Review — “Odin’ #3 Explores White Power, Misogyny, And The Power Of Words

In the world of Odin, it’s not easy being a misogynistic white supremacist.

Undercover journalist Adela has embedded herself with a group of those racists who are trying to bring the Norse god to Earth and return to a time when white men did whatever they wanted. (They’re conveniently forgetting that’s pretty much what is happening now.)

But their journey to frigid Norway isn’t going quite as planned. Two of them are already dead by the time this issue starts, and the group finds themselves bickering over women’s roles in their planned all-white world.

Writers Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV give us plenty to think about, though mainly to scoff at. It’s not like either the writers or their characters are making compelling arguments. Instead, we just see how flimsy their beliefs really are.

Perhaps the most curious choice, though, is around self-censorship. Bennett and Tynion are choosy in which offensive words they share with their readers. For example, f-bombs and even the c-word are printed throughout the issue. But when the topic centers around the group’s white pride, racial epithets are scratched out of the word bubbles.

That decision comes off as either prudent — given the political climate — or woke, depending on your point of view. If nothing else, it puts a spotlight on the power of words. In any case, it seems the writers are answering the question of which is worse: racism or misogyny.

Visually, it can be difficult to know what’s happening at certain times. Artist Letizia Cadonici’s relatively simple character illustrations leave many of the group looking too much alike, save for the colors of their hair. (After all, they have lily-white skin.) Even naked, they are difficult to tell apart. So when someone dies (as they seem to each issue), you’re reliant on world bubbles to figure out who bit it.

Some of this is intentional. The whole story feels like a dream. What really attacked the camp? Was it a monster, or just a moose or elk? But too much of it is non-distinguished visualization of the characters. And when you start off with this many white people, well, they all start to look alike after a while.

Odin #3 — written by Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV, illustrated by Letizia Cadonici, colored by Jordie Bellaire, and lettered by Tom Napolitano — will be available Wednesday in comic book stories and digital platforms from Image Comics.