Brainbiter

[Magnetica]

It has taken me 30 years to notice this - but has anyone else spotted the way Slaine's axe changes? In progs 330 to 336 it is drawn as a single stone blade tied to a staff. Then in prog 337 it is shown as double sided but then in 338 it is back single sided. Also on the cover of 332 it is double sided.

I get different artists doing different interpretations - which is pretty common on Dredd... but  most of these were drawn by the legendary Massimo Belardinell.

Doesn't spoil the story or anything...I just find it a bit strange.

[Steve Green]

There's a reason.

The original shattered on a dragon skull, and the replacement double headed axe is metal. I guess it makes it Brainbiter the second.

[Magnetica]

That happens later in Dragon Heist.  Prog 337 is the first episode of Bride of Crom (art by Massimo). The previous week - drawn by McMahon-  Brainbiter is clearly shown as single sided. In The preceeding Beast of the Broch, Massimo draws it as single sided.

[TordelBack]

Always niggled me too, that bit - but it is only a couple of small panels at the very start of Bride of Crom, and he never actually uses the labrys version to hit anyone.  Obviously the Maestro was too caught up in drawing some of the loveliest backgrounds in the history of the comic to keep track of the axe style, but one might speculate that Slaine has two heads for Brainbiter, one for fightin' and one for respectfully hacking his way through the undergrowth of sacred groves, which he, err, changes mid-battle.  He could certainly use more than one - Brainbiter Mk 1 makes absolutely no sense as a weapon in the first place.  It's an 'axe made of flint' rather than a 'flint axe', and I doubt it'd take a diamond skull to shatter it.

[I, Cosh]

I have a stray memory (and no idea if it's from a comic or an interview or just made up) of being told that Slaine goes through axe at roughly the same rate as he goes through skull swords and Brainbiter's just the name he calls them all.

Or this may have been another fantasy character with a named weapon.

[Steve Green]

Ah right, not read it in decades.

[amines2058]

There's a reason.

The original shattered on a dragon skull, and the replacement double headed axe is metal. I guess it makes it Brainbiter the second.

What do you mean, he has had the same axe for 30 years, it has only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles!!