Booksology Michael Moorcock’s classic Eternal Champion, Hawkmoon, has been reworked into a new graphic novel series by Jérmôme Le Gris and Benoît Dellac. Two volumes are currently available: The Black Jewel and The Battle of Kamarg, which publishes as this review goes live.
The books rework the action from the middle section of the first History of the Runestaff novel, the Jewel in the Skull. Hawkmoon was my favourite Moorcock character when I read the novels back in the early 90s, so I was keen to see what this adaptation would bring.
Despite remembering that I very much enjoyed the Runestaff books, I’m surprised by just how much I’d forgotten about them. So much so, I have gone back and read Jewel in the Skull, so that I can validly compare the original novel and these two volumes of Hawkmoon.
Dorian Hawkmoon lives in a world with a Europe that resembles ours; for a start, he’s the Duke of Köln. This mythical Europe has fantastical engines, eldritch sorcery, and a diabolical evil empire called Granbretan (capital Londra). As the novel opens, Hawkmoon is captured by General Meliadus, a member of the Granbretan high command.
Meladius has also fallen out with Count Brass, the formidable warlord and ruler of Kamarg. Meliadus wishes to take Kamarg, humble Count Brass, and marry his daughter Yisselda. He swears on the mythical Runestaff that he will reduce Kamarg to ash – but while the Runestaff will be important in later instalments, it barely features in these first two volumes.
Meliadus sends Hawkmoon to capture Yisselda and return with her, so that they can marry. How can he compel Hawkmoon, a sworn enemy, to do so? By use of the infernal black jewel that the sorcerers of Granbretan have embedded in Hawkmoon’s head. This allows the captains of Granbretan to see everything Hawkmoon is doing. If he puts a foot wrong, they can release the power of the jewel to kill him by dissolving his brain.
The bulk of these books follows what happens once Meladius has released the captive Hawkmoon, and he travels to Kamarg with treachery, if not in his heart, then at least at the center of his forehead.
These adaptations are fairly faithful to the original source material, though I was surprised by how much, despite The Jewel in the Skull being a short novel, is left out by the graphic novels. It highlights the differences between the two media. If The Jewel in the Skull was so light on detail, it would be a bland novel. What The Black Jewel and The Battle of Kamarg have, of course, are illustrations.
The artwork in these books is excellent. It fits the mood of Moorcock’s books perfectly. There are a few minor plot differences, more in how things happen, rather than what happens. The story is substantively the same, with some changes made, I assume to make the action more decisive, and the decision points more immediate. The tone of the graphic novels very much befits the original novel, the alternate-world and what we would now call “grimdark” elements are all there.
Mostly, the text is fine, the story whips along. My one small complaint is that both books use the phrase “Raised to the ground” when it should be “razed.” I’d have let one use pass without comment, but two felt like it needed to be mentioned.
I enjoyed reading both the novel and the graphic interpretations. I can’t wait to look forward to reading more. The Battle of Kamarg ends at the same point as The Jewel in the Skull’s Book 2. I assume in the next volume of Hawkmoon we will meet Oladahn and the Knight of Jet and Gold (who does make a sneaky appearance in the graphic novels, so look out for him). I am both looking forward to more Hawkmoon, and reacquainting myself with yet more Moorcock in the second part of the History of the Runestaff – The Mad God’s Amulet.
If you’re a fan of Dorian Hawkmoon, I think you’ll enjoy these new interpretations. If you’ve never read any, then whether you pick these novels, graphic or prose, you’re in for a treat.
If you would like to pick up a copy of The Black Jewel, you can do so here in the US and here, in the UK. You’ll find part 2, The Battle of Kamarg, here, in the US and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
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