Kull the Conqueror & Solomon Kane! (Dark Horse Comics)

Before we go any further, I’ve just had a look at the title of the post and feel the need to point out that I’m going to be talking about two different books here and not some weird ‘team up’ of an Atlantean King and a seventeenth century English puritan adventurer. Although having said that, I wouldn’t mind seeing some writer have a go at that one...

It’s strange to think that there was once a time when I thought that Conan the Barbarian was the sum total of Robert E. Howard’s creative output. How wrong was I? (You can blame a poorly stocked school library and Arnold Schwarzenegger for that...) As a writer of pulp fiction for various magazines Howard was prolific to say the least, I guess he had to be really!
I’ve been catching up on the adventures of Conan from various sources just recently (I really should go back and read the Fantasy Masterworks editions...) and I thought it might be time to branch out a little and read about some of Howard’s other creations. I’ve read one of the ‘Solomon Kane’ short stories and wanted to find out more about him. Kull the Conqueror though... I’d never read anything about him so I had to start somewhere!



‘Kull Volume 1: The Shadow Kingdom’ – Arvid Nelson, Will Conrad & Jose Villarrubia

Kull has finally bought the last of the rebellious city states of Valusia into line and is king at last. Life is never that easy for a former galley slave and mercenary though. Kull must get used to what it really means to be king, dealing with affairs of state and working his way amongst a noble caste that will quite happily smile at him while hiding knives behind their backs. This isn’t the greatest threat that his nascent kingdom will face however. The Picts have ever been the enemies of the Atlantean people (Kull in particular) but now hold the key to protecting the Valusian kingdom against it’s greatest threat. The Serpent Cult are far more than they seem and Kull will discover snakes within the corridors of the palace itself...

While Conan was ever set on this path to kingship (at least in the books I have read) Howard turns things round here and gives us a kingdom already secured by a barbarian newcomer and all the problems this brings. Nelson does well to show us Howard’s vision of a barbarian who has basically bitten off far more than he can chew and is fighting to hold onto what he has only just grabbed hold of. Kull is very much the tortured introvert here, unsure of who he can trust but knowing full well that he must find allies within the conquered nobility. Nelson also does very well to show us the scheming and dangers of the Valusian court in a very short space of time. And then the serpents come calling... Things really kick off at this point with plenty of sword fights in secret passageways and sinister temples, all ably illustrated by Conrad and Villarrubia (although the artwork didn’t go that extra mile and stand out from the page, it felt like I’d seen it all before...) The end result, despite that slight feeling of anti-climax, is brutal and bloody and had my eyes glued to the page. Brule makes for a suitable foil to Kull’s introspection and slight naivety, getting the job done and moving the plot forwards while Kull would (unwittingly) have things stall. The pace is set and Nelson makes sure it’s maintained throughout. ‘The Shadow Kingdom’ has got me eager for more of the same from Dark Horse and will probably have me searching out Howard’s ‘Kull’ works in the future. Very much recommended for fans of Conan (naturally!) and maybe Slaine as well...



‘Solomon Kane Volume 1: The Castle of the Devil’ – Scott Allie, Mario Guevara, Dave Stewart and Mike Mignola

Solomon Kane wanders the world, doing the Lord’s work insofar as punishing sinners and fighting demons goes. The haunted Black Forest of Germany might prove to be his match though. The local peasants talk of the ‘Castle of the Devil’ where a devilish baron lives and an intelligent wolf haunts the darkness. What lurks in the monastery is the greatest threat though, Kane must face it but at what cost...?

I love Mike Mignola’s artwork so was particularly excited when I saw it gracing the cover for ‘The Castle of the Devil’. As good as Guevara’s artwork is, I couldn’t help myself but wish that Mignola had been given the gig for what lie within the book as well as it’s cover. He’s really got a feel for the ‘dark and sinister’, something that Guevara’s admittedly evocative art doesn’t quite manage. This isn’t meant to Guevara, I love woodland scenes and his were superb. I just found myself thinking that it could have been a lot more...

The story does make up for this, gradually drawing us into the Castle of the Devil and giving us little snippets to chew on and keep us interested (although perhaps it didn’t need to take as much time as it did). I wasn’t too sure about how we were presented with the twist (which maybe could have been a little more clear) but explosive action from Kane more than makes up for this. Allie’s Kane seems to be near enough to Howard’s dour Puritan vision. He doesn’t say an awful lot but when he does get going he’s a sight to see!

Funnily enough, my favourite part of the book was actually the short story tacked on at the end. ‘The Nightcomers’ was a fine example of tight storytelling in a short space of time, getting everything done and pushing on without wasting any time. ‘The Castle of the Devil’ was an entertaining enough read (enough to have me looking out for Volume 2) but I was left feeling that it could have learnt a few lessons from ‘The Nightcomers’...