A review by some_okie_dude27
The Ruby Throne by Julien Blondel

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.