Comic Review 232 // Slaine: The Books of Scars by Pat Mills

Heading back into Slaine by Pat Mills. I recently received some more Warlord Games Slaine models, and as the collection grows, I know I must embark on a quest to paint the line and play a game. I am hoping the comics will invigorate me into action.

Title: Slaine: The Book of Scars (Book 14 in the series).

Author: Pat Mills

Art: Mick McMahon, Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley, and Clint Langley

Blurb: Marking 30 years of the Celtic barbarian’s adventures, this special anniversary book brings together a new story from creator Pat Mills and the biggest artists to have worked on Sláine over the past three decades.

Debuting in 1983, Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid’s seminal Celtic hero is one of the most popular British comic book characters ever.

Along with his odious sidekick Ukko the Dwarf, Sláine has endured 30 years of trials across the ages as he has served the Earth goddess, Danu, both as High King of Ireland and as a time-travelling warrior.

This beautiful book is a fitting tribute to three decades of fantasy adventures, infused by Mills with the mythology of Ireland and a healthy anti-authoritarian attitude.

The Book of Scars is a special anniversary story which sees Sláine return to the most pivotal moments of his life where he has to face off against his greatest foes – all beautifully rendered by Mick McMahon, Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley, and Clint Langley, the artists who secured the character’s name in the annuls of British comics history and who returned for this special one-off story.

This book also collects every Sláine cover ever to grace the front of 2000 AD, as well as some stunning pin-ups, sketches and rarities. Artists, writers, editors, and famous fans all contribute their own thoughts on what makes Sláine such a great cover star for the legendary British weekly comic.

With a brand new afterword from comedian and writer Graham Linehan, this great collector’s item is not to be missed by fans of great storytelling, art and warp spasms everywhere!

Format: Kindle 192 pages

Buy on Amazon via Kindle

Review

Let's be clear this book is 50% story and 50% artwork and gallery. It is a shorter tale than most, but to weigh off against this, it is filled with beautiful art. Great for inspiring miniature painting, but not great if you are looking for an adventure.

The story itself was okay, mostly filler allowing the reader to delve back into older Slaine adventures. I imagine this would be great if you were a long-time reader of 2000 AD, having enjoyed the tales for over 30 years. As a binge-reading idiot who has been working through the titles over the last year, not so great. It felt like a lazy sitcom show that uses past episodes as filler.

The book's second half was enjoyable as it showcased all the amazing Slaine covers from 2000 AD and even had artist commentary on it. This is going to be extremely useful as a reference guide when it comes to painting.

Overall I recommend his title to true Slaine fans, but if you are lucky enough to get a hardback version, know that I am genuinely jealous, as I would love to own a copy.

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 212 // Slaine: Book of Invasions Vol.3 by Pat Mills

We made it, people! Sláine: The Books Of Invasions, Vol. 3 - Odracon and Carnival by Pat Mills, the concluding part of this story arc and the exciting ending of this tale. Let's no waste time and just dive in.

Title: Sláine: The Books Of Invasions, Vol. 3 - Odracon and Carnival
Author: Pat Mills

Illustrator: Clint Langley

Blurb: Tir Nan Og is the Land of the Young, deep in Celtic myth and legend. After years of wandering, Slaine united the tribes of the Earth Goddess and became the first High King of Ireland. After defending the Goddess in other eras, he has since returned to his own time and kingdom. Now, as the Fomorians besiege the city of Tara, Slaine comes back from the Otherworld to help.

Collects:

- The Books of Invasions V: Odacon (Progs #1436–#1442)

- Carnival (Progs 2006, #1469–#1475) (less)

Get your own kindle copy from Amazon.ca

Format: Hardcover, 128 pages

Review

Slaine is returned just in time to save Tara from the Fomorians. But not all the Fomorians are killed in the action, and soon a band of warriors led by Slaine are searching the lands for the last of them. The Fomorian in question is Odacon and with aid manages to dup a village into becoming hosts for its spawn. Soon Slaine and his band are striking out against the village before burning it and the foul spawn to the ground. Here ends the arc of the Invasion tales and the lands of Ireland are purged from the Fomorians. As the final pages come to an end Slaine is left to wander in search of his son Kai, whilst Gael is crowned High King of Ireland.

A nice ending for this series. Weirdly this could have been squeezed into the last book in my opinion. But with it being only half this title we can move on to the next piece.

Carnival of Night - Slaine whilst looking for his son Kai has arrived in Albion. As he travels the lands he discovers a travelling Carnival that declares to have a collection of monsters and marvels that can not be rivalled. Well as it turns out it is managed/owned by Slaine's Dwarf ally Ukko, who managed to also recruit Kai, Slaine's son. Kai has grown and become a man, along with finding a partner in Estella, the sleepless beauty. Of course, with Slaine on the scene, the story has to have some mystery/action and soon it is discovered that a murder stalks the grounds of the Carnival. Can Kai, Slaine and Ukko discover the truth or will the show be about to end?

A great return of Ukko and the story itself was engaging, this felt very much like old-school Slaine. It was actually the highlight of the book for me. But with the end of this tale, we have another Slaine story finished.

Let me know your thoughts on this tale. Also, any suggestions on what title to read next will greatly help.

Warlord Games Slaine 2000 AD - Unboxing

So excited about this! We have a Warlord Games Slaine 2000 AD Unboxing video. I am full of a head cold, so my voice is cracky. I'm sorry, but I had to share. Show me some love with a like, comment or subscribe.

Let me introduce you to Sláine Mac Roth! A Celtic barbarian infamous for his love of fighting and devotion to his tribe and the Earth Goddess Danu! 

This all-new Warlord Games boxset is called Kiss My Axe! And is a skirmish tabletop miniatures battle game for two or more players set within the fantasy world created by the comic creators Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid.

It's a fantastic setting of Axes, swords and magic. Allowing you to become a villain or a hero in the Young World (early Ireland). Three factions: the Earth Tribes of the Goddess Danu, the decaying Drune Lords and the relentless Fomorian Sea Demons, wage war for this new land.

I'm so excited!! Hope you enjoy it and will subscribe to follow my adventures into the worlds of Slaine.

Support the channel:

Buy me a coffee: Ko-fi

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Camera Equipment: Sony Alpha ZV-E10

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

#warlordgames #slaine #2000AD #patmills #kissmyaxe #drunes #seademons #celtics

Comic Review 204 // SLÁINE: LORD OF THE BEASTS by Pat Mills

Got another Slaine graphic novel under my belt. Crazy to think I am now nine collections in. I really enjoyed the series and was hoping Lord of the Beasts would continue the trend.

Title: Sláine: Lord of the Beasts (Sláine #9)

Author: Pat Mills

Artist Team: Rafael Garres, Paul Staples, Wayne Reynolds, Siku, David Bircham & Steve Parkhouse.

Blurb: THE LOST YEARS!

Having united the Tribes of the Earth Goddess to battle the hoards to enslave demons determined on enslaving them, Sláine was appointed as the first High King of Ireland. After protecting the tribes for seven years, he was put to death so that he could serve Danu in the afterlife.

This exciting collection features a series of adventures which took place during Sláine's seven-year reign – a period where he spent time as a near-mindless beast stuck in a warp spasm, was reunited with his son Kai and was forced to defend his lands against the Secret Commonwealth of demons led by his old enemy, Medb!

Buy Now on Amazon

Format: E-book 256 pages

Review

Grail War seems to be the end of the epic Slaine tales (for now), and Lord of the Beasts is just a series of short stories collected together as Slaine's "Lost Years". Most of them are set during Slaine's High King of Ireland.

We start things off with the title tale Lord of Beasts. It explores what would happen if Slaine became trapped within the Warp Spasm beast he can become. Cleverly told by Nest, it is a tale of love as Niamh races to rescue Slaine before he is trapped forever. The artwork in this one is bat-shit crazy and the fantasy styling is lovely.

We follow this up with two tales about Kai, the son of Slaine and Niamh. The first involves an ambush by the Fomorians as they attempt to capture Slaine and his bloodline in the hopes of ending his line. A simple story but comical at times and fun to read. Then we get The Banishing, which sees Slaine involved in a parent-teacher meeting as Kai is facing banishment for experiments gone wrong.

A lot of the stories are pretty standard, they work as a one-shot, but when reading back to back, they can become dull. Luckily, there is some stand out tales like "The Swan Children". Based on a Celtic Legend and beautifully recreated with the artwork, it is about the four foster siblings of Slaine and Niamh. Such a beautiful story and how the children affected Ukko shocked me!

But for every standout there is a disappointment. The Secret Commonwealth falls under this bracket. For this adventure, we have Slaine facing off against his old enemy Medb. She has returned at the head of an otherworldly army. I don't get what was happening here; Slaine looks weird. To be honest, it seems like they had hoped to edit the style of the artwork for a more modern look and simply lost the character and ended up making the story feel disjointed. It's a shame to end on a downer, but that is how it goes sometimes. I wonder if the story was recreated in different styling, if it would work, or if the tale was just destined to fail.

Have you read Lord of Beasts? Let me know.

Comic Review 202 // Sláine: The Grail War by Pat Mills

Powering through the Slaine stories at the moment! We have reached book 8, The Grail War, by Pat Mills. Slaine is still travelling through time and has reached the era of the Crusaders! This should be a good one.

Title: Sláine: The Grail War

Author: Pat Mills

Illustrators: Steve Tappin, Nick Percival & Massimo Belardinelli

Fluff: Sláine MacRoth – Celtic warrior and High King of the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu, continues his journey through time. Sláine arrives in thirteenth-century France, where he comes face to face with Crusader Simon De Montfort, the sworn enemy of the Cathars. While searching for the tortured reincarnation of his lover Niamh, Sláine is compelled to join forces with De Montfort to seek out the Grail Stone. The quest won't be easy, however – Sláine will have to defeat the dark forces of El if he is to stand any chance of saving Niamh's soul!

Collects:

- The Demon Hitchhiker (Prog #1032)

- King of Hearts (Progs #1033–#1039)

- The Grail War (Progs #1040–#1049)

- Secret of the Grail (Progs #1090–#1099)

- The Battle of Clontarf (2000 AD Annual 1985)

Format: Digital 176 pages

Buy on Amazon and support the blog

Review

This title kicks off with King of Hearts, which sees Slaine paired up with William Wallace as he joins the Scots to fight off the English. We get to witness the defeat of Falkirk and William's retreat to his home. Here he communes with the ancient spirits of Scotland as he awaits to battle with the English again. As he prays, Slaine answers the call and becomes William's Champion due to the bonds between Ireland and Scotland. This helps to set up the Stone of Destiny story and introduce the Knights Templars as agents of the Cyth. So evil and brutal that I love it.

The rest of the book is, of course, The Grail War. We finally leave the shores of the British Isles and head into mainland Europe. Slaine has arrived in medieval France and joins forces with Simon De Montfort as he wages war on the Cathars. This is an exciting twist as up till now, Slaine has always fought against the Christian Church, but in a twist of fate, it turns out that Slaine's enteral love, Niamh, has been reincarnated as Simon De Montfort. The story has strange twists and turns as we have dragons and Lovecraft-style demons from space. I found that there was too much going on to remember it all, and I found myself rereading pages to remind myself.

The art, as with nearly all the Slaine books, is stunning, each artist is different, but all add a great depth to the story. They definitely added to the fantasy aspects of the story while still keeping us grounded in the darkness and gore. Pat Mills did an excellent job on the storytelling, but a little less religion/folklore would have helped me out no end. But for fans of Slaine, this is a great read.

As always, I appreciate you reading this far, and I hope you will check out the graphic novel using my link above. Looking for more fun? Head over to my Youtube page for more adventures (CLICK).

Comic review 201 // Slaine: The treasures of Britain by Pat Mills

Hard to believe I am now on book seven in the Slaine series! I really wasn't sure heading into the Slaine stories if I would enjoy them or not. For me, the idea of Slaine was very much like Conan, but as I have read more, I have realized how different they are. Pat Mills is a true treasure of Britain! Now on to the graphic novel.

Title: Slaine: The Treasures Of Britain

Purchase via Amazon

Author: Pat Mills

Illustrator: Dermot Power

Fluff: Slaine Mac Roth - Celtic warrior and High King of the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu, has been summoned through time to the age of Camelot. King Arthur has fallen in battle, and a curse has caused darkness to fall upon the kingdom. To heal the land, Merlin and Morgaine la Fee need Sláine (accompanied by his unfaithful sidekick Ukko, the Dwarf) to retrieve the lost 'Treasures of Britain' - magical artifacts also being sought out by the Saxon plunderer Hengwulf. These powerful items are defended by the demon-like Cyth, who harvest human misery to revive their masters - the Dark Gods of Cythrawl!

Format: Epub

Other info: First published October 15, 1997

Review

Now, as many kids have been. I was enthralled by knights, castles, Camelot and Arthur. So I was happy to see Slaine getting thrown into the mix. The story takes place after Arthur falls in combat with his son Mordred. The land of Brittania has been covered in darkness, Saxons and Christianity. To save the kingdom, the rivals of Merlin and Morgaine La Fee combine their powers to call on the Great Dragon of Britain to bring forth a hero to recover the 13 treasures of Britain. Said hero is, of course, Slaine and the proper lead Ukko, the Dwarf.

Now, of course, Slaine can't just march in as himself, so he takes on the Green Knight (Gwalchmai) role and will discover new and some old enemies along the way.

This is a fantastic story and, for my personal tastes, actually beats out the Horned God. Set in a theme, I thoroughly enjoy how this perfectly added to the stories and myths. The story is enhanced to another level by the work of Dermot Power, whose action scenes are intense and full of movement while the colour palette matches the story theme perfectly. We also get some humour-filled tales which helped break the epic up. I can't recommend this title enough; it was a joy to read and look at and deserving of more praise than it has received.

I hope you will give it a go and let me know what you think.

Comic Review 200 // Slaine Horned God by Pat Mills

Well, we are starting to race through the Slaine series now! I now own 18 out of the 19 titles and have completed six reviews. meaning we are a third of the way through. For many Slaine fans, this is the must-read title so I have high hopes and really hope I am not left disappointed.

Title: Slaine: The Horned God: Kiss His Axe!

Author: Pat Mills

Artist: Simon Bisley 

Fluff: FOR TOO LONG THE PEOPLE OF TIR-NAN-OG HAVE SUFFERED UNDER THE DOMINION OF THE DRUNES; strange druids who have poisoned the land with their magic. Slaine has had enough of their tyranny and, through the Earth Goddess, he learns some shocking truths about the priesthood and his own future. Now Slaine must unite the four kings of Tir-Nan-Og and use their mystical weapons as he and the Sessair tribe prepare for all-out war!

This new edition of one of 2000 AD's most popular stories comes complete with an intro and commentary by Pat Mills (A.B.C. Warriors) and features the stunning art of Simon Bisley (Lobo).

Format: 192 pages, Kindle Edition

Buy via Amazon here: Kindle Edition

Review

As mentioned I am rapidly devouring these Slaine titles and if you want to learn more please feel free to check out the other reviews here.

This is the fourth title in the series following Slaine and his adventures for the Earth Goddess. Having become King of his tribe, Slaine must now unite the other fractured groups and collect the treasures of the Goddess to become High King. But whilst he undergoes these trials his two greatest enemies Balor and Lord Wierd Slough Feg, are raising armies of Drunes and Fomorians to raid the kingdom of the Young.

This is a classic adventure tale, leading up to some big moments. The obvious one is the battles but we also delve into the history of the Earth Goddess and how man has raised male Gods above her in order to control her (which I found interesting), this path of discovery then leads Slaine to become the Horned God which is the 'Husband' of the Goddess. This role he will hold for seven years before sacrificing himself in honour of the Earth. It is also at this time that we discover that Slough Feg was also a Horned God, but instead of sacrificing himself, he corrupted his power to sustain his life, which slowly drove him insane and into the monster that he now is.

The battle scenes are epic and bloody, very deserving of a Slaine title. It turns out that all the fighting has enraged the Earth Goddess and she causes the land to convulse, so as Slaine claims victory over the Drunes and Fomorians he is forced to watch as the land of the young is swallowed by the waves forcing the tribes into what would become Ireland.

Overall an amazing story I can see why many recommend it. It shows Slaine as more than just a thug, a barbarian. It shows his leadership qualities, his ability to unite the tribes and even acts of diplomacy. For once we have rounded out Slaine's character and I like it. The artwork throughout the piece is stunning and I definitely know how to paint up my Fomorians finally. So ultimately a win for me.

If you are interested in the Slaine series you should try out this collection. I feel it will set you on the right path.

As always thanks for reading!

Comic Review 199 // Slaine: Lord of Misrule by Pat Mills

Wow, we have finally caught up with teenage reading me! I remember this story being in the 2000 ADs when I first started reading them. This is bringing back a lot of memories. Before I get too misty-eyed, let's get into the details.

Title: Sláine: The Lord of Misrule (Sláine #6)

Author: Pat Mills

Art team: Greg Staples, Clint Langley and Jim Murray.

Fluff: Sent on a quest by the Earth Goddess to destroy the Blood God, Sláine has now been reborn in the time of the Normans as Robin Goodfellow, King of the Greenwood. First, he has to seek out his beloved Niamh (herself reborn as a Christian nun called Marian) and together, they must learn the secret name of the beast so that Sláine can destroy it as the Lord of Misrule!

Collects:

- Name of the Sword (Progs #950–#956)

- Lord of Misrule (Progs #958–#963)

- Bowels of Hell (Prog #1000)

Buy Now on Amazon

Review

Slaine and Ukko are travelling through time as they aid the Goddess Danu on random quests to recover artifacts and knowledge that can save the land of the young in Slaine's past. For this collected series, we see them arriving in Britain in 1108ad, searching for the Sword of the Blood God. Slaine has taken on the role of Robin Goodfellow aka Robin Hood. In this role, we see Slaine facing Normans and the Christian Church.

This task is troublesome, but it comes to Slaine's attention that his love Niamh has been reincarnated as Nun. Can Slaine focus on his mission, or will love conquer all?

As mentioned earlier, this story holds many memories for me, and as soon as I saw Simon Bisley's art, I was absorbed back in that time as a teenager. The artwork is stunning and challenging to duplicate (though many have tried). The Merry Men are Pagan warriors and honestly look the part, though kind of the hero they in still fear and terror that still haunts me into my adult life. Clint Langley's tale reminds me of the opening Graphic Novel's artwork with its more passionate and rough drawing style and makes for an excellent refresher for the eyes. Combining this art with Pat Mills' exceptional storytelling, we get a delightful story. A great fusion of Celtic/Pagan lore and the onset of Christianity tales.

As I continue my Slaine adventures, I can't help but get more and more excited. The stories seem to get better every time. I will be jumping back to Horned God as I didn't realize that was the next tale and skipped in error.

Have you read this graphic novel? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know, and more importantly, who is playing the Slaine Tabletop skirmish game by Warlord Games? Tell me in the comments.

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!

Comic Review 189 // Slaine: Demon Killer by Pat Mills

With the building excitement of my Warlord Games Slaine game arriving, I had to dive in and read more of the epic adventures of Slaine by Pat Mills. This title is not the next in the series, but it was the next one I had on hand. So let us dive in:

Title: Sláine: Demon Killer (Sláine #5)

Author: Pat Mills

Art: Glenn Fabry, Cam Kennedy, Greg Staples

Fluff:

Sláine is summoned by the Earth Goddess to travel through time and defend the Britons from Caesar's legions at the side of warrior-queen Boudica. But the Romans are not to be underestimated, especially with Sláine's old foe, the demon Elfric, at their side!

Buy Now: Amazon Kindle Edition

Other: 165 pages. Published March 2010 by 2000ad/Rebellion

Review

Another excellent 2000 AD and Pat Mills title. The introduction, for me, was a very nice touch as he explains how we commonly take the viewpoint of the Romans as civilized compared to the Celts. Which, as we are learning, is not always true. It is easy to remember that history is written by the victors, and their viewpoint of other cultures is properly best not taken as pure fact.

We join Slaine at a low point as he discovers being the High King of Ireland to be rather dull. Now, of a rank too essential to be injured. Slaine is no longer allowed to fight or brawl with his fellows. This continues into the main feature, which sees Slaine reaching the end of his Reign and embracing welcomed Death. At this point, the Earth Goddess offers Slaine the chance to continue fighting for her and whisks him into the future to fight alongside the legendary Boudica.

As Slaine joins forces with the warriors of Boudica, we soon discover that the Caesarians (Romans) are being manipulated by a demon called Elfric. Slaine has met this demon in a book I have skipped, but I am sure there was blood drawn, ha. Elfric is sadistic and enrages Boudica by desecrating sacred worship sites and Boudica's own children. This led to the significant battles of Boudica's fame and an infamous uprising that stalled Rome's occupation of Britain and beyond.

Soon a lot of blood is being shed. And though Slaine enjoyed being a part of the action, he soon longs for Ireland, and as Boudica's forces are finally crushed, he asks the Earth Goddess to return him to Ireland ending the story. This story was violent, like actually shocking at times. Most of the adventure is set within a battle. We play witness to bodies mutilated, spilt or severed. We even see/hear of the acts performed on civilians. I really think this book should come with a warning.

Glenn Fabry's art style is definitely suited to this gore-filled adventure and adds depth to the bloody horrors of war. I think this was a great choice by the art department to use him, and I hope we get more shortly.

The interesting twist in the book is within the final pages as we are treated to a classic Choose-your-own-Adventure story. What a great way to end the book, and it also makes me want to dig out the Ian Livingstone books with the green spines I have hoarded away.

Overall, a solid tale, and I am excited for the next installment I can grab. Until next time I appreciate the support whether it is following here, on Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tik-Tok. I also love that a few of you are using my Amazon links or the Ko-fi Subscription. The little kickback I get is definitely helping to fund my life.

Cheers

Comic Review 179 // Slaine: Warrior's Dawn

Well, it's happened. Warlord Games is releasing their version of a Slaine miniature skirmish game, and of course, I have signed on for it. But my knowledge of Slaine is exceptionally lacking. I've only read snips in progs and never really got beyond that. With this weighing down on me, I decided to fix this before the game arrived. Here enters Slaine: Warrior's Dawn.

Title: Slaine: Warrior's Dawn (Slaine #1)

Author: Pat Mills

Illustrator: Angie Kincaid, Massimo Belardinelli, Mike McMahon.

Commercial Fluff: TIR NAN OG – THE LAND OF THE YOUNG – IS A VIOLENT WORLD, HOME TO WARRING TRIBES WHO WORSHIP GODS BOTH BENIGN AND MALEVOLENT. In this first collection ofSláine's adventures, we meet one such tribe, the Sessair, brave warriors of enormous skill, and the best of them is a young barbarian named Sláine Mac Roth. Sláine is, among other things, a master of the "warp spasm'' – channelling the mystical power of the Earth through his body to become a mighty, monstrous berserker!

This classic sword-and-sorcery series is written by the 2000 AD founding editor Pat Mills (Savage) and features art by Angie Kincaid, Massimo Belardinelli (Ace Trucking) and Mike McMahon (Judge Dredd).

Buy Now: Amazon CA - Kindle Edition

Format: 2000 AD App

Page Count: 208 pages

Review

As I mentioned earlier, my knowledge of Slaine is limited, sadly. Growing up as a teenager, I was absorbed with sci-fi. Meaning Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, and ABC Warriors ruled my 2000 AD reading, leaving Slaine on the outskirts. Warrior's Dawn collects some of Slaine's earliest stories and works as a great introduction to the characters and setting.

Now we are pretty lucky to be in the safe storytelling hands of Pat Mills, who uses Celtic and Irish legends to create this character. The adventures begin following the outcasting of Slaine from his tribe, and with his companion Ukko the Dwarf, they go in search of adventure in the Land of the Young. What I love about these one-off stories is the fact that Mills can create a series of stories that makes sense and grow and progress the characters. A problem a lot of one-off story arcs fail at. As we read through the adventure, we are slowly introduced to the world of Slaine, learning its history and its people. We discover that it is a world of grey with all sides being of good and evil. The "evil" bring order and stability to the land, while the "good" guys are willing to bloody and messy to achieve their goals; this leads to an array of characters who seem really believable.

The main characters of the book are:

• Sláine MacRoth – Mighty black-haired Irish warrior, exiled from the Sessair tribe for an affair with the chief's fiancée Niamh. He loves fighting and often beats up Ukko. His favoured weapon is the stone axe Brainbiter, and he first experienced the Warp Spasm as a child. Warp Spasm, by the way, is when Slaine gets mad he experiences Hulk-style muscle growth and burns hot - One villain stops this from happening by using cold water.
• Ukko –Sláine's dwarf sidekick and chronicler, named after the Finnish storm-god Ukko. He is lecherous and greedy; like most fantasy dwarves, he loves gold and has a business mind centuries ahead of the human characters. When Sláine becomes king, Ukko is appointed his "Royal Parasit" - his jester.

This unusual duo makes for a great pairing. Having different viewpoints on the world at large and in equal measure get each other into and out of trouble. The stories are definitely varied, and for the most part, there are no epic tales until the end; this allows the reader to just enjoy the ride and not get too bogged down on villains or plot hooks.

Now, of course, the easy thing to say "it's a Conan ripoff," and of course, yes, it is very inspired by Pulp-era fantasy like Robert E.Howard'ss work. Still, Slaine is a free spirit and highly unpredictable, whereas Conan follows a strict moral code. This leads to Slaine making choices I didn't expect. If he was a D & D character, he would be Chaotic Neutral, leaving you unknowing if he would help you or kill you, haha. The land is high fantasy but in an unique way, taking heavily from the lore of Europe and the old beliefs. This helps to a tale that is completely out there and deserving of respect.

The art is all classic black and white line art, with plenty of details to keep you hooked. And between the three artists, we are really treated to some beautiful storytelling. For me, the book ends on a high, and I am excited to start the next book, Time Killer.

I hope you enjoyed the review and check out more of my content.