Thorgal Vol 22: I, Jolan

By Rosinski & Sente
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781849184441

With Thorgal having escaped from Odin’s curse the focus of the series now falls on Jolan. Leaving his family behind, Jolan travels with Manthor to the Betwixt on the understanding that he is destined for great things. Manthor, however, has been careful in his choice of words. Too late, Jolan learns he only may be destined for great things. But to achieve them he must compete against others of his age. 

Back in Thorgal’s village Aaricia and Wolfcub take the news of Jolan’s departure hard. Desperate for news, Aaricia seeks out a seer deep in the forest where she hopes to learn something of Manthor, and of Jolan’s fate. What she learns is disturbing news indeed.

Meanwhile, in the Betwixt, Jolan must decide to work with or against the other competitors as they face various trials and dangers. He’s encouraged to ignore the examples set by Thorgal and seek his own path, but that may not be an easy thing to do.

As the first non-Van Hamme tale, new writer Sente puts his mark on the world of Thorgal by expanding existing lore and introducing new characters and threats. Although less brutal than the average Thorgal story, there’s still plenty for fans of the previous books to get their teeth into. No doubt many would not even notice the difference if the creators’ names weren’t on the cover. Personally, I’d have liked to have seen more character development for Jolan as he struggled to come to grips with his new role, but with so many other new characters to follow and two storylines to impart, there’s little time for that. Here’s hoping that improves going forward. 

As always, Rosinski is the glue that holds it all together. He rises to every challenge presented by the writer as he puts the flesh on the bones of this fantastical history. This remains one of my favourite books and I’m intrigued as to where Sente will take it next. With several more books lined up for release, we may not have to wait long to find out. 

And if you liked that: Not familiar with Thorgal? There’s plenty of excellent books right here.