, the cursed Valkyrie Brynhild and the goddess of love Freyja are chipping away at Odin's power, testing the god-king's patience and tempting his wrath.

Aydis is a viking, a warrior, an outcast, and a self-proclaimed heathen. Aydis is friend to the talking horse Saga, rescuer of the immortal Valkyrie Brynhild, and battler of demons and fantastic monsters. Aydis is a woman. Born into a time of warfare, suffering, and subjugation of women, she is on a mission to end the oppressive reign of the god-king Odin.

Read the entire series
Volume 1 collects issues #1 - #4 of the twelve issue series.
Volume 2 collects issues #5 - #8 pf the 12 issue series
Volume 3 collects issues #9 - #12 of the 12 issue series

For fans of Monstress (Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda), Helheim (Cullen Bunn, Joelle Jones, Nick Filardi), and Northlanders (Brian Wood)

"Heathen ...remains one of the best comics on the stands... I just want to spend more time in this world, and really, isn't that the reaction you should have to art?" -- IGN

"Alterici's innovative saga - about a queer Viking woman who is exiled for her sexuality and reacts by declaring war on Odin himself - initially came out in digital form only. Now, interested readers can catch up on the story's beginning in one place with its first trade collection." -- Entertainment Weekly

"The series operates on two levels: It's a sweeping Nordic fantasy, but it's also a personal story about coming out and coming of age in a culture that doesn't accept who you truly are. The intersection of those two narrative planes is what makes Heathen so engrossing, and the grander elements of the plot have more emotional impact because they are tied to Aydis' queer awakening. -- The AV Club

"Hot take alert: Natasha Alterici is the real deal." -- Comic Bastards

"Alterici is that rarest of comic writers whose sense of story and pacing is equal to her tremendous artistic skill." -- Bitch Media