about
Cryowulf is a loose retelling of Beowulf — but gender-flipped and set in space. It was written by Sam Roads and illustrated by Ben Matsuya.
As the story begins, we find ourselves on Heorot Station learning about its history. We learn about the Sleeping Eye who felt deep disappointment in Heorot Station. However, there were keepers: Elfhilda and her three sisters. Together, they and future women help guard the Station. One watches the Sleeping Eye (Keeper), one protects the people of the Station (Scout), and one acts as the rules-keeper for the Station (Allworlder). In addition, there is Cygnus the Traitor whom the Sleeping Eye cast out.
Presumably many years later, Apprentice Keeper Crow is retelling the Station’s history as a test. She has just returned from a different part of the Station to live with her sister and nan in order to train to become a Keeper. Crow is not exactly hyped up for the job, being loud and rambunctious. However, when they discover the monster Grendel still roams Heorot, things take a dark turn. We learn about possible secrets and back-stabbings.
thoughts
This comic does a great job of weaving in elements from the original Beowulf story without making it feel like you need to have read it. There is a slight complexity to it, though. At least for me, I had to read through the issues twice before truly understanding what was happening. With that said, the story only got better after each read. There’s so much intrigue going on. The story shows us how Heorot Station has such a rich history turned legend. And while we don’t visit other societies in these first two issues, we still understand things about them through characters like Crow who acts as a sort of bridge. I think these things were wonderfully handled.
Speaking about the characters, it was great to see a matriarchal society. A big thing I like in books is when every character feels real. Cryowulf did just that. No one feels unnecessary or shoe-horned in. The bitter dynamic between the Allworlder Hawk and Keeper Owl is fascinating. It shows that things aren’t so peaceful within the ranks. There’s also the frenemies relationship between the Allworlder-to-be Falcon and the other apprentices: Crow, Raven (Raven’s sister), and Puffin (apprentice Scout). I love how all of these relationships, friendships, and fake friendships play out.
art
I want to briefly touch on the art. In my opinion, it’s pretty spectacular. It emphasizes soft, warm colors such as reds, yellows, and oranges. The characters are expressive. Sometimes I think it can feel a bit over-the-top, but to me that’s part of the beauty. It just adds to the story. The use of color to show tension is done marvelously in the scenes with Grendel. The panels shift from warm oranges to deep reds before settling into blacks and reds. The art does a fantastic job of adding to and supporting the story at hand.
overall
I’m so happy I stumbled upon this comic. Cryowulf by Sam Roads and Ben Mutsuya is a masterfully done gender-flipped Beowulf in space. I would recommend it to people looking for strong women, an interesting plot, and slight political intrigue. As previously mentioned, you might have to read through it a couple of times. This isn’t something to rush through — if only to simply appreciate the beautiful art style. But at least for me, things became clearer on a reread. Needless to say, I can’t wait to continue on in the series.
(I purchased a pdf copy of the first two issues at Sam Road’s website.)
