Thorgal is a Belgian comic book series by the Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and the Polish graphic artist Grzegorz Rosiński. It has first appeared in serial form in Tintin, and was later published in hardcover volumes by Le Lombard from 1980 on. Translations exist in English, Dutch, German, Polish, Danish, Finnish (in the Finnish “The Phantom” comic), Swedish (in the Swedish “The Phantom” comic), Norwegian (in the Norwegian “The Phantom” comic), Turkish, Greek and other languages. In 2002, a new story was invented for a point-and-click adventure game, titled Thorgal: The Curse of Odin, that was released for Windows by Cryo Interactive Entertainment, a now defunct French game publisher.

The comic unites many themes and legends into one, consistent world, ranging from Norse mythology and Atlantean fantasy to science fiction.

Thorgal is one of the most popular French language comics. In 2006, Album 29 was the fifth best selling new comic in French, with 280,000 copies published.

Characters of the Series:

• Thorgal Aegirsson: raised by Vikings, but not one of them, he shows traits of character and morality that many Vikings consider those of a weak man. In reality, if there is such a need, he’s a courageous and skillful warrior with amazing archery skills. His life’s goal is to find a place for himself and his family to live in peace, but the gods seem to have cursed him

  Thorgal and Aaricia

with a life full of danger and supernatural influences. For a time they strip him of his memory, and he becomes the pirate lord Shaigan, though his compassionate personality remained unchanged.

• Aaricia: Thorgal’s wife and daughter of Viking leader Gandalf the Mad. She is bound to Thorgal from the moment of her birth by a magic object named Tjahzi’s Tears. Aaricia is a spirited, strong-willed woman, and she loves her family dearly despite all the mishappenings Thorgal’s fate has brought to their lifes.

• Jolan: Thorgal’s son who possesses strange supernatural powers - the heritage of Thorgal’s mysterious ancestry. During the majority of the series, his power is limited to disintegrating things - and mostly only when he is sufficiently angered or in grave danger.

• Louve: Thorgal and Aaricia’s daughter. She has the ability to communicate with animals.

• Kriss of Valnor: young, beautiful, unscrupulous and deadly warrior-woman, incredible with a bow. She first appears in the 9th album, “The Archers” and re-appears intermittently in the following albums. She is in some ways Thorgal’s greatest foe, trying to hurt him and his family out of pure hate, but sometimes showing hints of admiration and even secret love for Thorgal. When Thorgal loses his memory, she tricks him into believing they are married, and convinces Thorgal he is the ruthless pirate lord Shaigan. She becomes pregnant with his son shortly before Thorgal regains his memory and leaves to find his family. Later, she ends up as a slave in Byzantium and sacrifices her life to help Thorgal’s family escape from the same slave pits.