Slaine Dragontamer, Reviewed

How about the final epic hurrah of everybody's favourite axe-wielding warrior of immense violent intent in deliciously drop-dead gorgeous art? It could only be Sláine Dragontamer from the legendary Pat Mills and the incredible Leonardo Manco.

Originally published in progs 2212-2228 from December last year to April of this. Squaxx dek Thargos will know just how chock full of thrill power this epic is, however you may not have realised that it’s being collected in a hardcover that will include the obligatory gallery section but first reprints of Bogatyr from prog 2111 and The Lord Weird Slough Feg originally published in the 2000AD villains special 2018. Intriguing right. If I can tickle your thrill meters further follow me through this review, at the very least you’ll find info on a particular version you may be very interested in purchasing. For everyone else and those that have no idea about much of any of that Sláine is the name of a long-running comic strip found in the pages of 2000AD alongside the square jaw of zero smileage Judge Dredd - you might have heard of him.

Sláine though is a Celtic mythology-based fantasy tale of the barbarian of the same name with a bloody great axe, making bloody work of legions of invaders, monsters of myth and man and even gods, it’s over the top in action but there’s also real depth at times.

So, let’s start with the art. Leonardo Manco's art is sickeningly, heinously, brutally beautiful. The opener of bodies in the river, the way each panel builds from beauty of life to tragic beauty in death with the standout panel of the John Everett Millais Ophelia inspired girl. The technical brilliance on display in the inks, the colours and the lighting is bountiful. This floating bodies sequence is the best mainstream art I’ve seen committed to comics for some time.

What follows is page after page of poetically pretty violence, decapitations, dismemberment, face lift-offs and impalings are portrayed with undeniable beauty. Sláine has always been a world of glorious violence but I don't think it’s ever been this consistently brilliant. I am feverishly obsessed with every panel which Leonardo presents, dialled up to 11 to the nth degree. The majesty in the monster studies is stupendous. Leonardo dedicates a full page to what is certainly the most monstrous interpretation of Sláine’s warp spasm (an ability Sláine has which turns him into a berserker on super steroids basically) and my absolute favourite image. Just to oversell it, in this depiction he’s fighting a dragon, that’s right full-page warp spasm vs a f@!king dragon - it’s a wet dream of grotesque furiousness.

Other than the opening sequence I think it’s Leonardo's full-page spreads that showcase this exceptional art best with its room to breathe fiery glory. An early note I wrote for this art reads “what happens when Lucifer commissions a Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood style artist with editing notes from Frazetta and Bisley”. Leonardo’s visual storytelling prowess shows that this book could easily work even without the speech bubbles elegantly provided by Annie Parkhouse. Masterful art in every panel without exception.

Ok tearing away from the art let’s look at the story. Pat Mills Sláine Dragontamer is the story of the savage beast of violent death, also there are dragons in it. To know Sláine this comes as no surprise. To know him as The Horned God you can expect rich undertones. It's not as big a story as Horned God so there isn’t room for the bigger commentary on the conflict aspects of masculinity among other themes but really Pat did that, and there are three books worth so this should be something different. This is advertised and introduced by Pat himself as Sláine’s finale and after 40 years that’s a fair offering. I also believe this book could also be a great starting point for future fans. Although definitely a chronological end it’s an accessible tale that sells Sláine in fantastic elements. Of course, long term fans will appreciate many moments but it's still inclusive.

On its face, Dragontamer can be seen as violent barbarian action on an epic scale, which of course it is but it's Pat Mills the genius writer so I felt I found more. There's the strong exploration of P.T.S.D, the falsity of monarchy, black sheep, the pressure of family expectations, revenge, pride in ancestry and the strength inherit. In typical fashion, there's plenty of raging against the machine, rebellion against the establishment, authority and tyrants and as always its the overall delivery that matters most. This time with a particularly high attention to detail. Is it the end though? Brutus does call for the Lord Weird but Slough Feg doesn't materialize. Maybe that's tied up with the inclusion of the 2000 AD villains special from 2018, maybe implying Feg wouldn’t want anything to do with it. It could be a remnant of an unfinished story or an entry door for a new writer to take the helm. Ultimately the end does work as a defining one. It’s Sláine drawing a line in the sand. Can he take the strongest weapons of the tyrants to use to defend his home? Can he deliver an insult to New Troy, make a mockery of its beliefs and system, show its flaws and fly off into the sunset of legendaryness? The empire may never be destroyed but will the story and name of rebellion persevere?

Right, for fans of Celtic mythology, violence aplenty, a face maybe not even a mother could love, epic fantasy, Brainbiter catching snacks, magic druids and big f@!k off dragons, nothing delivers like Sláine Dragontamer. Available from all good comic outlets 30th September. I’d highly recommend going to 2000AD.com where you can order your copy for the 29th and get an exclusive webshop edition that not only comes with an exclusive Leonardo Manco cover but is individually signed and numbered by Pat Mills. That’s where I’m getting mine.

Review 5+/5 Maybe I need a new rating system.