Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword #6 - A Review

I'm several weeks overdue in covering this book, which I only discovered had come out by chance.  However, since the comic itself has not had a new issue come out for over a year, I feel little guilt over being late in covering it.  In any case, it has proven worth the wait.

Curiously, Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword seems to be migrating further away from its apparent purpose - anthologizing comics based around Robert E. Howard's less famous creations.  Yet of this issue's five stories, three are devoted to Conan the Cimmerian!  Still, one can't complain.  Even the weakest story in this volume is better than the current Conan the Barbarian comic and all of the stories contained within this volume feature top-tier talent.

Two stories continue on from the last issue.  One is the tale of Bran Mak Morn - Howard's Pictish hero.  This story by Ian Edgington sees the chieftain fighting a battle of wills against a shaman who disapproves of Bran Mak Morn's efforts to cease his peoples' barbarous practices of human sacrifice.  It is a bold tale, skillfully retold with amazing art by Richard Pace.    

The other continuing story centers upon the origins of Dark Agnes - a red-haired swordswoman who had as much a hand in inspiring Red Sonja as Robert E. Howard's historical heroine Red Sonya of Rogatino.  Fans of Gail Simone's Red Sonja book would do well to pick-up this issue and Issue #5, for Dark Agnes's adventures will hold similar appeal.  The artwork by Aaron McConnell proves a skillful substitution for last issue's Dark Agnes artist, Francesco Francavilla.

The remaining three stories are equally appealing.  The issue's opening tale - Sargasso of Sand - centers upon Conan's misadventures as he gets lost in the desert and is confronted by a mad captain who seeks to make his ship sail upon the sand itself.  John Jackson Miller's script is a humorous one and the artwork by Phillip Tan lives up to his usual high standard.  

The second Conan tale - Demons of the Summit -  is a fairly standard tale.  Barbarian meets girl.  Barbarian loses girl.  Barbarian kills monsters and wizards to get the girl.  Despite being formulaic, the tale is well-told and greatly enhanced by the excellent artwork of Tony De Zuniga.

The final story of the issue - Child of Sorcery - proves to be the issue's best.  Small wonder given that it is based on a story by Birds of Prey author Christy Marx with a script by legendary comics writer Roy Thomas!  Though this story also details Conan's efforts to save a woman from enslavement and defilement, the heroine is no helpless prize to be won.  The artwork by Ernie Chan is reminiscent of the classic Marvel Conan comics for all the right reasons.

In short, this book is a must read for all fans of fantasy in general and Robert E. Howard in particular.

He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe #1 - A Review

In a round about way, I think He-Man and the Masters of The Universe was responsible for my eventual interest in comic books and superheroes.  I imagine the same holds true for many other comic fans who grew up during the 1980s.  The action figures all came with mini-comics.  The animated series - while largely a fantasy affair - did center around a hero with a secret identity, a flashy costume and magical powers.  At the very least, Master of The Universe it was responsible for developing my love of the fantasy genre and, more than likely, my fetish for women warriors in impractical armor. 





Mattel Has A Lot To Answer For...  

Given all that, you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that DC Comics would be doing a He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe comic book mini-series.  And given my own fondness for the Starman series, you can imagine that "excitment" was too small a word to describe my feelings once it was announced that James Robinson would be writing this new series.  Throw in the fact that the artwork would be by barbarian artist extraordinaire Phillip Tan (most recently of Savage Hawkman) and it sounded like a license to print money, if only in the name of nostalgia for everyone in my age-range who stripped down to their Batman Underoos to watch Superfriends as a kid.

   Despite the opening pages - and the preview on DC Comics's website - those expecting a straight-forward adventure of He-Man thwarting Skeletor's latest attempts to steal the secrets of Castle Greyskull will be sorely disappointed.  Our story opens upon a humble woodcutter named Adam, who has dreams of being a hero and fighting a great evil.  Inspired by these too-real dreams and the repeated visits by a hawk he somehow feels is named "Zoar", Adam leaves his senile father in the care of a neighbor and prepares to leave the woods that are the only home he's ever known seeking something he cannot define.

So far, this is Joseph Campbell 101.  The story thus far is decidedly generic and offers no real surprises.  This is particularly true for those of us who read the early interviews where James Robinson said his story would be based in an Eternia where - somehow - Skeletor had proven victorious and made the heroes of Eternia forget who they were, trapping them in ordinary lives.  It's not the most original idea but Robinson's writing makes up for a lot

Phillip Tan's artwork also helps prevent this book from collapsing into a mundane malaise.  Tan's redesigns of the classic characters are brilliant, capturing the basic look of each character while still making them seem harsher and rougher.  Rather than a clean-cut body-builder with a bowl-cut, Tan's savage He-Man looks like he could give Conan a run for his money.

In the final analysis, He-Man and the Masters Of The Universe is shaping up to be an inoffensive bit of fun for fantasy fans of all ages.  I'm not sure if I'll be picking up Issue #2 just yet, but I'll definitely be picking up the inevitable trade-paperback collection.  

Savage Hawkman #1 - A Review

Out of all of the iconic figureheads of the DC Universe, I don't think any of them have a more convoluted back story than Hawkman. Over the years Hawkman has been a reincarnated Egyptian prince, an alien cop come to Earth to study our ways, a warrior from a planet of decadent nobles, an avatar of some kind of Hawk deity or some combination of at least two of the preceding elements. To say that Hawkman was in need of some serious simplification would be an understatement and it has been hoped by many a Hawk-Fan that Savage Hawkman #1 would give Carter Hall the fresh start he sorely needed.

The book opens promisingly, with Carter Hall - apparently sick of being a superhero - having journeyed to the woods of upstate New York in an attempt to burn his Hawkman armor. Made of the mysterious Nth Metal, the costume proves to be made of sterner stuff and indeed seems to come to life so it can attack Carter. Sometime later, he awakens in his apartment, having somehow made his way back to NYC naked, undetected and in surprisingly good shape for someone who passed out while being burned alive. Carter has little time to ponder this mystery, however, as he is called out to a dig site where his expertise as an archeologist and cryptologist is needed to examine an alleged alien spaceship. Hijinks ensue as some manner of shadowy creatures laying dormant inside the ship awaken and Carter is astonished to find N-th Metal flowing out of his body and enveloping him, his armor having apparently fused with his body in such a way that it can be summoned forth whenever he needs arms and armor.




The plot here is nothing deep or surprising. If you've seen one horror movie/sci-fi movie with a billionaire funding research into something unusual, you'll know what is going to happen long before Carter is called to the scene. Despite this, Tony Daniel does a good job of establishing Hawkman's powers and Carter's personality as a rugged all-American manly man. Daniel also neatly avoids the questions regarding Carter's past and just what would make him seek to destroy the armor in the first place. It is, to the story of this comic, unimportant.

The artwork by Phillp Tan is as slick and streamlined as the story. Tan's work is sketchy with thin inks that create an effect not unlike that of the paintings of Alex Ross. Full credit for this touch, however, must go to colorist Sunny Gho whose vibrant colors liven up what might otherwise be some very drab scenes.

All in all, this isn't a bad book though it really isn't my cup of tea. I prefer my heroes with a little more humor than Carter and the lack of a unique and interesting plot isn't doing this book any favors. Still, if you like your comics to be simple and full of action, I can't think of a better title for you than Savage Hawkman.