By Jarred A. Luján — Heathen is back in our lives with the ninth issue of the Viking adventure/romance comic. This is the first issue of the series where writer/artist/Heathen creator Natasha Alterici doesn’t do the art, with Ashley A. Woods joining the book on that front. When we last saw main character Aydis, she had just left her adventure on the sea and was being descended upon by two trolls. Things never seem to slow down!

The writing continues to be held down here. I think that’s probably because, nine issues in, the plot continues to flow naturally for Alterici. Everything maintains this nice, solid, organic flow as the characters move and shift throughout the story. One of my favorite parts of this story at large is how Alterici doesn’t use violence to dumb down the plot. There’s this vast, ever-expanding web of people affected by Odin’s reign, or more isolated desires, and while Aydis isn’t incapable of violence, she’s usually attempting to cooperate. That really shines here as two trolls who we are initially introduced as threatening are discovered to have their own drives and motivations. Alterici complicates situations with complicated solutions because, frankly, that’s how reality is. That choice, consistently present throughout all eight issues of this book to date, really makes me feel more attached to Aydis, while also making the plot feel more touching.

Ashley A. Woods is really and truly the perfect creator to take over the art for Alterici. The style Woods uses feels similar to what Alterici has done on this book, so it still feels very much like Heathen has from its start. While it’s different enough to feel refreshed, I was sincerely excited that it didn’t at all feel like a big transition. Furthermore, I really love the way that some of the big moments looked on the page. Odin’s big entrance really felt intense, the close up on his faces brought this sort of terrifying intimacy. The light and dark scenes really stuck.

For those who haven’t jumped on the Heathen train just yet, however, please be warned: #9 is not a good starting point for you. We kick off right at the end of the last arc, but the good news is that means you get to read all of them and get caught up. Get to it! You’re in for a treat.

Overall: Heathen is still some damn good comics. A lot has changed from when we first left off with Aydis on this journey, but the greatness of the book has remained the same. The end is nigh for Heathen, and this issue is a great start to it. 8.0/10

Heathen #9
Writer: Natasha Alterici
Artist: Ashley A. Woods
Letterer: Morgan Martinez
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Aydis is ambushed by trolls shortly after arriving at the godlands. To her surprise, they spare her life and only take her captive. She'll have to find a way to turn them into allies, or risk failing her mission.

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Jarred A. Luján makes comics, studies existential philosophy, and listens to hip-hop too loudly. For bad jokes and dog pictures, you can follow him on Twitter.