Thorgal is a mystery, a science-fiction conundrum in a Scandinavian fantasy world. First unleashed on the world in 1980, he is the creation of Belgian author Jean Van Hamme and the Polish artist Grzegorz Rosinski who, combined, made Thorgal a character who still jars readers' imaginations today.

In The Archers, translated from the French in 1988, Thorgal's one-man vessel is wrecked in a storm and he meets Tjall the Reckless and Peg Leg the weaponsmaker. After running afoul of mercenary bandits Kriss and Sigwald, Thorgal decides to enter an archery competition to raise much-needed funds.

En route, he and Tjall must rescue the beautiful but fiery Kriss from thugs who have used her in a way that, while all too common in fantasy epics, makes the book less suitable for younger readers. (Fortunately, all of the actual nastiness took place off-panel, although Kriss's revenge is vividly depicted.)

As for the archery contest itself, Van Hamme and Rosinski offer a contest far more nail-biting than anything Robin Hood ever faced!

Thorgal is not a well-known book, but it certainly has a loyal following. This volume is an excellent example of why; although I have only read a handful of Thorgal's adventures, this is by far my favorite.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
2 December 2006