Saturday, 11 June 2011

Enter Kabur!



KABUR (Volume 1)
by Claude J. Legrand, Jean-Marc Lofficier & Luciano Bernasconi, cover by Ladrönn.
Hexagon Comics
Paperback 5 x 8″,
252 pages
Black and white
ISBN # 1-932983-83-X / 978-1-932983-83-8
US$ 20.95 + $3.00 p&h
Contents:
- Foreword by Roy Thomas
- Introduction by Jean-Marc Lofficier
- Kabur #1-#6 by Claude Legrand & Luciano Bernasconi
- Kabur #7-#10 by Jean-Marc Lofficier & Luciano Bernasconi
- Young Kabur by Jean-Marc Lofficier & David Delafuente

Story: The adventures of the young prince of Thule in long-lost Hyperborea.

Really, I think Hexagon needs to pad-out its “story” piece on the web site because it tells you nothing about the book.

Behind Ladronns’ cover (almost a Barry Windsor-Smith look to it) is a book that ought to please any fan of Conan or Kull comics (everyone remembers Marvels Kull comic from the 1970s…right?).

“Long before the destruction of fabled Mu…Eons ago, in an age of
swords and sorcery, there arose a great champion…whose legend became…The Saga Of Kabur!”


With a hook like that can you go wrong?  No. I loved the John Buscema Conan’s and, as I wrote, got the first Kull comic but I’m not a major barbarian comics fan.  But this is far more.  The stories are full of good characterisation, plot twists as well as some great action involving swords, bows, fists and, oh yeah, monsters and dastardly villains inter-mixed with sorcery.

Young Kabur was fun and the art style worked well. In fact, the whole comic is full of lush black and white work -I think that many young artists could learn a lot from this if they intend to draw comics.

I’m not sure whether I’ve written it before (I may have knowing me!) but Jean-Marc Lofficier deserves a great deal of praise for bringing these French classics to an English language readership.  I sometimes feel I’m quite spoilt with the type of books I get –and not a DC or Marvel in sight!


Check out Hexagon Comics site if you can’t find this or the other books in your local shop:
http://www.hexagoncomics.com/booksbcp.htm

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