Written by: Sylvain Runberg, François Miville-Deschènes
Illustrations: François Miville-Deschènes
Coloring: François Miville-Deschènes
Publisher: Le Lombard
Heroveringen #3 Het Bloed van de Scythen – Comic Book Review
The word ‘horde’ is commonly associated with a massive amount of insects, usually plaguing the lands. But What if you replace insects with different tribes, making it a force to be reckoned with. A giant group, such as this one, would surely be able to conquer different lands or simply protect what is rightfully theirs. Heroveringen brings us such a tale, where sheer numbers sheer individuals have a chance of overcoming everything. That being said, things will prove harder to keep the horde intact the closer they get to their goal. Go back to ancient times in this last-but-one issue of Heroveringen.
After Queen Simissee, leader of the Sarmatians, and one of the commanders of the horde, suffered many losses during the last battle, everyone seems to be on edge. Not only could these losses have been prevented – or at least minimized, if extra forces had pitched in – it’s the lack of help from the other rulers that left a sour aftertaste in Simissee’s mouth, as well as her brethren’s. Nonetheless, she tries to keep the horde intact, whilst her warriors are starting to doubt her choice of blindly following king Marak and king Kymris, both leading different tribes in the horde, with the latter being the least untrustworthy.
Even though the horde can only survive with Marak and Kymris in it, a small circle of Simissee’s followers are planning a revolt. Writer Thusia has gained the trust of the Queen, but even though she is not a ‘bad person’, she will also play a vital role in the uprising of Simissee’s people. Thusia asks the female ruler about Argypea, a female warrior, who was banned when Simissee was just crowned queen. Argypea, who was deemed a heathen, became so obsessed with the so called god Mithra, that she started brushing away all of the Sarmatian customs. After her banishment, she vowed the tribe would see her once again and perhaps certain portions of vow will finally come true.
Whilst this issue still has plenty of action, it’s clear that it’s mainly about the problematic situations which are rising throughout the entire horde. It is starting to become more difficult by the day, to keep this massive force intact, because not all choices which are made to do so, are cheered upon. It’s clear that this issue is the buildup to the final confrontation in the coming volume.
Sylvain Runberg, in collaboration with François Miville-Deschènes, brings us a story of historical proportions. It’s clear that the story has its fair share of battles, which make it impressing, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye. There’s a reasonable amount of things you’ll have to keep in mind when reading through the album(s) in order to put the horde of puzzle pieces together.
The illustrations by François Miville-Deschènes are very qualitative and very detailed across the entire album. Whilst all drawings are not that consistent, there’s hardly any deterioration when you’re presented with illustrations of grand scale battles or just crowded pictures. Noticeable is that some pages in the album seemed to have a slightly more ‘glossy’ coloring palette, making it feel like two styles were used in the album.
Conclusion
Heroveringen #3 Het Bloed van de Scythen, the last-but-one volume of the series, feels like a buildup to a spectacular ending. Whilst the action makes way for a deeper plot, you’ll still get enough events to process throughout this issue. Throw some good looking female warriors into the mix and you’ll have a great album to occupy yourself with until the final showdown.
Heroveringen #3 Het Bloed van de Scythen - Comic Book Review,
No Comments