Valhalla by Peter Madsen
Requirements: CBR Reader, 431 MB.
Overview: Valhalla is a Danish comic book series. Originally commissioned for and published by Interpresse, it has been published by Carlsen Comics since 1987. Valhalla has so far been published in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Finnish, Dutch, German and Indonesian.
Valhalla
- Drawings by Peter Madsen
Written by Hans Rancke-Madsen, Per Vadmand, Peter Madsen and Henning Kure.
Lettering by Tore Bahnson
Colourist by Søren Håkansson, Jesper Ejsing, Jonas Sonne, Peter Madsen.
Produced by Henning Kure and published by Carlsen Comics, 1979-2009
- During 1976 and 1977, Henning Kure and Arne Stenby at Interpresse, a Danish publishing house, were planning to create a comic series based on the world of the Vikings. They offered the place of illustrating the comic to the young cartoonist Peter Madsen, who accepted, and also enlisted Hans Rancke-Madsen, a writer who had shown great skill at writing dialogue and characters. The team set out to draw the first album (similar format as Tintin and Asterix) in a series of the adventures of the Norse gods, based on the Elder Eddas. Thor would very much be the hero of this series, along with Odin and Loki, who is presented as Odin’s blood brother.
Valhalla started in 1978 as a strip running in the Danish newspaper "Politiken". The first album came out in 1979. It was very well received, with several subsequent albums.
The tone of the albums has focused on humor, but the characters, and much of the plot, are based on the stories and legends in the Elder Eddas, and many albums have often featured deeper human issues. The albums are of high quality, and each took one or several years to produce. The first album was released in 1979, the second in 1982, and the thirteenth in 2006. They are very much in the tradition of finely drawn and well plotted Franco-Belgian comics like Tintin or Asterix, which also served as inspiration for the Valhalla comics.
On January 5 2007, Valhalla was published on the Internet for the first time as the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten began publishing the 14th album, Muren ("The Wall"), in their online edition. One page is posted weekly in the form of an animated Flash program, attempting to transfer the large album pages to a format suitable for the web.
Valhalla would become the major breakthrough for illustrator Peter Madsen, who has developed greatly during his work on the series. Apart from doing the art for all the albums, he has been a co-writer for most of them. By far the most high-profile member of the creative team, the series is often referred to as "Peter Madsen’s Valhalla".
Hans Rancke-Madsen has been the major writer of the series, together with Peter and other co-writers Per Vadmand and Henning Kure. Rancke-Madsen has written for all albums but eleven and twelve, but will return for the thirteenth album.
The colouring has always been a great part of the art of Valhalla. The first eight albums were coloured by Søren Håkonsson. Peter Madsen did the colours himself for the ninth album, while albums ten to twelve were done by Jesper Ejsing. Håkonsson returned for the thirteenth album, where he did half the pages, the other half being done by Madsen.
- Valhalla 01 Cry Wolf, 1979
- A thunderstorm is approaching as Thor, the God of Thunder, and his kinsman Loki arrive at the farm where the siblings Tjalvi and Röskva live. Thor brings them along to the land of the gods, Asgard, where the two children are involved in an adventurous story, culminating in the escape of the dreaded Fenris-Wolf and the threat it poses to the peace of Asgard …
The story is a free elaboration on the myth of the wolf called Fenrir or Fenris, which was chained by the Norse gods. The myth of Tjalvi’s and Röskva’s arrival at Asgard to act as Thor’s servants is retold, and all the major gods are introduced. The narrative is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda.
Valhalla 02 Thor’s Wedding, 1980
- There’s much commotion when Thor, the God of Thunder, finds that his magic hammer, Mjollnir, has been stolen by the awe-inspiring giants. If such a frightening weapon falls in the wrong hands, it will pose a serious threat to all the gods. Therefore, our friends Thor, Loki, Tjalvi and Röskva must disguise themselves and travel to the land of the giants in order to retrieve Mjollnir …
Valhalla 2 is a recounting of the myth of Thor and Loki going to Utgard in order to retrieve Thor’s stolen hammer from the giant Thrym. It is based on the "Lay of Thrym" from The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda. A number of giants are introduced, Quark makes his first background appearance, Thor’s children are born
Valhalla 03 Odin’s Wager, 1982
- The Valkyries routinely transport dead viking warrior’s souls to the halls of Valhalla on high. However, Odin, King of the Gods, is not satisfied with the standard of warriors he gets. He bets the Valkyries he can easily find three warriors who can do better than all the Valkyries’ harvest put together. This, of course, turns out to be harder than expected. Odin keeps up his search while his two raving mad brothers, Vili and Ve, take the reins at Valhalla …
Odin’s Wager is loosely based on various bits and pieces from The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda and Ynglinga Saga from Heimskringla about the way Odin’s brothers, Vili and Ve, took over Odin’s power as well as his wife while Odin was away. The fallen viking warriors’ afterlife in Valhalla is introduced. So are the Valkyries and the Norns. And there’s a short recounting of the myth about Thor and the ferry man from the "Lay of Harbarth" and the first part of the legend of Ragnar Lodbrók.
Valhalla 04 The Story of Quark, 1987
- The shrewd Loki is not always so shrewd. One night he makes a bet with the giants that he can easily teach Quark – a giant child notorious for playing mischievous tricks – how to behave. Before long, however, Loki is forced to realise that he has overestimated his abilities. He leaves it to Thor’s servants Tjalvi and Röskva to teach Quark manners. But can two mere humans really do a job that gods and giants have given up?
The animated feature film Valhalla is based on The Story of Quark and The Journey to Utgard-Loki.
The Story of Quark is the only Valhalla album that does not recount Norse myths. It is about the consequences of the young giant Quark’s stay in Asgard. The story continues in the next album in the series. The whole story was used in the animated feature film Valhalla.
Valhalla 05 The Journey to Utgard-Loki, 1989
- Thor and Loki go to Utgard to hand the young giant Quark back to Utgard-Loki. However, the uncrowned king of giants does not wish to take the young troublemaker back unless Thor and his following pass certain tests: a foot race, an eating contest, cat-lifting, emptying of drinking horns – and a dance with and old witch/hag. Everything looks nice and easy, not to say foolishly so. But the giants have prepared a cruel magic trap. And who’s to save a god when even the mightiest of them all faces destruction? The animated feature film Valhalla is based on the comic albums The Story of Quark and The Journey to Utgard-Loki.
Valhalla 5 is a recounting of the myth of Thor’s and Loki’s journey to Utgard, their confrontation with the giant Skrymir and their joust against the giant Utgard-Loki, in which Thor is close to succumbing. The story is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda.
Valhalla 06 The Golden Apples, 1990
- Loki sees an opportunity to make fast profit when the rich giant Thiassi reveals his insterest in the goddess Idun and her golden apples. Of course there’s the small problem of making Idun agree, not to mention the fact that the other gods are likely to become sore just because they will turn into old dodderers if they no longer get apples from Idun. But worst of all, Thiassi’s payment is not forthcoming and his daughter, Skadi, is looking for a man just like Loki.
The Golden Apples is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda. The comic album is a recounting of the myths of Loki betraying the goddess Idun to the giant Thiassi, of Loki’s helping Thor to free her again later, and of Skadi’s claiming compensation for the death of her father and getting to marry the god Njord.
Valhalla 07 The Serpent in the Abyss, 1991
- The two mightiest gods in Asgard are Thor, the God of Thunder, and Tyr, the God of War. But who is the mightier? To answer this question our friends travel to the outermost part of Asgard, where their friendship is put to a gruelling test during Thor’s attempts to land the Midgard Serpent.
The Serpent in the Abyss is a recounting of the myth about Thor’s attempts to fish the Midgard Serpent out of the depths of the ocean. This comic album is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda and the "Lay of Hymir", which also tells about the god Tyr’s kinship with the giant Hymir.
Valhalla 08 Freya’s Necklace, 1992
- It is springtime, the sun is out and Freya, the love goddess, dances merrily, wearing her wonderful necklace, the Brisingamen. Everybody admires her, and her necklace. Not everybody leaves it there, though. Soon Freya is threatened by a smart opponent who will use any means to get hold of her precious treasure …
Freya’s Necklace is a recounting of the myth of Loki’s theft of Freya’s necklace at Odin’s request. The story is based on Sorle’s Saga as well as bits of information from The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda about the antagonism between Loki and Heimdall and Freya’s unhappy marriage with Od.
Valhalla 09 The Big Challenge, 1993
- One must be pretty stupid and arrogant to challenge Thor, the God of Thunder, to single combat. However, this is just what happens one day when Hrungnir, who is considered the strongest of all the giants, sees a chance to get his inveterate enemy down. Thor’s opponent has a rather weighty trump up his sleeve, and the God of Thunder realises how lucky it is for him to have a young human servant like Tjalvi …
The Big Challenge is a recounting of the myth of how Odin lures the giant Hrungnir to Asgard, leading to a major duel between Hrungnir and Thor. The myth introduces Thor’s bastard son, Magne. The story is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda.
Valhalla 10 The Gifts for the Gods, 1997
- "Before dawn, my friend, I’ll have conquered her," brags Loki, "and to prove it I’ll bring you a lock of her hair!" However, the woman is uncooperative and Loki ends up shaving all her hair off in order to provide the promised sample. Not too clever! His friend turns out to be Thor, the woman Thor’s heart’s idol, the beautiful Sif from Vanaheim. Loki has to rush out to find a suitable present to make up for the loss of the goddess’ head of hair.
A story from Thor’s youth.
The story is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda. It is a recounting of the myth of Loki’s shaving of Thor’s love, Sif, and how he must atone his sin by providing the gods with their most important weapon, plus some riches from the dwarves. We also learn how Thor and Sif got married.
Valhalla 11 The Magic Mead, 1998
- I let another gold nugget disappear between the troll lass’s lungs. I was told the giant Suttung never showed up in the public bar. I went in through the main door. All of a sudden, there she was … just behind me. My eyes locked into hers.
- "You are?"
"Gunnlod, Suttung’s daughter."
Cool lady. Cold as ice, in fact. Just the way it always goes.
At the beginning of time, before beer was invented, at a time when mead was nothing but water sweetened with honey, Odin had to solve the mystery of the disappering of the intoxicating magic mead.
The Magic Mead is a recounting of the myth of how Odin gets the precious magic mead to Asgard from Utgard. The story also explains the magic mead’s connection with the war and peace between Aesir and Vanir, the two lines of gods. The story is based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda and Ynglinga Saga.
Valhalla 12 Through Fire and Water, 2001
- Thor and Odin have gone to Bjarmland to find out why the Bjarmar people have stopped sacrificing to the gods. They meet the cruel King Geirrod and his two ugly giant daughters, Gjalp and Greip, and before long our two friends are in for it!
Geirrod’s alliance with the giants is a dangerous combination that makes even the might of the gods insufficient. But as Odin gets a chance to seek help from Thor, things brighten up a little … or do they? It turns out that Thor has forgotten his hammer – will he be bright enough to do without it?
Valhalla 12 is a recounting of the myth of how King Geirrod takes Odin prisoner. It is based on the "Sayings of Grimnir", from which a story of the making of the world is included, too. Also, Through Fire and Water recounts the myth of how Thor and Loki fought Geirrod’s giant daughters, based on The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda.
Valhalla 13 The Ballad of Balder, 2006
- Being a living dead can be depressing at times. Therefore the Goddess of Death, Hela, wants Loki to help her invigorate the Kingdom of the Dead. And when he refuses she threatens him with a terrible punishment: She will make the other gods believe that Loki is going to kill Balder!
Loki works very hard to make sure that absolutely nothing happens to Balder – or to himself. But in doing so, he starts the exact same chain of events that he is trying to avoid…
Valhalla 13 is a recounting of the myth of Balder’s being shot by his brother, Hödr, with a mistletoe. The death goddess, Hela, and the Valkyrie Nanna are introduced. The story is based on three very different versions of the myth in the saying "Balder’s Dreams", The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda and the Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, respectively.
Valhalla 14 The Wall, 2007
- The name is Shoe-Boy… Skirnir Shoe-Boy. This is the secret identity Tjalfi is assigned when he is sent to Utgard. His mission: To persuade the giant Gymirs daughter, Gerd, to go on a date with the god Freyr. It might have been an easy task, but right now there are rumours about Ragnarok approaching. And a huge army of giants is assembling in Gymisgard!
But does the giant’s daughter want to meet with a god, one of their enemies? And how did Loki become the mother of Odin’s horse? This is a story about impossible love!
Valhalla 14 is a retelling of the Sayings of Skirnir, a story about Freyr, the fertility god, who sends his servant, Skirnir Shoe-Boy, to Utgard in order to ask Gymir’s daughter Gerd to marry Freyr. The Masterbuilder’s story from the Prose (Snorri’ s) Edda about how the gods try to build a wall around Asgard – and how Loki becomes the mother of Sleipnir, Odin’s horse, is also woven into the tale
Valhalla 15 The Sibyl’s Visions, 2009
- The Wolf is on the loose again! Apparently the Fenris-Wolf is roaming around Asgard, since its footprints are found in the snow in the middle of the longest winter any god can remember, the Fimbul Winter. Actually it is the winter that worries the gods the most. The change of seasons has stopped – the order of the gods has been deactivated. And when the gods in Valhalla discover that the giants are behind it, they know that the time has come for… Ragnarok!
But the Fenris-Wolf has to be put in its proper place again, so while all the others are busy with Ragnarok, Loki is given the job of solving this smaller problem. However, the human girl Roskva is certain that she is better suited to handle the task.
This is the last volume in the Valhalla series. The story about Ragnarok – the huge, last battle between the gods and the giants – is based on various bits and pieces from The Prose (Snorri’s) Edda and quite a few of the Sayings, first and foremost Völuspá.
Note: Europeans comics, scanlation.
Download Instructions:
http://destyy.com/wKBUts — Valhalla 01 Cry Wolf (F) (1979)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtg — Valhalla 02 Thor’s Wedding (F) (1980)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtk — Valhalla 03 Odin’s Wager (F) (1982)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtx — Valhalla 04 The Story of Quark (F) (1987)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtb — Valhalla 05 The Journey to Utgards-Loki (F) (1989)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtP — Valhalla 06 The Golden Apples (F) (1990)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtH — Valhalla 07 The Serpent in the Abyss (F) (1991)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtL — Valhalla 08 Freyja’s Necklace (F) (1992)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtC — Valhalla 09 The Big Challenge (F) (1993)
http://destyy.com/wKBUtN — Valhalla 10 The Gifts for the Gods (1997)
http://destyy.com/wKBUt2 — Valhalla 11 The Magic Mead (1998)
http://destyy.com/wKBUt5 — Valhalla 12 Through Fire and Water (2001) New!
Valhalla 13 The Ballad of Balder — N/A
Valhalla 14 The Wall — N/A
Valhalla 15 The Sibyl’s Visions — N/A
- Mirror:
- http://novafile.com/w2y6w39wgdta — Valhalla 01 Cry Wolf (F) (1979)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyr — Valhalla 02 Thor’s Wedding (F) (1980)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyp — Valhalla 03 Odin’s Wager (F) (1982)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyd — Valhalla 04 The Story of Quark (F) (1987)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyh — Valhalla 05 The Journey to Utgards-Loki (F) (1989)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyc — Valhalla 06 The Golden Apples (F) (1990)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyn — Valhalla 07 The Serpent in the Abyss (F) (1991)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyW — Valhalla 08 Freyja’s Necklace (F) (1992)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyI — Valhalla 09 The Big Challenge (F) (1993)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyA — Valhalla 10 The Gifts for the Gods (1997)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyF — Valhalla 11 The Magic Mead (1998)
http://destyy.com/wKBUyJ — Valhalla 12 Through Fire and Water (2001) New!
Valhalla 13 The Ballad of Balder — N/A
Valhalla 14 The Wall — N/A
Valhalla 15 The Sibyl’s Visions — N/A