What do you think?
Rate this book
Sláine #8
Sláine: The Grail War
Sláine MacRoth – Celtic warrior and High King of the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu, continues his journey through time. Sláine arrives in thirteenth century France, where he comes face to face with Crusader Simon De Montfort, the sworn enemy of the Cathars. While searching for the tortured reincarnation of his lover Niamh, Sláine is compelled to join forces with De Montfort in order to seek out the Grail Stone. The quest won't be easy, however – Sláine will have to defeat the dark forces of El if he is to stand any chance of saving Niamh's soul!
Collects:
- The Demon Hitchhiker (Prog #1032)
- King of Hearts (Progs #1033–#1039)
- The Grail War (Progs #1040–#1049)
- Secret of the Grail (Progs #1090–#1099)
- The Battle of Clontarf (2000 AD Annual 1985)
Collects:
- The Demon Hitchhiker (Prog #1032)
- King of Hearts (Progs #1033–#1039)
- The Grail War (Progs #1040–#1049)
- Secret of the Grail (Progs #1090–#1099)
- The Battle of Clontarf (2000 AD Annual 1985)
176 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
About the author
Pat Mills
848 books233 followersPat Mills, born in 1949 and nicknamed 'the godfather of British comics', is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since.
His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.
His comics are notable for their violence and anti-authoritarianism. He is best known for creating 2000 AD and playing a major part in the development of Judge Dredd.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 19, 2019
I liked all the slandering of religion on this one. But then came all the bits about Slaine's own beliefs and that was stupid.
Mills writing is so straight forward and repeating. Monsters, skulls bashing, boobs an Ukko making funny. But the art is so brilliant throughout. That saves a lot. Othervice this teeters in the verge of boredom and brilliance. As always.
Mills writing is so straight forward and repeating. Monsters, skulls bashing, boobs an Ukko making funny. But the art is so brilliant throughout. That saves a lot. Othervice this teeters in the verge of boredom and brilliance. As always.
July 2, 2022
I don't like when Slaine's personal life gets tangled into these plots. At this point he should be a complete wanderer, bringing his chaotic yet honorable nature to different points in time. That being said, I enjoyed this more than I did Lord of Misrule, which had many of the same problems.
December 28, 2019
Great art makes a very weird storyline a bit more bearable. Slaine time-travels to the crusades where he meets his soulmate in a very different setting and situation.
September 12, 2025
Sláine: The Grail War is a graphic novel collecting stories from 2000AD progs 1032 - 1049, 1090, 1099 and the 2000AD annual 1985. The first bit of the book isn’t ’The Grail War’ but a story entitled ’King of Hearts’ in which Sláine Mac Roth, to give our hero his full name, teams up with William Wallace to fight the English. Sláine is accompanied, as always, by his unfaithful servant Ukko the dwarf, a comedy sidekick who is good fun. Defeated at the Battle of Falkirk because of treacherous Scottish nobles, William retreats to his home of Strathclyde to commune with ancient spirits and heal his soul. Sláine shows up in his role as a kind of eternal champion skipping through time and assures Wallace he will fight on his side, for the Scots and the Irish are kinfolk. Sláine is after the Stone of Destiny, the real one. The one at Scone is a fake. His ancient enemies the Cyth are after it as well and they have recruited the Knights Templar to help them. Was ever a group from history so maligned in fiction as the Knights Templar?
‘The Grail War’ is a longer story that takes up most of the rest of the book. Sláine pops up in mediaeval France where Simon de Montfort is leading a crusade against the heretic Cathars. He fights on the side of de Montfort, though no Christian himself because Simon has the soul of Niamh, his eternal love. He is snarled at by the forces of Faerie for fighting on the side of the enemy. Sláine’s love for Niamh does not preclude him bedding other women such as Lauretta, who is sometimes a dragon. Also involved are Esclarmonde de Foix, a lovely lady who is a guardian of the grail and Leystar, a black magician who serves a demon from beyond the stars. So Lovecraftian horror is mingled with paganism, Christianity, Gnosticism and other mythologies in a mix that, frankly, I found confusing. The Church of Rome is definitely bad but that’s par for the course nowadays.
The art for these stories is by Steve Tappin, Nick Percival and Massimo Belardinelli, though the latter did only the last segment, a stand-alone story about Ireland. Nick Percival’s art is quite dark, literally. Most of the pictures are by Steve Tappin and although I didn’t much like it at first it kind of grew on me. I think modern comic art is done on computers. It’s very colourful and obviously a lot of work goes into it but my own preference is for the earlier pen and ink work of Brian Bolland and Ron Wilson as seen in ’The Judge Child’. I am an old, old man, however, and younger readers may prefer the paintwork.
There are high production values in this volume and a good number of pages for the pound. As ever with stuff from the 2000AD stable, there is a leavening of black humour to undercut the darker aspects of the plot. Pat Mills is an accomplished writer and the artists have done a good job of storytelling. If I’m honest, Sláine isn’t really my sort of thing but fans will love it I’m sure.
‘The Grail War’ is a longer story that takes up most of the rest of the book. Sláine pops up in mediaeval France where Simon de Montfort is leading a crusade against the heretic Cathars. He fights on the side of de Montfort, though no Christian himself because Simon has the soul of Niamh, his eternal love. He is snarled at by the forces of Faerie for fighting on the side of the enemy. Sláine’s love for Niamh does not preclude him bedding other women such as Lauretta, who is sometimes a dragon. Also involved are Esclarmonde de Foix, a lovely lady who is a guardian of the grail and Leystar, a black magician who serves a demon from beyond the stars. So Lovecraftian horror is mingled with paganism, Christianity, Gnosticism and other mythologies in a mix that, frankly, I found confusing. The Church of Rome is definitely bad but that’s par for the course nowadays.
The art for these stories is by Steve Tappin, Nick Percival and Massimo Belardinelli, though the latter did only the last segment, a stand-alone story about Ireland. Nick Percival’s art is quite dark, literally. Most of the pictures are by Steve Tappin and although I didn’t much like it at first it kind of grew on me. I think modern comic art is done on computers. It’s very colourful and obviously a lot of work goes into it but my own preference is for the earlier pen and ink work of Brian Bolland and Ron Wilson as seen in ’The Judge Child’. I am an old, old man, however, and younger readers may prefer the paintwork.
There are high production values in this volume and a good number of pages for the pound. As ever with stuff from the 2000AD stable, there is a leavening of black humour to undercut the darker aspects of the plot. Pat Mills is an accomplished writer and the artists have done a good job of storytelling. If I’m honest, Sláine isn’t really my sort of thing but fans will love it I’m sure.
April 24, 2013
Its been over a decade since I read the Horned God and was blown away by Simon Bisley and Pat Mills' pitch perfect rendering of the Irish warrior king's ascent to power and I've been otherwise distracted since then. I picked this up because it really confounded me conceptually. The idea that a devotee of the Earth Goddess, her downstairs, be associated with Christians purging the land of infidels and working with Simon De Montfort, a well revered crusader knight just raised huge levels of WTF in me.This HAD to be sated.
Diving in I get "The Demon Hitchhiker" a wee story illustrated by Tappin as an intro and then onto "The King of Hearts" a volume concerning a Braveheart influenced portrayal of William Wallace, fighting the English and a quest for the Stone of Destiny. Nick Percival supplies the art, it is dark almost as if the page is lit by candlelight at most. His artwork is epic but toned down supplying a steadily grim canvas that can explode into blood-drenched, demon slaying, warspasming action. The battle scenes are epic and evoke Renaissance battle scenes in their rendering and style. Suffice it to say Slaine battles alongside Wallace until the end: "For what is at stake here is not just the battle for Scotland but the battle for the eternal Celtic soul.".....Aye mate.
Then onto "The Grail War" and "Secret of The Grail" where Steve Tappin is back in the seat. The first book opens with a rendering of a tapestry, reminding us that art of the medieval time was not yet post-Renaissance. And a fantastic story unfolds regarding the Crusades against the Cathar sects in France. When Christian was slaughtering Christian under the holy edict of the Crusader cross. Lush scenes filled with colour dance over the pages as an epic story plods along at standard pace. I found a philosophical journey with a sense of humour that has Slaine searching for his true love Niamh, finding her and then fighting to keep the Grail from the Cyth. The question of which side is Slaine on is a puzzle that requires a journey through the Siege of Toulouse, the practices of gnositics and a fair few rumbles.
If I want to find a weaknesss I would say that Pat Mills storytelling style has not changed much. There isn't much of the pacy twisting and turning you will find in modern day comics but this is Slaine. Fighting, magic, shagging and philosophy. Its all there and almost to underline that "The Battle of Clontarf", a reprint from 1985's 2000 AD Annual with art by recently deceased Massimo Bellardinelli is tacked on as a memento mori.
After a long time away from Slaine I enjoyed this one.
Diving in I get "The Demon Hitchhiker" a wee story illustrated by Tappin as an intro and then onto "The King of Hearts" a volume concerning a Braveheart influenced portrayal of William Wallace, fighting the English and a quest for the Stone of Destiny. Nick Percival supplies the art, it is dark almost as if the page is lit by candlelight at most. His artwork is epic but toned down supplying a steadily grim canvas that can explode into blood-drenched, demon slaying, warspasming action. The battle scenes are epic and evoke Renaissance battle scenes in their rendering and style. Suffice it to say Slaine battles alongside Wallace until the end: "For what is at stake here is not just the battle for Scotland but the battle for the eternal Celtic soul.".....Aye mate.
Then onto "The Grail War" and "Secret of The Grail" where Steve Tappin is back in the seat. The first book opens with a rendering of a tapestry, reminding us that art of the medieval time was not yet post-Renaissance. And a fantastic story unfolds regarding the Crusades against the Cathar sects in France. When Christian was slaughtering Christian under the holy edict of the Crusader cross. Lush scenes filled with colour dance over the pages as an epic story plods along at standard pace. I found a philosophical journey with a sense of humour that has Slaine searching for his true love Niamh, finding her and then fighting to keep the Grail from the Cyth. The question of which side is Slaine on is a puzzle that requires a journey through the Siege of Toulouse, the practices of gnositics and a fair few rumbles.
If I want to find a weaknesss I would say that Pat Mills storytelling style has not changed much. There isn't much of the pacy twisting and turning you will find in modern day comics but this is Slaine. Fighting, magic, shagging and philosophy. Its all there and almost to underline that "The Battle of Clontarf", a reprint from 1985's 2000 AD Annual with art by recently deceased Massimo Bellardinelli is tacked on as a memento mori.
After a long time away from Slaine I enjoyed this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews