Filed under: 7 stars, Alan Weiss, Bill Wray, Colin MacNeil, David Wenzel, Don Glut, Howard Chaykin, Ralph Reese, Roy Thomas, Solomon Kane, Sonny Trinidad
This collection Includes:
- “Skulls in the Stars” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “Ralph Reese”.
- “Castle of the Undead” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “Alan Weiss”.
- “The Hills of the Dead” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “Alan Weiss”.
- “Into the Silent City” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “Alan Weiss”.
- “The Right Hand of Doom” by “Doug Moench” with art by “Steve Gan”
- “The Silver Beast Beyond Tinkertown” by “Doug Moench” with art by “Mike Zeck”
- “Rattle of Bones” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “Howard Chaykin”
- “The Castle Of The Devil” written by “Don Glut” with art by “Alan Kupperberg” and “Sonny Trinidad”
- “Solomon Kanes Homecoming” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by”Virgillo Redondo” and ” D Nebres”
- “The Dragon At Castle Frankenstein” written by “Don Glut” with art by “Sonny Trinidad”
- “The Cold Hands Of Death” written by “Don Glut” with art by “Steve Gan” and “Dino Castrillo”
- “Retribution In Blood” written by “Don Glut” with art by “David Wenzel” and “Marillitz”
- “Blades of The Brotherhood” written by “Don Glut” with art by “David Wenzel” and “Duffy Vohland”
- “Moon of Skulls” written by “Don Glut” with art by “David Wenzel” and “Bill Wray”.
- “The Return of Sir Richard Greenville written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “David Wenzel”.
- “Wings In The Night” written by “Don Glut” with art by “David Wenzel”.
- “The One Black Stain” written by “Robert E. Howard” with art by “David Wenzel”.
- “Red Seas” written by “Jo Duffy” with art by “Danny Bulandi”.
- “Solomon Kane’s Homecoming” written by “Robert E. Howard” with art by “Steve Carr”.
- “Shattered Innocence” written by “John Arcudi” with art by “Steve Carr” and “Al Williamson”.
- “Satan’s Sanctuary” written by “Alan Rowlands” with art by “Steve Carr” and “Al Williamson”.
- “Deaths Dark Riders” written by “Roy Thomas” with art by “Colin MacNeil”.
I enjoyed this collection and it blessed by some really good black and white art. There are a huge variety of stories and styles but they are all readable. I particularly enjoyed the artwork of Alan Weiss and Ralph Reese and the story telling of Roy Thomas. My least favorite stories had David Wenzel as the author and I found them harder work to read. My least favorite artists were “Howard Cheykin” and “Colin MacNeil” but Colin’s art was still good and improved as the story progressed.
I am not a fan of prose in Graphic novels so I didn’t read all these sections but they may appeal to some people. This book represent a great taste of Solomon Kane with over twenty stories. ISBN-13: 978-1595823175. 7/10
Filed under: 6 Stars, Darick Robertson, Guy Davis, Mario Guevara, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Solomon Kane
“Death’s Black Riders” collects #1 to #4 of Dark Horses “Solomon Kane: Death’s Black Riders” series and the “All The Damned Souls At Sea” short story. It is set in the Black Forest, just like the previous Dark Horse Volume (Castle of the Devil), and features the writing of Scott Allie and art of Mario Guevara.
“Deaths Black Riders” has more of a Conan or even a BPRD/ Hellboy feel to it than Solomon Kane. It is basically one long monster bash from beginning to end and lacks the more considered brooding approach that Solomon Kane normally has. From the moment the book begins the dialogue is confusing and hard to follow and the cluttered and muddy art makes it difficult to figure out just who is talking. It was quite a way into the book before I actually realized which character was Solomon Kane. The story also suffers from poor pacing and some of the fight scenes and dialogues run on too long. I quite enjoyed some of the interactions with the priest but the demons were a little too H.P. Lovecraft for my tastes.
Mario Guevara’s artwork was not as good as in the first volume and I found it quite difficult to follow at times. I liked Guy Davis’s artwork in the short story better but I still struggled a little to follow what was going on once the boat started breaking up. If I hadn’t read the notes in the back of the book I would not have guessed that the boat turned into some kind of sea serpent. Even Guy Davis’s art seemed to be a bit off par. I enjoyed the Mike Mignola TPB cover and Darick Robertson’s excellent single edition covers in the special features.
Death’s Black Riders isn’t a bad book but it suffers from not being a particularly good Solomon Kane adaptation with art that in my opinion is a little substandard. It has some great special features and is still worth a read if you liked the first volume. ISBN-10: 1595825908. 6/10
Filed under: 7 stars, Bret Blevins, Howard Chaykin, Jon Bogdanove, Mike Mignola, Solomon Kane
This TPB contains all of the original 1970’s and 1980’s Marvel color comic books based upon Robert E. Howard’s puritan hero Solomon Kane. It features the stories “The Mark of Kane” and “Fangs of the Gorilla God” and the entire Sword of Solomon Kane mini-series.
- “The Mark of Kane !” written by Roy Thomas with art by Howard Chaykin.
- “Fangs of the Gorilla God” written by Roy Thomas with art by Howard Chaykin.
- “Red Shadows” written by Ralph Macchio with art by Steve Carr and Bret Blevins.
- “And Faith, Undying” written by Ralph Macchio with art by Bret Blevins.
- “Blades Of The Brotherhood” written by Ralph Macchio with art by Bret Blevins.
- “The Prophet !” written by Ralph Macchio with art by Mike Mignola.
- “Hills Of The Dead” written by Ralph Macchio with art by Jon Bogdanove.
- “Wings In The Night !” written by Ralph Macchio with art by John Ridgeway.
The storyline is a classic Solomon Kane where an innocent is wronged and Solomon pursues the perpetrators to the end of the earth. The first two stories definitely feel a bit dated and are retold in “Red Shadows” by Ralph Macchio where they felt a bit fresher and benefited from improved art. I seem to remember Solomon Kane was a good bit more puritan and unwielding in other stories that I have read but this book even had him using the forces of black magic and befriending a witchdoctor.
I didn’t like Howard Chaykin’s art in the first two stories which seemed to suffer from poor inking. The artwork in the rest of the book is pretty good featuring classic comic style art. Mike Mignola’s art was unlike his present style and actually looked very similar to the other artists. I enjoyed this collection and would recommend it to Robert E. Howard fans. [ISBN-13: 978-1595824103]. 7/10
Filed under: 8 Stars, Dave Stewart, John Cassaday, Mario Guevara, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Solomon Kane
This story is set in the haunted Black Forest of Germany and is an adaption of Robert E. Howard’s fragment “The Castle of the Devil”. Solomon Kane is like the anti Conan, a devout puritan man wielding gods punishment on evil doers in a dour way. This story revolves around a devilish baron and his evil secret that lies hidden in the ruined monastery beneath his castle. Castle of the devil is a good story with plenty of supernatural goings on and gory killings. Even though Mike Mignola only drew the cover, the book does have a hint of his style of story telling and a great sense of atmosphere. The artwork is good and fits the story well although Kane at times does have a certain Marilyn Manson look to him and things can get a bit muddy in places.
The excellent extras include character sketches and some top rate covers by Joe Kubert and John Cassaday. [ISBN-13: 978-1595822826]. 8/10
