Kull: The Cat & the Skull #2
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: David Lapham
Artist: Gabriel Guzman (cover by Jo Chen)
Kull is a very simple man, but also the King of Valusia, and a king of any country must make his own decisions. Kull is subtly being influenced by Saremes the cat. This feline speaks in half-truths and riddles, and this confuses Kull to the point of not trusting one of his own men. Another thing that bothers Kull is Saremes’s servant, Kuthulos, who is for lack of a better phrase “creeping him out.” The servant never speaks, never eats, and never drinks. This has Kull wondering who or what this servant really is. Kull’s wife, Ingraine, is troubled by her husband’s constant need for counsel with this cat, so she sends a message to the neighboring country to alert someone that is currently residing there. Who is this person, you ask? It’s none other than Kull’s best friend (who also happens to be a savage warrior himself), Brule!
First things first, that cover by Jo Chen is amazing! OK, now that that’s out of the way, the story is really getting exciting for me personally, because I’ve already figured out who the cat’s servant is, and although I won’t give it away, I will say that it means big trouble for Kull. The artwork for this book is pretty good and covers all the basics. Nothing that really “wow’d” me, but solid nonetheless. I know that there is a big showdown looming in this book, and I can’t wait for it to happen. I feel like a kid that’s overexcited about Christmas morning and doesn’t want to wait for everyone else to wake up to open presents. Lapham is doing a fine job with this Robert E. Howard tale, and I for one hope he continues after this story with another! Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
