Assassin's Creed: Valhalla - Forgotten Myths #1

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Forgotten Myths #1 - Review & Summary

Written by Sorrosyss, April 9th, 2022

Note: Non Spoiler Review, but a full Spoiler Summary follows

Forgotten Myths is a new comic book release from Dark Horse comics, that acts as a story primer for the DLC release, Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok.

The story is written by Alexander Freed, and focuses primarily upon the character of Baldr, son to Odin of Asgard. As the DLC itself, the story is primarily depicted through a mythologically filtered perspective, as it is ultimately told by an old man at a camp fire to a group of Vikings. For that reason, we do of course have to exert caution upon the full canonicity of the tale. That being said, within the comic Baldr takes it upon himself to investigate the rumors of tensions between the realms of Svartalfheim and Muspelheim. Certainly if you have played the DLC, you will be able to see where the storylines of the comic and game collide.

Coming in at just 20 pages, this issue is comparatively shorter than most Assassin's Creed comics. There is no Modern Day narrative here, but as you can appreciate it does solely focus upon the Isu era with several of the precursor characters from the game present here such as Odin, Loki, Thor and Freyja. The artwork is pretty well done, with this having been completed by Martín Túnica, who you might recall previously worked on the last Dark Horse Assassin's Creed Valhalla comic; Song of Glory. Characters match up to their in-game counterparts, and it is quite easy to tell them apart due to the strong art direction, with special mention to the coloring work of Michael Atiyeh, as some of the images here just pop off of the page.

As always, your ultimate enjoyment of this comic boils down to what aspect of the Valhalla storyline you enjoyed. If you are someone who likes the mythology side, then you will find exactly what you are looking for here.

The first issue of Forgotten Myths is available online now, with two further separate issues releasing over Spring 2022. A printed and collected graphic novel version is expected in September 2022.

Story Summary (WARNING: FULL SPOILERS FOLLOW)

Asgard, Isu Era

At the fringes of Asgard, Heimdall sights a Muspel warrior entering the Aesir lands. Alongside Thor and Baldr, the three confront the Muspel, demanding to know why he has come. The Muspel engages them in combat, with Thor's hammer crashing into the nearby mountain, flooding the area with rocks and burying both the Muspel and Baldr. Heimdall is furious with Thor, but the latter retorts that Baldr is impossible to hurt, and will be fine.

Beneath the rockfall, the Muspel lies dead. Unable to find an exit from the way he entered, Baldr elects to enter deeper into the cave. He comes across an elderly dwarf, who offers to guide him safely out of the cave. The dwarf tells Baldr of the proposed invasion of Svartalfheim by the Muspelheim leader Surtr, and that he fears for all dwarven folk. As Baldr is led to the exit, he wishes the dwarf well, but when he turns around he only sees a small snake scurrying back to the darkness.

Within the main city of Asgard, Odin walks with Tyr, relaying his concern about the safety of his missing boy. He is then surprised by Baldr himself who has made it back to the city. Retiring to Odin's throne room, Baldr tells him and Freyja that his near immortality makes achievement within the realms difficult to attain. As such, he has decided that if he can negotiate a peace between Svartalfheim and Muspelheim, it would be a worthy success that would be noted amongst the masses. Odin reluctantly gives Baldr his blessing, and the latter sets out.

Jotunheim, Isu Era

Using his ship, the Hringhorni, Baldr travels to the edges of Jotunheim, where the ocean and ice meet as sludge, and where the edges of reality collide. He reads runes upon the ocean floor, which gives him guidance on how to proceed. As he travels upon marshlands, a fish emerges from the water, speaking to Baldr and expressing shock that he would be out alone in the wilds. The fish guides him to a waterfall with a lake below, where he promises answers can be found by way of a vision. Looking into the waters, Baldr is shown the images of Eysa, Muspel daughter of Surtr.

Unsure what the imagery means, Baldr asks Loki to drop the pretence, recognizing him both as the fish and the dwarf he had met under the rubble, at which point the fish shapeshifts to the trickster himself. Baldr states that while he has given him direction, he could surely use Loki's direct help in such delicate negotiations. Loki is surprised by the bluntness of Odin's son, but ultimately agrees to help him.

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