First off, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I downloaded this title from NetGalley. The cover art looked intriguing and it kept popping up all over the place. So I decided to give it a shot. And I’m very glad that I did because Heathen was a beautifully illustrated tale that weaves together Viking folklore, bisexuality, fighting for your dreams, and many other threads and themes in a way that appears seamless.

This volume is a bit short as it only combines the first 4 issues, but there was plenty of world building, character development, and wonderful art throughout. We get to see some of the smaller goals accomplished, but there is a cliffhanger that left me wanting more immediately!
I don’t want to give too much away, but this is a story that almost anyone could pick up and enjoy. I know I’ll be recommending it to people 🙂
SUMMARY:

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.

This was not the story I expected. The God Odin has imprisoned Brynhid in Fire. She can only be released when a true mortal warrior can pass through the fire. Once free she is cursed to marry her hero. Only this time her hero is a woman. The woman Aydis was cast from her home. Her father faked her death for the sin of kissing another woman. She wants all women and men to be free to love and marry whomever they wish. A short read, and an interesting story. A new take on a familiar story. The artwork is amazing and different from what is normally seen in graphic novels. I will be reading volume 2.

Kick-ass lesbian viking on a quest to save the former queen of the Valkyries? Sign me up!
I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I loved the side story with the horse Saga and the wolves Skoll and Hati, and I enjoyed Freyja's flirting.
My problem with this was the artwork. Several of the characters are so lightly dressed - the main character wears a bra, trousers and a pelt over her shoulders - that it took me out of the story. I kept wondering why they didn't freeze to death. But maybe the story is not set in the cold, freezing north?
I still want to read the next book in the series, because I can't wait to see Odin.

This graphic novel explores the Scandinavian mythology surrounding the Valkyrie, who escorted warriors from the battlefield to Valhala. I enjoyed the graphic presentation but I thought the storyline was rather weak.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel and I read it in one sitting. I loved the art style and I was drawn into the story almost instantly. I will definitely be picking up the next volume when it's released.
This is an LGBTQ+ graphic novel about a female Viking warrior fighting for love, freedom and to change her clan's opinions of women.
Highly recommend.

The first volume of Heathen is the compilation of the first four issues of a stunning series about “a Viking warrior woman who conspires to end the tyrannical reign of the god-king Odin” (but there’s more to that). This was one of those books I was instantly drawn to. As a fan of Norse Mythology and anything Vikings related, it was impossible to be indifferent to the breathtaking cover art and compelling synopsis.

1. A Contemporary Story Set In The Vikings Age
What I loved about this series, more than the setting which inspired it, was how all the topics and themes were so easily relatable and contemporary. Heathen was able to incorporate mythology and fantasy when delivering a heart-felt story led by a strong female warrior who, in her essence, could be any of us. Aydis’ narrative feels real, and so does her struggle, and this is why we’re so invested in her journey. As powerful as the source can be (specially if you love Norse Mythology like me), don’t get tricked into thinking that this is all this tale is about. In fact, Heathen feels very modern in the way it addresses certain issues and personal battles. By featuring a strong LGBT character against a truly epic backdrop, the volume does a great job with the parallelism and the translation from fantasy to real-life.

2. Characters Who Simply Feel…Real
The characters are pure and flawed in a way that makes them feel human – and that applies even to the non-human ones (Saga, Skull, Hati – I loved those)! They’re also complex, intriguing and overall, pretty badass. The female characters are amazingly portrayed, not an easy challenge when addressing nudity (beautiful artwork) and a sensual character such as Freyja.

3. Stunning Art That Speaks For Itself
I was very impressed with the art of Heathen as it has its very unique style. The colors, mostly neutrals with shades of brown, match the different moods through the narrative and the sketch-like characters are beautifully represented. The messy style matches the vibe and the crude setting, making Heathen stand out as the very unique piece of art it is.

Overall, I absolutely recommend Heathen, even if you have never read a graphic novel or anything Norse related before. If you’re looking for a LGBT story with a strong female lead that includes Vikings, Valkyries, Norse Mythology and an empowering message (I mean, who isn’t?), then look no further, Heathen is the next thing you’ll want to read.

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. I've read a bit of Nordic mythology recently, and the pieces the creators pick out to include in the plot work perfectly.

Aydis is a young woman struggling with her sexuality. Because of this she has become outcast from her village and sets out on a quest to free Brunhilde, the former leader of the Valkyries, from a fiery prison that Odin sent her to hundreds of years ago.

Despite the fantastical elements of the story, Aydis feels familiar and is quite relatable. She's smart and brave, but we get to see her vulnerable as well. The Nordic characters provide great support to Aydis. Brunhilde gives her purpose, and the others either seek to stop her or help her in that quest.

The art is wonderful. It has a unique appearance that seems to fit the story really well. I am unsure why Aydis wears such a revealing outfit when she lives in such a cold environment. One of the other characters has some mild nudity. However, these elements weren't enough to disrupt my enjoyment of the book. I look forward to reading more of Aydis' story.

This is the story of a brave female viking, set on a quest after being banished from her village/tribe(?) because of 'improper' behaviour. Her goals and motives are never really explained, you must make suppositions and guesses. The plot isn't very strong in my oppinion, and a part of it was rather easy to guess from the first 10 pages and the synopsis. Also, there are some side stories, but I couldn't find their utility or purpose, maybe they'll be useful in some later installments? (ex. the Skull&Hati part).

The graphics is mostly stylized, rather crude sometimes, but expressive and at the same time beautiful. The colors are well chosen and I really liked how the author plays with the panes and the frames.

Overall, a pleasant to the eye graphics and a satisfying reading. 3+

'Heathen Vol. 1' by Natasha Alterici collects the first four issue of the series. I really liked this unusual story of Norse legends.

Aydis has been banished from her home by her father when she refused to marry and conform to life in her village. The village would have her love a man, and Aydis likes women instead. She leaves accompanied by her horse, Saga.

She decides to take revenge against Odin himself. Along the way, she frees Valkyrie Brynhild who will hopefully aid in her cause.

I really enjoyed this story a lot more than I though I would. It's helped by the art, which I loved. The style is rough and sparse and the colors are muted, but it's a style I really took to. Aydis is a pretty unique character and I'd like to read more of her story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This was a lovely work, well done!
First of all, I absolutely loved the art. The kinda fresh, messy, minimal style of it and the also minimal color palette really bring out the whole tone of the book.
The main character, Aydis, a warrior-woman in the viking era is on a personal quest to free the Valkyrie Brynhild from her fiery prison and the curse Odin laid upon her centuries ago, but she is also bent on the true Hero's path: to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and defend those who are being violently marginalized -or worse- from society for being... different.

The story flows easily in this first introductory volume and the issues it deals with are nothing if not contemporary in nature and importance: freedom of choice in a world where everything seems to be against anyone who might act or think differently, the place and role of women in a viking society, strength of character and adherence to ideals and the suggested plot of fighting against the current order of things, so that things can change to the better for all; marginalized people included.

It is basically an attempt to put light into issues our own society still struggles with, like the place and struggle of people (within and without) that do not fit the standards of heterosexual relationships or even the 'nuclear-family' model, only in the guise of a bad-ass epic viking adventure.

I would love to read the next volume soon and I would definitely recommend it!

Absolutely gorgeous art, bad-ass warrior women, and Norse mythology? Oh heck yes. I loved being able to read about a mythology that gets the shaft a lot of the time, which is too bad because there are so many memorable characters that are well fleshed out even in their short introductions.
Will definitely be picking up the next volume!

Heathen Vol. 1
by Natasha Alterici
Graphic novel with a story that makes it a book. A young girl who finds the power within to stand up to the gods, attempts to free a Valkyrie that has been sentenced by odin for not following orders. There are many story lines and many ideas in this short beginning. Ideas of love and aid and finding your own opinion. A great beginning.

Maybe more like 3.5 than 4, but this was so good. I never knew that a wlw warrior going on a quest to save a valkyrie and (maybe) kill Odin was something I needed but oh my god it was. Not to mention the art was really pretty. I only hope that there's no instalove between Aydis and Brynhild, if it ends up that way.

This is the story of Aydis, lesbian viking warrior who was exiled from her home for kissing a girl & went on a quest to free Brynhild, the former queen of Valkyrie. Look me in the eye & tell me this one sentence alone isn't enough to make you wanna read it! I know it was enough for me.

Our protagonist is incredibly brave - freeing Brynhild is actually a test of her bravery which countless men have failed over centuries! - and what she wants above all else is for everyone to be able to do with their lives what they wish. Rarely do you see such pure, gold-hearted heroes who don't seek any reward other than simply helping people. This story made me feel braver myself and like I'm ready to take on a whole world.

I also love the art here! It looks so messy which fits the story in amazing ways and adds it flavour. Honestly, it's stunning. I wish I could have posters of some of the panels.

Following a young female ‘warrior’ who has left the safety and tradition of her village. Great storyline and artwork that easily draws you into a world rife with myths and gods. Coming of age themes entwined with a fantasy adventure. Awesome to see a strong female lead.

I read this book on a complete whim and because of the lovely cover. I'm so glad I didn't pass it up.

The artwork is rough, but beautiful and fits well with the atmosphere. The minor details make such a difference, a creative use of text color and background color helped to differentiate mortals and immortals. The characters are strong and well wrought, there is a lot of natural banter that made them relatable. At first I was offput by the scantily clad ladies, but quickly decided I liked it in a 70s/80s-Red-Sonja-fantasy-movie sort of way. The themes are handled incredibly well with positive LGBTQ characters leading the cast of characters. While sexuality is a strong theme in Heathen it isn't used to define the characters, there is so much more to them than cliches. I love that books are starting to be able to handle these themes in meaningful ways.

The thing that struck me the most about Heathen is the use of Norse mythology. I know a lot about Norse mythology, I studied it almost exclusively for my bachelor's degree. I typically steer clear of books that reference Norse myth, sagas, Edda, because they almost always end up as rudimentary retellings. Heathen takes many familiar stories and twists them into something new while maintaining the essence of the original, it was so refreshing to find a new take on this mythology.

I'm looking forward to future installments!

In a nutshell this is a gay Viking saga comic, but why put this in a nutshell? It's far too good for such basic categorisation, and really enjoyable. The artwork is great, the ongoing plot seems really strong on this opening book of four monthly issues, and the author handles multiple flashbacks, high drama and her own takes on well-known myth more than competently. I certainly hope to be back for future installments. Four and a half stars.

My favorite graphic novel release (so far) for 2017! (5 stars)

This comic ticked so many "yes please" items off my list of things I like to read about I kinda want to run through the streets throwing copies at strangers. Beautiful art I'd love to hang on my walls. Check. Norse mythology. Check. Ass-kicking women warriors. Check. A romantic plot/subplot. Double check. A heroine rebelling against the culture of she was raised in and refusing to be changed to fit the "norm". CHECK!!!

I forget where I originally heard about Heathen but what initially excited me about reading it was that she was a queer character. I've been actively seeking more LGBTQIA+ reading both because I enjoy it and because I want to support those who are telling these stories. Heathen did not disappoint. Aydis is a character I'd happily follow to the halls of Valhalla, she's a feminist heroine that fans of Wonder Woman are sure to enjoy. I wouldn't suggest this for kids but when my daughter hits her teens I'd gladly let her read it.