The Ruby Throne

Michael Moorcock's Elric #1

by Julien Blondel, Didier Poli (Illustrator), Robin Recht (Illustrator)

   Elric, the albino emperor, has ruled Melniboné for millennia - a feat made possible through magic and various herbs that serve to strengthen and prolong his life. However, Elric's empire is crumbling before him and now his envious cousin and prince of Melniboné, Yyrkoon, plots to claim the Ruby Throne for himself. 

     Yet when Elric's people come under the threat of a pirate attack, Elric believes that he can once again restore his authority and regain their faith by defeating the pirates. However, the true cost of this task will force him to reveal his allegiance to the dark Arioch, the most dominant of the Lords of Chaos...

Genres: Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Bande Dessinée, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Sword and Sorcery

64 pages, Hardcover

First published May 22, 2013

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars

I don't usually do any reviews for graphic novels other than Saga on Goodreads but I think I'll make another exception and do a short one for this series. I don't love Saga, I like it but I thought the series is really overrated. I know this is a completely different genre from that comic but my god this is the kind of graphic novels I love to read.

The Ruby Throne is a graphic novel adaptation to Elric which were written by Michael Moorcock's. There's been a few adaptation on this series already and I'll admit I haven't read the novels but this is a really fantastic dark fantasy comic books. Michael himself said in the beginning of this graphic novel that this is the perfect adaptation of his work that it's even better than his own book.

This dark fantasy is really well done, if graphic novels are created this way I'll probably be an addict of this medium by now. The story is really great and captivating, Elric the White Wolf (I can't help but think, did Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher copied this? the similarity is uncanny) is an anti-hero but at the same time I can't help but feel pity for him, artworks are really detailed and gorgeous. The only con I have on this book is that it's too damn short. Literally read this within 15 minutes, not to mention the price is ultra expensive at $15. $15 for a 15 minute read is simply not worth it, imagine paying $1 to read for 1 minute. Other than that, no complain from me here.

Highly recommended for any lover of Dark Fantasy and comic book fans. Definitely suitable for adults only, don't let your kids read this, it contained a lot of graphic images.

[Kalena ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆.˚✮ 4 stars ✮˚.⋆

i was looking for a new adult graphic novel series to start while i wait for more monstress, and this was recommended to me under my library's suggestions. i had never heard of Elric, though I've come to understand this graphic novel is an adaptation of a series of novels. i read a few reviews, as one does, and realized this is very reminiscent of The Witcher as well. i am a big fan of the video games, so i though this would be a really fun graphic novel to read about.

while i did have a fun time learning the barest hints about this world, i will say it was pretty small even for a graphic novel. it was only 65 pages, and i am left feeling like more could have definitely been fit into this story, if there had just been a few more pages. so i'm very interested and enjoyed it, but wish there was a bit more that was added in. also this book is very gory, which didn't particularly bother me, but i would love the story to explore a bit more about WHY this society is like that. i hope that comes in future books!

↬ trigger warnings: death and murder, nudity, blood and gore, bodily torture

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

God where do I begin... I'm pretty much lost for words when it comes to reviewing it. So I will make it short and sweet.

It is stunning... absolutely stunning. One of the best graphic novels I've read in years. Enthralling plot that captures the old magic of Moorcock's Elric with a few subtle changes that lift it even higher. Paired alongside truly jaw dropping artwork that blew my mind (the use of colour is truly magnificent) make this graphic novel well worth the read by any fantasy fan out there.

A masterpiece!

5 out of 5 stars!

smashdragons.blogspot.com.au

[Γρηγόρης Δημακόπουλος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Καταπληκτικό έργο. Μου ξύπνησε την όρεξη να διαβάσω ξανά τα βιβλία. Μακάρι να γινόταν ταινία στο ίδιο ύφος.

[Otherwyrld · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the works of Michael Moorcock, and his Eternal Champion series in particular. I love reading graphic novel adaptations of his works (I have some beautiful P. Craig Russell comic versions of Elric, for example). So when I heard that there was a new adaptation coming out that has been praised to the skies by the author I just had to buy the first volume, even though I just don't buy books anymore (I'm trying to declutter and get rid of a lot of my book collection)

This truly is a beautifully rendered book - the art is exquisite and the story well told (I really must reread these books someday). And yet, I was left unsatisfied.

The problem is, at just over 50 pages of story, the thing is just too damn short. I came wanting a banquet, and ended up with Nouvelle Cuisine. It left me having to nibble at the book rather than feasting on it. As this is only part one of the story (part 2 is published next year), we hardly got anything like the full novel.

All this is a great shame because as I said, it was a great piece of work but at most I can give it 3 1/2 stars. It remains to be seen if I buy part 2.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloodthirsty!

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

the only elric comic that does justice to the original material
epic, grotesque, sensual, beautiful

[Ηλίας Τσιάρας · Rating 5 out of 5]

Επιτέλους κάτι φρέσκο για έναν από τους καλύτερους (αντί)ήρωες της λογοτεχνίας του Φανταστικού. Αν θέλω να είμαι απόλυτα ειλικρινής, θα του έβαζα 4,5 αστέρια για δύο λόγους: πρώτον, αρχικά μου φάνηκε τσιμπημένη η τιμή για μόλις 62 σελίδες. Αλλά μόλις έπιασα το βιβλίο στα χέρια μου, άλλαξα γνώμη, καθώς πρόκειται για μια εκπληκτική έκδοση, με την παράσταση να κλέβουν οι τελευταίες σελίδες με τα extras, πάντα το αγαπημένο μου κομμάτι. Ο δεύτερος είναι πως σε μερικά πάνελ (όπως στο εκπληκτικό σαλόνι στη σελίδα 2-3 του κυρίως έργου) κάπου μπερδευόμουν με τη σειρά του κειμένου. Όλα αυτά όμως είναι λεπτομέρειες, γιατί και το σκίτσο είναι πάρα πολύ δυνατό και η ιστορία είναι άκρως ενδιαφέρουσα. Προτείνεται ανεπιφύλακτα.

[Monsour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elric of Melniboné is possibly the most celebrated and influential characters in fantasy fiction. The re definer of the fantasy genre, if you ever think of a fantasy that somewhere between the world bldg. of Lord of the Rings/Wheel of time and the social politics of A Song of Ice and Fire with a jizz of little brutality to it, Michael Moorcock starts it all. Just think about any albino badass holding a magic sword like: Geralt, Arthas, Alucard, Drizzt. Elric was the first.



Base on my research Moorcock was ask by his editor to make some Conan Barbarian'es story(because it’s the 60's) he took the opposite and possibly end up giving birth to the first Anti-hero of fantasy or even the first Dark Fantasy story (I’m not sure).

Instead of getting a generic fantasy character that starts as a wildcard or a noble guy and saves everybody from the monster. Elric is:

A FUCKING KING, who sits on the most badass throne in fiction THE RUBY THRONE (like the Iron Throne is aSoIaF)


An empire that once own most of the known world (I you read aSoIaF you knew whose these guys are) that controls dragons and obsess to magic that normal human values don’t apply to their society.



WITH BADASS NERCOMANCY POWERS



THAT RIDES A DRAGON


Also the gods and devil love him...That’s neat




Base on the Moorcock’s interview, Julien Blondel work (this book). Is the perfect description of the Ruby Throne novel. If you wanted to start reading the Elric Saga. I super-highly recommend you this book. This books has one of the best artwork I've seen on a comic, its has amazing details that almost perfectly describe Moorcock's writing.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I would like this book when I opened it. Inside the cover is a nice forward written by M. Mooorcok himself and I noticed the quote "This is perhaps the first graphic version of Elric fully to capture the sense of utter decadence I tried to convey in the books."

Blondel's writing and Poli's art are excellent. Keeping true to the premise of the book and a wonderfully accurate interpretation of Melinbone, this is one of the best versions of the book I've ever seen. The creators worked closely with M. Moorcock and the results shine.

This series is telling the story in smaller chunks, which is fine. Personally? I will likely wait till there is a complete volume of the whole series to add to my library, while the individual issues I shall donate to my public library. Great series, great art and true to the vision of Moorcock. This is quality work.

[CS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bullet Review:

This is so short for a $15 hardcover comic that's essentially the size of two monthly issues, if I paid money for it, I'd feel cheated. It was good, though it took a bit of warming to it (I've never read Michael Moorcock's Elric series). It is pretty damned graphic though, so I would steer this towards mature teens and adults who don't get queasy.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

French comic book authors and publishers take their artwork very seriously. From what I've read of things out there, and talked to a friend of mine from those parts, it's like their very own Comics Code: your story could be something from Tolstoy, but if the art isn't fantastic, you won't stand snowball's chance in hell of publishing anything. So they're always a treat to look at, but sure enough, the plot and characters and other such unnecessary things vary far more wildly for me. Some I liked, others I hated.

So what happens when you let the French adapt one of the best stories by one of the best fantasy authors? You get some good shit.

Well... mostly.

It does look about as great as it ever could, for sure. Not only is the artwork technically impressive, it also entirely captures the decadence, the casual cruelty, and the inhumanity of the Melnibonéan people. Like straight from the blackest of fairy tales - raiding, rapacious dark elves that you can but pray to never meet in the flesh. Moorcock himself says he never could have pulled it off better, and I agree.

But even so, the story loses some of its nuance in the telling. The characters are flatter, the setting - while looking great - doesn't feel as deep or well-constructed. A lot of good and important scenes had to be sacrificed lest the story would be twice as long.

Worse, this version of Elric has little or none of the moral complexities or inner conflict or deep mental fatigue he has in the books. You might argue that some of the brooding and angst well had to go, but far too much was removed: now he just comes across as a one-dimensional prick. Again, they'd probably have needed far more pages to make true justice to his character, but still, it's a shame.

It's still the best adaptation Elric's ever had, but it's not perfect.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

L'ennesima trasposizione fumettistica della saga fantasy di Elric di Melniboné parte con il botto e mostra dal primo volume di avere una marcia in più rispetto alle precedenti. Una meraviglia per gli occhi del lettore che, se fan della storia originale, può anche perdonare le modifiche apportate ad essa. Bellissimo.

[Lukas Sumper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Elric in its original prose but here in sequential art it fails to get across the irony of elrics condition. I also had trouble to really feel sympathy for elric... and that was mainly the fault of the pacing since it moves way too fast. It would have needed twice the page count for the same amount of story.
Elric appeared more like a chosen Champion with all the powers than a desperate addict who is at the mercy of the gods who feels he failed his kingdom.
It is a good effort and I will keep reading on, but it doesn't live up to the original books greatness.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous graphica novel adaptation of the early episodes of the epic Elric Saga. The subtle changes to the story work (specifically the changes to Yyrkoon's betrayal). The art is beautiful and dark. Immyyr and Dragon Isle is decadent and brutal and really helps characterize the Melnibonéans. The frames are filled with story information and if you take the time to linger, there are all sorts of interesting (and disturbing) elements/details worth attending to. In terms of sequences: the barbarian assault on Melniboné was really cool and sticks with me. The dialog is natural but still has the quasi-archaic/stylized feel that Moorcock brings into his dialog. Looking forward to later volumes.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning that the books are going to be adapted into a tv series I decided to research this series. The setting is the epic point of high fantasy but I draw a big, wide line on the incest part.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conosco Elric solo per via dei Domine, loro sono stati (sono) la mia colonna sonora durante tutto il mio viaggio attraverso Il Viaggio, perciò, quando in anticipo di una manciata di giorni sul mio compleanno, qualche spirito generoso ha deciso di farmi scoprire l'ispirazioni dei miei fornitori di fantasy in note, sono stata ben felice! :) A parte qualche caduta nelle sceneggiatura, be', non vedo l'ora di leggere il secondo!

[Sadir S. Samir · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, the story of Elric is perfectly encapsulated in this graphic novel. The artwork is mindblowing and some of the changes to the narrative are actual improvements - which Michael Moorcock himself acknowledges in the introduction pages. I've already got the second volume and pre-ordered the third. Fingers crossed they will make many more.

I really don't enjoy writing reviews but I know how important they are to support authors. Hence my very short reviews.

[Stephen Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

the graphic novel of the first part of the tale of Elric, his demon sword Stormbringer and the betrayal of His cousin. The artwork is by Didier Poli and Robin Recht which captures the sword and sorcery feels of the novel.

[Endre Fodstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't like this comic. In general, I have my reservations about Moorcock, but his influence on the fantasy genre makes it interesting to read him in light of older and newer works. Elric was created early in Moorcock's career and everything that is bad and good about Moorcock can be found in the books about the character. Elric can come off as a pretty overblown way. "Edgy" would be a modern term, I guess, and he often comes off as pretentious to an absurd level. On the other side, his disdain for the fallen ways of his own culture, based on his scholary ways, often makes him a more interesting character. In the books, Elric is disgusted by the apathy of his fellow Melniboeneans and secretly wants to revitalize their culture. This makes his sometimes contradictory behaviour more interesting. Elric can be callous, inhumane and cruel, but his Byronic temperament and inner conflict also sometimes makes him behave in an altruistic, tender and merciful way. This aspect of the character really helps to salvage the novels.

This comic book more or less abandons this part of the character. It also simplifies the story a great deal. The authors argue that they want to establish his cousin-fiancee Cymoril as more active character, but I can't really see how - she has little real influence on events beyond being dangled in front of Elric and Yyrkoon as a motivational driver and being in charge of girl-murder to keep Elric in his blood baths.

What it instead fills in with is rather ridiculous. Melnibonéans in the novels are cruel and prone to callous murder and torture, but they are also apathetic, often dreaming their days away (literally - it is even a part of their education), aesthetes of a quite inhuman architecture and fashion (their cities are described as filled with color and light in bizarre combinations that make no sense to the surrounding world) and obsessed with seeking pleasure and new sensations. They are also extremely ritualistic, performing meaningless rites and traditions that often have lost their original meaning. Melniboné is a trading center for all the world of the Young Kingdoms at the start of the novels, and foreginers populate its docks as the Melnibonéans can't be bothered to demand tribute or raid their neighbours any more. All this is stuff the reader must fill in on its own in this comic.

Instead, Melnibonéans are basically Barkerian cenobites, and not just in how they are drawn, in the usual impractical way with way too many spikes. The cities are just dark. The dreaming and apathy is mostly not present or very much in the background. There's a lot of gore and blood magic (Elric's drugs and potions are replaced by him bathing in the blood of naked girls like some sort of silly Elricabeth Bathory). The slaves mostly seem to be female, naked, tatooed and look like clones. It could have worked if applied less gratitiously, but in the end it is just the usual umaginative "Look at how Dork we are" that has keep popping up these last three decades.

The end result is a bare-bones rendering of small parts of the 1972 novel. The writing is simply lazy, indulgent and often quite slow, trying to replace story with visuals. If Moorcock really praises this as closer to his original vision than his novels, it is less a plus for the comic and more a minus for Moorcock.

It gets two stars because it is very well drawn. I can see why people who are into the visuals enjoy it, but it wastes an opportunity to do something interesting with a novel that is getting pretty dated in the modern world.

[Britton]

This comic was very dark, brooding, and evocative, much like the original novels that inspired it. I had heard hearsay about this comic for a while now, since I first began to get into the doomed Melnibonean emperor and I'm happy to say that this comic was probably the most enjoyable take on the White Wolf since Moorcock's original novels.

The story from Blondel has a neat pace to it, I was a bit nervous about how the comic would move along considering its short length, but I found that it found a nice balance between pulp action and brooding mysticism and it moved along nicely without getting too bogged down or being too brisk. It certainly captured the spirit of the original Elric books if it were to do nothing else. I also appreciated some of the more horror based iconography that was in the book, which I found neatly tied into the depraved, vicious nature of the Melnibonean people.

But the real show-stealer was the art from Recht and Poli. The art is lush, stunning, and utterly delightful from the hand of two draughtsmen at the top of their form. I was constantly in awe and itching for more of their artwork as I continued to read through. While I did have issues with their depiction of Elric, I found that their depiction of Melnibone made up for it in spades, capturing the contradictory nature of the land that I always imagined, making it beautiful and elegant, while also decadent and repulsive at the same time. The look of the Melniboneans are also well handled, they didn't look quite human, but they seemed as if they were almost, but not quite like elves either, they were something entirely on their own.

While the plot was nicely paced and well told, I did wish that Blondel went a little deeper into Elric's psychology, I wanted more of the constant internal strife and conflict that Elric has in the Moorcock novels. I understand that this is an origin story of sorts, an introduction into the world of Melnibone as depicted by French comics, so perhaps I can excuse its rather thin characterization, but it can become a bit bothersome when it comes to the moments where you're supposed to be feeling for Elric and it doesn't always come together.

Michael Moorcock said that this is the best Elric work that wasn't by him, and I can't help but agree with him.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adapts the first half of the first Elric novel. Superb artwork. It's way darker and more haunting than the P Craig Russell comic and probably even the novel itself. It's pretty condensed and I thought the ending would be a bit confusing if I wasn't already familiar with the story.

[Κεσκίνης Χρήστος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ανήμερα στα 80α γεννέθλια του M.Moorcock ήρθε αυτό το comic book στα χέρια μου. Η υπόθεση ακολουθεί το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς, οπότε όσοι το λατρέψατε θα βρείτε μικρές (αλλά όμορφες αισθητικά) αλλαγές. Περνάω αμέσως λοιπόν στο σχέδιο. Στον πρόλογο, ο ίδιος ο Moorcock λέει ότι είναι η αγαπημένη του μεταφορά. Όταν το διάβαζα είπα "Καλά ότι πεις. Πάντα τα ίδια λες".
Κι όμως! Είναι ότι καλύτερο έχω δει προσωπικά. κάθε σελίδα και ένας πινακας. Πολύ καλύτερο από τα αμερικανικά σχέδια του P. Craig Russell (τα οποία επίσης λατρεύω για να μη παρεξηγηθώ).
Το τελευταίο που θα σχολιάσω είναι η ελληνική έκδοση του Αιόλου. Δεν έχω δει καθόλου ξένες εκδόσεις, αλλά το σκληρό εξώφυλλο και το υπέροχο εξώφυλλο το κάνουν από τα καλύτερα της συλλογής μου. Στην αρχή σκέφτηκα πως θα το ήθελα σε έναν τόμο, αντί 4 που έχουν ανακοινωθεί, αλλά με μια δεύτερη σκέψη, μου αρέσει ως έχει.
5/5
Αίμα και ψυχές για τον Άριοχ.

[Raül · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantàstica adaptació al còmic de la novel·la de Moorcock, un llibre de referència en la configuració del gènere de fantasia èpica fosca adulta. Tant l'argument de la història original com els personatges o l'ambientació estan molt ben adaptats. Sembla que aquest primer volum és una part de la primera novel·la del cicle d'Elric i que els quatre volums en total adapten aquest primer llibre complet.

L'edició de Yermo Ediciones és magnífica, en mida i format d'album franco-belga i tapa dura. A més, compta amb uns extres fabulosos: una introducció del mateix Moorcock —que afirma, ni més ni menys!, que aquesta és la millor adaptació al còmic de la seua obra— i explicacions dels autors de la concepció de l'album, amb esbossos de personatges i pàgines de l'obra.

Un gran còmic i a més un imprescindible per als amants de l'obra de Moorcock.

[Konstantinos Amvrazis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Έπος! Τρομερά σκίτσα και εικονογράφηση γενικότερα! Πάμε για το επόμενο!

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn`t read the book, but this graphic novel had a top noch illustrator with a style that goes hand in hand with this kind of story.

I wasn`t convince to try the book, but I will definitely give a shot to the next volum of this series.

[Marko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was... amazing. Simply amazing.

In comics I'm a sucker for good art sometimes even more than a good story, and Elric 1 offers art like I've very, very rarely seen in any comic. I concede that whether you'll like a particular drawing style is up to your taste, but for me, this is as close to my own taste as it can get. Very detailed, yet not lost in details. Wavy lines which give the impression of a fairy-tale atmosphere, and yet sharpness when something needs potentiating. Very nice plays of light and shadow. And colours - I stared at masterful colourings and contrasts of every single pane for minutes at a time. The water especially looks like real, and I could almost hear the waves.

Didier Poli, Robin Recht and Jean Bastide. I'll remember their names.

Fuf. Now that I've got that out of the system, let's focus on other things. The story is a very good adaptation of several chapters of Elrik of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock. It's been a long time since I read that book, but as far as I can tell, about one fifth or quarter of the story has been covered. The depiction of Melnibone is marvellous, an ancient civilization (timelessness represented by crystaline architecture) drowned in decadence, which exists still only to propagate its own pleasure. Elrik, who grew tired of being a Melnibonean, but still shown accepting human sacrifices for granted. Yrkoon, vile and ambitious like a true Melnibonean, and Cymoril, not just a damsel in distress like in the books. The rest of the cast are also memorable, and both graphicaly and in text true to the source material (with Doctor Jest being especially creepy).

An addition to this first edition of Elric, we are treated with a mix of concept art for characters, an example of the process of drawing and painting an Elric page, and several tributes, a one-page illustrations of various Elric-related scenes by a selection of authors.

Even if you've never read a Moorcock book, go pick up this album. You won't be dissappointed.

[May · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main problem with graphic novel adaptations is that one assumes the reader is already familiar with the original work so the lack of detailed explanations is not a problem. However, since I have not read Moorcock's novels, I am baffled but why the Melnibonéan empire is in decline other than Herodotus' sage-old statement that all empires will inevitably crumble at some point. Sorry but just because Elric is an albino does not mean the empire is collapsing onto itself. I felt there needed to be more an explanation about the Melnibonéan civilization. I get it that the society is decadent and violent but I'm not sure if the author is advocating for the survival of this society. Not even sure if the main character, Elric, wants his society to survive. Apparently, the gods don't so I'm not sure what is the point here.

The one thing I can remark on is how slightly disturbed I am by the visuals surrounding the depiction of women in this series. I get that humans are treated as cattle but I find it interesting that the illustrator seems to depict only female slaves as ones that are degraded and violated in the most heinous manner. The few human males that are depicted as shown as prisoners of war. Not sure if this "stereotype" was intentional or not but I found it disturbing nonetheless.

[Cathaysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia en sí es muy sencilla pero las escenas están tan detalladas que no nos lo parece. Podemos apreciar como viven los melniboneses y sus esclavos, como se desenvuelven en su entorno que me recuerda bastante al antiguo Egipto con su vestimenta y accesorios. Vemos el contraste entre los edificios en los que se puede apreciar esa decadencia con dibujos oscuros y difuminados y las salas del palacio, con el mismísimo trono de rubí, brillantes, con tonos dorados y llenos de lujos. También nos muestra la magia y su relación con ella. Otra cosa que me maravilla son los barcos que mas parecen de la armada americana.
http://mundosqueleer.blogspot.com.es/...

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice! I'm a longtime fan of Elric, and greatly enjoyed the classic P. Craig Russell adaptations of the novels. This is an impressive new version, easily the equal of those. The artwork is lush and appropriately decadent. There are some minor changes from the book, but nothing worth seriously griping about. I particularly love the image of Arioch that is the climax of this volume. This is one of the best versions of Elric that I've ever seen. Looking forward to the next volume!