Review by C.J. Bunce
I think if you were to compare the graphic novel adaptation of Dune to the new graphic novel adaptation of Michael Moorcock’s Hawkmoon saga, you’ll probably find Hawkmoon to be more compelling. It’s definitely more accessible. Titan Comics is publishing a well-compiled, solid fantasy adaptation of the series featuring Dorian Hawkmoon by writer Jérôme Le Gris and artists Benoît Dellac and Didier Poli, translated into English by Marc Bourbon-Crook. The first of four volumes, The Black Jewel, is in stores and available here at Amazon this week for the first time.
Who is Dorian Hawkmoon? The distant future of Europe reeks of the battles of the Middle Ages, as the world has devolved into a dystopian horror of war upon war. Failed in attempting to save his father’s life, Lord Hawkmoon, Duke of Koln is taken prisoner. Steampunk-looking sci-fi technology is used to turn him into a treacherous tool to infiltrate his own people and provide information to help his enemies, the people of Granbretan, all against his will. The tool is the Black Jewel, a window into his world implanted in his forehead.
This first volume introduces the characters and the world building–a Europe of war between future England and France–and Hawkmoon is forced to return to what was once London and seize Yisselda, daughter of the Baron of Londra, who the vile Meliadus seeks to marry. Hawkmoon’s Black Jewel is a window to those who control him, including a creature that can only be compared to Kuato, the infantile-looking character capable of mental manipulation in Total Recall.
The story is layered with both the political scheming of Frank Herbert’s Dune and H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, along with the grotesque creatures and creations of Dune. Both Dune and Moorcock’s novels were written in the mid-1960s.
Writer Le Gris delivers a compelling adaptation that pares down a detailed narrative for the medium in an easy to digest manner. The artists create a bleak but fantasy-rich world any fan of the genre will appreciate.
Add this first volume of the Hawkmoon saga to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic shop now. Michael Moorcock’s Hawkmoon: The Black Jewel is now available here at Amazon.
