Adrian Smith (2) (1969–)

This is a truly breathtaking collection of that covers a number of Warhammer epochs, from the gloriously bizarre and bulbous early days of Warhammer 40K through numerous editions and iterations of Warhammer Fantasy and 40K.

Regardless of medium or colour, Smith's work oozes drama, tension, action, and menace (and with some of the Nurgle images it feels like the pages themselves are oozing Grandfather knows what. The details, density, and atmosphere are absolutely breathtaking. If Blanche is the imaginary skeleton and fever dream imagineer of Warhammer, Smith is the foetid meat on its bones and profane portrait master.

I might actually feel more giddy as an old lady paging though this than I did as a wee bairn when I first saw it, especially with the waves of nostalgia from army book, codices, and novel covers, box art from the models, and more from all over the years.

John Blanche, Adrian Smith, and Clint Langley have always been my Chaos Godhead of Warhammer art and this book a powerful testament. Smith's rendition of the Vengeful Spirit's strategium with Horus and the Emperor facing off over the broken body of Sanguinius is as exquisite as it is iconic.

I can't recommend it more strenuously for anyone who wants to Baskin the awful majesty and marinate in the charnel stew of the Old World and Dark Millennium.… (more)

This is a sequel to Chronicles of Hate, which I reviewed earlier.

In short, this follows suit. New readers should start with Vol .1. Also, readers need to be comfortable "reading" visual images sans words. Of course, they must also like gritty, mature drawings of scantily clad women and undead warriors.

This sequel has the same style as the first: very dark & contrasty monochrome drawings, very small word count (~ 1 word per page). Adrian Smith leaves visual clues that identify the various clans. These can be subtle, but they are there. For instance, those aligned with the Mother Earth crew wear crescent moon ornaments. Many of the bad-guy clans are harder to distinguish, except for the Tyrant.

The story progresses very well and delivers on our hero "Worm" attempting to revive Mother Earth. Prior purchasing, I was worried that the story may not develop enough. But this was satisfying.

The culture of thee world develops more. It is more clear that each clan has a leader and a champion. Adrian Smith's illustrations are generally splendid. If you ever looked into any Warhammer/Games Workshop art (which Adrian has made many) and wished you could immerse yourself in a similar world (this is not part of Warhammer's TM Olde World), this is your chance.… (more)

This is a daring, impressive work of art: 100pages of monochrome, gritty fantasy. Besides the introduction (a page of beautiful, epic text), those pages average ~one word /page. Adrian Smith relies on his graphic skills to tell the story and does admirably.

In short, Mother Earth is defiled and is bound beneath the ground; humanity falls from any grace it may have had. Men enslave other men, and a brutal Tyrant rules over many. Mother Earth’s spirit engages Worm, the protagonist, who is tasked to free her [or bring back her power somehow]. Her magic has seeped into vegetation since her demise, so sentient fungi and roots play a role. She transforms or communicates to Worm as a white butterfly too.

Adrian Smith's illustrations are generally splendid. If you ever looked into any Warhammer/Games Workshop art (which Adrian has made many) and wished you could immerse yourself in a similar world (this is not part of Warhammer’s TM Olde World), this is your chance.

Enjoying/understanding this took some concentration and rereading of the prologue, which may turn off some but I found enjoyable. If I understood this correctly, Worm is out to find a key to unlock Mother Earth's chains/cage. Regardless of the low-text approach, I expected to have a better understanding of what to expect in the second volume by the time I reached the end. The number and motivations of the different, conflicting factions is still unclear. Vol. #2 promises to develop this more, which will prompt a reread of this. I plan to purchase the next as soon as it is available.… (more)