Hexagon Comics -Kabur #7: The Jewels of Cing-Kor

 

Jean-Marc Lofficier

 art by Roberto Castro, Mario Guevara; cover by Mario Guevara.

7x10 squarebound comic, 

108 pages 

b&w
ISBN-13: 978-1-64932-306-4. 

US$14.95

https://www.hexagoncomics.com/shop-kabur-7-the-jewels-of-cing-kor.html

26. THE SEAL OF THE SHAIKORTIN story Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Roberto Castro
27. THE JEWELS OF CING-KOR story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Mario Guevara;
Portfolio Manuel Martin Peniche; Mario Guevara

After avoiding the many traps of the city of Foralume, KABUR, now alone since Arianrod’s departure, must cross the Purple Sea to reach the Southern Continent of Gondaxa, which he must also cross in order to rescue the beautiful LAGRID, kidnapped by SELINOR PSAH, the powerful sorcerer-sultan of the distant city of Arkhanal.

But Psah creates a magic storm which causes Kabur to run aground near the citadel of Yaros, currently besieged by the formidable SHAIKORTIN pirates who seek to retake it from the TOADMEN OF NUNIA, who have seized it. In the midst of this savage battle, Kabur meets a traveler from the Future, TANKA, and finally unravels the mystery of his older brother’s disappearance...

After the siege of Yaros, KABUR finally arrives in Gondaxa in the port of Cing-Kor. But, without resources to continue his journey, he is forced to join forces with FERRANE. a young thief who plans to steal the treasure of the sinister magician NODON. But the wizard is not defenseless, and the enterprise quickly proves more perilous than expected, especially since Ferrane has not told Kabur the whole truth...

Roberto Castro's clean black and white work looks superb and the story is full of surprises including the fact that Tanka gets involved and that may hint at some future tie-ins. Lady Falconer is some villainess...or must we call her a "villain" now?  Whatever, it is a good read.

The Peniche portfolio has some lovely solid black and white artwork which catches the eye.

Guavara's portfolio of pencil work is enough to make anyone drool -all of the fine detail that will be inked over but...

When those pages appear in The Jewels of Cing-Kor Sandoval uses not just solid blacks but relies heavily on grey-toning which can be a big mistake.  In this case he has obviously mastered the use and to great effect. 

The stories are, obviously, well written and thought out and action paced carefully. Kabur has developed from a less filled out character in the old stories (some may argue) to a much more complex one.  I think most people who have never read Sword and Sorcery stories just assume its all evil wizard and "Ugh! Smash bad man!" barbarians (that does seem to be a belief).  If you want good art, good stories and to see a well characterised "barbarian" and his adventures then Kabur is a series for you!

Cinebook Ltd - Buck Danny Classics 7 - Sea Dart

 

Authors: Frédéric Zumbiehl and Frédéric Marniquet; illustrated by André Le Bras

Age: 10 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages:  48 colour pages
Publication: September 2024  

https://www.cinebook.co.uk/buck-danny-classics-dart-p-4563.html

Total: £8.99 inc. VAT

1953. Buck, Sonny and Tumb have been sent to the Patuxent River Flight Test Centre to help design and test the Sea Dart, a seaplane jet. Meanwhile, a former SS general previously in command of Nazi special projects, Hans Kammler, has been spotted in Argentina by an American agent – who is then promptly murdered along with every member of the local CIA network. 

The task of locating a potential secret Nazi base then falls to Buck, his friends … and the Sea Dart. 

Wow. You'd think that being an air force pilot in the 1950s would have been about preparing for a war with the Soviet Union.  But, no, we mere civvies have been getting it wrong all along. There were double agents, saboteurs and others to deal with. A Nazis. Yes, Nazis the enemy that just keeps on giving.

Sonny gets into some messes -as one might expect but there has to be some humour, right? But when you are flying a biplane looking for your buddy (Tumbs) getting shot at by some cattleman the attitude changes to annoyance...especially the second time around.  To then be shot down by banditos using what appears to be a Gatling gun......

Sonny captured soon finds himself reunited with Tumbs as they are led into the heart of the Nazi HQ and....we have to wait until volume 8 for the reveal of who the head badddie is (I have my own bet on so we'll see).

There are certain things that stick in the head while reading this and I forgot that Buck Danny Classics are new stories but drawn in the old style.  And the old style works and Ketty Formaggio's colour work adds to the feel and as Buck Danny and Dan Cooper were the two series I read in German there is a certain amount of nostalgia. Always a fun read.

Kult Creations: CAPTAIN WYLDE 3 The Headless Mariner)

 

Writer John A. Short   Artist Gabrielle Noble

44pp

Full Colour

US format

Square bound

£9 UK   £11 GBP Europe and outside Europe £16 GBP

Order via Kult Creations site at https://captainwylde.blogspot.com/

The year of Our Lord 1727... The golden age of piracy! Captain Cinnamon Wylde is the scourge of the waters around Dead Man's Straits... Raiding slaver vessels and freeing their cargo! Along with her clockwork hand (only losers have hooks) and her homunculus sidekick, Erasmus!

But she has a deadly rival in the form of Captain Godiva Dunaway who uses black magic and a crew of zombies to rule the seven seas. Dunaway has plans to take Wylde down using an ancient curse and necromancy! She plans to raise the deadly creature known as the Black Reaper from the waves... a headless horror that can not be killed because it is already dead. An epic book-length adventure on the high seas. 

Get ready for clockwork sailors, voodoo and seas monsters! It's the most fun you can have with your eye-patch on!

What else do you need to say other than that Gabrielle Noble is back!!  Oh...and John A. Short of course. The scripts have nice dialogue and the plot is, as you can guess from the images above, one involving pirates in the Short Universe and all of the quirks and grotesques that live there.

Just read that blurb above and ask yourself where you have seen any comic filled with this type of stuff -it's fun and adventure and it is always a breath of fresh air (especially if I've had baked beans for dinner) when a new Kult book turns up.

In this day and age I have to ask why these books do not sell out and especially as the main characters are all female?   Reading this helped relieve some of the current problems and if a book can do that it needs praise and, no, I do not give out spoilers.  What I think is absolutely ridiculous is that no comic company has grabbed Short to work for them. That is insane.

As for Noble's art...I became a fan back in the days of Spliffy and, again, the fun that comes across in the art is well worth the cover price -Kult Creations even offers all three Captain Wylde books as a set!

To date I have found no reason to not praise Kult Creations or Short and Noble's work and this current tale of piracy I highly recommend.

HEXAGON COMICS KABUR’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY! KABUR #9: THE HOUSE OF THE GREEN PRIEST

 

KABUR #9: THE HOUSE OF THE GREEN PRIEST. 

Stories by Jean-Marc Lofficier, Roy Thomas; art by Roberto Castro, Nestor Vargas, Manuel Martin Peniche; cover by Roberto Castro.

 7x10 squarebound comic, 

100 pages b&w. - 

$14.95. 

ISBN-13: 978-1-64932-373-6

Continuing on his journey south, KABUR arrives in the merchant city of Mwizaruku where he join forces with his old allies, NEVLAK and SEBHO, to thwart a former foe thirsting for revenge... This soon leads the trio into a fierce battle against various hostile factions, all eager to acquire the otherworldly Heart of the Elephant... Kabur then crosses paths with a man who is the victim of a terrifying curse... 

Having resumed his journey, the Prince of Thule is then taken prisoner by the fearsome queen Jhinjael and finds himself fated to die in the deadly arena of the enchanted city of Komong...

The Adventures of Mark Tyme Collection

 

A4

B&W

104 pages

List Price:£15.00

http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/the-adventures-of-mark-tyme-collection/paperback/product-11918029.html
Only two issues were published of The Adventures of Mark Tyme.

As with the companion title,The Purple Hood, the artist was Michael Jay who has since faded into obscurity.

Join scientist Mark Tyme as he uses his time watch and travels on adventures to Roman Britain, the Stone Age, a pirate island, 9th century Britain, outer space and other exciting destinations.

The Purple Hood Collection

 

A4

B&W

108 pp
Price: £12.00 (excl. VAT)
http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/the-purple-hood-collection/paperback/product-11917809.html

It was the Swinging Sixties!

Britain was hip as hip could be -The Beatles ruled Pop! And everyone was looking toward a bright future…if there wasn’t a nuclear war!

Middle Eastern threats,Eastern European fascists,flying saucer flying megalomaniacs and super mole machines and others threatened our little island. 

But we had the ultimate answer to these:The Purple Hood -International crime-smasher! Michael Jay’s Purple Hood now collected into over a hundred pages of action and text back-up.

This is THE ultimate collection!

Cinebook Newsletter 206 - February 2025

 

 

Dear Reader, Two titles for you this month, very different from each other yet equally exciting! First, we have the second part of our current Buck Danny two-parter, and AI is still very much the enemy – along with the unsavoury characters who control it, of course. A bunch of shadowy, massively rich people doing underhanded things with technology simply to get even richer, and threatening the world with global conflict … Now, where have we seen that before …?/P> Then it’s back to the 1930s for volume 2 of our Harry Dickson series. The intelligence here is completely natural, although what the ‘American Sherlock Holmes’ faces often appears rather supernatural in nature. The question is: can he figure out what is otherworldly phenomena, and what is perfectly ‘normal’ criminal genius at work? And … can you? February with Cinebook – science, technology, and how to stop people from abusing them! Buck Danny 15 Gil Formosa & Frédéric Zumbiehl Air Force One Project Skyborg, the Air Force’s prototype AI pilot, has turned into a complete disaster. While the system works, it has unfortunately been hijacked by agents of the Circle, a shadowy criminal organisation whose nefarious plans Buck has already thwarted several times. The terrorists are now in possession of an AI-controlled F-16 … Read more Harry Dickson 2 Onofrio Catacchio, Luana Vergari & Doug Headline The Court of Terror Frederic Hamilton, an aging millionaire and philanthropist, calls upon Harry Dickson to investigate most curious facts. For some time, he has been having strange dreams in which he appears before a mysterious court – eleven masked judges who accuse him of despoiling Humanity … Read more North-American readers, to locate a comic book shop near you that stocks or can order these titles and many more, use this handy Read more   Or, if you're a retailer yourself, please go to: Read more Amazonia 4 Episode 4 Emilie’s Inheritance 3