SOLOMON KANE: THE LION ERRANT part 1: War Mongers
Flashback! Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. 30 years in the past. A 9-year-old Durgavati ((1524-1564), a Chandela princess of Mahoba of the Chandel clan of the Rajputs, a future maharani and regent) proves to her skeptical father that she was in a fight with a lion.
1564. Agra (capital of the Mughal Sultanate) in Uttar Pradesh, Jahangiri Mahal palace within the Agra Fort.
Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar ((1542-1605), the third Mughal emperor) informs Diwan Beohar Kayastha ((????-????), the minister of the Gond queen/Rani Durgavati of the Garha Kingdom of Gondwana) that since the Warrior queen of Gondwana refuses to marry Asaf Khan I ((1549-1612), Mughal general, regent of Kara in Uttar Pradesh) or Ramih Khan (Mughal general, regent of Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh, the butcher of Obra in Uttar Pradesh)... she must surrender her lands to the Mughal Empire.
The Portuguese Chapel in Malindi, Kenya. Solomon Kane (a mzungu/wanderer) slays some slavers and guided by his newly acquired magic Staff of Solomon (a gift from blood-brother N'Longa given in "The Hills of the Dead" by Robert E. Howard), Kane discovers that his next adventure awaits in India.
Since the Singorgarh Fort in Madhya Pradesh was no longer safe, Rani Durgavati had to relocate to the Chauragarh Fort in the Satpura Range in Madhya Pradesh.
Arjun Das ((????-1564), man-at-arms and chief of Queen Durgavati's foot soldiers) is teaching Prince Vir Narayan ((1545-????), son of Durgavati & Dalpat Shah (????-1550)) how to fight with a sword in front of Kamla Devi (Price Vir's betrothed, daughter of Kalyan Shah).
Prayagraj/Prayag in Uttar Pradesh (where the Yamuna river meets the Ganges river). Asaf and Ramih are considering the option of invading Garha together. Because he can, Ramih Khan kills Lopesh (a Kapalika).
The Diu Fortress on the island of Diu. The captain of Diu wants Kane to return to England. Solomon does not have a cartaz (a pass issued by the Portuguese Empire) and the relations between Lisbon (capital of Portugal) and London have deteriorated.
Back in Agra, Akbari Mahal palace gardens inside the Agra Fort. Ramih Khan asks for Akbar the Great's permission to wage war against the Rani (the conquest Ramih seeks refers to The Mughal conquest of Garha).
Gujarat's Charotar region along the Gulf of Khambhat. A mysterious black-maned Asiatic lion saves Solomon Kane from three mugger crocodiles. Solomon's Atlantean staff tells him to follow the large feline. Similar to de Troyes' Yvain, Kane becomes "The Knight with the pet Lion".
Kara, Asaf Khan's manor house. The reanimated Lopesh (now a vetala) invites himself into the bedroom of his murderer (Ramih Khan).
À suivre.
What I did like:
Patrick Zircher (Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring (Titan)) wins the 2026 Robert E. Howard Foundation's Rankin award for Artistic Achievement.
In "Yvain ou le Chevalier au lion" by Chrétien de Troyes, Sir Yvain (a Knight of the Round Table) saves a lion from a fire-breathing venomous snake. The lion and Yvain become inseparable.
In "The Moon of Skulls" by Robert E. Howard, Solomon mentions that he sailed the seas, even to HINDUSTAN and Cathay.
We thought that Kane had received his voodoo staff in 1591, we were wrong. Did Set alter the timeline?
Knight-errant, Lion-errant, I dig it.
Durga (supreme mother goddess in Hinduism) mentioned and shown.
The Sultan of Malindi mentioned.
Hazael (king of Aram-Damascus) mentioned in catchphrase.
Kane alludes to paying Charon to cross the river Styx.
A "beast masquerading as a man" is a wink to The Curse of the Werewolf (1961).
We see Hindu bathing rituals.
The Kumbh Mela (the festival of the jug) mentioned.
Vindaloo (curry dish) mentioned.
The Second Battle of Panipat (1556) and Hemu Vikramaditya mentioned.
Ẓillu’llah (the Shade of Allah) mentioned.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) quoted.
Bhairava (a manifestation of Shiva) mentioned.
Bhoota (ghost) and Rakshasa mentioned.
Patch increases the spice, he keeps it much less chaste this time around. This is a MATURE READERS book after all.
Fantastic covers by Patrick Zircher, Stuart Sayger, J. H. Williams III, Dan Brereton & Utsab Chatterjee!
Solomon does not shoot the lion, he talks to it.
A healthy helping of humor throughout the issue.
What I did not like:
N'Longa, the fan favourite African shaman is still MIA.
YEARS have passed since Kane ran afoul of the Cult of Set in Africa? The Serpent Ring events transpired in 1562-1563, we are now in 1564.
The Jahangiri Mahal is incorrectly identified as the Akbari Mahal. Both of these palaces were not around in 1564, construction began in 1565.
Kara is misplaced on the map.
Mahoba, Obra and Sidhi are missing from the map!
Rani Durgavati appears on only one of the covers!
The killing of animals.
No "From the creator of Conan the Barbarian" on the cover to attract more readers.
Ramih Khan never says "What Fresh Lunacy is This?"
Solomon does not mention that he recently killed a lion in "The Hills of the Dead".
Solomon's lion is not named Amra! What!?
I give it a 9/10. All aboard the Durgavati Express! Professor Z's history class is back in session! Another delightsome mini-series commences. A Patrick Zircher passion project should always be at the top of your pull list. Support Patch, the Puritan, Heroic Signatures & Titan Comics. Buy!
