Much closer to the present day with this comic book than the previous selections. I was both reading comic books and playing Warhammer by the late 90s but Warhammer Monthly completely passed me by somehow. A shame as I am sure I would have picked it up alongside my Gotrek and Felix novels.
But how does this comic book stand up?
The first thing I notices is it very much reminds me of 2000AD in style. With 4 different black and white serials inside (all heavy on violence and action), a one-off short and in-character editorials to open.
Perhaps they make more sense to regular readers but to me it was incomprehensible.
After a letter page, we start with a new strip, Inquisitor, written by no less than Dan Abnett.
Here we meet Defray, Lord Inquisitor, and his pupil Gravier. They have travelled to the city of Nicodemus recently released from Chaos and they must try to get information from the last survivor still remaining.
There is a lot of shooting and cosmic horror but the main part of the story is to establish the messy relationship between Defray and Gravier. An intriguing start.
A move to the fantastical next with Shadowfast. Previously, the titular Wood Elf Wardancer has become linked to a staff with the power to raise the dead. He goes to the Vault Mountains seeking answers and is set upon by Dark Elves working for a Necromancer who seeks the staff. Using the staff he summons an army of dead elves to march on the necromancer’s castle, however an army of Skaven are also approaching, setting the stage for a massive showdown.
The story itself is wonderfully told and the tension builds up nicely. However, I personally did not like the artwork. I found it far too busy and distracting rather than narrative. But I know some people love this style, so I am happy to admit it is a very subjective viewpoint.
Next is the 4th part of Dwarflords, subtitled Restaurant at the World’s Edge Mountains, where two dwarves are heading on a long journey home and attempt to take a shortcut through the mountains. They find themselves captured when they stop for food and have to escape.
A typical middle piece of an adventure story, it has some nice moments but too much silly humour and shadow in the art to appeal to my tastes. However, I am sure others will like it.
I am honestly, not sure what to make of The Nurgle Complex. It is only a two page strip (four panels on the first and one on the second. Which seem to depict a chaos creature ranting before being eaten by a much larger one.
Maybe it is meant to be satirical. Honestly, it just confused me.
After an interview with Kev Walker, we then get strip from him, the Space Marine story Daemonifuge. This is another inquisitor tale, with Silas Hand leading these marines into a battle against the Daemon Asterloth. This is labelled as “End of Book One” so, as you would expect, this is primarily an epic battle between the two forces. In spite of it being the conclusion to a longer story it still felt emotionally satisfying to me.
Whilst the art tends more towards the photo-realistic, which is usually not to my tastes, I felt it worked really when on this occasion as it added a sense of drama and connection in what could have been a disconnected and confusing battle sequence. Probably my favourite artwork of the issue.
That finishes off the issue. Overall, I found more good than bad in Warhammer Monthly. The stories tend a bit more towards the cynical side than is to my tastes but that is the nature of the Warhammer universe really. Definitely one for those who love grimdark.
Next up, I will be exploring an example of Marvel UK’s short-lived explosion in output with Dark Guard #4.
Will it be underrated gem of the Marvel Universe? Come back to find out.
Corner Shop Time Stop 