Solomon Kane
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Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A 16th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a somber looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. His adventures, published mostly in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, often take him from Europe to the jungles of Africa and back.
Howard describes him as a somber and gloomy man of pale face and cold eyes, all of it shadowed by a slouch hat. He is dressed entirely in black and his weaponry consists of a rapier, a dagger and a couple of flintlock pistols. During one of his latter adventures his friend N'Longa, a black African shaman, gave him a voodoo staff that served as a protection against evil, but could easily be wielded as an effective weapon. It is revealed in another story, "The Footfalls Within," that this is the mythical Staff of Solomon, a talisman older than the earth and unimaginably powerful, much more so than even N'Longa knew. In the same adventure with N'Longa, Kane is seen using a musket as well.
In appearance as well as actions, Kane epitomizes the popular image of the vampire hunter. Howard also notes that while Kane is a strong Christian, he is also much akin to his pagan forebears. An anti-modernist undercurrent underlies much of the Kane tales.
Kane is one of Robert E. Howard's most original characters. A common criticism of Howard is that all his heroes are the same, and this is a hard fact to deny. Conan the Barbarian, Kull the Conqueror, and Bran Mak Morn all fit the same mold: Strong, willful, unstoppable warriors who fight in ancient times and live by their own rules. Solomon Kane, however, lives in a much more modern world (the sixteenth century) and is exceptionally dedicated to the cause of good.
Other Howard heroes are amoral, relatively apathetic men who care little for the troubles of others. However, in several Kane stories, Solomon spends years at a time dedicating himself to one cause or another, all in the name of stopping evil.
Contents |
[edit] The Robert E. Howard Stories
Most of the Solomon Kane stories were first published in Weird Tales. Note: the order of publication does not coincide with the order in which the stories were written.
- "Red Shadows" (first published: Weird Tales, August 1928). Also known as "Solomon Kane." This was the first Solomon Kane story ever published.
- "Skulls in the Stars" (Weird Tales, January 1929)
- "Rattle of Bones" (Weird Tales, June 1929)
- "The Moon of Skulls" (Weird Tales, Part 1, June 1930; Part 2, July 1930)
- "Hills of the Dead" (Weird Tales, August 1930)
- "The Footfalls Within" (Weird Tales, September 1931)
- "Wings in the Night" (Weird Tales, July 1932)
- "Blades of the Brotherhood" (Red Shadows, Grant, 1968). Also known as "The Blue Flame of Vengeance."
- "The Right Hand of Doom" (Red Shadows). Kane plays a minimal role in this story.
[edit] Poems
- "The One Black Stain"
- "The Return of Sir Richard Grenville"
- "Solomon Kane's Homecoming"
[edit] Fragments
- "Death's Black Riders" (The Howard Collector #10, Spring 1968)
- "The Castle of the Devil" (Red Shadows, Grant, 1968).
- "The Children of Asshur" (Red Shadows)
- "The Hawk of Basti" (Red Shadows)
Ramsey Campbell has completed Howard's fragments, and several compilations contain some of these collaborations.
Javier Martin Lalanda has completed Howard's fragments in LAS AVENTURAS DE SOLOMON KANE, the complete Spanish edition of the Kane stories.
[edit] The Book Editions
Howard's stories, poems, and fragments featuring Solomon Kane have been published several times as a collection in book form. Not every publication has been a complete collection.
- Red Shadows, Donald M. Grant, 1968.
- The Moon of Skulls, Centaur Press, November 1969.
- The Hand of Kane, Centaur Press, October 1970.
- Solomon Kane, Centaur Press, February 1971.
- Solomon Kane: Skulls in the Stars, Bantam, December 1978.
- Solomon Kane: The Hills of the Dead, Bantam, March 1979.
- Solomon Kane, Baen, November 1995.
- The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane, Wandering Star, November 1998.
- Las Aventuras de Solomón Kane, Ultima Thule, Ed. Anaya, Spain, November 1994. (A complete collection of stories, poems, and fragments featuring Solomon Kane in Spanish translation).
[edit] Adaptations
[edit] Film
At the 2006 San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that a feature film based upon the character of Solomon Kane was in development at Davis Films, with Michael J. Bassett directing. The film will be produced by Sammuel Hadida and Paul Berrow, and it is currently scheduled to begin shooting in Eastern Europe in 2007.
A fan film exists at http://www.kanefilms.com/SolomonKane based word for word on the poem, "The Return of Sir Richard Grenville."
[edit] Comics
Marvel Comics has published several comic books featuring Solomon Kane. His first appearance in comic book form was in Marvel Premiere #33 (December 1976). He was the lead character in the six-issue mini-series Sword of Solomon Kane, published 1985-6. He also appeared numerous times in Savage Sword of Conan, a magazine format comic starring Howard's most popular pulp character.
It was announced at the 2006 Comic Con that Paradox Entertainment has completed a publishing deal with Dark Horse Comics for a Solomon Kane comic series.
[edit] Roleplaying Game
Great White Games is set to develop a role-playing game based on the character and utilizing the Savage Worlds rules system, titled The Savage World of Solomon Kane.
[edit] Further reading
- The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane (2004) Howard, Robert E.; Illus. Gianni, Gary (First American ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-46150-9.
