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Sláine #1
Slaine: Warrior's Dawn
Tir-Nan-Og-The Land of The Young. This violent world is home to warrior tribles who worship gods both benign and malevolent. The best of these warriors is a young member of the Sessair tribe Slaine Mac Roth. Together with his repellent dwarf, Ukko, Slaine, wanders theland encountering all sorts of weird sinister creatures, including the death-worshiping Sloughs.
200 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2005
About the author
Pat Mills
747 books200 followersPat Mills, born in 1949 and nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since.
His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.
His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 23, 2023
It’s easy and indeed necessary to clown on later Slaine: Pat Mills ran his creation into the ground, then under the ground, then out the other side, until “he didn’t think it too many” became the anguished cry of a man contemplating a heap of Slaine graphic novels.
But the first stories, collected here, are Mills at his peak, a mix of world building, dark humour and action told with a language and cadence that’s unique to 2000AD and quite likely comics - no Conan I’ve read has the rhythm of Slaine trading insults with his myriad enemies.
Slaine opens with the obligatory Mills tyrannosaur fight (drawn by his then wife Angie Kincaid, whose detailed fantasy illustration sets a particular tone the strip keeps to until the painted art era) but then stays for a while as a standard Barbarian strip done with real brio and with a secret weapon in the form of Slaine’s conniving foil and plot motor, Ukko the Dwarf. The hero of these early strips is generally the artist - Massimo Belardinelli enjoying himself drawing sexy witches and outrageous warp spasms, and then Mike McMahon outdoing himself with some of the most scratchily brutal, physical artwork 2000AD ever saw. It’s a huge shame that the occasionally woeful scanning and reproduction lets the artists down - the only thing preventing me giving top marks here.
Slaine’s world starts to expand with the Wickerman-inspired “Bride Of Crom” establishing a couple of long term adversaries, and Warriors’ Dawn hits a crescendo with McMahon’s swan song “Sky Chariots”, one of the wildest pieces ever to see print in 2000AD. The wordless pages of vikings and barbarians in full on combat in the sky, and the scenes of airborne longships scudding over wilderness landscapes are some of those “comics, bloody hell” moments that can make a fan for life.
But the first stories, collected here, are Mills at his peak, a mix of world building, dark humour and action told with a language and cadence that’s unique to 2000AD and quite likely comics - no Conan I’ve read has the rhythm of Slaine trading insults with his myriad enemies.
Slaine opens with the obligatory Mills tyrannosaur fight (drawn by his then wife Angie Kincaid, whose detailed fantasy illustration sets a particular tone the strip keeps to until the painted art era) but then stays for a while as a standard Barbarian strip done with real brio and with a secret weapon in the form of Slaine’s conniving foil and plot motor, Ukko the Dwarf. The hero of these early strips is generally the artist - Massimo Belardinelli enjoying himself drawing sexy witches and outrageous warp spasms, and then Mike McMahon outdoing himself with some of the most scratchily brutal, physical artwork 2000AD ever saw. It’s a huge shame that the occasionally woeful scanning and reproduction lets the artists down - the only thing preventing me giving top marks here.
Slaine’s world starts to expand with the Wickerman-inspired “Bride Of Crom” establishing a couple of long term adversaries, and Warriors’ Dawn hits a crescendo with McMahon’s swan song “Sky Chariots”, one of the wildest pieces ever to see print in 2000AD. The wordless pages of vikings and barbarians in full on combat in the sky, and the scenes of airborne longships scudding over wilderness landscapes are some of those “comics, bloody hell” moments that can make a fan for life.
February 5, 2022
Slaine is a mix between Conan and the Hulk, and he has some pretty fun barbarian adventures in this volume. The only thing that bothered me about this book is that whenever something really bloody happened, it happened "off screen". If you are going to have a pulpy action comic where your hero mows down bad guys by the hundreds, Awkwardly turning away at the last second doesn't really work all that well.
March 8, 2019
This one is more 3.5 but opted for 3 since half star is not available option.
First collected volume of Slaine is little bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to story I knew what to expect considering that Slaine is 2000AD comic - these are short episodic stories that have action and lots of humor. Characters are all weird (one story is about Slaine becoming a partner in prison-business :) because prisoners need to give money to get out) but in total it is funny and interesting.
Art is also different from issue to issue - as author Pat Mills says himself. In my opinion all three artists are great. Each artist gave personal touch to Slaine visual presentation and his world in general.
Only thing why I took half a star (and consequently full star) is because of the reproduction of the original comics. Some pages are so blurry that magnificent details are lost and that is a shame. Feels kinda ... sloppy.
If you can get over this issue rest is truly interesting Conan-barbarian-like story.
Recommended to all fans of epic sword and sorcery tales set in times long forgotten.
First collected volume of Slaine is little bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to story I knew what to expect considering that Slaine is 2000AD comic - these are short episodic stories that have action and lots of humor. Characters are all weird (one story is about Slaine becoming a partner in prison-business :) because prisoners need to give money to get out) but in total it is funny and interesting.
Art is also different from issue to issue - as author Pat Mills says himself. In my opinion all three artists are great. Each artist gave personal touch to Slaine visual presentation and his world in general.
Only thing why I took half a star (and consequently full star) is because of the reproduction of the original comics. Some pages are so blurry that magnificent details are lost and that is a shame. Feels kinda ... sloppy.
If you can get over this issue rest is truly interesting Conan-barbarian-like story.
Recommended to all fans of epic sword and sorcery tales set in times long forgotten.
August 19, 2020
This is the first book in the adventures of Sláine the barbarian, from the Northern Tribes that worship the Earth Goddess. Here, he in the south, in the lands of the evil Drunes after being banished from his tribe. But now, his banishment is at an end and he is making his way back north in the company of his dwarf, Ukko.
Along the way, they would have adventures, both big and small, but a major one would be a request from a rich man to rescue his daughter, now a Drune priestess under the leader of the Drunes, the Lord Weird Slough Feg, from being sacrificed. This he does, but the rescue is unappreciated and Sláine has now come to the attention of Slough Feg.
The book ends with another major adventure, this time involving Sláine being the bodyguard of a turncoat Drune who opposes the plans of Slough Feg to bring destruction to Sláine's world. This would become a major theme in Sláine's subsequent adventures.
Along the way, they would have adventures, both big and small, but a major one would be a request from a rich man to rescue his daughter, now a Drune priestess under the leader of the Drunes, the Lord Weird Slough Feg, from being sacrificed. This he does, but the rescue is unappreciated and Sláine has now come to the attention of Slough Feg.
The book ends with another major adventure, this time involving Sláine being the bodyguard of a turncoat Drune who opposes the plans of Slough Feg to bring destruction to Sláine's world. This would become a major theme in Sláine's subsequent adventures.
June 10, 2022
A pretty great start, Mills is clearly having fun with it and while I'm a huge McMahon fan I found Belardinelli's art to be pretty good as well. Excited to see where they go from here.
December 8, 2019
Pat Mills’ Celtic take on the barbarian hero’s journey. So, this is the origin story of Slaine, the Celtic hero that is cursed with a berserker’ s rage. In this volume the story, with all its original context, is very much influenced by Conan the Barbarian, which is not bad at all. I remember reading this as a kid in 2000 AD. The five star rating is not only due to the extra nostalgia but also for the amazing art from a variety of classic artists.
March 1, 2023
I recently bought a 2000AD humblebundle and this waas the first one that really caught my eye. And geez was it an interesting read. I have no real past with reading anything Hyperborean / barbarian / Conan-ish so this book was defo the first of its kind I have read. As such, I cannot comment on this stacks up to others in its genre but I can say as a gateway for this sorta stuff it does vey well. I enjoyed how strongly it wears its inspiration on its sleeve with its mostly Celtic-inspired story (Slaine himself is heavily reminiscent of Cu Chullain) with some Anglo-Saxon-y elements like kennings (which is always a plus to me since I like reading kennings).
This made the stories a fun read into a world and genre I've never gone in before. That being said I did have some gripes with the stories as they were a bit too episodic for my taste. The author does a good job of having each issue/prog advance the story or add character depth but some stories just feel like interludes or extended one-off adventures (like the Shoggey Beast). Some of these one-off stories aren't bad such as the Giant Fair one but they make the story feel awkward since it feels a little directionless. But it's the start and its trying to get its footing so that's a bit to be expected.
But the art more than makes up for it. It is absolutely fucking gorgeous! There are three artists Angie Kincaid (the author's wife who only draws for the first issue/prog), Belardinelli (who is my favorite artist of the three), and McMahon (who becomes the main artist after some tug-of-war of him and Belardinelli). The main artist becomes McMahon which I was little saddened by as I find his art a bit hard to read. He does this never full-black deal where he fills in full blacks with this scratchy technique that I feel like makes pages look to chaotic and hard to read with all the white gaps and stray lines. But even with McMahon and his art-style the art is still great!
A key issue is some awkward scanning. Every couple of pages their would be a single page that was poorly scanned. I don't know how they scanned these pages but they had far worse image quality almost feeling like a xerox. It's a recurring problem throughout the entire story which is a bit sad considering how much of a draw the art is.
But in general, this is a fun entry point to this kind of genre that's maybe a tad too episodic. But it seems to be going towards a more longer arc-style of storytelling which makes me enthusiastic to pick up the next one (also luckily in the humblebundle lol)!
This made the stories a fun read into a world and genre I've never gone in before. That being said I did have some gripes with the stories as they were a bit too episodic for my taste. The author does a good job of having each issue/prog advance the story or add character depth but some stories just feel like interludes or extended one-off adventures (like the Shoggey Beast). Some of these one-off stories aren't bad such as the Giant Fair one but they make the story feel awkward since it feels a little directionless. But it's the start and its trying to get its footing so that's a bit to be expected.
But the art more than makes up for it. It is absolutely fucking gorgeous! There are three artists Angie Kincaid (the author's wife who only draws for the first issue/prog), Belardinelli (who is my favorite artist of the three), and McMahon (who becomes the main artist after some tug-of-war of him and Belardinelli). The main artist becomes McMahon which I was little saddened by as I find his art a bit hard to read. He does this never full-black deal where he fills in full blacks with this scratchy technique that I feel like makes pages look to chaotic and hard to read with all the white gaps and stray lines. But even with McMahon and his art-style the art is still great!
A key issue is some awkward scanning. Every couple of pages their would be a single page that was poorly scanned. I don't know how they scanned these pages but they had far worse image quality almost feeling like a xerox. It's a recurring problem throughout the entire story which is a bit sad considering how much of a draw the art is.
But in general, this is a fun entry point to this kind of genre that's maybe a tad too episodic. But it seems to be going towards a more longer arc-style of storytelling which makes me enthusiastic to pick up the next one (also luckily in the humblebundle lol)!
September 2, 2022
2,5.
There is an acorn of a really good comic series here. Pat Mills fleshed out some really good legendary stuff, and I quite like the overall art of Belardinelli. It is quite rough on three other fronts though. Firstly, I am a fan of Mike McMahon's art in Dredd, but here it is too dark and too jarring to the story IMO. Secondly, some of the panels jump across time in a rather shaky way - and finally, the stories, whilst good on reflection, did not engage me in the moment as much as I would have liked. Probably due to point 1 and 2.
Will I continue? Maybe. But I do not have a hunger to do so before other 2000AD stuff such as Nemesis and Zenith.
There is an acorn of a really good comic series here. Pat Mills fleshed out some really good legendary stuff, and I quite like the overall art of Belardinelli. It is quite rough on three other fronts though. Firstly, I am a fan of Mike McMahon's art in Dredd, but here it is too dark and too jarring to the story IMO. Secondly, some of the panels jump across time in a rather shaky way - and finally, the stories, whilst good on reflection, did not engage me in the moment as much as I would have liked. Probably due to point 1 and 2.
Will I continue? Maybe. But I do not have a hunger to do so before other 2000AD stuff such as Nemesis and Zenith.
March 2, 2022
El guerrero celta de la mitología europea, creado por Pat Mills, es una historia que en la superficie podría compararse con Conan el Bárbaro, pero que de camino se desvía gracias a los toques pintorezco del rincón del mapa en el cual se tejieron sus historias.
El dibujo, de acuerdo al artista, en ocasiones me dificultaba la lectura, sonretodo en el dispositivo pequeño donde trababa de apreciar la versión digital que tengo, pero me imagino que en el formato impreso, a buen tamaño, la experiencia puede ser mejor.
El dibujo, de acuerdo al artista, en ocasiones me dificultaba la lectura, sonretodo en el dispositivo pequeño donde trababa de apreciar la versión digital que tengo, pero me imagino que en el formato impreso, a buen tamaño, la experiencia puede ser mejor.
August 27, 2020
Early collected Slaine comics with the lovely black and white art styles of Angie Kincaid, Mike McMahon and Massimo Belardinelli. McMahon is still a treat despite the occasional faded page.
The initial development of the character and his trusty sidekick/dog's body Ukko, travel through the weird and wonderful Celtic lands of Tir Nan Og pursued by the warriors of Slough Feg
The initial development of the character and his trusty sidekick/dog's body Ukko, travel through the weird and wonderful Celtic lands of Tir Nan Og pursued by the warriors of Slough Feg
February 11, 2022
The only thing holding this book back is the sometimes weird fight "choreography". Sometimes Slaines axe looks like he just dropped it instead of fulfilling a swing. The world-building is wonderful and well researched with a lot of weirdness that has a basis in real world myths.
March 5, 2023
I like the idea of Slaine - based on celt myth, a comic to create a UK-based mythology but the execution less. It's a bit too pulpy for me. I bought this in a bundle so I'll still check out some of the later ones.
September 13, 2018
Nice to read where this Slaine saga started. Not sold to the whole thing yet, but maybe things pick up and I also see why this is so popular.
January 8, 2020
Celtic Conan with that 2000 AD touch. Brutal, funny, bizarre, and full of some corny 1980s era dialogue, but always entertaining.
February 5, 2020
The writing in this is fine, but Mike McMahon's art here is overdone to the point of being an eyestrain. The chapters without his art are good, but at some point they stop coming.
April 13, 2021
Gotta love a bit of vintage 2000AD blood n guts
June 4, 2020
While Judge Dredd is most associated with British comic 2000AD you cannot dismiss the Celtic warrior Sláine. Sláine’s success is counter-intuitive since his is an epic fantasy story in a science fiction comic. Maybe that’s why he became so popular. Becoming the first character to ever surpass Dredd in popularity, Sláine remains a firm favourite, his early stories collected here in Warrior’s Dawn.
Creator Pat Mills bases Sláine’s world on the Cycles of Irish and Celtic Mythology narrated by Ukko the Dwarf, Sláine’s friend/business partner and frequent punch bag so it’s best to let Ukko introduce him. “And so it begins, the Saga of Sláine Mac Roth of the Sessair- mercenary, cattle rustler and battle smiter, who rose to become a legendary king of the tribes of the Earth Goddess.” Mills takes Sláine and Ukko through a series of adventures in the Land of the Young, the series constantly evolving and improving from one off stories into an ongoing serial. With a strong sense of direction Mills develops his leads into robust characters with surprising sides to both of them.
Typical of 1980s comics in some ways, Warrior’s Dawn still holds an ethereal brutality and raw energy rarely found in comics of any era. More characters were introduced, histories and societies developed with clear lines drawn in a battle between Good and Evil. Even then the “good” characters often operate within grey areas determined by the harsh reality of their landscape. You can see the influences of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, but where Conan’s morality makes him quite predictable, Sláine is harder to pin down and surprises with some of his actions. Often opening with a crisis or event then exploring the repercussions thereof, Mills doesn’t interfere with the art trying to tell his story.
It’s the art that’s most debated on, with opinions divided. Angie Kincaid created Sláine’s classic look in ‘The Time Monster’, her art redolent of fantasy art legend Frank Frazetta yet in ways similar to the children’s stories she illustrated professionally. Her strength is telling the little stories occurring in the corners of the panel whether it is the shadows in an alley or figures on a distant hill. In his foreword Mills heaps praise on her for defining Sláine, stating that without Kincaid there would be no Sláine. Now recognised as co-creator, Kincaid is a woman ahead of her time. You can only wonder how she would have developed had she stayed on.
Italian artist Massimo Belardinelli took over on ‘The Beast in the Broch’, employing less fine detail with lighter art in a European style. Creating Sláine’s warp spasm (his berserker rage) Belardinelli produces some fantastic horror-fantasy art, simultaneously gruesome and darkly beautiful. Mike McMahon joined at ‘Warrior’s Dawn’, his art different with a mixture of the highly detailed and the simple. His beasts of burden, ranging from pigs to mammoths, are outstanding though his work really impresses in ‘Sky Chariots’.
While Rebellion have reprinted Sláine in chronological order, in the past Titan Books published this material at a larger size as Sláine Book 1. It was also combined with Glenn Fabry’s work on Sláine the King as The Collected Sláine and copies can be found with a little diligence. The adventure continues in Time Killer.
Creator Pat Mills bases Sláine’s world on the Cycles of Irish and Celtic Mythology narrated by Ukko the Dwarf, Sláine’s friend/business partner and frequent punch bag so it’s best to let Ukko introduce him. “And so it begins, the Saga of Sláine Mac Roth of the Sessair- mercenary, cattle rustler and battle smiter, who rose to become a legendary king of the tribes of the Earth Goddess.” Mills takes Sláine and Ukko through a series of adventures in the Land of the Young, the series constantly evolving and improving from one off stories into an ongoing serial. With a strong sense of direction Mills develops his leads into robust characters with surprising sides to both of them.
Typical of 1980s comics in some ways, Warrior’s Dawn still holds an ethereal brutality and raw energy rarely found in comics of any era. More characters were introduced, histories and societies developed with clear lines drawn in a battle between Good and Evil. Even then the “good” characters often operate within grey areas determined by the harsh reality of their landscape. You can see the influences of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, but where Conan’s morality makes him quite predictable, Sláine is harder to pin down and surprises with some of his actions. Often opening with a crisis or event then exploring the repercussions thereof, Mills doesn’t interfere with the art trying to tell his story.
It’s the art that’s most debated on, with opinions divided. Angie Kincaid created Sláine’s classic look in ‘The Time Monster’, her art redolent of fantasy art legend Frank Frazetta yet in ways similar to the children’s stories she illustrated professionally. Her strength is telling the little stories occurring in the corners of the panel whether it is the shadows in an alley or figures on a distant hill. In his foreword Mills heaps praise on her for defining Sláine, stating that without Kincaid there would be no Sláine. Now recognised as co-creator, Kincaid is a woman ahead of her time. You can only wonder how she would have developed had she stayed on.
Italian artist Massimo Belardinelli took over on ‘The Beast in the Broch’, employing less fine detail with lighter art in a European style. Creating Sláine’s warp spasm (his berserker rage) Belardinelli produces some fantastic horror-fantasy art, simultaneously gruesome and darkly beautiful. Mike McMahon joined at ‘Warrior’s Dawn’, his art different with a mixture of the highly detailed and the simple. His beasts of burden, ranging from pigs to mammoths, are outstanding though his work really impresses in ‘Sky Chariots’.
While Rebellion have reprinted Sláine in chronological order, in the past Titan Books published this material at a larger size as Sláine Book 1. It was also combined with Glenn Fabry’s work on Sláine the King as The Collected Sláine and copies can be found with a little diligence. The adventure continues in Time Killer.
September 18, 2019
I've always been a fan of Pat Mills's (primarily) Irish myth derived homage to Conan and it was nice to finally be able to see his first outing. I'd actually read some of the story lines contained in this volume before (it's not the epic that later volumes are), when they were repeated in the 'classic' section that used to be in the middle of 2000AD back in the 1990's, and hadn't appreciated just how early they were.
Sláine was, famously, first drawn by a female artist (Mills's then wife, Angela Kincaid) - a rarity in the comicbook world even now. It's interesting to see how the character has evolved since that creation. Subsequent artists have, after all, to work within the template set by their predecessors and can't make major changes to the character. The Sláine of today has changed though, more butch than the boyish Ian McShane that Kincaid first drew, even if she ensured that he'd never be the muscle-bound hulk that a regular comicbook artist might have made him. It's a shame that the reaction was such as to drive her away from the medium. I can see that the style might appear a little too childish for 2000AD but that's with hindsight - all comics, including 2000AD, have become grittier over the last three decades, even if that publication has always set itself against the 'comics are for children' stereotype.
Away from that, it was interesting to note the non Celtic myth elements that I don't remember from before - Norse and Greek. Perhaps they're better disguised in later volumes or perhaps the emphasis has shifted. I'm also always interested to see how Mills interprets the archaeological record (Brochs as prisons? Creative). To that end, it was good to see the endnote included in this volume (apparently the result of much fan mail) explaining his inspiration. Whilst Ian Hodder might argue that the interpretations presented here are as valid as any others, I'd suggest otherwise. The most pertinent point is Mills's last - Sláine is a fantasy and it should be enjoyed as such (and I'd go further and suggest that Sláine is a result of New Ageist counter-culture as much as of myth and more than archaeology).
Sláine was, famously, first drawn by a female artist (Mills's then wife, Angela Kincaid) - a rarity in the comicbook world even now. It's interesting to see how the character has evolved since that creation. Subsequent artists have, after all, to work within the template set by their predecessors and can't make major changes to the character. The Sláine of today has changed though, more butch than the boyish Ian McShane that Kincaid first drew, even if she ensured that he'd never be the muscle-bound hulk that a regular comicbook artist might have made him. It's a shame that the reaction was such as to drive her away from the medium. I can see that the style might appear a little too childish for 2000AD but that's with hindsight - all comics, including 2000AD, have become grittier over the last three decades, even if that publication has always set itself against the 'comics are for children' stereotype.
Away from that, it was interesting to note the non Celtic myth elements that I don't remember from before - Norse and Greek. Perhaps they're better disguised in later volumes or perhaps the emphasis has shifted. I'm also always interested to see how Mills interprets the archaeological record (Brochs as prisons? Creative). To that end, it was good to see the endnote included in this volume (apparently the result of much fan mail) explaining his inspiration. Whilst Ian Hodder might argue that the interpretations presented here are as valid as any others, I'd suggest otherwise. The most pertinent point is Mills's last - Sláine is a fantasy and it should be enjoyed as such (and I'd go further and suggest that Sláine is a result of New Ageist counter-culture as much as of myth and more than archaeology).
May 24, 2013
This should be a 5 star review, the stories & most of the art work deserve it but some of Mike McMahon's artwork has been reproduced so poorly that i feel i have to knock it back to a 4.
This book collects all the early Slaine stories from 2000AD & includes the very first story, with art by Angie Kincaid (Mills at the time, i believe) and of course, all writing by Pat Mills. This also includes lovely artwork by Massimo Belardinelli, & Mike McMahon with his unusual buy really effective style. The problem with Mike's art is that it appears really light & the "black" areas seem to be nearly leached out. As you can really see Mike's pen lines at the best of times, some pages are so grey they look awful.
To end on a more positive note: Mills use of Celtic mythology is fantastic. Slaine is such a cool character who along with his sidekick, the vile but hilarious Ukko the dwarf,live in a world of violence and wonder. While my favourite Slaine collection will always be The Horned God (incredible fully painted art by Simon Bisley), this is still worth picking up to see Slaine's early adventures.
This book collects all the early Slaine stories from 2000AD & includes the very first story, with art by Angie Kincaid (Mills at the time, i believe) and of course, all writing by Pat Mills. This also includes lovely artwork by Massimo Belardinelli, & Mike McMahon with his unusual buy really effective style. The problem with Mike's art is that it appears really light & the "black" areas seem to be nearly leached out. As you can really see Mike's pen lines at the best of times, some pages are so grey they look awful.
To end on a more positive note: Mills use of Celtic mythology is fantastic. Slaine is such a cool character who along with his sidekick, the vile but hilarious Ukko the dwarf,live in a world of violence and wonder. While my favourite Slaine collection will always be The Horned God (incredible fully painted art by Simon Bisley), this is still worth picking up to see Slaine's early adventures.
July 10, 2013
I remember reading a couple of issues of 2000AD with Slaine in it when I was younger, so picked this one up to see if it was as good as I remember.
The answer was 'Yes and no'.
The artwork is very stylised and at times, because it is in black and white, a real effort to work out what is happening. That said, it really got the nostalgia going.
The stories are a bit stock 'barbarian escapades' at times. There is, however, no pulling of punches - Slaine is often more cruel or indifferent than kind.
What I really liked is that I felt I was reading the editions of the comic because the parts are so short and serialised. Some might find that breaks things up a bit much in this day and age of long TPBs, but I really enjoyed that aspect.
The answer was 'Yes and no'.
The artwork is very stylised and at times, because it is in black and white, a real effort to work out what is happening. That said, it really got the nostalgia going.
The stories are a bit stock 'barbarian escapades' at times. There is, however, no pulling of punches - Slaine is often more cruel or indifferent than kind.
What I really liked is that I felt I was reading the editions of the comic because the parts are so short and serialised. Some might find that breaks things up a bit much in this day and age of long TPBs, but I really enjoyed that aspect.
January 16, 2014
It was ok. Often very cool. I wanted to like it more than I did. The story lines were reasonably good. Didn't like Ukko the dwarf. Not a fan of the comedy dislikeable sidekick who's just there to give the main character someone to talk to. I think it was an artwork thing. I love Massimo Belardinelli and going from his beautiful landscapes and eye-popping warp-spasm fight scenes to Mike McMahon made me feel a bit robbed. McMahon's no slouch. Individual panels are great but I found it difficult to work out what was going on and that panels didn't flow well into each other. The scratchy fill-in technique lacked contrast for me. Could be the reproduction. Dunno.
I'll read more but not rushing back to it.
I'll read more but not rushing back to it.
January 11, 2016
First look into 2000 AD Slaine-a fun barbarian, to me he comes across similar to a young arrogant Thor from Marvel in his over confident and brash attitude rather than on first looks to be of the Conan style sword and sorcery fantasy.
This is almost 200 pages of black and white adventure as Slaine and his dwarf companion travel as vagabonds and get into all sorts of brutal trouble.
Yet for all his arrogance Slaine does seem to have a respectable side, he helps those in need or gives away riches against his friend's greedy wishes.
If you like fantasy comics that are a lot of fun with that dark humour you often find with characters from 2000 AD then look no further.
Also as a plus I do love some of the wordings and naming of weapons-brilliant stuff there!
This is almost 200 pages of black and white adventure as Slaine and his dwarf companion travel as vagabonds and get into all sorts of brutal trouble.
Yet for all his arrogance Slaine does seem to have a respectable side, he helps those in need or gives away riches against his friend's greedy wishes.
If you like fantasy comics that are a lot of fun with that dark humour you often find with characters from 2000 AD then look no further.
Also as a plus I do love some of the wordings and naming of weapons-brilliant stuff there!
July 14, 2022
This is a great Celtic inspired graphic novel. It incorporates myths from the four Irish cycles, Celtic mythology as well as Scandinavian mythology.
The story follows the main character, Sláine, who becomes a wanderer of the Land of the Young after being banished from his tribe. He travels with a greedy dwarf, who in turn tells the readers of Sláine’s encounters with monsters and mercenaries as Sláine tries to make his way back to his tribe and his true love.
If you love reading about these genres then you should pick up a copy and give it a go.
The story follows the main character, Sláine, who becomes a wanderer of the Land of the Young after being banished from his tribe. He travels with a greedy dwarf, who in turn tells the readers of Sláine’s encounters with monsters and mercenaries as Sláine tries to make his way back to his tribe and his true love.
If you love reading about these genres then you should pick up a copy and give it a go.
April 19, 2015
The artwork is probably the greatest feat if this graphic novel, but that's not a comment on the story-weaving abilities of Pat Mills. Although, there are bits of it where the conclusions to the story lines feel a little bit contrived, a little Deus ex-machina-esque. The story lines are simple enough to read without putting in too much of attention, I think that's commendable for something that's a product of 2000 A.D.
June 10, 2014
The story is terrible
After seeing a lot of slaine art I was eager to get this, but the art is poor and the story line is dumb. I don't recommend
After seeing a lot of slaine art I was eager to get this, but the art is poor and the story line is dumb. I don't recommend
August 19, 2015
Conanovsky laděný komiks Sláine mi udělal radost. Hodně sword & o něco méně sorcery. Kresba - jelikož je pouze černobíla - je trochu těžší na zorientování se, ale přesto se čte jedním dechem.
August 25, 2016
Great book of adventure upon adventure in Celtic mythos. Will read more of these delightful yarns.
April 28, 2017
The origin story of Britain's great Celtic barbarian. Mills has created a fantasy world based on Celtic Myths and Legends and has collaborated with some artists known for tremendous attention to detail.
August 26, 2017
Príjemná, miestami dosť nekorektná akčná jednohudba. Krátke čiernobiele príbehy nemajú kedy nudiť. Ani som sa nenazdal a už bol koniec. Britská odpoveď na Conana - Slaine - patrí medzi moje obľúbené komiksové postavy.
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