Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane omnibus

‘Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane’ omnibus

Marvel Comics, January 2020

Christmas-time is approaching, that time of the year when splurging on a high-end book is a bit more likely. So it is that I'm taking a look at a comics omnibus that will set you back about $75, more or less. 

‘Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane’ omnibus (624 pp., Marvel Comics, January 2020) compiles all of the stories featuring this character that were published by Marvel, both in its black-and-white comic magazines and in its four-color comic books. 

The omnibus leads off with ‘Skulls in the Stars’, from Monsters Unleashed issue No. 1, August 1973, and ends with the two-part ‘Death’s Dark Riders’ from issues 219 and 220 of The Savage Sword of Conan (March-April 1994).

Like the other Marvel omnibuses, this one is well-produced on glossy paper stock with crisp reproductions of both the black-and-white and color artwork. I obtained a variant cover edition that apparently is distributed through comic book shops; my vendor was Westfield Comics of Madison, WI. They shipped the book in a well-padded box, and it arrived without any damage.

Prior to this omnibus, you could get the black-and-white Solomon Kane stories via the 2009 Dark Horse compilation The Saga of Solomon Kane. Unfortunately, this trade paperback is long out of print, and copies in reasonably good condition have asking prices ($50 for a Very Good copy) well over its original $19.95 cost. So, in some ways, you’re better off spending the extra money to get the Marvel omnibus.

Of the comics collected in ‘Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane’ omnibus, those first appearing in the black-and-white magazines (Monsters Unleashed, Kull and the Barbarians, The Savage Sword of Conan) during the early and mid- 1970s are clearly the best. 

Ralph Reese’s fine penmanship on the inaugural tale, ‘Skulls in the Stars’, is amazing, and a reminder of how dedicated those old-school artists were to their craft even though it was destined to be poorly printed on mediocre-grade paper. 

With artists like Alan Weiss, David Wenzel, Mike Zeck, and Howard Chaykin also contributing their talents, the early years of the Solomon Kane franchise well stand the test of time. The writing, handled by Marvel stalwarts like Roy Thomas, Don Glut, and Doug Moench, suffers at times from having to compress the narrative into a small set of pages, leaving many panels overloaded with text. But that’s how it was back in the 70s, when any use of the nowadays common technique of ‘decompression’ would have provoked stern words from the editorial staff.

The six-issue limited series color comic book that Marvel produced in 1985-1986, ‘The Sword of Solomon Kane’, is competent enough, but in my opinion doesn’t approach the level of excellence displayed in the early, black-and-white content.

But there's no getting over the fact that the Solomon Kane stories that appeared in The Savage Sword of Conan during the early 1990s, when the magazine was in decline and Marvel assigned its less talented artists to illustrate it, are underwhelming.

The back pages of the omnibus provide some of the one-page and two-page articles about Howard and his Solomon Kane stories that were featured in the black-and-white books, as well as in Marvel's color comics. These are useful starting points for anyone who is unfamiliar with the Kane mythos. Also in the back section of the omnibus are pin-up pages, and some examples of original artwork pages. 

Summing up, the rather mediocre nature of the material from the 80s and early 90s means I can’t declare this book a must-have. However, if you are a fan of Marvel’s old black-and-white magazines, the heroes of the Robert E. Howard canon, or simply someone who likes the skilled work of the 1970s era of comic book artists, then investing in the ‘Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane’ omnibus may be worth your while.