This book collects the first three chapters of Peter Madsen's brilliant "Valhalla" saga. The first of these three is by far the weakest of the entire run, not just of this collection. The artwork there is much less polished and streamlined than in the later volumes, the plot and characters are all less developed, and the stakes never feel particularly high. Worse is that the series' signature cheeky humour never quite lands as well as in the later installments.

The second makes leaps and bounds of progress as far as humour and plotting is concerned, but the drawing style is still not at the level that most of the series would be sticking with. I'm sure this is a matter of taste, but for me personally, the goofier, earthier style of these first two stories can never measure up to the expressive elegance (and often outright beauty) of the later ones. The story is strong, though, based as it is on one of the funnier Norse myths.

The third story, however, is one of - if not perhaps THE - strongest of the entire series, and certainly my own favourite. The artwork is finally at the level "Valhalla" would hereafter stick with, the humour is at its most hilarious, and the characterizations vivid and memorable. It really lifts the collection as a whole, as do the extensive and interesting commentaries and sketches provided for each story. ( )