furtech | Nordguard: Across Thin Ice

by Tess Garman and Teagan Gavet

Nordguardart

I'd been looking forward to this graphic novel for a while: it has huskies, sledding and even a border-collie-ish character. Blotch's art in the previews on their page was eye-candy. You could tell they were putting a lot of work into this story.

Blotch art. Huskies, a token border collie and a great period of history. Did I mention the wonderful Blotch art? The story looks like it has developed characters and a twisty plot arch.

The artists definitely did their research on scenery: gorgeous.

I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

I do have some quibbles with the book, though:

The printing quality was the major disappointment: I remember the preview art was stunning, but that the art would take a lot of fine-tuning with the printer to look good. I look at Blacksad and marvel at the way that they managed to get extremely difficult pallets to look solid on a printed page (as opposed to a computer monitor or original art). "Blacksad: Arctic Nation" is a good example: pages run the gamut from pale blues and whites to ruddy browns and black. Each page probably had a number of printing tests done before they got the book right. The set-up for each Blacksad graphic novel probably gives the printer and publisher a new ulcer.

Considering that Nordguard has the potential to be as critically and popularly received as the Blacksad novels, I'm surprised that this was so sloppy. Someone picking up the book and flipping through it in a store would see muddy pages lacking contrast and pop. I know I've put back many a comic before I had a chance to read it.

The other feature that Nordguard needs is a written prolog that explains who, what and where. Leaping right into that opening scene really confused me-- I had no idea what was happening or who was who (let alone identifying the good guys and the bad guys in the first few pages. Without an introduction (ala the scrolling letters in Star Wars) or a more drawn-out pace (with some exposition), I was totally lost (and still am, really). Maybe the publishers need to have people unfamiliar with the project give it a read at an earlier stage.

Ticky-tack nitpicks:

I'm not scholar on the subject, but I have a fair knowledge of Klondike Gold Rush era and the way the world was then. The dialogue could be the most jarring aspect of the book: not only are there a lot of modern colloquialisms and syntax, but they talk way too much. People in that kind of country were taciturn, not chatty. The group has the feel of a modern day Search-and-Rescue team. If the story is good, I can overlook anachronisms and language: I look at these types of stories as "alternate world" scenarios-- much like the alternate histories and faux-noir of the wonderful Blacksad stories.

I am bothered a bit by the cavalier way that the group (and Nickel in particular) approach traveling in a northern wilderness: the crossing of the frozen lake was way to walk-in-the-park for me-- especially given how dangerous such a terrain can be; especially when the lake is only partially frozen (the goose flying out of open water within a stone's throw from the scouts). Considering the precautions taken by mushers (even modern mushers) for frozen lakes, these guys should be dead long ago.

I am -very- embarrassed to not realize the head of the Nordguard team was female...but it's subtle and I am more focused on story the first time through. I think it was page 24-- when the lead tells a character not to call her, "Ma'am". Derp on me. Having a female run a team like this in those times...it just never occurred to me. That's another thing that gives the world a modern feel: progressive attitudes that seem taken for granted, particularly when there are only two female characters in the story (I had to check closely for the other). The Nordguard patches also give it a modern feel (though they'd be a neat marketing tchotcha!).

From the art they are not running through deep snow, so a fan hitch would be a more stable, logical choice for the team to use. Tandem lines are more for deep snow and trails.

Blotch also needs to do a bit of gun/gunfire research...

Overall, however: the book is wonderful-- well worth the wait!