Christmas Eve Triple Feature:Thistil Mistil Kistil

From The Frozen North
Comes A Tale...

Be warned. The gods live. And they scheme. Beware of snaring yourself in their designs.
Here's a tale of one boy who did. It is the tale of

In the Far North, they tell tales of warrior gods and warrior men. And nobody tells them better than Sarah Schanze in Thistil Mistil Kistl, the tale of an accidental quest, a hero searching for the gift and a trickster's wily ways. Come and hear the tale of the North.

 The Rating

An adventure without end.

The Raves

To begin with, I'll tell you how good this is: I sat still enough for long enough that I got an ache all the way up my spine.

That takes some serious sitting.

But this page should sum up the reasons well.

This story gorgeously balances stylization and craftsmanship in its art, giving the reader the feel of reading runes without sacrificing anatomy or giving any sense of artistic difficulty. The entire world is rendered with skill and wit as our young hero attempts to serve his gods and earn his place in the paradise of Valhalla, helped(?) by the Sly One, Loki. The texturing in these pages lends these pages a rich tangibility, while the color scheme reminiscent of Cartoon Saloon work (creators of the movies Song Of The Sea and Secret Of Kells) bring this ancient world to vibrant and bustling life. And at all times there is a faint hint of runes and patterns just out of sight, hinting at the otherworld a breath from ours.

The story matches the art exactly. While it is intimately tied up in the mythos of Scandanavia, this is no dusty tome. Our young hero Coal is a well rounded character, as is each of his companions. But Sarah outdoes herself in the personality she lends the old gods. She brings each of them sharply and brightly alive, lending them wonderfully dynamic personalities without once losing sight of their original natures in the Eddas. For instance, Loki is cocksure, playful, tricksome and juuuuust a bit of a showoff....juuuust a bit....

 but he's also a dynamic character with a deep love of family and a complex thought process going on behind his smile in this tale. He's allowed to have moods, ideas, and feelings that make him into a person as well as a god.

The story shows the same tact in exploring the interaction between cultures as the Old Religion meets Christianity and Moors meet Danes. It all works in this story because each character is truly a person in their own right, all worked together with impeccably brisk plotting, a compassionate wit, and a nice thread of humor.

And again, the art's stunning. This piece is worthy of animation!

 The Revue

A must read. Curl up with it when the snow falls.