Mario Guevara

Gotta say, of all the Solomon Kane stories I've read, this is likely one of my favourites. It just seemed to very much capture the tone and emotion of Kane better than most adaptations I've read in graphic novel form.

Having said that, I didn't mind the art, and at times, it was perfect. But for the most part, it was too sketchy, and undefined for my tastes. But the colorist should be complimented, because I think the colour palette also went a long way to capturing that tone and emotion as show more well.

Overall, if you're a fan of Robert E. Howard, or Solomon Kane's earlier publications, this one should go high on your list. And...bonus points if you can read German (I can't). show less

This book contains the first five issues of the Dark Horse comic book about Solomon Kane. I'm fine with placing copies of sketches and issue covers after the main story, but I rather wish that the short, "The Nightcomers," had been put before "The Castle of the Devil". After all, it takes place before the main story. This book is not my introduction to Solomon Kane. I've had the Centaur Press editions of THE HAND OF KANE, THE MOON OF SKULLS, and SOLOMON KANE for decades. Mr. Allie seems to show more have a good grasp of the mind of that dour Puritan. The art and its coloring suit this tale of supernatural menace. Of the characters we meet, I feel sorry for only the sacrificial victims, Father Stuttman, Jakob, and Mahasti. I feel a bit sorry for Jakob because he thought he was in the right -- too bad he stopped eavesdropping too soon. Mahasti may be a lady of easy virtue, but she's trying to escape a horrifying situation that she's in through no fault of her own.
The castle certainly deserves its nickname, no matter what the Baron thinks. The monsters are quite monstrous, and I am not referring just to their disgusting eating habits. Given the Baron's past, I rather wonder why he wanted a wife at all. There's plenty of action, plenty of blood, and some good advice from John Silent.
"The Nightcomers" packs a decent amount of action and horror in only eight pages. If you like Solomon Kane, or just tales of horror and the supernatural, you should like this book. show less

Dark Horse's 2009 adaptation of Robert E. Howard's puritan adventurer against all things evil, demonic and papist. The story is a nice bit of horror with some decent characterisation and some atmospheric artwork. Mario Guevara excels here at autumnal gloom.

With modern graphic novels, whereas film allows the elision of things for the sake of the flow, one can run back over the imagery and text for assistance in the explanation of the immediately inexplicable although this and 'Death's Black show more Riders' (more so) have their obscurities.

Some artwork and a short Solomon Kane ghost story in the EC comics tradition round off this edition. The story is based on a mere fragment of Howard's work so this should be considered to be more original than it claims to be - which is good. show less

Following their success with their new Conan comics, Dark Horse recently tackled the avenging Puritan. Writer Scott Allie and artist Mario Guevara expanded a [a:Robert E. Howard|66700|Robert E. Howard|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1210954603p2/66700.jpg] story fragment into the enjoyable graphic novel The Castle of the Devil. Allie successfully managed the subtle nuances of Kane's stoicism and world view. Guevara's art, while at first glance presenting a fresh approach to the character, show more actually hinders the tale with inferior storytelling and lack of character definition. Unlike the excellent Conan collections, this volume lacks a text piece introducing the far less famous Solomon Kane. Despite these flaws, The Castle of the Devil ranks among the finest Solomon Kane comics. show less