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Dark Horse's Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane, Vol. 2: Death's Black Riders
Taking place after the events in Solomon Kane: The Castle of the Devil--but written to stand on its own--this new tale delves deep into the horrors scattered throughout Germany's Black Forest and adapts two of Robert E. Howard's most beloved Solomon Kane pieces. When Kane comes across gypsies being terrorized by roving bandits, he's not sure what's worse--the bandits who wish to rob and rape innocent travelers or the evils that spew forth from the forest, intent on killing every man and woman around!
This book also features the "All the Damned Souls at Sea" Kane comic by Scott Allie, Guy Davis, and Dave Stewart; creature designs by Eisner Award-winning artist Guy Davis; and a new cover by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.
- "Solomon Kane is a welcome addition to the other excellent Howard properties produced by Dark Horse."--ComicsBulletin.com
This book also features the "All the Damned Souls at Sea" Kane comic by Scott Allie, Guy Davis, and Dave Stewart; creature designs by Eisner Award-winning artist Guy Davis; and a new cover by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.
- "Solomon Kane is a welcome addition to the other excellent Howard properties produced by Dark Horse."--ComicsBulletin.com
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2010
2 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Scott Allie
235 books21 followersScott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, best known as an editor and executive at Dark Horse Comics from 1994 to 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 18, 2017
Not best storyline based on Robert E. Howard's puritan monster-hunter, but the monsters design was really great.
December 21, 2019
Not so bad artwork, and, also, the story wasn`t very strong.
June 27, 2011
Can this be both better and worse than the first volume?
Once again, Guy Davis designs the monsters, and shows why he's one of the best monster guys in the business, but once they actually show up in the story they kind of fail to deliver on the creepiness of his designs. I really don't think I'm sold on the art of Mario Guevara, at least not for this. He occasionally has a panel or something that knocks the ball out of the park, but most of the time, I'm just not as happy as I'd like to be. There's a backup story in this volume that originally appeared in the online version of Dark Horse Presents, and it's drawn by Guy Davis, and it shows how amazing an all-Guy Davis Solomon Kane comic could have been. I know he was busy with the B.P.R.D. at this time, but I think he would have been the artist to do Solomon Kane.
They also adapt one of my favorite Solomon Kane stories, "The Rattle of Bones," but I think that being absorbed into continuity sort of hurts it, as is so often the case with Robert E. Howard's stories.
The cover this time is by Mignola again, and is still pretty great, but doesn't have quite the same perfect pulp paperback feel of the first volume's cover.
Once again, Guy Davis designs the monsters, and shows why he's one of the best monster guys in the business, but once they actually show up in the story they kind of fail to deliver on the creepiness of his designs. I really don't think I'm sold on the art of Mario Guevara, at least not for this. He occasionally has a panel or something that knocks the ball out of the park, but most of the time, I'm just not as happy as I'd like to be. There's a backup story in this volume that originally appeared in the online version of Dark Horse Presents, and it's drawn by Guy Davis, and it shows how amazing an all-Guy Davis Solomon Kane comic could have been. I know he was busy with the B.P.R.D. at this time, but I think he would have been the artist to do Solomon Kane.
They also adapt one of my favorite Solomon Kane stories, "The Rattle of Bones," but I think that being absorbed into continuity sort of hurts it, as is so often the case with Robert E. Howard's stories.
The cover this time is by Mignola again, and is still pretty great, but doesn't have quite the same perfect pulp paperback feel of the first volume's cover.
April 30, 2013
Much like the first, this second volume in Dark Horse's original comic adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane stories was a mixed bag.
The Mario Guevara artwork is strong, and the Mike Mignola cover is eye-catching, but the story side is a little weak. Most of the volume is a much-expanded adaptation of a brief REH story fragment. A comic rendition of Rattle of Bones (one of my favorite Solomon Kane stories) is incorporated into the middle of the Death's Black Riders tale, but it felt rushed, making an already concise yarn into a "blink and you'll miss it" affair.
This volume closes with a short called "All the Damned Souls at Sea," but the ugly caricature-style Guy Davis artwork ruins what could be an otherwise interesting story.
The characterization of Solomon Kane wasn't bad, and his visual portrayal is quite similar to what I envision when reading the original stories, but I would've liked to have seen more of the seething hatred driving Kane in his battle against evil. There are hints of it, which suggests that the writers do understand the character, but I want more.
While I may seem rather critical, this seems like a series still finding its footing, and the comic's crew do more things right than wrong. I look forward to future volumes.
The Mario Guevara artwork is strong, and the Mike Mignola cover is eye-catching, but the story side is a little weak. Most of the volume is a much-expanded adaptation of a brief REH story fragment. A comic rendition of Rattle of Bones (one of my favorite Solomon Kane stories) is incorporated into the middle of the Death's Black Riders tale, but it felt rushed, making an already concise yarn into a "blink and you'll miss it" affair.
This volume closes with a short called "All the Damned Souls at Sea," but the ugly caricature-style Guy Davis artwork ruins what could be an otherwise interesting story.
The characterization of Solomon Kane wasn't bad, and his visual portrayal is quite similar to what I envision when reading the original stories, but I would've liked to have seen more of the seething hatred driving Kane in his battle against evil. There are hints of it, which suggests that the writers do understand the character, but I want more.
While I may seem rather critical, this seems like a series still finding its footing, and the comic's crew do more things right than wrong. I look forward to future volumes.
November 6, 2012
Been putting off this one for a while, but I do enjoy Solomon Kane's particular flavor of bad-assery. Which is good, because otherwise there's not much here in the way of plot. The original Howard stories were steeped in mystery, but that mystery usually had a rhyme or explanation at the end. In the Dark Horse version of Kane, he just wanders the world and occasionally gets attacked at random by hell-spawned beasts of the pit, only because Solomon Kane is the kind of guy that sort of thing happens to.
June 22, 2019
Solomon Kane doing his thing against some great original monsters, but some panels have confusing perspective that made it hard to follow the action consistently.
October 26, 2019
Black Rider's isn't the end to DH's adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane, but sadly it didn't last much longer.Volume 2: Death's Black Riders is more fun and fast paced than DH's first volume "The Devil's Castle;" perhaps if DH had started here and dropped Devil's Castle the series could have continued on longer than it did.
A nice fast read with great horror elements. Fast twists that sometimes have no meaning, are still very welcomed as they quickly paint the world that Solomon Kane is forced to trudge through as he is granted his prayer of his life having meaning . . . in the eyes of God.
A nice fast read with great horror elements. Fast twists that sometimes have no meaning, are still very welcomed as they quickly paint the world that Solomon Kane is forced to trudge through as he is granted his prayer of his life having meaning . . . in the eyes of God.
March 6, 2023
This is the best dark horse Kane volume. It delivers an atmosphere of gothic terror and plenty of action. The story is pretty simple, involving Kane battling a horde of hideous demons through the Black Forest culminating in a great set piece where the creatures lay siege to an Inn with its own dark secrets.
We never learn where the creatures come from or what they want but the story succeeds based on atmosphere and suspense, and also the camaraderie between Kane and a priest who takes refuge in the Inn.
The art is not great technically, though the monsters are well designed, and the backgrounds are pretty good. It’s rough, but conveys the proper mood.
We never learn where the creatures come from or what they want but the story succeeds based on atmosphere and suspense, and also the camaraderie between Kane and a priest who takes refuge in the Inn.
The art is not great technically, though the monsters are well designed, and the backgrounds are pretty good. It’s rough, but conveys the proper mood.
June 24, 2024
Picks up from the previous volume and without pause Solomon Kane is involved once again in demonic shenanigans. This time though, unlike the previous volume, it's not explained of the where, what, who and why. The demons haunt the Black Forest and they kill anyone they encounter. That's it.
The artwork is serviceable but confusing at times. Quite often I had to re-read the pages a couple of times to make sense of the sequence especially if it involves some action, of which there is plenty.
Enjoyable enough story but not something that will stick in your mind for long.
The artwork is serviceable but confusing at times. Quite often I had to re-read the pages a couple of times to make sense of the sequence especially if it involves some action, of which there is plenty.
Enjoyable enough story but not something that will stick in your mind for long.
May 15, 2017
Plot is not that impressive, but the atmosphere is stunning.
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September 28, 20232023 09 28
September 1, 2018
It was only when I got to the bit towards the end drawn by Guy Davis that I realise what is wrong with this: the art is just a mess. Action is unclear, colours are murky. A real shame given that Mario Guevara’s pencils in the back are very lively and interesting to look at. But apparently the inker and colorist don’t know how to handle his loose style. As for the storytelling, I still enjoyed it for its truthfulness to the REH source material and the early modern setting.
December 25, 2015
Although deliciously dark and foreboding, the 2nd instalment of the Solomon Kane series is visually confusing at times and lacks a sense of purpose for the action.
The panel layout is much more varied than in the 1st volume, but the staging of each panel is - more often than not - confusing in terms of where characters are in relation to each other and the action. Some panels were simply unclear as to what was happening. The creature design is fitting, but the Riders became messy during a lot of the fighting, making it seem like Kane was dealing with a mass of blackish limbs & teeth. Purposeful? Most likely. Effective? Not entirely.
That being said, the contrast of the blacks and bright orange/red fires was extremely exciting and a good use of colour.
My main issue is with the lack of purpose in the story: why do these Riders exist & what is their connection to the tavern? Who was the Innkeeper? And what was that about the skeleton sorcerer? The interplay between Kane and the priest was interesting on a philosophical level; but that was overshadowed by stuff just kinda happening.
Not a bad read, just a bit of an underwhelming one.
Don't bother with the epilogue story on the cursed ship either. The art is lacklustre, feeling too cartoonish for the character.
The panel layout is much more varied than in the 1st volume, but the staging of each panel is - more often than not - confusing in terms of where characters are in relation to each other and the action. Some panels were simply unclear as to what was happening. The creature design is fitting, but the Riders became messy during a lot of the fighting, making it seem like Kane was dealing with a mass of blackish limbs & teeth. Purposeful? Most likely. Effective? Not entirely.
That being said, the contrast of the blacks and bright orange/red fires was extremely exciting and a good use of colour.
My main issue is with the lack of purpose in the story: why do these Riders exist & what is their connection to the tavern? Who was the Innkeeper? And what was that about the skeleton sorcerer? The interplay between Kane and the priest was interesting on a philosophical level; but that was overshadowed by stuff just kinda happening.
Not a bad read, just a bit of an underwhelming one.
Don't bother with the epilogue story on the cursed ship either. The art is lacklustre, feeling too cartoonish for the character.
September 1, 2013
The first volume of the Dark Horse's Solomon Kane series did not impress me on the story side, although the artwork was pretty nice. For a reason that I find difficult to remember, I chose to give the series another chance. Unfortunately, the second part, Death's Black Riders, is a worse offering than the first. There is only a single proper REH story between the covers and it is expanded too much from the unfinished REH original, making it drag on for too long and several pages are merely filled with action. There's no room for proper character study, which is what Solomon Kane would deserve.
An add-on story at the end about a ship that turns into a death trap is badly drawn and forgettable page-filler.
An add-on story at the end about a ship that turns into a death trap is badly drawn and forgettable page-filler.
March 20, 2016
It would appear that I'm in the minority in loving this book, but I did.
This volume takes a very short fragment that Howard wrote and runs with it, incorporating another small Solomon Kane story. I was quite pleased with the way they were woven together and thought they complimented each other quite well, though the end product was admittedly a bit D&D-ish. The philosophical stuff that pops up did seem rather forced, given the situation, but was a much better attempt then some of the older Solomon Kane comic stories.
As to the art, I thought it was quite lovely, especially the color choice, which was subtle, but did a good job of setting Kane apart from the other people involved, especially considering the way Howard always described him.
I couldn't recommend this book more.
This volume takes a very short fragment that Howard wrote and runs with it, incorporating another small Solomon Kane story. I was quite pleased with the way they were woven together and thought they complimented each other quite well, though the end product was admittedly a bit D&D-ish. The philosophical stuff that pops up did seem rather forced, given the situation, but was a much better attempt then some of the older Solomon Kane comic stories.
As to the art, I thought it was quite lovely, especially the color choice, which was subtle, but did a good job of setting Kane apart from the other people involved, especially considering the way Howard always described him.
I couldn't recommend this book more.
July 17, 2024
My full review for Death's Black Riders can be found by clicking the following link: https://discover.hubpages.com/literat...
September 27, 2014
The monsters looking like the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, fabulous.
February 13, 2016
Very good comic adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane story. I am not a fan of the art used for this adaptation but the plotting and story followed Howard's very well. Recommended
January 31, 2024
These are nonsequential stories. Skip this one, read the 3rd volume. This book is a passable adaptation of the original work, but not great. The art is just okay as well.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews