Advance Review: ‘Odin’ #5 Kicks Off Second Arc With A Deadly Game
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
The new story arc kicks off with an unexpectedly entertaining twist on Norse mythology. The illustrations as strong and unsettling. Although the recurring pattern of character deaths feels predictable, a promising development offers hope for some future surprises.
Overall
9/10How much are you willing to sacrifice for something you believe in? If the answer to that question is an ear and a couple of toes, Odin #5 will resonate with you.
This limited series’ second story arc kicks off with this issue, as the group of Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and an undercover reporter enter the realm of the gods on their quest to bring Odin back to Earth.
In the hands of writers Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV, that realm isn’t exactly what anyone expected, which makes the story that much more entertaining. Bennett and Tynion give readers a Hall of the Gods that looks an awful lot like a burger joint instead of a grand Norse castle. Valkyries serve the food instead of slay Odin’s foes and carry the worthy to Valhalla.
And Baldur the Brave appears different to everyone who sees him. But his orders to them are all the same: play a game. And in the hands of Bennett and Tynion, the game is predictably deadly.
Artist Letizia Cadonici turns in one of her strongest issues to date as the game takes its toll on the players. As they attack each other verbally, body parts start falling off in terrifying fashion. Cadonici never delves into gore, but it’s frightening nonetheless.
One of the problems with this series is that a group member seems to die each issue, which makes things feel overly predictable. But what Bennett and Tynion seem to be hinting at with investigative reporter Adela’s future seems refreshing — if that’s a word you can associate with a series like this.
Odin #5 — written by Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV, illustrated by Letizia Cadonici, colored by Jordie Bellaire, and lettered by Tom Napolitano — will be available on Wednesday in comic book stores and on digital platforms from Image Comics.
