Set Description:
Continuing my fascination with bronze age sword and sorcery with Beowulf. Like Conan, here's a really well developed character with good material to convert to comic format. Unfortunately he just didn't get the same traction in sales. Totally a bummer as Villamonte's art is really sweet and deserves more credit than it gets. Like I do with all my sets, I'm going to talk about the cover art, maybe a little insight on each book if I have anything special to add, and then I'm going to talk about armor and weapons and how they are being used. Because, I do love medieval combat.
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| Slot: |
Beowulf 1 |
| Item: |
Beowulf 1 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1047956005
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Owner Comments
Take a moment and really drink in the simple beauty of this cover. No unnecessary words, no garbage telling us the title of the story, just the 1st DC issue blurb (which could go away - but by itself isn't that bad). Instead, we have this super deep purple background and the bright yellow masthead reading BEOWULF Dragon Slayer. Like - that's enough isn't it? We know what this book is about. In the foreground we have Beowulf going at it with some scaly beastie. I'm not sure if the beast is under the control of the obligatory bikini chick, or if she's a captive. I think the latter based on body language and the fact that she appears to be dry. Here's what I love - look at the foreshortening on that massive, awesome, spiked mace. That's a two-handed bit of violence on the end of a stick and it means business. Beowulf's taking a big stride uphill to whack ol' scaleface there. But his weight is low and centered over his hips - his eye's clearly focused on his target. Hell, I almost feel bad for the beast. Almost. Villamonte's rendering is excellent on this cover (as it typically is - he's totally underrated as an artist), and the super strong diagonal is great for implied motion,, and really the color, Beowulf's hair & skin vs. scaleface's coloration - well it jumps off the page at you with the deep background color. I really enjoy the swamp water dripping from scaly too - it works well to set the scene.
Overall - like, there's nothing wrong with this entire cover - just beauty and combat. Absolutely I would part with my hard earned quarter to acquired this beauty off of the spinner rack.
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| Slot: |
Beowulf 2 |
| Item: |
Beowulf 2 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3724317009
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Owner Comments
"The Slave Maid of Satan!" Here's an instance where the title is so out there, that I kinda hafta know what it going on just based on that. Ricardo doesn't give any clues with his cover though, does he? There's nothing particularly satanic, there's our chick with the snake fetish and she seems to be exerting some control on Beowulf, and there's a wingless dragon beast, a pretty good pile of skulls, a very angry dude superimposed in the background (I guess he looks a little bit satanic - let's call him Satan), and we have Beowulf leaping - poised to thrust his blade deep into the beast. Maybe Beowulf doesn't want to slay the beast? I don't know. Maybe the beast is really our damsel in distress and the serpent chick is forcing Beowulf to attack? Oh, maybe the serpents are supposed to represent Satan's influence. That makes sense.
I love that leaping and stabbing action that B is doing - it's a very high risk/high reward, but I believe it, and I believe the way it has been rendered. Colors are strong, but with DC's huge palette I feel like more could have been done.
Overall - maybe yes, maybe no on the cover image selling the book to me. I just don't feel the tension in the action like I should. But the title, yeah the title is pretty motivating.
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| Slot: |
Beowulf 4 |
| Item: |
Beowulf 4 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3724317011
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Owner Comments
"Beowulf Meets Dracula" I don't know how anybody thought this was a good idea. Dracula? Okay what ever. Let's take a look at our hero on the cover. He's leaping from the saddle into the face of his flying antagonist, Drac baby, while our obligatory bikini chick is doing a dirt dart with her face - at a rock. Quick experience note here - that's going to hurt no matter what angle she hits at. The horse is really well drafted, if anything, she might not be rearing enough. The full moon and the castle in the background combine to give it a little bit of the feel of a contemporary horror book - maybe they were looking for some crossover readers with this idea? Ol Drac's got a pair of curvy blades, like he's Persian or something, and he's thrusting with them - that's...well, that's dumb. They're often not super pointy, and it wouldn't be unusual for the blades to only have a single edge like a cutlass or scimitar - just not effective. I suppose if you're really Dracula that doesn't matter all that much. You could probably beat someone to death with the horse. Our protagonist, B, he's got something weird in his hand. The blade isn't showing, it's off image, but the cross piece is shaped like an axe? and you thought a cross guard on a lightsaber was dumb - yeah well, this is just going to cut the crap out of Beowulf's wrist. Very dumb.
I expect better from Ricardo, this really isn't his best work. Overall - I'm going to have to say I would pass on this one from the spinner rack. It just isn't working for me.
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| Slot: |
Beowulf 6 |
| Item: |
Beowulf 6 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3724317013
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Owner Comments
"The Minotaur!" Okay - last issue, so it's totally a case of too little, too late - but this cover is awesome. The pattern of the minotaur's horns and Beowulf's helmet's horns is cool enough on its own to make me want to buy this issue. Obligatory bikini chick is lounging on a pile of humanlike skulls, the moon is full and the background is simplified, just purple and yellow. All the focus in on the tension between Mr. Moo-Cow, Big B, and Bikini Chick and that tension is deep, it's meaningful, and it's a little sexual. I like the zoomies coming off the minotaur's legs - as if he's really booking at the girl, and Big B is just barely holding on like some oiled up rag doll. The fangs seem a bit much though, don't they - like some editor said, "make him more fierce looking, add fangs and claws even though he's a cow" Oh, maybe Dracula bit him back in issue 4 and he's a vampire minotaur. Now that's starting to sound a bit like your little brother's homebrew DnD game - so, maybe not.
Overall - yeah, I like this cover. It really does have a lot going for it. And I am pretty sure I would have spent my hard earned quarter on this to take it home from the spinner rack
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