Solomon Kane Volume 1 The Castle Of The Devil

Robert E. Howard's vengeance-obsessed Puritan begins his supernatural adventures in the haunted Black Forest of Germany in this adaptation of Howard's "The Castle of the Devil." When Solomon Kane stumbles upon the body of a boy hanged from a rickety gallows, he goes after the man responsible—a baron feared by the peasants for miles around. Something far worse than the devilish baron and the terrible, intelligent wolf that prowls the woods lies hidden in the ruined monastery beneath the baron's castle, where a devil-worshiping priest died in chains centuries ago. • This team's debut Kane story is available for free at myspace.com/darkhorsepresents. • "Solomon Kane is one of the toughest Robert E. Howard heroes to adapt to the comics page, but Scott Allie and Mario Guevara have done a stunning job. Unsettling, moody and eerily beautiful, their Kane is absolutely worthy of his creator."—Kurt Busiek • Collects the Solomon Kane five-issue miniseries.

Taking place after the events in Solomon Kane: The Castle of the Devil—but written to stand on its own—this new tale delves deep into the horrors scattered throughout Germany's Black Forest and adapts two of Robert E. Howard's most beloved Solomon Kane pieces. When Kane comes across gypsies being terrorized by roving bandits, he's not sure what's worse—the bandits who wish to rob and rape innocent travelers or the evils that spew forth from the forest, intent on killing every man and woman around! This book also features the "All the Damned Souls at Sea" Kane comic by Scott Allie, Guy Davis, and Dave Stewart; creature designs by Eisner Award-winning artist Guy Davis; and a new cover by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. • "Solomon Kane is a welcome addition to the other excellent Howard properties produced by Dark Horse."—ComicsBulletin.com

With Conan the Cimmerian, Robert E. Howard created more than the greatest action hero of the twentieth century—he also launched a genre that came to be known as sword and sorcery. But Conan wasn’t the first archetypal adventurer to spring from Howard’s fertile imagination. “He was . . . a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan. . . . A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things. . . . Wayward and restless as the wind, he was consistent in only one respect—he was true to his ideals of justice and right. Such was Solomon Kane.” Collected in this volume, lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Gary Gianni, are all of the stories and poems that make up the thrilling saga of the dour and deadly Puritan, Solomon Kane. Together they constitute a sprawling epic of weird fantasy adventure that stretches from sixteenth-century England to remote African jungles where no white man has set foot. Here are shudder-inducing tales of vengeful ghosts and bloodthirsty demons, of dark sorceries wielded by evil men and women, all opposed by a grim avenger armed with a fanatic’s faith and a warrior’s savage heart. This edition also features exclusive story fragments, a biography of Howard by scholar Rusty Burke, and “In Memoriam,” H. P. Lovecraft’s moving tribute to his friend and fellow literary genius.

This early work by Robert E. Howard was originally published in 1929 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'Skulls in the Stars' is a story that follows the adventures of the puritan explorer Solomon Kane. Robert Ervin Howard was born in Peaster, Texas in 1906. During his youth, his family moved between a variety of Texan boomtowns, and Howard – a bookish and somewhat introverted child – was steeped in the violent myths and legends of the Old South. At fifteen Howard began to read the pulp magazines of the day, and to write more seriously. The December 1922 issue of his high school newspaper featured two of his stories, 'Golden Hope Christmas' and 'West is West'. In 1924 he sold his first piece – a short caveman tale titled 'Spear and Fang' – for $16 to the not-yet-famous Weird Tales magazine. Howard's most famous character, Conan the Cimmerian, was a barbarian-turned-King during the Hyborian Age, a mythical period of some 12,000 years ago. Conan featured in seventeen Weird Tales stories between 1933 and 1936 which is why Howard is now regarded as having spawned the 'sword and sorcery' genre. The Conan stories have since been adapted many times, most famously in the series of films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Solomon Kane faces two of his greatest foes in Africa! Seeking to avenge the horrible murder of a young girl, Solomon Kane chases the feared swordsman Le Loup across the globe, where he finds the villain in league with Songa, the powerful leader of a deceived jungle tribe. Kane finds an ally in the frail, ancient form of magic man N'Longa--but will the old, deposed witch doctor really be able to challenge Songa and save Solomon's life? Collects the four-issue miniseries.

More comfortable with a sword than a scepter, the enigmatic Kull has recently crowned himself king and seeks to unite the once proud and powerful land of Valusia. As representatives from all corners of his kingdom seek his counsel, the warrior-king accepts a strange invitation from the Pictish emissary. Kull will need to discard ancient prejudices if he's to save the newly united Valusian empire from a clandestine enemy that once threatened to enslave and exterminate mankind! Aided by Brule—a hotheaded Pict confidant—Kull uncovers layers of deception and treachery in the ancient halls of the Tower of Splendor and faces the growing threat of the devious Serpent Cult! Join us as we discover Valusia's darkest secrets and witness the first days of its mightiest king. • Collection features a new cover by Paul Renaud. • See pages 28-29 for the conclusion to Arvid Nelson's acclaimed Rex Mundi series and the return of Zero Killer! • "Strong storytelling, powerful action, real emotion, great detail work, and a balls-to-the-wall sense of power from his main character."—Comic Book Resources

David Lapham (Stray Bullets) pits Robert E. Howard's original barbarian king against a terrifying magical foe from his doomed homeland of Atlantis. The Hate Witch has waited from the beginning of time for a great man of uncertain destiny, whom she can use to bring about the destruction of civilization. She believes that King Kull is that man, and she has launched an all-out assault on Valusia, slaughtering its people, in an attempt to draw him to her seat of power—the wilds of Atlantis! Kull will have to return to his savage origins if he wants to hold onto the throne in Valusia and save it from civil war! Collects issues #1-#4 of the miniseries.

Legendary artist Joe Kubert's very first sequential Conan work and illustrations by Cary Nord, Justin Sweet, and Joseph Michael Linsner highlight this latest collection of stories from Dark Horse's ongoing Conan the Cimmerian comic -- book series. In his short career as a mercenary, young Conan has impressed both Princess Yasmela and military leader Lord Amalric, but an ambitious rogue prince arrives in Khoraja and blindsides Conan out of the comfortable, courtly situation he's found himself in. Not only is Conan's love affair with Yasmela going south, but rebel Prince Julion immediately challenges Conan's headstrong impulses and military plans, causing a rift between the battered but proud forces of Khoraja and Amalric's army of colorful mercs.