Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A couple of Sláine pages, since I've been using the figure...


I'm not as familiar with Sláine as I am with other 2000 AD characters like Judge Dredd or Rogue Trooper. I have a few of the Quality Comics reprints, but I got those many years from their original release. The above page is from Sláine the King #22, but I figure it originally appeared in 2000 AD, and who knows when. I wish Quality had noted the original progs, since that's what future reprints would use. I don't think Quality's print quality for their basic books was the best, but they were cheap and I was glad to have 'em.

This story (and the next page we'll see) were written by Sláine's co-creator Pat Mills; with art by Glenn Fabry, whom I remember most for his Preacher covers.

That said, when I think of Slaine, I usually think of Simon Bisley, and his work on Sláine the Horned God, and I never even actually read that one. Between the ads and covers I've seen for Bisley's art style for the book--think a death-metal Frank Frazetta--I can picture it.

This scan is from #25, and here we see his main power: the 'warp-spasm,' wherein Sláine channels the power of the earth goddess into strength and battle-rage. Basically Hulking out, except his body always distorts in picturesquely grotesque ways.

As an American, there are a lot of references in Sláine that I'm lucky if I have a passing acquaintance with: Celtic goddesses, druids, the Gaels. If you are more familiar with them, those names are going to mean more to you than they would the average American reader, who might just be looking for a Conan-style barbarian.

The issues I have were among the last of their regular-issue reprints, and I'm a little surprised how little of the book was actually Slaine: all the issues I have include back-ups like Amadeus Wolf, Moon-Runners, and Summer Magic. Still, I'm pretty sure he still has a home in 2000 AD to this day.

2 comments:

SallyP said...

I like Slaine. I do have the Horned God, with Simon Bisley, and it's rather gorgeous, and a pretty good story.

Unknown said...

i have the 2000ad mags in the attic, from bisley and fabry