Like Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock is someone that for the longest time I knew only by reputation rather than by exposure to their material, and what little I knew lead me to believe I wouldn't like their stuff. However, while the Conan comics have made me a Howard convert, what I've read of Elric comic adaptations seemed confusing, overwritten and just plain inaccessible. Since some of those comics were by Moorcock and Simonson from DC, I had no reason to believe this would be much different, but much to my surprise, I quite liked Elric: The Making of a Sorceror #1. Oh, I'm still confused about some things, and I'm not compelled to seek out of the original source material the way I was with Conan, but there's an imaginative mind at work here, and Simonson's artwork might be some of the finest work he's ever done.
As most folks know, I tend to focus on the writing more than the art in my reviews, but it really is the artwork that caught my attention and raised this book in my estimation. Walt Simonson is an artist whom I've always liked, and even though many of the characters he has worked on aren't my favorites, I can always recognize the greatness of his artwork. That's true here, and in a way, the spectacular way that Simonson depicts Elric and the world of Melnibone piques my interest enough that it almost doesn't matter what the story is. Stunning vistas, beautifully colored by Steve Oliff, provide a backdrop for amazingly beautiful and terrible creatures and warriors, and the action sequences are just breathtaking. Moorcock's tale is one of wonder, of a hero doing impossible, legendary things, and that power and sense of doing the impossible really comes through in Simonson's art.
It is the structure of Elric that I don't understand, and Moorcock doesn't really do anything in this book to make it clear to the new reader. If you don't already know the concept of Elric, good luck deciphering it from this story, which takes as written that the reader understands the notion of Elric living multiple lives in various dream realms. Or at least, I think that's what's going on. At any rate, it detracts only slightly from the action-heavy story, but I can't help thinking that if Moorcock had written this as if it were for new fans as well as those who already love the character, the strengths to be found in the book might lead those readers to seek it out, rather than just assuming that the book is written only for those who are already fans.
Forget about whether or not Elric's "many lives" or whatever are explained well, though, because aside from some confusion in transitions, the book actually reads pretty well without knowing the deal. What is clear is that Elric is a hero of legend like Conan, someone who has a destiny and who we are viewing in their younger days before that destiny really took over. Elric is in some ways the typical fantasy hero, showing a lot of strength and martial skill for someone who is supposed to be a weakling in his world, but he also has a lot of cleverness to him, which sees the native american-style people referring to him as a trickster god. The way that he deals with the giant is a great capsule view of how Elric acts, as well as a really cool scene and neat use of magic to problem solve.
Though I do wish that Moorcock had made this book a touch more approachable for new fans, I confess that there is a lot to like here, and I have become a little more intrigued about what the Elric saga might hold. There are any number of amazing scenes in here with dragons, giants, legendary swords and other monsters, married to a story of feudal intrigue and the growth of a young man into a powerful ruler. Fans of fantasy should definitely give this one a look, as should anyone who loved the dynamic superhero-meets-fantasy work that Simonson did during his legendary Thor run.
