FORMAT: HARDCOVER (REVIEWED)| RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Michael Moorcock can easily be described as one of the founders of modern fantasy. Though ground-breaking at the time, works like Stormbringer and The Return to Melniboné are now regarded as classics of the genre, blending more heroic tropes with a sense of doom and darkness. Anthology collections of Moorcock’s work are very common, but Titan Books have done something little special; Elric The Eternal Champion Collection brings together the first two attempts to turn Moorcock’s work into a graphic novel.
First up is James Cawthorn’s version of Stormbringer. It’s a tale of Chaos lands , magic swords and betrayal and has been incredibly influential on the genre. Cawthorn’s work has been similarly influential and every page of art looks like it’s been pulled from the best prog-rock album cover you’ve ever seen. It’s very, very metal which is highly appropriate when you consider that Michael Moorcock used to be a member of the band Hawkwind.
The storytelling isn’t great; Hawthorn’s font is legible (and very rock-and-roll), but this abridged version of the story is not very coherent. The result is a very pretty looking summary of the tale, one filled with nostalgia and inspiration. We aren’t really here for the story (you can buy the book if you’re interested), rather the art it inspired, and that art is very special.
Phillipe Druillet’s take on The Return to Melniboné is similarly short but also gothic and beautiful. The black and white line art is absolutely breath-taking and let’s be honest, this is not a book that’s about the story; it’s all about the very pretty pictures. It helps that this is an over-sized book; it might not fit neatly on the shelf but it’s worth it.
Both works underline the influence of Moorcock on the world of fantasy. Cawthorn’s work especially taps deeply into the heavy metal style; anyone familiar with the worlds of Warhammer or 2000AD will recognise the style instantly. This is the work that inspired those works and as such is an invaluable resource to fans of this very European style.
