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'Classic Slaine 1 of 3' Slaine the King.

Started by DavidXBrunt, 02 February, 2005, 04:44:25 AM

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DavidXBrunt

I've read very, very little Slaine over the years and I'm pretty ambivalent about what I have read. The 'Best of' with 'Shoggy Beast' in was a huge amount of fun, especially the story with Ukko getting indebted to a slave and the Salmon Leap getting him out of it. I quite enjoyed the story reprinted in the Meg as it had some silly, fun ideas but it seemed a little drawn out. And then there's the recent stuff in the weekly. Which just is.

So I approached Slaine the King without any idea what to expect. And I loved it to pieces. The interplay between Ukko and Slaine is genuinely funny, which is unusual in comics with a comic relief character. But Ukko is funny, and slightly creepy as well which gives him a nice edge. Lots of nice stuff such as the reunion between Slaine and Niamh, the concept of the sky chariots, just lots of mad ideas used well and with inventiveosity. I liked it a lot.

But it's the art that really makes these stories. Fabrys stuff has a solid reality to it that a lot of comics don't have, but doesn't become stiff and lifeless. Expressive faces, believable locations, and the fantasy stuff seems a part of the world that's created on the page.

But despite all that it's McMahons stuff that I liked the mosr. Has there been anything else like this in the prog? Alan Grant mentioned how good the Sky Chariots art is in his epic interview over at 2kreview. And I agree, bet he can sleep easier for knowing that. There's just something about the traced work that gives it a perfect wood cutting look. At once loose and scratchy but also detailed. The woodland scene with the sky chariot flying over it is particularly gorgeous - the fact that Ukko vomits all over it is a nice bonus. It's lovely. So many pages that I'd love to see in real life, let alone own. Georgeous stuff. It's just lovely.


Anyway, next up is 'The Horned God'.

Link: http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=reprint&page=gnprofiles&choice=slainek2" target="_blank">Today I have been mostly reading...

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