Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring #4 - Titan Comics

SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING No. 4, August 2025

It should be pretty clear from this comic’s frantically-paced plot just why “Heroic Signatures” were so keen to have Patrick Zircher on board for a Solomon Kane mini-series. For whilst the book’s twenty-four page narrative is arguably a little far-fetched in allowing all the central protagonists to miraculously survive a cataclysmic cave-in, it does still predominantly read like one of Robert E. Howard’s original short-stories from the late writer’s days penning pieces for “Weird Tales”.

Furthermore, whilst the Seventeenth-Century Puritan is most definitely at the centre of the American author’s yarn, blinding a gigantic serpent with some well-aimed pistol shots just as Ulysses once did with the one-eyed giant Polyphemus, the various villains of the piece are actually defeated by their own greed and hubris rather than by some extraordinary, superhuman effort by the deeply devout Englishman. Indeed, the sombre-faced traveller is even willing to limit his vengeance upon Rolando Zarza De Aragon to a solid smack upon the jaw, rather than gun down the cut-throat who left him for dead, because he realises their mission will need every able-bodied adventurer to succeed.

Likewise, it contains a brief moment of redemption for the rogue Nico Cassani, who despite his evident ungentlemanly lust for Diamanta Bensaid, bravely sacrifices himself for the female scholar during the height of this comic’s climatic battle sequence. Admittedly, the rogue’s uncouth advances towards Abramo’s daughter have proved pretty repulsive in the past. But the ne'er-do-well’s unthinking willingness to place himself between the woman and a deadly, Serpent warrior’s spear-point certainly makes his painful death far more poignant than it would have if he had merely been unceremoniously slain during the savage bloodbath beneath Set’s huge underground statue; “The devils have killed me.” 

Just as enthralling as this publication’s composition though, has to be its layouts, with Zircher clearly bringing his ‘A game’ to the table. Of particular note, has to be the artist’s ability to bring life to Sha-Kabet’s pet snake, which slithers about the wilderness outside the Temple of Set with hair-raising conviction. Furthermore, there’s a palpable sense of desperation in Kane’s final assault upon the serpent deity’s followers, as fiery death quite literally rains down upon him and his friends, as well as his scale-covered enemies, due to the supposed anger of the long-dead Stygian god.

The regular cover art of "SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING" #4 by Jessica Fong

Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring #3 - Titan Comics

SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING No. 3, July 2025

Captivatingly transporting his audience to the “dark edge of the Kingdom of Ndongo”, and a deadly rendezvous with an ancient cult of devilish Serpent people, Patrick Zircher’s penmanship for Issue Three of “Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring” is absolutely top notch. Indeed, the American author’s handling of the Early Seventeenth-Century Puritan is so entrancing, that many within this mini-series’ audience probably felt as if Robert E. Howard himself was whispering the storyline in his ear, and the Dayton-born writer simply capturing what he heard on paper; “But proceed. Wisdom, like the wind, cometh from all quarters.”

Spearheading these successes has to be the persistent aura of danger surrounding the comic’s quite considerably-sized cast, with little love shown between many of the adventurers – most especially Mbondu, who despite living on the dangerous lands upon which Rolando Zarza now seeks his fortune, is given no respect for his expert knowledge whatsoever. In addition, the shape-shifting Father Goncallo is repeatedly shown to be as treacherous as the snake deity he worships, and any onlooker is never at ease whenever the false priest is pencilled disconcertingly lurking in a panel’s shadows.

However, by far the book’s biggest achievements has to be its two action-packed set-pieces, which whilst rather short, are still crammed full of tense desperation. In fact, this twenty-three page periodical’s plot does a grand job in keeping its readers constantly on their toes worrying as to which characters will actually survive long enough to reach beyond the Stones of Pungo and Andongo. Such uncertainty genuinely is palpable, particularly after the rogue Nico Cassini is pencilled painfully taking an arrow straight in the arm, and Kane himself is left for dead after being bitten on the shoulder by one of the High Priestess Sha-Kabet’s fearsomely-fanged pet reptiles.

Bewitchingly, Zircher also provides ample examples of his prodigiousness as a top tier illustrator. There is simply so much to admire within this publication’s layouts, from the adrenalin almost dripping off of the adventurers as they fend off a ferocious volley from a tribe of natives with their muskets, through to the crystal clear hatred in Mbondu’s eyes whenever he casts a glance at the truly despicable Zarza. And few bibliophiles will surely forget the artist's truly awesome sketch of Diamanta and Solomon seeing their first African elephant up close and personal.

Writer/Artist: Patrick Zircher, and Colorists: Pete Pantazis & Patrick Zircher

Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring #2 - Titan Comics

SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING No. 2, May 2025

Despite its twenty-three page plot heavily relying upon a dubious alliance between Robert E. Howard’s “sombre-looking” creation and the murderous villain Rolando Zarza, Patrick Zircher’s storyline for Issue Two of “Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring” surely must have delighted its audience when it hit the spinner racks in April 2025. Sure, many readers may well struggle to believe the Seventeenth-century Puritan would stomach the dishonourable knight’s company for a single night, let alone the fifty-three days it takes them to travel together to the Kingdom of Kongo. But having placed the unlikely pair alongside a Venetian scholar and his daughter, as well as the highly disagreeable Nico Cassani, the ultimate fate of this band of incongruous adventurers certainly proves an attention-grabbing prospect. 

In fact, the American author wastes absolutely no time in showing this comic’s audience just how ‘unstable’ the five travellers can be whilst drinking together, by penning them all brawling in a disreputable tavern on the Gold Coast. This brutal bout of pugilism goes a long way to illustrate that none of the sword-fencing fighters will tolerate even the slightest disrespect to their so-called honour, whilst also rather cleverly portraying young Diamanta with a surprisingly wild side of her own when the brown-haired researcher merrily batters a local harlot over the head with a drinking jug; “I trounced that trollop!”

Similarly as beguiling though is arguably the artist-turned-writer’s secondary thread concerning the ill-fated Father Goncallo and a truly-terrifying Priestess Of Set. The fanatical Sha-Kabet’s obsession with keeping her killer cult’s presence a secret quickly shows that even a man of god is not safe from a harrowing demise, and also promises plenty of treacherous intrigues in the near future when the dead Christian is cunningly replaced by a shape-shifting serpent man.

Zircher’s layouts are also extremely pleasing to the eye, with the aforementioned holy man’s shock at seeing his exact doppelgänger clearly testing his sanity, if not his devout faith. Furthermore, the illustrator does a great job in physically imbuing the likes of Zarza and Cassani with just the sort of dangerous, dynamic energy an onlooker might well expect of two unprincipled brigades who have few moral scruples with which to live by.

The regular cover art of "SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING" #2 by Ivan Gil

Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring #1 - Titan Comics

SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING No. 1, April 2025

Proudly announced by its British publisher in December 2024 as “the first Solomon Kane solo series in fifteen years”, this supposed “much-anticipated return” of Robert E. Howard’s creation quite possibly proved somewhat disconcerting to those readers familiar with the early Seventeenth century Puritan. For whilst the twenty-three page periodical certainly opens in a blaze of glory, as long-fanged savages attack a village of much-more agreeable African natives, and the titular character does bloody murder aboard a Portuguese caravel, Patrick Zircher’s narrative subsequently seems to get a little too bogged down in dialogue-driven conversations, word-heavy discourses and a bewildering carousel of new cast members.

Indeed, by the time a somewhat sore and badly limping ‘Sword of Vengeance’ has somehow managed to make his way to the gloomy Ghetto Vecchio, some bibliophiles’ heads may well be swimming from all the different people and their stacked speech bubbles which this comic’s American author relentlessly throws at them; “I am bringing old Tujaru. His eyes are not what they were, but he is like you -- a good teacher.”

Happily however, Issue One of “Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring” still provides plenty of hooks and thrills with which to ensnare its audience. Kane’s lone charge on horseback against three mounted brigands in a darkly lit mountain tunnel is especially well-paced and lively, as is the suddenly rather tense discovery of a Serpent-man’s flesh-stripped skeleton on the vast tundra of Ndongo. These sadly short-lived scenes manage to inject this book with some much-needed energy, just as it’s in danger of drowning in the aforementioned sedentary sequences set in the Republic of Venice, and ultimately should keep the attention of any peruser of “Dead Man’s Promise” throughout.

Easily this comic’s biggest draw though, is surely the Dayton-born illustrator’s pencilling, which along with his very own colour work, does a fabulous job in bringing his interpretation of the Age of Elizabeth to vibrant life. Of particular note has to be the stark contrast between the brutally harsh Africa and La Serenìssima’s supposedly stylishly civilised world that is just as diabolically dangerous. Likewise, the artist-turned-author is extremely good at imbuing Solomon with the quiet mannerisms of a man confident in his god’s good graces, despite him aggressively blazing away with a pistol and slashing pirates to death with a sword.

The regular cover art of "SOLOMON KANE: THE SERPENT RING" #1 by J.H. WILLIAMS III