Insight Comics is well known for publishing unique graphic novels. One of their recent titles -- Vei Volumes 1 and 2 -- is a two-part graphic novel series that is based on Norse Mythology and centered around the conflict between the Jotuns and the Asgardians. Featuring many recognizable names for anyone familiar with Norse mythology, there are versions of Freyja, Thor, and Odin, but Loki is the one that takes the cake.
Last month, we published reviews of both of the volumes of Vei, and now we have been lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to not only chat with writer Sara B. Elfgren, but also artist Karl Johnnson. We will be sharing the interview with Johnnson soon, but first we want to dig into our conversation with Sara B. Elfgren.
If you are unfamiliar with Elfgren, she is primarily known for her The Engelsfors Trilogy , which consists of The Circle, Fire, and The Key. Her more recent novel preceeding Vei was Norra Latin. Regarding her graphic novel work on Vei, you can check out what Elfgren had to say in the interview below!
Joe: Let me start off by thanking you for creating such a brilliant piece of art. The story integrates with the art in a beautiful way, but I'd like to ask - why Vei? What inspired you to pull from Norse Mythology for this tale?
Sara B. Elfgren: Thank you so much! Karl and I had a very close collaboration, we basically planned every single panel together. And we redrew/rewrote it many times. It all began about ten years ago when Karl wanted to make a comic told from the perspective of a woman who lived in Jotunheim and worshipped the giants as her gods. I was intrigued with the switched perspective. In Norse mythology the giants are usually "the bad guys" and the Æsir heroes. I got more and more involved in the project and eventually Karl invited me to be a co-creator. I grew up reading about myths, mainly Norse and Greek, and I've always enjoyed stories where humans interact with gods and monsters. One of the many things that fascinates me about Norse mythology is that the gods know that they and their world will come to an end. There are also very few written sources so there's a lot that we actually don't know.
Joe: One of my favorite characters you brought to life in this epic is Loki. With the unique spin that you and Johnsson put on the classic character, you managed to provide both a fresh take on the character while still retaining all things "Loki". How was it that you managed to find such a perfect balance?
Sara B. Elfgren: Thank you! We're very pleased that Loki has become such a favorite among many readers. We became captivated with this trickster from the very beginning, we even expanded the story to get more scenes with Loki.
Joe: Did you have any specific inspiration that you pulled from to lend to the androgynous character of Loki?
Sara B. Elfgren: Loki takes many forms in Vei, and we usually refer to the character as a shapeshifting non-binary god. Different people perceive Loki differently. In some ways we were inspired by the endless one Desire in The Sandman. In the Norse myths Loki is a shapeshifter, at one point turning into a mare and giving birth to the eight-legged horse Sleipnir.
Joe: In the first volume I made the mistake of thinking they were a girl but in the second volume it was made clear that Loki is essentially anything Loki wants to be. Do you have a picture in your mind of what Loki's base form looks like?
Sara B. Elfgren: I'd better let Loki answer that: "My faces are different, but all of them are true. I am always Loki."
Joe: When you began the Vei journey did you know it would be ending with just two volumes or did gauge as you went along how long the story needed to be?
Sara B. Elfgren: In the beginning we created the comic as a serial for the now defunct Utopi Magazine. But it only ran for about six chapters. While working on it we had learned so much, and we found the tone and style of the project. We realized how important the project was to us and we wanted it to reach its full pontential. So we stopped the publication and gave Vei a fresh start. At first we thought it would only become one book, but as we kept working on it the story grew and grew. We decided to publish it in two volumes, but it's still one single story and we had a rough draft of volume 2, including the end, when we released volume 1.
Joe: How would you compare Vei to your other work?
Sara B. Elfgren: I've written novels, stage plays, children's books, scripts for radio, film, TV and games. There's usually - not always, but usually - an element of the fantastic in what I write, but I've never "gone full high fantasy" apart from Vei, and I loved every second of it. Also, Vei is the project that's been with me the longest period of time, between 2011, when Karl and I started talking about it, and 2019 when volume 2 was published in Sweden.
Joe: Can you see yourself working on another Norse Mythology-inspired project in the future?
Sara B. Elfgren: Absolutely. I'm still interested in the mythology.
Joe: Is there any interesting trivia or any fun facts you can share with us about Vei?
Sara B. Elfgren: There are tons of references in these books. We worked on them for so many years and we had to amuse ourselves.
The word vei means road (way) in Norwegian. This was something we had to discuss with our Norwegian publisher, but in the end they kept the title.
Freyja's character design is inspired by the archeological find "Venus of Willendorf".
In volume 1 there's a tribute to the ”predator handshake” between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers in the movie The Predator. In volume 2 there's a tribute to the character Vasquez in Aliens.
The Valkyries Hildr and Skögul are modelled after two real sisters, good friends of mine. The woman that Hildr is based on is a wonderful opera singer called Maja Frydén.
There are also many references to classical art: Goya, Veronese, Caracci ... Sometimes they are in your face, sometimes in the background.
Joe: Is there a potential for a future spin-off or story that surrounds the offspring of Vei and Loki?
Sara B. Elfgren: I usually prefer to leave the readers with the feeling that there is room for another story. Karl and I are very pleased with the ending, and we would probably ruin things if we went beyond it. But we definitely want to work together again. We have some ideas. Nothing Norse mythology-related though, at least not at this point.
Joe: Is there anything else you would like me to share with our readers about Vei or any other projects you have coming up?
Sara B. Elfgren: We're so happy that readers across the world have found their way to Vei. It's like a dream come true and we want to thank every single person who picks up our books. And if you can't get enough of blue giants, or even want to be one - look for the VR-game Ghost Giant, written by me and available for PSVR and Oculus.
What do you think of these comments from writer Sara B. Elfgren? If you haven't had a chance to read Vei yet, take a look at the summary below!
She trained her whole life to become the strongest warrior of Jotunheim, to become the beloved champion of her gods. But when the time came to finally prove her strength, Vei was cast into the sea by the very god she fought for.
Rescued by a Viking ship, Vei returns to Jotunheim, home of the legendary giants. There she finds herself caught in the Meistarileikir, a bloody game between the humans, the giants, and the gods of Asgard that will determine who will have the right to rule the land of Midgard. Having lost the confidence of her own god, Vei must take her place in the Meistarileikir and fight not only for the control of Midgard, but for her very life, in this epic battle against daring warriors, fearsome monsters, and even the gods themselves.
A bestseller in Sweden, Vei Vol. 1 weaves together an incredible tale that pits man against God and God against God in an outstanding Hunger Games meets Norse mythology graphic novel.
Vei Vol. 1 is currently available to purchase at a retailer near you, or if you prefer to pick it up online you can do so here for a ticket price of $24.99.