Review- ZAGOR: TERROR FROM THE SEA

ZAGOR: TERROR FROM THE SEA (Epicenter, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Zagor #386-388 (cover dates September- November, 1997)

Writer: Mauro Boselli

Artist: Stefano Andreucci

Colorist: (Originally published in black and white) Not listed

Epicenter has been bringing European fan favorites to the English-speaking world over the past few years, and we are all better off for it. Zagor has been published in Europe for over 50 years but is essentially unknown to North American audiences.

Zagor is a pretty cool concept that borrows from so many places that it comes off as an original enough work. `There is a definite H.P Lovecraft influence with Dagon and it's respective cult. Andrew Cain, a puritan on a quest to kill all evil just like his ancestor, is a wafer thin doppelganger for Solomon Kane. There are other bits and pieces lovingly borrowed from other sources, and it all works when blended together.

I'm not sure when this series takes place. There are swords and firearms as well as blowtorches, although there is no electricity or telephones. There are no automobiles, as everything is horse and buggy, so my best guess would be the 19^th century. It does take place in Darkwood, USA, so we know that it is after 1776 at least.

Since the series had been published for over 35 years when these issues (or albums, as the European comics are sometimes referred to) were originally published, there is little to no introduction to these characters. You are just thrust into the story and left to try and figure out who is who along the way. While all of the characters are given motives, ironically it is Zagor who seems to be the one without any real motive or explanation as to how he got to where he is.

Andrew Cain, not Solomon Kane.

Zagor is a fast paced, action packed read that is light on dialogue and heavy on fun. My friend gave me this book, and while I recommend it as a read please refer to binding issues which I've addressed in the OCD zone below.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is published in the GN-TPB size, meaning that it's trim size is the same as a Dark Horse Omnibus. The size has a lot of detractors, but I am not one of them. I enjoy books this size, as they are easy to handle and the material is not shrunk down so small that you cannot read it.

Linework and Color restoration: No comment on the linework, as I have no source material to compare it to. The computer recoloring of material that was originally presented in black and white is tasteful, using effects sparingly.

There are numerous typos and grammatical errors throughout this book.

Paper stock: Glossy coated stock.

It didn't look like that when I started reading it...

Binding: Sewn binding, which doesn't mean squat on a softcover. The signatures became separated from the glue piece and, as you can see here, this book was falling apart on the first read. I imagine that this is easily fixed with acid free library glue, but it is certainly a cause for concern.

Cardstock cover notes: Matte finish, resistant to scuffs.