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agramugl's review against another edition
4.0
I have a complex relationship with Elric of Melnibone. On one hand, the lavish, dark world Michael Moorcock originally conceived is gloriously morbid. Decadence, violence, and nigh-Lovecraftian horror fills the pages of the Elric stories, and, in short doses, they're enjoyable enough. Problem is that, beyond Elric, the characters simply aren't that interesting. Beyond, of course, Elric's backstory as the destroyer of Melnibone.
The short stories would go beyond that and focus on Elric fighting monsters and horrors, but this two-part comic series focuses on the core of what makes Elric a compelling staple of the fantasy genre. Reading it revived my interest in a character who, in all honesty, I've kind of dismissed as a cool idea with a weak execution.
Warning, though. This is a short graphic novel, and is incomplete without its sequel. I'll be reading that shortly. Also, if violence and sexuality offend you, you probably better not read this. Some of the gore borders on Hellraiser levels of gruesome and sadistic.
The short stories would go beyond that and focus on Elric fighting monsters and horrors, but this two-part comic series focuses on the core of what makes Elric a compelling staple of the fantasy genre. Reading it revived my interest in a character who, in all honesty, I've kind of dismissed as a cool idea with a weak execution.
Warning, though. This is a short graphic novel, and is incomplete without its sequel. I'll be reading that shortly. Also, if violence and sexuality offend you, you probably better not read this. Some of the gore borders on Hellraiser levels of gruesome and sadistic.
daybreak's review against another edition
3.0
Ok that one was special. I have never read the book series this is based on but my interest got caught by the royalty + fantasy setting.
At the very first page of this graphic novel there is a little dialogue as to how this kingdom is "the most decadent and violent" of all the kingdoms. Typical fantasy am I right? Not.
For once, this was actually true. We are not talking normal fantasy violence and decadence here : this is some other level shit! Within the first 5 pages I was actually literally shocked by the gore.
I don't know if it's because I haven't read the books so I don't get why these acts are being carried out (casually gouging eyes, slicing people open in some rituals, piercing bodies and drinking blood...) but wtf. Since I don't get the meaning of the actions or the "culture" of the characters (since they are not humans), I got the feeling that the violence was purely gratuitious and for shock value. I believe reading the book may have dealt with that but delved in unknowing...
I was actually so disgusted and horrified by some panels (I did the sorry mistake of looking at the - horrid - details) that I considered not finishing the volume. But I did go on.
Aside from the violence, the plot in itself is quite interesting and engaging but my enjoyment was harshly lessened by the dreadful show.
At the very first page of this graphic novel there is a little dialogue as to how this kingdom is "the most decadent and violent" of all the kingdoms. Typical fantasy am I right? Not.
For once, this was actually true. We are not talking normal fantasy violence and decadence here : this is some other level shit! Within the first 5 pages I was actually literally shocked by the gore.
I don't know if it's because I haven't read the books so I don't get why these acts are being carried out (casually gouging eyes, slicing people open in some rituals, piercing bodies and drinking blood...) but wtf. Since I don't get the meaning of the actions or the "culture" of the characters (since they are not humans), I got the feeling that the violence was purely gratuitious and for shock value. I believe reading the book may have dealt with that but delved in unknowing...
I was actually so disgusted and horrified by some panels (I did the sorry mistake of looking at the - horrid - details) that I considered not finishing the volume. But I did go on.
Aside from the violence, the plot in itself is quite interesting and engaging but my enjoyment was harshly lessened by the dreadful show.
otherwyrld's review against another edition
3.0
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.
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.
annasirius's review against another edition
4.0
4.3 stars
I had seen a previous graphic novel adaption of Moorcock's Elric whose style completely put me off, but when I came upon this book, the art immediately resonated with me. It's beautifully done: dark, menacing, and dynamic.
The story wasn't outstanding but it brought Moorcock's world to life in a way that his own stories haven't managed to do in my mind.
I had seen a previous graphic novel adaption of Moorcock's Elric whose style completely put me off, but when I came upon this book, the art immediately resonated with me. It's beautifully done: dark, menacing, and dynamic.
The story wasn't outstanding but it brought Moorcock's world to life in a way that his own stories haven't managed to do in my mind.
nagia's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful, bleak and cruel it stays true to the spirit of the book and complements it. The colors were rich, the images were disturbing, reflecting the casual cruelty of the Melnibonéans that was hard to convey through the narration, and it visualized the paradoxical world of Moorcock. I really liked it but I think I had an advantage having read the book first.
markyon's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first instalment of what should be a new graphic series – the retelling of Mike Moorcock’s famous Elric books through the graphic medium. This first book tells the story known to prose readers as Elric of Melniboné and so covers the origins of albino Elric, Emperor of Melniboné, his betrayal by his brother-in-law Yrkoon and the consequences of this on Elric, the Ruby Throne and the Kingdom of Melniboné.
‘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, Yrkoon plots to claim the Ruby Throne for himself. Yet when Elric’s people come under 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… ‘
You may know that I am an Elric fan. They are some of the first adult Fantasy books I read, one of my access points to the genre. They are also very popular, never really being out of print (in the UK at least) since their original publication, and originally date from about 1960.
So there was a lot riding on this version: would this graphic version match my fond memories of a well-loved series?
Well, I was very pleased with this. The writing is straight out of Mike’s tales, the graphicacy from artists Didier Poli, Robin Recht and Jean Bastide is startlingly good. The visuals create what I was most hoping for, a tale that keeps the Epicness of the prose and gives them a vivid cinematic detail. The detail and dynamism of the images portray the sheer scale of the tales that previously were in a reader’s own imagination.
This book captures that sheer cruelty of the Melnibonian race, whose way of seeing things are often very different to those of us. They are violent and warlike yet also lazy, indolent and arrogant. I must also warn that this also means that there are times when this decadence is shown in quite adult ways and therefore this book is perhaps not for younger readers.
Most importantly, the book shows the reader the complex enigma that is Elric, a true anti-hero. There’s a lot we actually don’t like about him here, as the ruler of a race whose usual solution to problems are extreme. They’re the sort of people who would be happy killing a whole village for one person’s indiscretion.
Mike himself has written a great Introduction to the book, stating that although there have been many images of Elric before, including those original drawings by Mike’s great friend Jim Cawthorn (as shown in the recent Gollancz re-releases) not to mention the world famous version by Michael Whelan, ‘this is the first graphic version to fully capture the sense of utter decadence I tried to convey in the books.’
That’s not to say that there are no changes to the original novel’s plot by Julien Blondel, albeit with the original author’s permission. However, for readers of the novels (like me) they do not seem great, and are not really noticeable to those reading this version. They are probably much less than would happen if this was turned into a film.
It is clear though that this is the first in what will be a major series. The tale ends on a cliff-hanger that fans of the original tale will know and love, and should make you want to pick up the next book straight away. Anyone in any doubt over the time and care spent on this series will be dissuaded by the eight page section at the end which shows the project’s aims and background as well as some details on some of the main locales and characters that will be in this series: Yrkoon, Dyvim Tvar, Arioch and Doctor Jest, for example. Though the sword Stormbringer is yet to appear in this series (it will be in Volume 2), there are some nice detailed drawings in this last section of what it will look like.
In summary, with the seemingly ever-mentioned possibility of Elric movies again in abeyance, this series is perhaps the closest we will get to a visual version of Mike’s grand Fantasy vision. I thoroughly enjoyed it and finished it all too soon. I would recommend it as an ideal place to start the Elric story if you have never read them but wondered what all the fuss is about.
‘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, Yrkoon plots to claim the Ruby Throne for himself. Yet when Elric’s people come under 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… ‘
You may know that I am an Elric fan. They are some of the first adult Fantasy books I read, one of my access points to the genre. They are also very popular, never really being out of print (in the UK at least) since their original publication, and originally date from about 1960.
So there was a lot riding on this version: would this graphic version match my fond memories of a well-loved series?
Well, I was very pleased with this. The writing is straight out of Mike’s tales, the graphicacy from artists Didier Poli, Robin Recht and Jean Bastide is startlingly good. The visuals create what I was most hoping for, a tale that keeps the Epicness of the prose and gives them a vivid cinematic detail. The detail and dynamism of the images portray the sheer scale of the tales that previously were in a reader’s own imagination.
This book captures that sheer cruelty of the Melnibonian race, whose way of seeing things are often very different to those of us. They are violent and warlike yet also lazy, indolent and arrogant. I must also warn that this also means that there are times when this decadence is shown in quite adult ways and therefore this book is perhaps not for younger readers.
Most importantly, the book shows the reader the complex enigma that is Elric, a true anti-hero. There’s a lot we actually don’t like about him here, as the ruler of a race whose usual solution to problems are extreme. They’re the sort of people who would be happy killing a whole village for one person’s indiscretion.
Mike himself has written a great Introduction to the book, stating that although there have been many images of Elric before, including those original drawings by Mike’s great friend Jim Cawthorn (as shown in the recent Gollancz re-releases) not to mention the world famous version by Michael Whelan, ‘this is the first graphic version to fully capture the sense of utter decadence I tried to convey in the books.’
That’s not to say that there are no changes to the original novel’s plot by Julien Blondel, albeit with the original author’s permission. However, for readers of the novels (like me) they do not seem great, and are not really noticeable to those reading this version. They are probably much less than would happen if this was turned into a film.
It is clear though that this is the first in what will be a major series. The tale ends on a cliff-hanger that fans of the original tale will know and love, and should make you want to pick up the next book straight away. Anyone in any doubt over the time and care spent on this series will be dissuaded by the eight page section at the end which shows the project’s aims and background as well as some details on some of the main locales and characters that will be in this series: Yrkoon, Dyvim Tvar, Arioch and Doctor Jest, for example. Though the sword Stormbringer is yet to appear in this series (it will be in Volume 2), there are some nice detailed drawings in this last section of what it will look like.
In summary, with the seemingly ever-mentioned possibility of Elric movies again in abeyance, this series is perhaps the closest we will get to a visual version of Mike’s grand Fantasy vision. I thoroughly enjoyed it and finished it all too soon. I would recommend it as an ideal place to start the Elric story if you have never read them but wondered what all the fuss is about.
wizardmacdonald's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Violence