Sword Daughter, Vol. 1: She Brightly Burns

Sword Daughter #1-3

by Brian Wood, Mack Chater (Illustrator), Lauren Affe (Illustrator)

A father and daughter seek revenge against the ruthless Vikings that destroyed their lives, discovering that their fierce purpose can mend the bonds of family.

One thousand years ago, a murderous clan known as the Forty Swords burned a village to the ground, leaving just two people: a shattered father and his teenage daughter. Setting off on a revenge quest that will span the width of Viking Age Europe, they find the key to repairing their damaged relationship lies in the swords they carry.

Created by Brian Wood (Northlanders, The Massive, DMZ) and Mack Chater (Briggs Land, Lazarus), Sword Daughter is a visually stunning, emotionally poignant story of parental guilt and acceptance of loss.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Comics Manga

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 2018

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set in 10th century Norway, a girl tracks down her wayward dad who teaches her how to sword. Durrr hur hur, now I gets the title - she’s a Daughter who got a Sword! Together they’ll track down the Jason Voorhees-mask-wearing Vikings (really) what killed her momma!

Brian Wood made gold with his Vertigo Viking series Northlanders years ago and he’s been trying to reclaim those glory days ever since - and consistently failed. His Image series Black Road was dismal and, somehow, his new Dark Horse series Sword Daughter is even worse. This isn’t even B-side Northlanders, this is material that should’ve been binned immediately!

The characters are flat and totally unremarkable. The generic revenge story is completely uninteresting and one-note - girl and dad wander about, occasionally an “obstacle” will appear and will be dealt with instantaneously and effortlessly. Oh the excitement - can’t wait to see them face the baddies they’re after. Think they gonna sword them easily? Buuh, I fink so!!

Wood reunites with his Briggs Land artist Mack Chater who produces some bland-looking pages full of forgettable, indistinct art.

Sword Daughter, Volume 1: She Brightly Burns is duller than the dullest blade. If you’ve not already read it, check out Wood’s Northlanders series instead to see Viking comics done well.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian Wood continues to try and relive his glory days of Northlanders. The story of a 12 year old girl and her father who go in search of revenge 10 years after marauders burned their village to the ground. The father was comatose for the last 10 years and then wakes up one day thirsting for revenge which makes no sense. The story goes back and forth between now and 12 years later when the girl is in a nunnery. This latter story is given no context and leaves you feeling very confused. The former isn't told very well and just leaves you feeling bored. Mack Chatter's art is scratchy and lacks detail.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel is definitely of interest to fantasy fans and it feels like a fantasy book, but it's grounded squarely in history. Specifically, 991 AD with Norwegian vs Danish Vikings.

After their family is slaughtered in an attack, a young (mute) girl and her father begin a quest to destroy the band who attacked them.

I liked the art - especially how Elsbeth is shown communicating - but although I can appreciate how broken the characters are, there's nothing to endear them to the reader.

...Especially with all the nun slaughtering.

I should probably add that "girl with a sword" and the "master/apprentice training story" are some of my favourite tropes and this still didn't do it for me.

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (rounded up.)
Originally read as single issues.

While certainly well-written and entertaining enoigh to remain on my monthly pull-list, I found myself a little underwhelmed by this. While I like the premise, it certainly has a "Been There, Done That" vibe, and while they did (just) enough with the relationships, it still rang a bit trite to me.

And Perhaps it's also the surplus of excellent titles I'm currently reading? Virtually EVERY major publisher out there has some stellar titles I'm reading...)

[Gabriell Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Průměrná rozjezdovka a hlavně vydání, které mě nutí kroutit hlavou. V prvním hardcover díle se totiž skrývají jenom tři docela chudé sešity, které člověk urazí během ranní cesty do práce.
Příběhově je to zatím něco, co už tu mnohokrát bylo a mnohokrát bude - nájezdníci vyplení vesnici, zabijí u toho matku hlavní hrdinky a její otec si z toho na 10 let zdřímne a když se probere, tak je čas se mstít. Hrdinku tu na přeskáčku máme ve dvou jejích životních obdobích - jako malou, když se s otcem vydává mstít a jako dospělou, kdy je (ze zatím neznámých důvodů) v klášteře. V prvním díle se zatím moc nedozvíme a tak je pro mě hlavním důvodem ke koupi druhého booku hlavně Brian Wood, ve kterého mám důvěru, že to někam slušně posune.

Mohlo by se vám líbit, pokud:
- ještě nemáte dost příběhů o pomstě

Spíš vás zklame, pokud:
- už máte dost příběhů ze severu, kterých se zrovna u nás (v překladech) za poslední měsíce urodilo požehnaně

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves fantasy, this was right up my alley. I will say I have NOT read northlanders by Wood only because...well I just found out about it..gulp. So Northlanders is on hold for me so I will be interested to see who much better it is than this.

Sometimes I just want super simple fantasy and this hit the target for me. Its a story about a father and daughter looking to churn out some revenge to the "forty swords" who burned their village. Elsbeth the daughter has been taking care of her comatose dad ever since the forty swords burned their village. So they hit the trail and look for blood. its very straight forward storytelling but I like it alot. The big empty panels are pretty, and for some reason work with the story. I found the book to be relaxing and intriguing, a weird combo but I like it.

[Jakub Kvíz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davam prumer, protoze ze tri sesitu si clovek nejakej nazor moc neudela (ano, DH udelal HC o trech sesitech).

Vsechno to pusobi zajimave, ale skakani v case tomu moc nepomaha, zatim je tam nejakej nulovej rozvoj charakteru a je to takovy “meh”, ale verim, ze by to dal mohlo bejt fajn.

[Haileyreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a tough girl character and that’s what I got with Sword Daughter vol 1 but it felt more like a story about her fathers revenge over her. The end was more about Elsbeth but the story jumping to future and back was a little confusing. The art style was interesting. I liked the splashes of color.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sword Daughter is yet another Viking-era tale told by Brian Wood of Northlanders fame, this time told by a young girl living in the Scandinavian region who survives a massacre in her village when she is a toddler.

The story picks up ten years later in 991 AD, and we discover that Elsbeth has improbably taken care of her father, who was catatonic with grief and was the only other survivor besides her. First off- what? Although there is mention of Elsbeth trading with nearby seaside villagers, how did a toddler survive the harsh winters and stay clothed and fed during that decade before her father awakens from his fugue state? It defies logic. Getting past this was impossible, and colored my feelings toward the rest of the story.

Once Dag awakens he vows revenge against the Forty Swords, the group who attacked his village and killed most of his family. This group is made up of a bunch of young radicals who have no fixed ideology, they slaughter simply for the pleasure of it. And off Dag and Elsbeth go in the name of vengeance. And that’s the rest of the story – this father and daughter journeying together to find the Forty Swords and challenge them. Dag tries to connect with his mostly non-verbal daughter due to guilt, with a bit of a Lone Wolf and Cub vibe, but I wasn’t feeling it. Stuff happens and then there is a flash forward with a mystery of what happened in the years between Dag's awakening and Elsbeth becoming a young woman that leaves some storyline threads for the future.

The art by Mack Chater is sketchy with an earth-toned color palette, and it is very reminiscent of his earlier Briggs Land collaboration with Wood. The only additional color is red, when there is blood spilled, plus the evocative red-drenched panels during the attack on the village. There are some interesting choices in his panel placement, with a good flow to the narrative; however, some of the art lacks definition with the landscapes simply drawn.

Considering how much I typically love Wood’s work, this story is a real disappointment. While his Viking saga Northlanders is a real treat and his other Viking story Black Road said something fresh about faith and conversion, this story was lacking. What I really want Wood to do is to revisit Briggs Land with Chater and continue Rebels, his American Revolution series. So while this particular story didn’t work for me, I still look forward to future work by Wood and Chater.

This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2019/05/0...

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 of 5 for nice medieval-Viking two-generation revenge adventure)
First: I will only comment on the first book. All the nine issues are just one whole story, not really separatable but still separated into three hardcovers, three standard issues in each for beautiful 20 USD. Damn, I hate this.
Second: the comics itself is good. Wood can work really well with history, find his own stories and tangle them into it really smoothly. This is not a big tale. Viking gang called Forty Swords raided some village and left only one man and his daughter alive. The man is catatonic for ten years, taken care of by his young daughter. And when he comes back to senses, he goes for revenge, dragging his daughter alongside, both for retaliation and kindling their faded bond.
Yes, this is a pretty common trope, but it is very well written here. Both our main characters are cold and determined, not really likeable but still worth rooting for. The story overs many years, told by flashbacks pieces connecting the young father & daughter line and "adult-ish girl still on revenge" one into the finale. And I really enjoyed it, slowly graduating to the very satisfying end.
The art is OK-ish, I liked it most of the time even if it's quite rough sometimes. But it fits the early medieval/dusk of the Viking era times.
If you like this kind of history and how Wood does his stuff, this is a pretty neat short series.

[Trae Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in its monthly 9 issue format. This seems to be the most complete collection of the story I can find so I’ll rate it here with this edition.

Solid historical fiction. More in line with Vikings than something like Witcher or Lord of the Rings. This is a fast paced, emotion driven, father-daughter epic. It is at times painful and poignant, but carefully crafted for the violence to be rewarding. Good, satisfying ending.

[Jane Vellichor · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Viking fans everywhere! I especially love the historical accuracy of the costumes and the attention to detail!

[Sharly · Rating 2 out of 5]

No perdáis tiempo con esta obra menor de Brian Wood, y disfrutar de su Northlanders

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not unique and kind of bland, but I’ll read more.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very scratchy style art which didnt work for me. The story had 2 timelines but one was given no context. It was overly confusing

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sword Daughter is a Viking Age comic about a vengeful father over the death of his family and his village by a small Viking Group. We follow this story with his surviving daughter Elsbeth Dangsdottir.

Its a good story so far but is a bit all over the place with flash backs.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super quick read (because of the lack of words)! I really like the art style and enjoyed seeing the young girl be super ruthless as a result of having to take care of herself. This is a 9 year old who stabs people! So great! (And sad)

I think this would be a good graphic novel for someone who loves fantasy but hasn’t gotten into graphic novels yet.

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
This is a review for the series as a whole, as despite this tale being told across three volumes, they are all very similar, very quick reads, so discerning notable differences enough to do three separate reviews without spoilers would be a fairly futile proposition.
The only other series of Brian Woods that I have read is DMZ (Ironically one of the first series I read of my collection. I came away from the fist compendium feeling fairly underwhelmed. I thought it was a great idea that was going wholly unrealised, with average execution weighing down what would have been an excellent story. I'm glad to say that Sword Daughter, although very different, doesn't disappoint to the same extent. While the narrative techniques here won't be for everyone. Its very sparse in its writing, with the soli artwork of Mack Chater doing at least half of the lifting when it comes to the over all narrative. You could breeze through all 300 or so pages of this story in under an hour if you didn't wish to stop and take in the pretty pictures, which although not technically outstanding, suit the world and the story very well.
Wood does a decent job of worldbuilding despite his lack of narrative input, yet I would have like a little bit more from him in this regard. The setting and characters were interesting, if not a tad underdeveloped, again due to the sparsity of the writing. But the journey overall was mostly satisfying, and I never felt short changed or screwed over because of its brevity.
All in all, I can see some not loving this, which is somewhat reflected in its lower than expected score. If you know what to expect going in, you should have a pretty good time. 3.75/5


OmniBen.

[The Lost Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many bad reviews, aren't there? Quite shocking how often that happens with comic stories led by a non-sexualized female character. Anyway, here's a curious book. By now, it looks like a not too complicated revenge story set in several northern Europe locations during the Viking Age. Father and speachless daughter in a bloody revenge journey, holding swords and killing norsemen as they go. Seems quite fine to me: I like the way the story relies more in silence and landscape than in the characters' speach. I like the coloring, it really captures you and takes you far away in a handful of pages.
About the plot and the characters... I have to admit that the plot moves slowly. And I cannot be sure if I like that til I get to know if that slow advance leads to somewhere interesting. In any case, I like Elsbeth. Really, a lot. I think she's a hell of a character and I really want to keep reading about her. Her father... well, he's fine. But the thing that captures me from this comic is her evolution. That keeps me reading and makes me want more.
The only thing that I really don't like of this book is the poor graphical depiction of the sword fights. I'm not a sword master, but I practise enough eskrima to know that the illustrator doesn't know much about sword wielding. And it's a shame, because the art of the sword seems to play a key role in this story, so one would expect the combat and the actions to be understandable and believable. That one would be, for me, the only real improvement this book requires. But, of course, if only compiles four issues. The plot is intriguing, but still green. We'll see were it goes.

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a promising piece, especially if you check the reviews or some of its artwork. for me, historic revenge tales written and illustrated by incredible writers & artists are pretty appealing. in the end, the artwork is as good as expected (just like in most of mack chater's work), bringing intense emotions with a surprisingly small soft palette of colors. but none of the tales is about anything. they all have an attractive atmosphere of mystery, gritty, and folklore, but none of them has a plot that can be called original or surprising. it all feels like a well-mixed list of common places that you've read and seen one too many times. that all the stories depict tragic heteropatriarchal and stright normative love stories that makes everything even more disappointing. if what you're going to tell has been told a thousand times before, both in folklore and modern literature, what's even the point?

in the end, this might be a book i would consider buying for someone who is really into vikings era or historical revenge plot, or who is really interested in the neo britt artwork. but i would stay away from it if you expect anything new regarding the story in medieval fantasy.

art: 4/5
story: 3/5

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all: a Nordic man has a daughter and that daughter has a sword. Predictably, she wields the sword. Unpredictably, she wields it after her father wakes from a coma and goes on a quest to kill the 40 men who destroyed their village. Why did these men destroy the village? Who is this father character? Why do I care? The answers are unclear.

It could be a factor of this first volume of Sword Daughter being exceedingly short, barely long enough to introduce the characters and send them into one big battle scene. Dialogue is kept to the bare minimum (the daughter speaks in symbols), so the art has to work hard to explain what's going on. Mack Chater's work is fantastic in the action scenes and the set design, but it can't make up for Brian Wood's lack of characterization or scene-setting. It also doesn't help that there's a mysterious voice-over that only becomes (slightly) clear in the final issue.

Sword Daughter is a fast read, so I didn't mind the sudden ending, and the raw violence of this Nordic world comes through quite well in Chater's art. It really, desperately needs some fleshed out characters, though.

[47Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tale is grim, almost unbearably so. It uses fewer words than you would expect from a comic, instead focusing on short narration from the two main characters. They had a family once, but it was taken away from them. Now all they have is revenge.

Elsbeth Dagsdottir has lived a harsh life after her village was burned when she was only two years old. Her father Dag spent ten years in a coma before awakening to a child he had little connection to. Now he is back for revenge against the ones who destroyed his village - the cabal known as the Forty Swords. Elsbeth follows her father, though the two are anything but family any more. This distance between them is made a great deal smaller after Elsbeth's father almost dies while fighting the first of the Forty Swords. In a scene from a near future, we see Elsbeth escape from a convent after killing everyone. She aims to reunite with her imprisoned father.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sword Daughter sees a young girl, Elsbeth, and her father as the only survivors of a vicious attack on their village. The story picks up ten years after that night and the story of how father and daughter will begin their quest for revenge.

What I liked -
The art! The art sets the tone immediately and the scratchy style lends a lot to the atmosphere and mood of the story. The fights in particular are well drawn and show a good level of understanding how swords work without being too flashy.

What I disliked -
‘Disliked’ is a strong term here but the story and dialogue border on basic a bit too often here. The story isn’t particularly original but that could still work with slightly stronger dialogue and character interactions. As it stands it’s quite ‘by the numbers’

Favourite panel/ moment -
Elsbeth ruthlessly and quietly taking out a much bigger foe with ease.

3/5

[Tabor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hear me out, I'm giving this a higher rating than I should but it has all my favorite things: beautiful artwork with rolling Scandinavian landscapes and a strong female protagonist, who speaks in images and grows into warrior with a questionable agenda. This graphic novel chronicles her life after her village is destroyed and her father enters a comatose state for ten years as well as her eventual future, where she kills without discrimination. So, we're reading her story as she progressed towards this foreboding future. And I'm 100% here for it.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brian Wood returns to the Northlands with a Lone Wolf & Cub story of a daughter and her father on the revenge against the men who killed the rest of their family. It's fairly light on detail, with a focus on the broken relationship between father and daughter, as she learns how to kill.
Overall, it's not as powerful a story as anything from Northlanders, and the art isn't quite as strong. It's a shallower exploration, but still somewhat compelling.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thoroughly dull vengeance story about a father and daughter reunited after the father "feel asleep" for a decade. It does a lot of lazy world building but the characters are so flat and lifeless that it's hard to care about what the story is trying to build to.

The story just felt cold and distant, which doesn't entice me to pick up volume two.

Chater's art is beautiful and stark, and I wish it was attached to a more interesting story.

[Scott Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story, with illustrations that perfectly match.

(one brief (?) note: several reviews say this takes place in Norway; it really takes place all over the Nordic area, and at the opening of the story, the girl and her father live in Iceland - he's bathing in front of the Kirkjufjell, she mentions sailing from Iceland, etc. It's not important, but as an Icelandic partisan, I just wanted to make sure that was known. :) ).

[Abby Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

My aesthetic, my subject matter, my historical interest. The flashes between time zones is confusing on first read, but it’s a one-sitting read, so easy to flip back afterwards and clarify. The scenes feel like they jump in later than they should and out before they should. Maybe this is supposed to be how Elsbeth experiences her memories, but it leaves the storytelling pretty shallow. Nevertheless, still want to pick up the next one. And also Northlanders.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but too much time-hopping and lack of story/character development to be effective. These characters are currently one-dimensional (the mains and the villains) and you really need a better grab than just "revenge story featuring girl with sword". Don't get me wrong, it's why I picked up the book, but if that's ALL it has to offer I'm losing interest fast...

[Brian Dickerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short introduction to three different time periods (I think). Not bad, the seeds have been planted but further installments are required to reveal is the great historical fiction Brian Woods sometimes creates or not.

I found myself thinking of the top Cross-fit games female athletes during this quick hardcover read.