OK, so I'm 100% sure I have the whole series now...whadaya mean, 'where?' That's another question!

So I found Solomon Kane #1, #3-6, at the last toy show; and I knew full well I had some of them, and an old comicon post says I have #2 somewhere, so I'll trust that: I probably don't have to keep buying more copies, right?

Reading them just now, I recognized #4, a Mike Mignola issue. #5 also seemed familiar, but I'm not sure about #6: the last two issues are Kane in Africa, visiting his witch doctor/blood brother N'longa, and trying to determine if all magic was an afront to his Puritan beliefs. Which involves fighting vampires, of course. (All written by Ralph Macchio, with #5-6 adapted from Robert E. Howard stories.)

Now, if I can just put these all together sometime... Read more!

This is another mini-series not unlike DC's Sword of the Atom, in that I feel like I buy it every time I come across a cheap issue, but I may or may not have a full run floating around anywhere. For all I know, I could have twelve copies of today's book: from 1986, Solomon Kane #3, "Blades of the Brotherhood" Adapted by Ralph Macchio, from the story by Robert E. Howard, pencils by Bret Blevins, inks by Al Williamson. Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Lurking on a beach in England, Solomon Kane meets young hothead Jack Hollinster, who is sour over winning a duel without killing local blackheart Sir George Banway: Banway had been badmouthing his girl Mary, while also coveting her for himself. Kane has been eyeballing a ship, barely visible from shore, that may or may not belong to Jonas Hardraker, aka the Fishhawk--"Hardraker" seems like a cooler name, man. Kane is hoping to settle an old score, and is probably only half paying attention to Jack.

Later that night, both Jack and Mary are separately, and easily, duped into going out to the Banway place. Banway plans on keeping Mary for two months, then turning her over to Hardraker, who would also dump Jack's body somewhere it would never wash up. The poor couple needs an act of God to save them, and get it with the arrival of Kane, who had been hunting Hardraker for two years: he had killed the young daughter of a friend of his, driving him mad with grief. With no other family to avenge the daughter, Kane took up the job; as Hardraker calls him "Sir Galahad." Kane is more than willing to just shoot him, but Hardraker argues with the "Puritan" that he deserves a chance: Kane gives it to him, one-on-one, with knives. Jack and Mary are freed, and cover the other pirates with pistols, as Kane and Hardraker fight: Kane makes short work of him.

When the other pirates make a try for it, Kane, Jack, and Mary are forced to flee; and Mary is quickly recaptured by Banway, who walks off a point-blank pistol shot. Jack manages to catch up with them on the beach, as the other pirates don't hang around. Jack fights well, but Banway had been wearing armor under his shirt--probably at the duel as well, which wouldn't have been cricket--and Jack breaks his sword. Banway thinks he's going to be able to murder Jack and have his way with Mary, but may have forgotten Kane, who stabs him in the face: "When a man sets foot on the adder, he asks not its size." 

Although the couple wish Kane would stick around, he's got the Lord's work to do: walk the earth, slam evil, etc. Which is a lot like Caine in Kung Fu, come to think of it. I really like Bret Blevins' art, but I don't think he ever did a long run on anything I read: probably had some of his New Mutants issues at some point, though.

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Not very prepared today:

I wish I could remember where I saw a review of DC Universe Legacies, since I picked up a couple from the marked-down box. #6 has a nice George Perez Crisis cover, but the issue itself isn't great. (The gist is, nobody remembers the Crisis the same way, but continuity is sketchy in-story.) #6's backup is a Legion story with Giffen art...that's just a shaggy dog story.

#7's opener, with Bane and Doomsday, is also weak; but the backup is better: the Atom's friend Professor Hyatt pulls a coin with Morgaine le Fey's face on it, out of his time pool. The Atom goes back in time to investigate, and gets a front-row seat to the fall of Camelot. Featuring the Silent Knight, the Shining Knight, the Demon, and Merlin and Arthur done in the style of Camelot 3000. Fitting, with artist Brian Bolland! So, great backup, even if the Silent Knight has to announce himself for like a panel and a half.

Recently at Battlegrip, there was a post on Solomon Kane: Castle of the Devil; and I then lucked into a copy of it and the first issue of Marvel's Solomon Kane limited series from 1985. Which I still need to sit down and read. Still, looking forward to it, and it was less than four bucks for both!

I did read some other stuff, though; we'll see if I'm back on track tomorrow. Page from DC Legacies #7, "Snapshot: Reunion" Written by Len Wein, art by Brian Bolland. And "Red Shadows" page, adapted from Robert E. Howard's story, script by Ralph Macchio, pencils by Steve Carr and Bret Blevins, cover and inks by Blevins.

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