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The Shadows of Thule – Humanoids
Creative Team: Patrick Mallet, Lionel Marty, Axel Gonzalbo, and Translated By Montana Kane
Welcome to another New Comic Book Day review from the N.I. Bullpen!
This is part 2 of my review for this amazing graphic novel from Humanoids titled The Shadows Of Thule.
Ancient Rome is at the height of its power and is attempting to exterminate the Picts from Northern Britain and Scotland. The King of the Picts is attempting to hold together what remains of his people. There is a witch who is attempting to steal Pictish magic in order to release horrible monsters. A woman is slain in a convoy attack and a young man stolen from his mother at birth is at the center of it all. And that is all within the first 36 pages!
This is a dive into history and mythology all wrapped into one beautifully gorey package that is The Shadows of Thule. It’s a Roman Age epic you don’t want to skip out on.
This is the final part of my review, but trust me when I say that this 2 part review still barely scratches the surface of what this book is. If you missed part 1, you can find it HERE.
Without any more delay, let’s finish up this review for The Shadows of Thule.
**SPOILERS / GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD**
19 Years Later
Nearly 20 years later, we see a Gaelic boy named Calum, running through the forest, cradling a baby in his arms. He trips and falls, and then finds himself face to face with a Pict hunter.
He explains to the hunter that his infant sister has been abducted and replaced with a Pictish infant. The hunter tells Calum to abandon his sister, to which Calum angrily refuses. The hunter invites Calum to follow him, as he is on his way to the Pictish capital of Dornach, if Calum can keep up that is.
Calum does indeed keep up, earning a bit of respect from the Pictish hunter. As they share a meal, it’s revealed that Calum’s father believed that in order to defeat the Romans, Gaels and Picts needed to unite as one. The Romans are advancing further and further north of Hadrian’s Wall, and nothing is slowing them down.
Just then, another group of Picts appears from the forest, being led by none other than their King, Cormack Mac Fianna. He has come to return Calum’s sister, as he does not approve of his subject’s actions. They may have done it out of desperation, but King Cormack believes stealing children will make a bad situation worse.
The Pict’s Are Dying Out
The King explains that more and more Pictish children are born either sickly or deformed, and many do not survive long after birth. For this reason, his subjects have been “trading” infants with Gaelic villages, in order to strengthen the Pictish bloodlines.
After giving Calum’s sister Vanora back to him, his wizard Dreghorn suggests they keep both children, an idea which the King immediately rejects. He allows Calum to return home with his sister because as he says “Only together can we defeat Rome.”
A General and His Witch
Here we are finally introduced to General Horatius, still in mourning over his wife’s killing at the hand of the Pict ambush. He has sworn revenge, and to exterminate all Picts from the island. This is when we again see Ithome, she has been aiding and advising Horatius on how to destroy the Picts once and for all.
Ithome is clearly pulling the strings behind the scenes here. Not only is SHE the reason for the death of Domina, and the supposed death of her unborn child, but she is also manipulating the general to her own ends. Some of his men, such as Thorpfel, are convinced that Ithome is somehow controlling Horatius for some unknown agenda of her own. They simply don’t know what or why.
The Orphan
Jumping yet again to another scene, Calum wakes the next morning to find that King Cormack and his band of warriors have returned to Dornach in the night.
The hunter is about to do the same, and this is where we learn that this hunter is in fact the infant Roman raised by the Picts. He says that he is living proof that the theory of raising outsiders as Picts from birth does not guarantee that they will integrate successfully.
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The Wizard
Four days later, General Horatius’ soldier Thorfel, is running and fighting for his life to escape the wrath of the Picts and their King. He and a small squad of Roman soldiers have dared to venture deep into Pictish territory in order to capture the Pictish King’s wizard Dreghorn. It has been a costly mission.
After a brutal fight between Thorfel and King Cormack, Thorfel manages to escape after one of his dying men injures Cormack from behind before expiring. Rather than allow Dreghorn to be taken alive, he orders an archer named Brydia to shoot the wizard upon Thorfel’s back as he flees. Thus denying the Romans of the prize they sacrificed so many to obtain.
Upon Thorfel’s return to General Horatius, Dreghorn is indeed dead. At first, the general is furious. Ithome insists that all is not lost however, and has the wizard’s corpse brought inside the general’s tent. What is she planning to do with the body? What is Ithome’s ultimate plan?
You’ll have to pick up the book for yourself to find out!
Story Review Thus Far
Again, I cannot overstate how incredible the world that Mallet has crafted in this book is. Readers are not coddled by the writer, everything is presented as is; raw, gritty and brutal.
The flow of the plot remains consistent throughout, never leaving the reader confused as to where they are within the story. Even with the frequent jumps between characters and even eras, I never felt like I had to re-read something to understand what was going on.
Artwork Overview Thus Far
What else can I really say about the artwork from Marty and Gonzalbo that I haven’t already? The book is simply gorgeous.
If you thought the writing wasn’t holding back in this book, the art leaves very little to the imagination. We are shown everything. Every bloody injury and every gorey detail from arrows, swords, and all manor of other weapons.
That’s not to say the entire book is nothing but a gore fest. Each panel is given even more importance with how much effort has been put into them. If there is a specific emotion these artists want you to feel, you better believe they know how to make it happen. Immersion is what I look for in a comic or graphic novel, and this book had me hooked from the first scene.
Overall Score: 10 OUT OF 10 – “Must Pull”
Like I said in part 1 yesterday, this is probably not a book for the “family friendly” crowd.
It’s brutal and violent while at the same time deals with a people who are facing extinction and a witch hell bent on achieving her own goals. It doesn’t hold your hand and it doesn’t hold back. This is a book for the mature reader looking for something that’s worthy of the big screen.
Thanks for sticking with me for this 2 part review, and make sure you ask for The Shadows of Thule at your local comic book shop this week on New Comic Book Day!
As always everyone Be Safe, Be Kind, and Take It Easy!
