Elric: The Eternal Champion Collection (Michael Moorcock Library) – Illustrated by Michael Moorcock, Jim Cawthorn and Philippe Druillet (graphic novel review).
‘Elric: The Eternal Champion Collection’ by Jim Cawthorn and Philippe Druillet is an art book with text by Michael Moorcock. If you want to read the stories, you’re better off getting the novels. As an artbook, it is an attractive hardcover package on quality paper with supporting text articles to enhance your pleasure. There’s a full page introduction by Michael Moorcock praising his late friend Jim Cawthorn and a few lines from French artist Phillipe Druillet about how he loved Moorcock’s heroic fantasy work. At the back, there’s an interesting article by John Davey on ‘Elric And The Artists.’
This reveals that poor Jim Cawthorn drew the first 5 pages of his ‘Stormbringer’ adaptation in a month and then the publisher gave him just one more month to finish it, another 25 pages! So it was rushed and it shows. I must admit that I don’t find his heavy black lines very attractive anyway and even Moorcock admits that he used to ‘over-think and over-ink’ his work. This resembles old black and white art from 60s British comics. However, looking online, he has done much better stuff, so this is not an ideal showcase of his talent. Also, the story reads like a plot summary of ‘Stormbringer’. Reducing a 220 page novel to 30 pages of art isn’t a good plan.
Oddly, the adaptation of ‘Elric: The Return To Melniboné’ has the opposite effect in that there is scarcely any plot at all. Elric comes back to his hometown where he had left his cousin Yrkoon in charge for a year. The place is more chaotic, more decadent and more evil. He says hello to Yrkoon then goes to bed with Cymoril, who features on the cover illustration and that’s it. The art is beautiful, especially the magnificent gothic/Islamic architecture of Melniboné, so big that the people looked like ants in human settings and beautifully displayed in large panels. While the unfortunate Cawthorn had to squeeze an epic into 30 pages, Druillet had 20 to show Elric coming home and I bet he had a lot more time to do it, too.
Side note from an old Marvel fan. John Buscema loved the big panels and illustrative style of European comics so when he drew Silver Surfer # 4 in which the skyrider went to Asgard, he thought it a great opportunity to draw that way. Stan Lee absolutely hated it and warned him never to do it again.
That’s life in the cruel world of publishing. Druillet is well-served here but Cawthorn has done better work which is worth looking up. Titan also publish his illustrated versions of Moorcock’s ‘Hawkmoon’ books and there’s a tribute book by his sister ‘James Cawthorne: The Man And His Art’ published by Jayde Design. If you want more Druillet, Titan Books have his ‘Lone Sloane’ series. I’m a reviewer, not a pedlar for publishers but Moorcock has such a high opinion of his late friend Jim Cawthorn that I felt guilty about my low one and thought it was worth checking him out online.
To sum up, an art book for Moorcock/Cawthorn/Druillet completists. It’s good that these old works are being safeguarded for future generations in fine editions like this, reasonably priced for now. The original books go for high prices and even reprints like this will probably cost four times as much secondhand in a few years.
Eamonn Murphy
February 2022
(pub: Titan Comics, 2021. 56 page hardback. Price: £17.99 (UK). ISBN-13: 978-1-78586-955-6)
check out website: www.titanbooks.com
