At a library sale this past week, I picked up a copy of the Titan Comics hardcover collection The Black Dragon, which was originally a full-color mini-series from Marvel’s Epic Comics imprint. The Titan version is a black-and-white reprint, which make the extraordinary pencils in this graphic novel stand out very nicely.

For the sake of sticking to the original vision of the writer and artist, my review will be on the individual issues of the 1985 Black Dragon series from Epic Comics.

Billed as a “historical fantasy,” The Black Dragon follows the story of James Dunreith. He’s an exile from England, sent away by King Henry Plantagenet. But with the king’s death, he decides it is time to return to his country. The first pages of the story show us Dunreith’s return to England, and just how quickly he’s arrested.

His jail time is short; it seems that Eleanor of Aquitane, the queen, needs some assistance. Whispers tell of a rebellion being planned, and Richard the Lionheart is in Palestine, unable to protect his birthright as successor to Henry Plantagenet.

Dunreith is the perfect man to investigate these rumors of rebellion; the man accused of sowing the seeds of revolution is his friend, nobleman Edmund de Valere, with whom Dunreith served in combat.

While he does not believe the allegations, Dunreith is still willing to go and investigate the charges, putting the queen at ease. Arriving at Castle Glenowyn, the knight errant hears even more tales of massacres in the lands around de Valere’s holdings. But it is still difficult for him to believe his friend is guilty of revolution – and is something far more dark and sinister at work?

A historical fantasy by the duo of Chris Claremont and John Bolton should be a no-brainer home run; instead, it’s a slow read that makes you wonder if the editorial department was out to lunch, assuming creators of their caliber didn’t need editing at all. This is not by any means a “slap” to Claremont or Bolton – both are extremely talented and legends in the industry. But this compilation has some major issues, which I’ll explain below.

First, we’ll look at John Bolton’s artwork. There’s no question he is one of the best horror artists in the comic world, and his work on Kull the Conqueror for Marvel was first-rate. But his coloring in this series is rough. At times, the pages make you think he’s channeling his inner Prince Valiant – the artwork, when colored, feels outdated. It’s much crisper in black and white, and its a shame that Epic Comics didn’t give it the black-and-white treatment with the initial release. This series was released in 1985 – even by 1985 standards, the art looks outdated.

Chris Claremont, who is my favorite comic book writer, is famous for his verbosity and use of narratives during his stories. They worked exceptionally well in the Uncanny X-Men but not so much in this book. Narrative is good when the writer and artist are in sync, and the writing compliments the art and vice-versa. Here, the art is bogged down by verbiage and in some panels, it’s just way too much.

The Black Dragon is by no means a terrible series or story, but its problems are glaring enough that it is clearly not one of Claremont of Bolton’s better works. On a scale of 1-10, I’d rate this series a 5.9. (Editor’s Note: If you decide to get this series, I would highly recommend the hardcover reprint edition by Titan Comics. The art is much crisper and it negates issues with the poor coloring.)

I’ve added this book to the very small list of mediocre comics by amazingly talented creators. The only other book on that list for me is Ka-Zar: Guns of the Savage Land. That one is a literal stink bomb dropped by the extremely talented Timothy Truman and Chuck Dixon. 

Both books are proof that a fantastic team of creatives does not necessarily mean a fantastic comic book.

As always, I am – Wally (AKA Paint Monk)