Before Conan, there was Solomon Kane.Writer Robert E. Howard, who created both characters, published "Red Shadows" in the pulp magazine "Weird Tales" in 1928 (Conan didn't come along until 1932). It starred a 17th-century Puritan who follows a group of brigands led by "Le Loup" from France to Africa to avenge the death of a young girl. Howard wrote six more stories and three poems starring the dour Kane, who uses rapier, dagger and flintlocks to battle evil (and the occasional monster) all over the world of the 1600s.Kane made the transition to comic books in the '80s, with Marvel Comics publishing the six-issue "Sword of Solomon Kane" miniseries and almost two-dozen other stories, mostly in black-and-white magazines free of Comics Code restrictions on violence. Now, Dark Horse is taking up Kane's cloak with a series of miniseries, beginning with the aptly named "Solomon Kane" No. 1 (of 5), on sale Sept. 24.Curious, I interviewed "Kane" writer Scott Allie:Captain Comics: Give me a thumbnail take on Solomon Kane.Allie: A cold, driven man with little emotional life, and a desire to do good, but violence is all he's good at.CC: Yikes! Yet Kane's theoretically a religious man -- one who indulges in almost constant fighting, and is skilled with the weapons of the time. Isn't that a dichotomy?Allie: Oh, yeah. His take on Christianity is pretty freewheeling for a Puritan. He never talks much about Jesus. He's just a soldier who wants to serve God, and he hasn't realized yet how much that limits him.CC: Kane runs into a lot of evil, not only in human but also monstrous forms. Does that make him doubt his faith, or reinforce it?Allie: It reinforces it. He's always above everything around him, so he thinks he has a clear line of sight on God.CC: Are you worried about a backlash to the religious aspects from either side of the spectrum? Or will you play that part down in favor of action/adventure?Allie: I don't know. It's gonna be there. But Kane doesn't sermonize, so it won't be that much of a distraction either way.CC: How did Kane get so good at warfare? Does he have an origin, and if not, are you going to provide one?Allie: I don't really like origins. Characters don't have origins, they just evolve, like people. There's not that one incident where you become who you are -- Kane has a complex past, one we'll deal with over time. The stories we're telling are his immersion into the world of the supernatural, and his quest for meaning, but he's been on this road a long time.CC: How much real history will you mix into the stories? Are you doing a lot of research on the period?Allie: I'm doing a fair amount of research, but it won't be in the book too much. Kane's most exciting stories take place on the edges of civilization, so he's not rubbing elbows with a lot of people whose names were ever written down.CC: "Puritan" doesn't mean "monk." Any chance Kane could meet a woman who could stand him? Plans for any kind of supporting cast?Allie: The supporting cast will grow and evolve like in "Conan" -- people will come and go -- but Kane doesn't have friends, and he definitely will not be meeting a lady on the road.X...X...XAlthough Howard did mention a former love interest named Bess in the poem "Solomon Kane's Homecoming." But Howard never got around to telling us much about Bess -- he died in 1936 at age 30 -- and in the poem she's been dead for seven years. Oh, well.And Kane will meet an English mercenary named John Silent in the first miniseries, based on a fragment left by Howard called "The Castle of the Devil." It takes place in the Black Forest of Germany, where a local baron reacts to mysterious murders by stringing up some local boys. I don't think our stern Puritan will take well to that!And finally, Variety reported in January a "Solomon Kane" movie in production (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117978703.html?categoryId=13&cs=1&query=Solomon+Kane). Starring James Purefoy (Mark Antony in "Rome") and Max Von Sydow, "Kane" is directed and co-written by Michael J. Bassett ("Deathwatch"), who plans a trilogy. It's in post-production, according to IMDB.com, and due sometime this year. And Purefoy looks great on the poster (www.movieweb.com/news/93/24593.php)!(Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us.)
Post new comment