Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer

The Elric Saga

by Michael Moorcock, Walter Simonson

In order to become a prince and ascend to the throne of Melnibone, young Elric must learn to protect his homeland from raiders and learn the perils of making pacts with the magicial world in return for protection and power.

Genres: Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Sword and Sorcery, Fiction, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.

Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.

During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice prequel series to the Moorcock books. nicely woven tale of both Elric and the early days of his people. Very recommended

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm rather torn about this work. I wanted to like it. Morcock is just about my favorite fantasy authors, and Walt Simonson is among my favorite illustrators. But somehow, this just didn't work. I appreciate the fact that Moorcock is interested in turning to more diverse inspirations, making the world of Melnibone more Native American in culture. But given how strongly rooted all previous Elric works are in a more conventional, European tradition, the Native American aspects seem awkward, clumsily bolted on to the underlying mythos. A few feather adornments and facepaint just doesn't cut it. Simonson's illustration seems even more confusing, neither really embracing the NA aspects in anything more than a very superficial level, nor really adhering to the conventional aspects of the Elric mythos. And the transition of the Mernni/Melniboneans to servants of Chaos is also unconvincing--Doesn't Moorcock emphasize in his earlier works that the Melniboneans, are not human, but a separate race which is inherently connected with Chaos?

An interesting experiment, but not one of Moorcock's greatest.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a graphic novel written by Moorcock himself that's set before any of the straight prose works in the Elric series. Elric goes on four dream quests featuring each of the ancient elements (air, earth, fire, & water), with the aid of drugs from the mage Tanglebones while his father tries to decide whether he or his evil cousin should be named heir to throne of Melnibone. He's opposed at every turn by said evil cousin, Yyrkoon, and supported by his lady love, Cymoril, who happens to be Yyrkoon's sister. Moorcock tends to be just a little overly-wordy, but not too badly. I thought the quests were a bit too similar and formulaic; the first three were rather repetitive, though I did enjoy the last, in which he finds Tanelorn, the magical and mystical city which is the keystone of the whole multiverse tapestry. Walter Simonson's art is good, but didn't quite fit my conception of Melnibone and Elric's world. It looked like a mix of Native American background with the style of Kirby's New Gods, which is a terrific thing, but, again, didn't catch the spirit of the Elric stories for me. I did get a kick out of the fact that all of the Grey Lords in Tanelorn happened to bear a startling resemblance to Michael Moorcock. Overall, I liked the book well enough, but I'd wanted to love it.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel comic not just for the backstory of Elric himself, but also for his city and his kingdom. It turns out Melniboneans were not always so terrible - there were times when they tried to be nice, and almost succeeded, but sadly it was not to be. It makes me wonder how things could have gone so much better, but I suspect the tides of time are immovable like that.

Overall I enjoyed this. A great tale of myths and legends and a whole lot of weird fantasy.

[Ignacio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compré este tebeo cuando salió traducido, leí 20 páginas, lo dejé apartado en la pila y no me volví a fijar en él hasta hace un par de semanas, cuando estuve leyendo las primeras adaptaciones de Elric llevadas a cabo por Roy Thomas y P. Craig Russell. Esta vez me lo he terminado un poco por ese orgullo de no dejarlo de nuevo inconcluso. Estúpidamente porque ya en sus primeras páginas quedaba claro que Moorcoock fracasa al darle a Simonson algo significativo que dibujar: un pseudo Melnibone Año 0 protagonizado por un Elric antes de heredar el trono, viajando en "sueños" diez mil años en su pasado para pasar una serie de pruebas que explican cómo se forjó el imperio, su pueblo terminó plegado a los señores del Caos, su figura quedó vinculada a Arioco y apareció la espada negra. El tema es que ese pasado, las leyendas que Moorcock idea para articular los elementos básicos del universo de Elric son particularmente simplonas y repetitivas (cuatro prestigios incluye el tomo en los que, machaconamente, repiten un patrón idéntico). Cualquier atractivo que pudiera tener el personaje y su historia personal se pierden en esa pobreza general, donde tropieza también un Simonson fuera de lugar y de forma. Su estilo ridiculiza la caracterización de la mayoría de deidades (Straasha es mi favorito en este apartado, en dura competencia con el resto), fracasa al imprimir belleza o grandeza a los escenarios y conjura cualquier épica en una acción, por otro lado, cicatera y pésimamente secuenciada.

Sepulcral.

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una aventura de la juventud de Elric. El argumento se me hace repetitivo pero se salva por el dibujo de Simonson.

[Nighteye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good; good story and very very good drawings.
However some things annoyed me. First the drawings of all the unbelievable armour and hair styles and clothing totally nonfunctional as well as the same with ships etc etc. They created a cool effect but got a bit annoying of their unfunctionalety.
Storywise I got annoyed many times cause I don't believe in all the stupid the talk of multiverses" and "fate" and "destinies" as of they where already made out and tired of the "balance" stuff appearing ect but apart from these good. They didn't add anything to this story more than annoyed me.
Still overall very good drawings and a likable main story.

[Arax Miltiadous · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται στο κόμικ είναι ο πρόλογος του μυθιστορήματος. Η εικονογράφηση με άφησε ικανοποιημένη, παρότι πάνε Χρόνια που διάβασα τα βιβλία και φανταζόμουν τον ελρικ λίγο διαφορετικά. Η ιστορία του εξηγεί επακριβώς πως οδηγήθηκε στο πεπρωμένο του και εξελίχθηκε ως ο υστατος αντιηρωας ( πολυαγαπημένος αντιηρωας!)
Όσοι είστε φίλοι Ε.φ είναι από τα καλύτερα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει και με μια κάποια θρασύτατη τόλμη θα έλεγα, έχουν γραφτεί.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recall really enjoying this when I first read it, but I honestly couldn’t tell you what it was actually about (except in the broadest sense). This is likely, at least in part, because I spent over a year reading it, because the individual issues were released slowly over that period. In any case, having read it again, I’m thrilled to see these opening stories of a young Elric, set before the events of Elric of Melniboné (so I guess this makes this Book 0 in the saga of Elric). Simonson’s art is nearly as perfect for Elric as the art of P. Craig Russell, and this is definitely a wonderful addition to Elric’s story.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it a 3 but I was actually somewhat disappointed in this. The art was really cool and I thought the world was brought to life beautifully. The stories were decent but not riveting. It is an early depiction of Elric so maybe that's why he seems different as a character from what I've been used to in the novels. anyway, not bad but not life changing.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The weird multiveral weirdness of Elric combined with the fantastic art of Walt Simonson? Yes please.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good gateway into the Elric Saga, before starting on the novels. Simple, enjoyable and straightforward story that helps introduce the core ideas of the world.

[Scott Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but the most it could do for me is make me more certain that I need to get in and try Moorcock at some point. The story was too...I don't know. I felt like I was missing too many pieces to really get it. Perhaps if I were already a Moorcock fan, accustomed to Elric of Melnibone and Moorcock's conception of the Multiverse I would have enjoyed it more. Simonson did a fine job, the world is fascinating, and there is clearly some wonderful material here, but there just isn't enough coherent story for this to be more than intriguingly confusing. The learning curve for the volume is a kick to the face (except I would assume for those who already know Elric etc.), and it isn't long enough to get past that initial kick to the head and figure out what's really going on. I do want to try some Moorcock now though, even more than I'd wanted to before when it was a vague years old curiosity.

So, if you're not already a fan, this probably isn't worth it. It just doesn't stand alone well enough to be more than intriguing. I could see more readily how it would put people off the story/world than attract them. I imagine it would be quite a bit of fun for those that already know the world however.

[William Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreadful layouts and art. Walter simonson has little to no understanding of space, contrast or focal points. The Elric books are best served by staying strictly in print, and not graphic novelizations.

[Jesse VanDeWalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 4 chapter set is a great jumping on point for any person you’d care to introduce to classic sword & sorcery fiction. The dialogue can be overwrought, and the narrative a little pretentious but that’s part of the seasoning for sword & sorcery stew!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome comic one of my favorite

[Mathew Carruthers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, but as a prequel to books I read 30 years ago, it kind of makes me want to reread them.

[Aggelos · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is potential,solid concepts,imagery, but a rather rushed execution that never really blooms.

[Carl Grider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool prequel to a beloved series of novels from my youth. The nostalgia alone was worth 4 stars to me.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.5 of 5

Sometime about the mid-1970's I discovered Michael Moorcock's Elric books and became a big fan of the series. When I saw that there was a graphic novel, written by Moorcock, that told the origin of the albino, I was definitely interested.

Sometimes there are books you are interested in reading and you eagerly open it up and quickly realize that the book you're looking at really needs your full attention and this is not the time to read it. That was the case for me with this book. I first opened it about a year ago, got a chapter in and realized that I was not ready for this book - I needed to read it when I could give it my fullest attention. I'm quite glad that I waited.

This is Michael Moorcock. That means that it is FULL f meaning, intensity, complication, history, potential. Nothing is wasted which means every word has implications.

It's an origin story, but I'm really not sure how much this will appeal to someone not already familiar with the character(s).

There's a lot to take in here as Elric's father tries to decide who should take the reigns and look after Melniboné. Should it be the anemic Elric or Elric's evil cousin Yrkoon? Meanwhile, Elric is in love with Cymoril, who happens to be Yrkoon's sister. And Yrkoon's got some twisted, romantic plans for her as well.

But that's mortal stuff. Elric's got some bigger issues - there are gods who toy with him and gods who are happy to get rid of him, though he proves himself at every turn that he's more than capable of going toe to toe with them. Though sometimes he needs a little help - which comes by way of a powerful sword, which brings about its own troubles, which .... Do you see why it gets complicated and intense?

There is magic and dragons and different realms that Elric must travel to in order to save his people.

Moorcock is the man behind the words, but the art plays a tremendous role here as well. Walt Simonson is the illustrator and his work is every bit as intense and complicated as Moorcock's story. Initially, a year ago, this turned me off and it was a big reason why I had to wait for a better time to tackle the book.

The art is busy ... BUSY ... with detail. In his afterword, Simonson even notes that he drew this book in a format twice the published size (whereas the standard is 1.5 times). I was not at all surprised to read that, given how much each panel was filled with detail.

It definitely took me some time to get accustomed to this. I went from overwhelmed to appreciative as I got deeper into the story. I was not a fan of how Elric was depicted, but I grew up with the incredible Michael Whelan book covers, and that's how the character was to me. But as I went on I came to really understand this P. Craig Russell look. Near the end I noted how Jack Kirby-like some of the artwork seemed. From the "New Gods" look:
[see photo included on my blog]



to the heavy, block-y inking:
[see photo on my blog]

Overall, an almost transformative experience, but you have to really be receptive to it. This is not light reading and even just paging through the art will take some time.

This is going on my wish list. While I appreciate the digital ARC, I really want a physical copy to enjoy.

Looking for a good book? Fans of Michael Moorcock's Elric will want to read the origin story found in the graphic novel The Michael Moorcock Library: Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot to love in this ambitious prequel to the main Elric series. The writing is very typical thought-provoking-while-also-somewhat-loopy Moorcock. I think the main thing that hampered this was creating a story that didn't negate all the hundreds of thousands of words that chronologically came before it, while canonically come after it.

It's tough to do, but I'd say, for the most part, Moorcock pulled it off. Of course, it also suffers from the main plot point being Elric's father deciding who is his successor, when anyone who's read any Elric knows the answer. But this one was about the journey, not the destination.

As for the art. Well. Walt freaking Simonson, doing what may be his finest work. I can't tell you how often I turned the page to see an overwhelmingly gorgeously rendered scene. Simonson's a fantastic artist, any anyone who's read his Thor run knows this.

But this? This wasn't even next level stuff. This was far and away beyond anything he accomplished in Thor...and he accomplished much then. I can't say enough about the art. Simply stunning. To the point where, I'd always said P. Craig Russell was the definitive Elric graphic novel artist. Now? I may have to change that opinion.

[Dave Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been sitting around for a decade or more and I finally got around to reading it. It's the prequel to the Elric saga and has the strengths (imaginative worldbuilding, heightened political & ethical themes) and weaknesses (formulaic structure: the four dreams & four elements) familiar from the stories. Also a reminder of how much George R R Martin ripped off from Moorcock and how much more interesting a Melniboné TV series would have been than Game of Thrones.

Simonson's art is good and portrays an authentic sword-&-sorcery setting, unlike the relentless mud-&-medievalism look of modern fantasy like The Witcher, Game of Thrones, Rings of Power, Willow, etc, etc, et bloody cetera. Only the dragons are a let-down; I always imagined something beautiful and awe-inspiring, not these primitive dumpy reptiles.

Elric's adventures are best read in one's teens, but I am now wondering if I should take a look at the new one. The snag is, it's set somewhere in the middle of the saga and I've forgotten the continuity.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much of a fantasy reader and I've never read any of Moorcock's work before, and so while I thought the story was put together fairly well, I found the flowery language tiresome and wished for more consequences from Elric's pact with the Lord of Chaos. I suppose if I read the novels I'd see some of that play out, but I don't care that much.

I really bought this book for Simonson's art, and he did not disappoint. Nobody does massive epics better than Simonson, including - blasphemous as it may sound - Jack Kirby. Simonson is king of the impossibly scaled conflict. Great work from a master.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melnibone goes native in this graphic novel, which ties the towering, decadent empire to an alternate-universe analogue of ancient North and Central America. It's a conceit that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't; at its best, it provides fascinating visual and cultural context for Elric's time-traveling dream journeys on the couch, but at its worst it feels gratuitous and grafted onto a series that has never held any American, let alone Native American or Mayan, influence thus far. World-building, or exploitation? Hard to say, but "The Making of a Sorcerer" is still a fun prequel that tips its hat to the Gormenghast influence on Moorcock's conception of the Melnibone court.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
I really enjoyed the comic, but I wasn't in love with the visual style all of the time. Elric's hair was enormous and Yyrkoon was bald for some reason.
I didn't really feel the decadence and stagnation of Melniboné and I thought it was weird how the dreams portrayed the Melnibonéans. I guess it made sense in the end though.
Elric forcing the giant to swim the river of flame so he could get to the other side was spot on, I wanted more of that.

All in all I wish the dreams would have been A LOT more weird and trippy.

It was pretty great that the Grey Lords were all Moorcock though, that was pretty funny.

[Jota Houses · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pues vuelta a dar la matraca con el atormentado Elric y su malvado primo en una especie de precuela. Ni el argumento es bueno ni son apropiados los dibujos de Simonson que te hacen esperar que aparezca Thor en cualquier momento...

[Ben S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funnier than I expected. It's a great introduction to Michael Moorcock's multiverse. If you haven't read any of his previous works, start here, but if you have, you'll gain some context for why Melniboné is the way it is. Highly recommend for new and older fans.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four great dream quests to collect knowledge and allies to become a great king in the future. I like the idea of a sword with a cost to its use.

[Leonardo Rosi VanManen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giuro che questo è uno di quei fumetti che merita un adattamento cinematografico anche bizzarro e di nicchia ma io andrei al cinema senza dubbi

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 4.5 as I enjoyed it greatly. Simonson art was great and MM filled in some of Melnibone's history.