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aoc's review against another edition
4.0
In a sense reading The Ruby Throne was treading familiar grounds for me seeing as it's actually an adaptation of the existing story and a rather faithful one at that with some artistic freedom here and there. One thing of note is Moorcock's opening commentary where he actually welcomes the changes citing he would've most likely written the origin story by employing some of them. So let's get down to it.
If you don't know who Elric of Melnibone is, well, I'm not really going to give you an extensive primer but let's just say he's a beloved character penned by Michael Moorcock that somehow never achieved prominence in wider fantasy circles. Unjustly so, I would point out considering he's not only an interesting character but also meant to be an anti-thesis to fantasy heroes popular in the '60s or so when it was all about buff dudes clubbing things to death and saving damsels. Elric, on the other hand, is a weak blooded albino emperor of an island nation that ruled for ten thousand years before falling into decadence and obscurity from the world. When I say “weak blooded” I'm referring to his physical prowess considering he's an incredibly powerful sorcerer as well as summoner deriving his power not only from natural talents but also from pacts with Lords of Chaos that emperors of Melnibone have held pacts with since basically forever. Just to put things into perspective Elric is 428th emperor so that's quite a line of succession and takeovers.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because The Ruby Throne is our protagonist's origin story presented in graphical novel format... in proper chronological order this time, unlike with novels where it took a while for author to actually explain Elric's story and advance him from “mysterious wanderer with a curse”. We see that people of Melnibone are decadent as all hell and see themselves superior to other nations, Younger Kingdoms as they call them, while Elric himself is having doubts about their very nature and mindset. He's not exactly what an ideal emperor of such people should be and his cousin Yyrkoon is far from impressed which sets him on a path to do something about it which kicks off events of the story proper. Sadly, The Ruby Throne is merely the first part of the origin and you'll have to check out Stormbringer to see where the moniker comes from and how Elric ends up becoming an adventurer that opens him up to even more stories.
Seeing as this is a graphical novel it's only fair I say something about the artwork, right? If you glance at some of the pages it becomes obvious this entire production and package are absolutely GORGEOUS. I'm talking cover art worthy here and it persists. Particular thing of note is the outstanding lining and shading derived therefrom. There is nary a flat surface in sight and shortcuts were definitely not taken. After all, we are talking about proficient artists the likes of Poli and Recht here. I also liked how writing and art worked in tandem to not really sugarcoat the Melnibonese culture in any way and you see it all – gore, nudity and acts that would put Elric in dubious camp, but they're just part of what he has to do keep his health up. Writing in particular, while obviously simplified for the sake of the medium and flow, does a solid job at hitting the notes from the books. I can't say for certain considering novel was translated from french but I'm almost willing to bet some lines taken directly from the novels. Don't quote me on that, though. If I had one negative in this department it would be wishing they were more liberal with layouts and flow. Neither is bad in the first place, but paneling doesn't have to be as strict, doubly so because they demonstrated they're willing and able to free it up a bit here and there.
Would I recommend The Ruby Throne? If my gushing over it hasn't been clear enough the answer is yes. Sure, it ends on a cliffhanger, but Stormbringer is already out and available so you can jump on it immediately after finishing this one. There's little I can really add that I haven't already rambled on about – art is extraordinary, there's no preaching you'd expect from some comics these days and it stays true to Elric while embellishing here and there where necessary. In a sense, it treats the source material with respect and care it deserves and that's a major plus for me.
If you don't know who Elric of Melnibone is, well, I'm not really going to give you an extensive primer but let's just say he's a beloved character penned by Michael Moorcock that somehow never achieved prominence in wider fantasy circles. Unjustly so, I would point out considering he's not only an interesting character but also meant to be an anti-thesis to fantasy heroes popular in the '60s or so when it was all about buff dudes clubbing things to death and saving damsels. Elric, on the other hand, is a weak blooded albino emperor of an island nation that ruled for ten thousand years before falling into decadence and obscurity from the world. When I say “weak blooded” I'm referring to his physical prowess considering he's an incredibly powerful sorcerer as well as summoner deriving his power not only from natural talents but also from pacts with Lords of Chaos that emperors of Melnibone have held pacts with since basically forever. Just to put things into perspective Elric is 428th emperor so that's quite a line of succession and takeovers.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because The Ruby Throne is our protagonist's origin story presented in graphical novel format... in proper chronological order this time, unlike with novels where it took a while for author to actually explain Elric's story and advance him from “mysterious wanderer with a curse”. We see that people of Melnibone are decadent as all hell and see themselves superior to other nations, Younger Kingdoms as they call them, while Elric himself is having doubts about their very nature and mindset. He's not exactly what an ideal emperor of such people should be and his cousin Yyrkoon is far from impressed which sets him on a path to do something about it which kicks off events of the story proper. Sadly, The Ruby Throne is merely the first part of the origin and you'll have to check out Stormbringer to see where the moniker comes from and how Elric ends up becoming an adventurer that opens him up to even more stories.
Seeing as this is a graphical novel it's only fair I say something about the artwork, right? If you glance at some of the pages it becomes obvious this entire production and package are absolutely GORGEOUS. I'm talking cover art worthy here and it persists. Particular thing of note is the outstanding lining and shading derived therefrom. There is nary a flat surface in sight and shortcuts were definitely not taken. After all, we are talking about proficient artists the likes of Poli and Recht here. I also liked how writing and art worked in tandem to not really sugarcoat the Melnibonese culture in any way and you see it all – gore, nudity and acts that would put Elric in dubious camp, but they're just part of what he has to do keep his health up. Writing in particular, while obviously simplified for the sake of the medium and flow, does a solid job at hitting the notes from the books. I can't say for certain considering novel was translated from french but I'm almost willing to bet some lines taken directly from the novels. Don't quote me on that, though. If I had one negative in this department it would be wishing they were more liberal with layouts and flow. Neither is bad in the first place, but paneling doesn't have to be as strict, doubly so because they demonstrated they're willing and able to free it up a bit here and there.
Would I recommend The Ruby Throne? If my gushing over it hasn't been clear enough the answer is yes. Sure, it ends on a cliffhanger, but Stormbringer is already out and available so you can jump on it immediately after finishing this one. There's little I can really add that I haven't already rambled on about – art is extraordinary, there's no preaching you'd expect from some comics these days and it stays true to Elric while embellishing here and there where necessary. In a sense, it treats the source material with respect and care it deserves and that's a major plus for me.
felipeheld's review
5.0
The Elric Omnibus Comicbooks belong to one of my favourite Art pieces! The Illustrations are wonderful and I love the dark and mysterious aura that they represent! One day I want to read a book of the Elric Saga to see if I like the literature version of this world too! The History of the Melnibonnéans is so fascinating and definetely my vibe!
I saw that there's a german Omnibus Version coming out this autumn... So yeah, definetely hyped to read more about the White Wolf!
I saw that there's a german Omnibus Version coming out this autumn... So yeah, definetely hyped to read more about the White Wolf!
zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
This book seems more to be a scenography book for movie production than comic book adaptation of Moorcock's Elric.
First - this is rather dark and graphic book. I am not puritan but this might not be to everyone's taste.
Entire feel is so grandiose, so epic it is unbelievable. From sea battles and huge warships to minutiae of court life in Immryr, details are absolutely amazing.
Character of Elric is fully captured - although he has moral qualms about his people's behavior, he is after all a Melnibonean and not just that - he is a nobleman. He is not above venting on human slaves or using daemon powers and slaying people around him to achieve his goals.
Excellent book. I am great fan of graphic novels and this one is so beautiful ..... just do yourself a favor and read it. Last time I was this taken by drawing was after reading Blacksad.
First - this is rather dark and graphic book. I am not puritan but this might not be to everyone's taste.
Entire feel is so grandiose, so epic it is unbelievable. From sea battles and huge warships to minutiae of court life in Immryr, details are absolutely amazing.
Character of Elric is fully captured - although he has moral qualms about his people's behavior, he is after all a Melnibonean and not just that - he is a nobleman. He is not above venting on human slaves or using daemon powers and slaying people around him to achieve his goals.
Excellent book. I am great fan of graphic novels and this one is so beautiful ..... just do yourself a favor and read it. Last time I was this taken by drawing was after reading Blacksad.
jalp's review against another edition
5.0
Me arrepiento mucho de haber empezado la saga de Elric por el cómic. Y es más gravoso aún sabiendo que tengo los libros. Buenísimo.
jobot0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
some_okie_dude27's review against another edition
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.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
4.0
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.