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« on: 12 June, 2012, 05:01:04 PM »
Ignoring the gnorks / norks controversy for a moment...
Thanks to everyone who responded to my earlier post!
I've just finished reading the first four volumes of Slaine and thought I'd share my general thoughts to anyone who is interested...
Warriors Dawn: I thought this book was pretty good but wasn't blown away by it, mostly because it comprises of a lot of short stories rather than one long tale. It was interesting to learn the character's full background and see how he developed. At the risk of being completely lambasted I have to say that Mike McMahon's art just doesn't do it for me. The level of detail in his art is very impressive - particularly in Sky Chariots - but I've just never taken to his style (think this goes back to Dredd for me when his work often alternated with Brian Bolland's... I loved the crispness of Bolland's work and found myself often frustrated by the more chaotic style that Mike employs). I preferred Massimo Belardinelli's episodes and have to say that it was a real shame that Angie Kincaid never drew more than the first episode, her art was very impressive indeed.
Time Killer: The first story Dragonheist is a decent read though nothing amazing. The story isn't that gripping but is notable in that it introduces Nest and explains how Slaine acquired the Knucker. Belardinelli's art for this story is excellent and packed full of detail. I particularly enjoyed his illustrations of the dragons! Then its into the Time Killer tale, which (along with Tomb of Terror in the next book) represents for me the very best Slaine tales to date. Time Killer sees Slaine in a much bigger universe than previously thought and the story constantly bombards the reader with new creatures and ideas while at the same time packing each episode with non-stop frenetic action - and very funny dialogue between Slaine and Ukko. Glenn Fabry's work here is outstanding and beautiful to look at. Fellow artist David Pugh's episodes aren't quite as well illustrated (sometimes I think there's something not quite right about the characters' faces) but in fairness his output seems to be double that of Fabry's and it is still of a very high standard.
Slaine the King: This continues directly on from Time Killer with Tomb of Terror and I was delighted to find that with the same team that worked on Time Killer, the quality is just as high in this tale as the previous one. My only gripe is that I felt the conclusion of Tomb of Terror was a little rushed and could have benefited by being a few pages longer. Following that classic tale is the somewhat disappointing Spoils of Annwn where Slaine goes through several trials of the zodiac. I felt that Mills delighted in showing off his research into mythology at the expense of a compelling narrative and while there is nothing really bad about art by Collins and Farmer, there is nothing really great about it either. I was relieved when I came to the end of that story, as I felt getting through this turgid tale was a greater trial than any that Slaine encountered. The quality improves again as we finally then move into the Slaine the King stories which I enjoyed as I finally got to see Slaine's home. It wasn't anywhere near as good as Time Killer and Tomb of Terror - mostly because it really serves to set the scene for the Horned God - but Fabry's welcome return showcases what is his best work on the series to date. Simply sublime, it's just beautiful to look at.
The Horned God: Like Dark Jimbo I was a little disappointed by this story after hearing so much about it. It's annoying at the start as it recaps on the whole story to date and from there on the story in Books 1 & 2 is a bit slow and the threats to the heroes seem a little too easily overcome. Book 3 on the other hand is full out war but given the catastrophic events that unfold, it's strange that there doesn't seem to be much sense of loss or feeling. I think my biggest problem with The Horned God is that the character of Slaine seems to have completely changed. While this transformation provides us with a more three dimensional character, it just isn't as much fun. I felt that a cretinous character in Book 3 left a bad taste in the mouth as it was an obvious case of Mills wilfully insulting some readers; "Yurr! I don't like the comp...comp...complicated bits. I only like it when he's killing people". For me, Slaine is at it's best when both the ideas and action come thick and fast, which is why I loved Time Killer so much.
As for Simon Bisley's art, I am a fan, but... Some of the artwork is absolutely wonderful but frustratingly the quality is inconsistent (which I also found to be the case with his work on the ABC Warriors Black Hole story). Why Bisley illustrates some of the characters pulling bizarre faces is beyond me because it just looks daft. I also wish he'd draw some backgrounds! That said though, I'd like to reiterate that some of the stuff is just gorgeous. I particularly like the 1st panel that lets us see Ukko as an old dwarf and Slaine with the dog is just fantastic.
Anyway, to anyone who's still with me, thanks for reading all of my rambling thoughts on the books! I look forward to reading any responses to my reviews!
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I'll get in on DVD/Blu-ray, but (although I usually dislike 3d) I would have liked to have seen it in 3d. Ah well. LOOKS ARSOM!