By Sam King

This is the last issue of the currently planned miniseries, although based on the ending, this may not be the full end of the story. The Spider King finally concludes, and I enjoyed the last half of the miniseries much more than the beginning half. This comic is basically what happens when you combine Vikings and aliens. It is the unlikely and chaotic marriage of historical fantasy elements and science fiction craziness.

I began this series before I became a reviewer here so you won’t find any previous issues with my name on it and quite frankly that may be for the better. I had a rough go with the first two issues and thought about dropping it altogether. When I saw this as a reviewing option and remembered that it was only listed as being four issues long, I thought that I might as well finish it. I ran through issue #3 to catch up, and now here we are. I’m actually pretty glad I decided to give it another chance.

My original problem with the story was that the opposing genres were not harmonizing. It felt choppy, disjointed, and just all around silly. My initial thoughts placed it in the company of stories like Cowboys vs. Aliens. The storyline at its' base is highly similar. An alien being or two crash-land their spaceship(s) on Earth in non-modern times, so less technologically advanced humans have to face a major threat with whatever they happen to have at the time. In this instance it is Vikings, so it is even more primitive at its’ base when it comes to weapons until the playing field is evened and the Vikings pick up alien tech.

Issue #4 picks up where issue #3 left off and #3 was where I felt a shift for the better. Issue #3 sets up the final pieces needed to get the heroes to the point where they are ready to destroy the threat, and issue #4 is finally when things start to get good. We finally know where everyone fits into place and we get a final battleground. Hrolf is rushing in ready to be the hero, but Sigrid has home advantage and is able to free herself. Together they take on the Spider King, now known as Sarplax, which is an alien parasite that turns people into fungus heads. For lack of an adequate word, let’s make one up. It “fungifies” people. Hrolf’s ragtag group is left with the tiny alien to keep the fungified warriors at bay while Hrolf goes to kill Erek and avenge his family. Erek was taken over by Sarplax and Sarplax is at full fungal spider mode in this issue. Sigrid and Hrolf fight him, and things generally conclude.

I say that they generally conclude because there is a plot strand left open that would allow for more story to be told at a later time. I am seriously wondering what is up with the hand now and if that is a foreboding omen for the future. Whether that will happen or not, I am unsure at this point. We will have to see. Would I be interested in the story continuing? A tiny bit. Would I be sad if it didn’t? Not really. This comic just feels like it’s a fun read to go through once, but it won’t come anywhere close to being a top influential piece within the world of comics. It is a genre experiment that does provide some enjoyment and if someone loves the idea of Vikings fighting aliens, then, by all means, have at it. If you’re looking for a revolutionary, change your life, next favorite thing to rave about to everyone kind of comic, this isn’t the one. It is an unexpectedly good time and a fun twist with cartoony art and lots of color-saturated backgrounds. The art mixes up some different styles, and it is chaos playing off of chaos. There are lots of special effects (explosions, crashes, sound effects, smoke), action, and there’s also a lot of mostly solid color backgrounds. Lots of reds in this issue and lots of blood. If all of that is your cup of tea, go crazy. I enjoyed the ending and am actually pretty satisfied with having read the series.

Score: 3/5

The Spider King #4
IDW Publishing