Tag: comics

This month we’re celebrating 40 years since the first publication of Sláine in the pages of 2000 AD Prog 330. Created by Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid, the Celtric Barbarian is one of the most enduring characters in our history. But who is Sláine anyway? Here’s our ultimate guide into the Horned God, and his lasting legacy within the pages of The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic..

What exactly is Slaine?

A barbarian fantasy rooted in Celtic myths, fables, and history, the first Sláine strip appeared in 1983’s 2000 AD Prog 330, created by writer Pat Mills and his then-wife, illustrator Angie Kincaid. Inspired as much by the high fantasy of writers such as Robert E. Howard – whose Conan the Barbarian had already demonstrated the potential for comic book success of fantasy material – as real-life and mythical and figures, Sláine was named for the first high king of Ireland, Sláine mac Dela, although his adventures went further than historical re-enactments; Mills and Kincaid’s axe-swinging hero would face off against dragons and gods alike, fueled only by his righteous anger and ability to “warp spasm,” transforming himself into an unstoppable warrior monster.

An immediate hit with readers, the series quickly became a regular fixture of 2000 AD throughout the 1980s, with artists including Ace Trucking Company’s Massimo Bellarinelli, Judge Dredd’s Mike McMahon, and Preacher cover artist Glenn Fabry following Kincaid in subsequent runs, as Mills continually upped the ante in terms of adventure and mayhem told through a mythological lens. It was the epic 1989 Sláine: The Horned God run, which featured fully-painted artwork from ABC Warriors’ Simon Bisley, that transformed the strip’s fortunes forever, though; the combination of Bisley’s beautiful, Frank Frazetta-inspired artwork and Mills’ ambitious writing combining to create one of the most successful and critically acclaimed stories in 2000 AD’s history to date.

Even as The Horned God revolutionized what readers expected from 2000 AD as the anthology headed into the 1990s – Bisley’s painted artwork spawned countless imitators and followers, attempting to scale the same heights he’d seemingly effortlessly reached – it redefined what Sláine could achieve. Subsequent series, which featured painted and digital art from the likes of a returning Glenn Fabry, Clint Langley, Simon Davis, and — most recently — Leonardo Manco maintained the epic scope of what Bisley and Mills had managed, with Mills taking his warrior king deeper into Celtic myth and beyond. 

At its best, Sláine offers something more than the traditional high-fantasy sword and sorcery stories that had become prevalent in comics before him: a foot in the door of real — and truly magical —  mythology. Researched and molded by Mills to reflect genuine myth as well as the adventure and fantasy readers craved, Slaine finds itself nestled among the best when it comes to historical fantasy in comics history. 

Sláine the character himself, however, has become far larger than just his creators…

What is Sláine about?

The saga of Sláine captures the stories of warring Celtic tribes and their people in Tir Nan Og — the ‘Land of the Young’; one of them being the Sessair, Sláine Mac Roth’s tribe that is as brutal in battle as they are unmatched — all of whom worship the earth Goddess Danu. Like many of his kind, Sláine possesses the power of the “warp spasm,” or the ability to channel the powers of the earth to become a monstrous, and wildly powerful berserker… a power that drives much of the tales of Sláine’s battle endeavors. 

The stories themselves, however, are narrated by Sláine’s companion: a surly, cowardly dwarf by the name of Ukko. While Ukko is often a thorn in Slaine’s side, his recountings lay the groundwork for the Sláine we come to know: an arrogant but proficient warrior, whose banishment from his tribe – he is sent away as the result of his romance with the Sessair king’s wife to-be – would begin a series of adventures unlike any the world had ever seen before. 

Not everything can be wandering and wildness though, as the land of Tir Nan Og is fraught with dangers, including dragons, mercenaries, and the wrath of a disappointed sacrificial maiden. Sláine eventually returns to Sessairian land to find his wife and lover, Niamh, the woman for whom he was banished, had given birth to his son Kai in his absence. Family life wasn’t the kind of thing to settle him down, however and Sláine becomes king of the Sessair and leads them to rise up against their oppressors, sea demons who call themselves the Fomorians (based on the supernatural race of Irish mythology). As if that revolution wasn’t enough, his victories continued as he soon united the Earth tribes against his primary foe, Lord Weird Slough Feg, whose reign of ancient evil has hovered like a cloud over his adventures. Upon Slough Feg’s death, Sláine’s devotion to the goddess of Earth leads him to become the new incarnation of the Horned God – a variation of Cernunnos in the Gaulish pantheon – and the first king of Ireland. 

That wasn’t the end of the story, however; with a reign that ends with the Earth Goddess sending him traveling through time to fight alongside Celtic legends such as Boudicca and William Wallace, it should come as no surprise to discover that Sláine’s adventures didn’t simply stop when he became a god. From the search for his son and recovering treasure stolen by Slough Feg’s son to facing down a Trojan army and joining arms with a mind-altering druid, the saga of Sláine not only continues to surprise and ignite only the best of barbarian fantasies, but endures as a testament to the lasting Thrill-power in the art of mythical storytelling. 

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As part of 2000 AD‘s 45th birthday celebrations, graphic novel editor Oliver Pickles spoke with Pat Mills about the saga of Sláine, one of his most famous creations…

Newcomers lured into the historical, myth-filled lands of Sláine might be forgiven for being overwhelmed by the expansive fantasy realm of Tir-Nan-Og first created by Pat Mills and Angela Kincaid in 1983. Sláine is a vast and magical series filled with breath-taking art from visionary talents including Massimo Bellardinelli, Mick McMahon, and Simon Bisley. Where to start, though? If you’re wanting to slash and burn your way through time with the Celtic Barbarian, here are four collections which should have you fully immersed in Sláine’s world in no time!

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WARRIOR’S DAWN

This first collection, which features the first ten stories ever published for the strip, is essential reading when it comes to diving into the mythical world of Sláine. 

Setting the stage for decades to come, Tir Nan Og (“the Land of the Young”) is a violent, malicious place where the Earth Tribes worship their gods and fight amongst each other. Among those tribes are the Sessair — the bravest and most skilled warriors of all of the tribes; but none so skilled as the young and arrogant barbarian by the name of Sláine MacRoth. This first collection sees Sláine, newly banished from the tribe, discovering the horrors of the world alongside his dwarf companion Ukko, including dragons, the wrath of a scorned druness, a burning wicker man, sky chariots, and the introduction of none other than the evil Lord Weird Slough Feg.

Written by Pat Mills and illustrated by a host of incredible and iconic artists (including Angie Kincaid, Ace Trucking Co.’s Massimo Bellardinelli, and The Last American’s Mick McMahon), the classic tales of Sláine’s origin not only offer a look back at the story’s humble beginning, but act as a cornerstone for everything awaiting down the line. 

THE HORNED GOD

Above all else, Sláine: The Horned God is still, nearly 30 years later, regarded as one of the most impressive and masterful works of British comics — and for good reason! Fully painted by artist Simon Bisley in a way that can only be described as awe-inspiring through a combination of kinetic photo-realism and exaggerated perspective, The Horned God has the wonderful benefit of standing alone in all its glory while not requiring its readers to have prior knowledge of the Sláine back catalogue. 

Originally spanning three volumes, this Sláine collection is true fantasy from start to end, with Slaine first overcoming the Formian sea demons threatening Tir-Nan-Og and the Earth Goddess; only to face his greatest challenge that, if successful, would give him control of nature itself and become the new Horned God — a prominent figure among Gaulish and Irish mythology. 

Far beyond the previous stories of fighting dragons or escaping death at the hands of a simple foe, The Horned God broadens the cast of Sláine characters — including its villains— into something larger than life and utterly engrossing. To say you should read The Horned God may be a misnomer, as many would agree that it’s not so much a book to be read, but one to be experienced. 

DEMON KILLER

Demon Killer sees Pat Mills taking Sláine in an entirely unexpected direction, as Earth Goddess Danu sends the hero through time to defend the future Tir-Nan-Og – or Ireland, as we know it – from the threat of Roman invasion, with his old foe Elfric leading the charge on behalf of Caesar. Reinventing the strip while maintaining the magic of what came before, Demon Killer is a bold step that broadens the definition of just what Sláine could be, even as it similarly expands the appeal of the strip to readers of all kinds.

Mills doesn’t manage this amazing trick alone, of course; he’s aided by a rogues gallery of some of 2000 AD’s greatest artists in the process, with Glenn Fabry, Dermot Power, Judge Dredd’s Greg Staples, and even V for Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd all providing breathtaking fully-painted artwork on this time-bending trip that rewrites history to make it that much more exciting – and far more filled with gods, demons, and axe-centric carnage, as well. Destruction on this kind of mythical scale has rarely looked better. 

DRAGONTAMER

In a way that feels almost a little too timely, the collection of Sláine: Dragontamer is at heart a story about rebellion and pushing back against oppression. Delving into new parts of history previously left untapped within the ever-expanding Sláine universe, Mills continues to stretch the reign of Sláine across the European map in a way that feels like fierce and fantastical alternate folklore, made possible by artist Leonardo Manco, whose line-work and attention to detail brings dynamic new life to the stories of old. 

Now facing off against the Trojans, it’s up to Sláine to lead the revolt against the tyrannical Emperor Brutus, whose rule over the people of Albion (which is to say, Britain) has gone on far too long. After traveling to New Troy with his companions and bringing the fight to Brutus’ door, Sláine discovers — after dealing with both fire breathing dragons and a dungeon filled with unspeakable secrets — that Brutus’ plague of terror is far worse than even he imagined.