Comic Review 222 // Slaine the Wanderer by Pat Mills

Whoops, I have fallen behind on my Slaine reading and reviewing, I allowed the library finds to distract me for too long. But no more! Today we return to Slaine.

Title: Sláine: The Wanderer

Author: Pat Mills

Art: Clint Langley

Blurb: Tir Nan Og - the Land of the Young, a mystical place of myth and legend. Celtic warrior Sláine, the first High King of Ireland and Ukko his (un) faithful dwarf sidekick encounter everything from evil magicians and demonically-possessed maidens, to the bloody roots of modern day football, as they roam their world in search of adventure.

Collects:

- The Gong Beater (Progs #1635–#1638)

- The Amber Smuggler (Progs #1662–#1665)

- The Exorcist (Progs #1709–#1712)

- The Mercenary (Progs #1713–#1714 and Prog 2011)

Format: E-Book - 112 pages

Review

As mentioned in the opener I have let too much time pass between the reviews. But what a way to come back. A stand-alone graphic novel collecting four short tales. This is the perfect way to reintroduce me to the series. All the stories are created by Pat Mills so we know what to kind of expect and the art of Clint Langley which is always crazy and epic. I expect a fun read.

It was first of great to have Ukko back, he was absent from Invasions, and I missed him, so having him back in the downtrodden sidekick role was uplifting. The opening Tale 'The Gong Beater" was a fun light-hearted tale like the old Slaine. Seeing Ukko attempting to make some fast cash by turning an Old Cyth Tower into condos. Which ultimately goes wrong when the monsters start arriving.

This seems to be the theme of the book as we have a lot of old-school Slaine adventures, with them getting in trouble and fighting their way out again. It was a great reminder of where Slaine started off with humour and tongue-in-cheek fantasy stories, which have of late been replaced with darker tales. It was also full of cameos of old favourites, like Nest and the Guledig, who were actually nice touches as it showed some of the old characters still existed (it has been feeling like most of the characters had died at this point).

Ultimately if you are a fan of Slaine's early tales you will enjoy these. If on the other hand, you started with Invasions you may be wondering what happened to the heroic Slaine and why is the stupid Dwarf here (ha). The art was good and helps bring the stories to life, but I feel like something is lacking, maybe the palette of colours was dulled down too much? Overall a great refresher to the world of Slaine and I am ready for Books of Scars.

Comic Review 195 // Slaine: Time Killer by Pat Mills

Feels good to be back into Slaine after a little run of Star Wars. Don't get me wrong reading some other sci-fi was fun but it is not 2000 AD. Here we go with book two in the Slaine series by Pat Mills.

Title: Slaine: Time Killer

Author: Pat Mills

Fluff: 2000 AD's ever-popular Celtic hero returns in a deluxe collectors' hardback edition Before the events of 'The Horned Go'', a group comprising of Slaine; Ukko, his faithful((if evil-smelling) dwarf; Nest, a trainee priestess who knows the secrets of the Land of the Young; and Slaine's vast, voracious dragon steed, the Knucker, wander Tir-Nan-Og in search of the fortress of the Ever-Living Ones, arch-druids who may hold the key to the final defeat of the evil forces oppressing Slaine's people. But a chance encounter with a demonic alien race who are besieging the fortress hurls Slaine and his allies through time... to ever-greater battles, threats, and challenges

Comics

Format: 128 pages, E-book.

Review

First up I was surprised to discover this book is only made up of two stories! In the first tale, we are headed north with Slain and Ukko. Whilst travelling they come across a young lady in need of help. We discover her name is Nest of the Speckled face. Nest lives and works on a Dragon Farm! Slaine soon finds out that the farm is being accused of having a rogue dragon who is attacking the local village. Soon the truth is revealed and a wild dragon is loose, leaving it up to Slaine to ride a dragon into battle and save the village. Overall a classic fantasy story arc, with abusive uncles in power, evil villagers and dragons. Such a great start.

In the second tale, we have the trio heading north as Nest leads them to the Fortress of the Ever-Living Ones. As they arrive they find the fortress under siege by the villainous Pythons. An evil alien race imprisoned in the past on Earth, who manipulate time in an attempt to enslave the humans of earth. This story turned out to be an all-out battle, full of very strange artwork and creatures and starts to introduce the wider world of the mysticism of the Slaine lore. It is definitely a strange ending to the book as they leave us on a cliffhanger! My interest is definitely riding high and the High King has now been bought.

Compared to the first book we definitely see the epic stories starting to build. I can now comprehend where Pat Mills is trying to take the character, I also loved the mention of Finn in the story as that was one of my favourite comics back in the day before they removed it :(

I hope you enjoyed the review and stop back tomorrow for some more fun!