#fred tornager

Propaganda:

Loki (Gunhild by Fred Tornager): He's just a little fire jotun guy and a short king. He never outgrew his scene/emo phase. He killed Baldr and feels bad about it. He's protective of Gunhild and children. The Aesir killed two of his children and snaked and bound him for millennia. He's a deadbeat father to his monster children but he's trying.

The book is aimed towards pre-teens. I found it entertaining enough despite not being the intended audience. I also think some stuff gets lost in translation because some wording is unusual. But when it comes to Norse mythology, Fred Tornager GETS IT! I was fed!

I'd say this graphic novel is worth looking into just from how good and creative the art, world-building, and character designs are! It suffers a bit from seeming too low stakes due to the intended audience being children, and some panels are not very clear as to what's going on. I was confused in one. As some things are way too convenient. But it was still a very fun read and I highly recommend. I think the second volume was better at setting high stakes than the first one.

It gave me things I'd wanted to see in Norse myth adaptations! 1. I personally LOVE when the protagonist is a jotnar/Jotnar-adjacent. I tend to loathe when the Jotnar are just evil monsters to be vanquished when they actually represented untamed forces of nature. 2. Short Loki! And it's accurate in that he's said to be Sleipnir's mom. And he looks like the edgy gay tío that gets his ass handed in drunken fights cus he can't stop shit-talking. 3. I think the author ships the same Norse myth ships I do. LMAO. 4. Thor is basically biker Jack Black in this (and he will throw hands with a 12-year-old, but will refuse to kill them). 4. There's delicious Hel and Balder angst!

The 12-year-old protagonist is an orphaned Jotun from Muspelheim called Gunhild. She's adorable and has a very cool design (especially when she transforms). Her powers are very cool, creative, and make sense. As a formerly destructive/difficult kid, I found her relatable, and I think many will find her relatable. The heart of the story is based on forgiveness, friendship, belonging, and that cruel and unusual punishment is wrong.

I'm well aware most of the Aesir are of partial Jotnar descent, but their classification as one depends on the patrilineal line. The Aesir that are noted as being Jotuns in this graphic novel are: Loki(imprisoned), Heimdall (a gatekeeper that seems lonely and fond of Loki), and Tyr (in deep denial of being a Jotun because he HATES Loki). So that's interesting in this adaptation.

I look forward to reading more of this series!