By Vicente Segrelles, translated by Mary McKee (NBM)
ISBN: 978-1-68112-124-6 (HB/Digital edition vol 1) ISBN: 978-1-68112-124-6 (HB/Digital edition vol 2)
Born in Barcelona in 1940, Vicente Segrelles Sacristán is a renowned illustrator of magazines and book covers on three continents and the creator of one of the world’s most popular graphic novel series. His first comics album El Mercenario (The Mercenary) was released in 1982: introducing an itinerant knight-for-hire fighting his way through a fantastic world of science and sorcery, usually on the back of a flying dragon.
Rendered initially in lush oil-paints (before graduating to creating art digitally from 1998 onwards), these epic tales blend visual realism and accuracy with fable, myth, historical weaponry, contemporary technology and classical science fiction themes. These fantastic scenes are screened through the visual lens of a trained architect and engineer. Fourteen albums were released between 1982-2003, most of them seen by English-language readers through the auspices of publisher NBM.
Hugely in demand for his painted covers since the 1970s, Segrelles has created book covers for the works of H. Rider Haggard, Poul Anderson, Roger Zelazny, Alistair McLean, G. F. Unger, Desmond Bagley, Andre Norton, Joel Rosenberg, Charles DeLint, C.H. Guenter, Jason Dark, Terry Pratchett and a host of others. European prose readers may also know him as the cover artist of Italian science fiction magazine Urania.
Volume 1 – The Cult of the Sacred Fire
Segrelles came to comics relatively late in his career and the reasons for that can be learned in a prodigious “behind-the-scenes” section at the back of this stunning remastered reissue.
Originally serialised in Spanish magazine Cimoc in 1980, El Mercenario was one of the earliest European series NBM published in English and to celebrate 40 years in business the company rereleased the series in fabulous oversized (314 x 236 mm) remastered hardcover albums to once more set the world alight. If you prefer, you could instead pick up a thoroughly modern digital edition.
What’s it about?: in the mediaeval world, a region of Central Asia lies all but undiscovered. The Land of Eternal Clouds is an isolate region where life has taken a different turn at the highest mountain levels. Here bat-like reptilian fliers – “dragons” – abound and humans have made them beasts of burden. This setting is the backdrop to introduce a nameless action hero and problem-solver who is engaged in this premier tome by the puissant potentate of one super-cumulus city-state to rescue his queen from vile abductors…
Riding a gigantic bat-winged lizard, the nameless Mercenary plucks the unfortunate lady from peril and defeats the dragon-riding guards who give chase… but only at great personal and financial cost.
Happily, the wary warrior has made contingency plans and – even after they go awry following a clash with a predatory beast – is smart enough to build a mechanical flyer to replace the ones he has lost to this ill-fated mission…
This initial yarn is actually a triptych of three interrelated vignettes, and the second begins once the hero-for-hire returns the comely bride to her rich but old and flabby husband. Safely re-ensconced in the lap of luxury, she repays her dutiful saviour for spurning her amorous attentions by accusing him of assaulting her…
Despite escaping to his hastily-constructed contraption, it is not enough to keep him airborne and slowly the sell-sword plunges into the swirling cloud mass from which no man has ever returned…
Crashing to earth, he finds a wholly undiscovered world, where an old sage with a handy potion soothes his wounds and allows him to breathe better in air that cloys and clogs his lungs like soup. The Mercenary soon returns the favour after the oldster shares his woes, revealing that the family have also suffered a recent kidnapping. This time a young woman has been taken by a mystery group demanding a strange ransom: all the alcohol the village contains…
Soon, the tireless adventurer has broached the cage in which the latest abductee hangs above certain death, only to find himself also a captive. This time it’s inside a colossal and all-but-invisible floating city ruled by mysterious cloaked figures claiming to be the Cult of the Sacred Fire…
Before long the doughty champion has discerned the incredible – but rational – secret behind all the seemingly supernatural phenomena and set the city on a course of appalling destruction and personal vengeance using all the strength, training and raw ingenuity he’s blessed with…
Fascinating background and behind-the-scenes delights abound in ‘Meet Vicente Segrelles’, relating his life and career and breaking down his working methodology. That includes how this volume and The Mercenary series came into being, liberally augmented with a wealth of illustrations from the artist’s early days, discarded paintings and drawings and a wealth of detail-shots taken from the story that precedes it.
Volume 2: The Formula
The second volume of The Mercenary’s majestic exploits begins to build an internal continuity with the introduction of a recurring villain. Requiring an aerial escort to The Great Plain, Claust the alchemist hires our soldier of fortune as bodyguard. The savant is petty and obnoxious and utter discretion is expected and enforced…
The reason becomes clear after the perilous journey leads to a hidden monastery where the Great Master shames the celebrated sage in front of his hireling. Apparently, all Claust’s great scientific discoveries were actually purchased from the hidden citadel and his glittering reputation is an unearned sham. Moreover, the cult leader now knows what kind of tyrant the alchemist is and cuts him off from any new wonders…
Shamed and enraged, Claust attacks the Great Master, steals the sage society’s most prized formula and flees for his life…
Clearly an honourable man and complete patsy, The Mercenary is then hired by the aggrieved wise men and despatched to retrieve the formula, accompanied by the enclave’s top lawkeeper: mysterious metal-shod knight Nan-Tay…
Instantly and instinctively over-competitive, the pursuers slowly bond as they stalk the fugitive carrying the most dangerous and deadly weapon in the world. Edging ever closer, they learn with horror why no one has ever exposed Claust before, and what fate the manic mage intended for his latest bodyguard…
Ambushed and overwhelmed, the hunters are eventually imprisoned in Claust’s keep whilst he rashly and too-rapidly combines the elements of the weapon he has stolen. He is unaware that Nan-Tay’s all-encompassing armour encloses an incredible secret and is utterly unprepared when the hunters break free. It’s only by sheerest chance that the alchemist escapes the cataclysm his theft and their liberation triggers…
Epic and enthralling, the adventure is augmented by a hefty, fact-&-picture-packed ‘Making of…’ feature, which opens with ‘Meet Vicente Segrelles’ before ‘Beginning the Hard Work’ shares character profiles and sumptuous preparatory paintings and story studies.
The creator’s thinking in devising distanced weaponry to be used by dragon-riders and its connections to WWI ordnance also features, as do sections on crossbow and armour designs, ancient artillery and the the role of gunpowder in The Mercenary’s world.
Although sometimes considered a little static, Segrelles’ vibrant, classical realism set a benchmark for illustrative narrative that has inspired generations of artists and millions of readers. This landmark series is a long overdue and welcome returnee to our bookshelves and seems certain to garner a whole new legion of fans and admirers.
© 2015 Vicente Segrelles. English Translation © 2017 NBM for the English Translation.
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