Howard Chaykin

While this Elseworlds has a similar feel to Gotham by Gaslight, it's set about 20 years later in 1907, and isn't related to that earlier story. This one has the huge draw for me of featuring Harry Houdini, and then the huge negative of Chaykin using racial slurs and misogyny in a way that comes across as "naughty boy saying naughty words" rather than as (unnecessary) historical accuracy. It's a disappointment, as is the plot that shoehorns in a Renfield-ish Joker and vampires. It has the makings of a great story, spoiled by a hamfisted execution. 3🦇 solely for the very good watercolour artwork.… (more)

Erekose, Eternal Champion incarnation that actually remembers all other incarnations and their ups and downs, wakes up as a lord protector of the Land of the Marches, land between Hell and Heaven. His role is to keep the balance and prevent either side from attacking the other. Of course tensions are high when he enters the scene and he must find the solution to the problem.

And so he will find himself fighting at the most unsuspecting place of all and finding strange allies that will bring him one step closer to finding his way to his true/eternal love by providing him a passage through weil separating the multi-worlds. There he will come across the mysterious ship that just might be sailing in the right direction.

What I like in these books is that Erekose is champion of balance - order and chaos are both dangerous in their extreme and champions are there to strike and keep the balance between the two. But in doing that champions are constantly sacrificing parts of themselves and question remains how long can they keep up doing what they do.

Art is beautiful, both drawings and coloring, artist manages to bring to life the very other-worldliness of these fantastic lands, battles against creatures of Heaven and Hell are just magnificent.

Recommended to all fans of heroic SF/Fantasy cross-overs, especially those that like Barsoom [and of course to fans of Moorcock's works :)]… (more)

This is a short story about the clever, under the radar hit-man. Working through various contacts that obtain the contracts our protagonist will execute one kill too many and turn his whole life to literal ashes.

It is a standard revenge story. But unlike usual revenge stories it feels somehow unfinished. I don't know if the authors planned for additional releases or story-arcs but while start of the book is standard action movie entry sequence to better flesh out our protagonist middle and last third part seem very much rushed. Twist and reason why hit-man found himself on the wrong end of the gun is easy to understand but resolution happens so quickly that it makes no sense (like meeting with the only FBI agent that is aware of true identity of our protagonist but has no evidence to actually arrest him - I mean why contact her in a way he did it). Also some events and objects were put into this story just to validate further direction of the story (for example fat from liposuction - I know, right :) - with the whole purpose to prove our hit-man is dead - totally weird).

Entire book feels like a pilot episode - too bad they did not work on it more and developed it more thoroughly.

Art is blocky, very 80/90s but not without its charm.

So not a bad read, but nothing to memorable.… (more)

Volume #10 begins with Belit and Conan going back to Belit's home city in order to get potion to save her mentor N'yaga. This will set them on the road to Stygia where they will get involved in the inner politics of this sorcerer-kingdom with epic battles and monster encounters as a result.

All in all good collection, although stories are more comic(y?) here than in previous issues. Again lots of over dramatic postures, teeth barring and bombast dialog - everything that marked the action comics of the time. In any case it did not prove to be too much disconcerting to me thanks to the page organisation and composition.

Art is again great, Buscema's art again being more to my liking than the rest. Even with all the drama and bombast Buscema manges to give Conan story that epic feeling that somehow eluded the other authors of the period. H. Chaykin is also good but again not as good as Buscema (at least for me).
Coloring is not so good in the first few chapters (it is somewhat grainy) but gets back to quality of previous volumes 1/3 into the book.

Excellent volume, highly recommended to Conan and sword-and-sorcery genre fans in general.… (more)