21 years after first publication, new The Horned God special edition arrives
It’s the comic book that changed comic books forever – exquisite painted artwork and imaginative characters creating a breathtaking showcase of the new direction of adult storytelling in comics.
Twenty-one years ago, Pat Mills and Simon Bisley’s Sláine: The Horned God took the Celtic barbarian in a stunning new direction. And now this magical, violent classic is blazing its way to the US in a new hard-cover dust-jacket edition – complete with commentary from Mills, and sketches by Bisley.
Shamelessly displaying the potential for full colour painted artwork, The Horned God spawned thousands of imitators and remains one of 2000 AD’s greatest exports – a sweeping epic that incorporates Celtic mythology with Game of Thrones-style dynastic politics and good old fashioned barbarian violence.
Sláine the Barbarian – created by Mills and his then-wife, Angie Kincaid – first stomped onto the pages of 2000 AD in 1983, accompanied by the duplicitous dwarf, Ukko, and his faithful stone axe, Brainbiter. Witty, dynamic and unashamedly brutal, the series soon became a fan favourite and went on to feature artwork from some of the top names in the industry – Glenn Fabry, Mick McMahon and Greg Staples. However, Bisley was one of the first to popularise the fully-painted style pioneered by Argentinian artist Alberto Brecchia.
Sláine’s saga continues until this day, with Clint Langley’s lush computer-based art creating an impressive counterpoint to the slick painting of The Horned God.
