''El Mercenario'' ( en, italic=yes, The Mercenary) is a

science fiction comics Publication of comic strips and comic books focusing on science fiction became increasingly common during the early 1930s in newspapers published in the United States. They have since spread to many countries around the world. History The first ...

series by the Spanish artist

Vicente Segrelles Vicente Segrelles (born 9 September 1940 in Barcelona) is a Spanish comic book artist and writer. Segrelles gained popularity in Europe for his painted comic book epic ''The Mercenary'' ('' El Mercenario''), started in 1980. Set in a medieval f ...

, published beginning in 1980. An unusual feature for a comic book, every panel is painted in oil, a time-consuming technique. The series is known for the great attention paid to the depiction of landscapes.

Publication history

The series was initially serialized, beginning in 1980, in the journal ''Cimoc'', before moving on, beginning in 1982, to be published as a collection of 13 albums, with at least 11 having been translated into English (primarily by NBM). Beginning 1998, Segrelles began using the computer to illustrate most of his comics. The 10th edition of ''The Mercenary'', ''Giants'', was the first to include pages designed entirely by computer. The latest volume was published in 2003.

Plot

''The Mercenary'' tells the story of a mysterious and anonymous

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

from a hidden valley called The Country of the Clouds. In this secluded region, the human race develops a culture different from the rest of the world, all while confronting flying dragons, reptilian giants, monsters,

Amazons In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, ...

, and other characters familiar from the world of heroic fantasy. A regular feature of ''The Mercenary'' adventures are beautiful women, often semi-nude. Most of the stories include an unusual twist.

Characters

* The Mercenary — mysterious and anonymous, he rides on domesticated flying dragons * Arnoldo de Vinci — member of the Order of Crater led by the Grand Lama; an inventor, he supplies weapons to The Mercenary * Nan-Tay — beautiful young warrior responsible for the safety and protection of the Order of the Crater; she aids The Mercenary in his quests * Claust — a recurring villain, he is a cunning, ambitious, petty alchemist who is the enemy of the monks of the Order of the Crater

Influences

The Mercenary is a

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

adventure. Although the setting and the style resembles the medieval milieu of classic fantasy tales, it is actually a science fiction story. Magic is due to advanced technology and aliens, while giants and monsters are natural fauna or the results of radiation. The only blatant magic is in a set of apocryphal stories told by the Mercenary to impress his companion Nan-Tay (album 10, "Giants").

List of albums

#''The Formula from Hell'' (Norma Editorial, May 1982) #''The Trial of Strength'' (Norma Editorial, May 1983) #''The Floating Fortress'' (Norma Editorial, Mar. 1984) #''The Sacrifice'' (Norma Editorial, May 1988) #''The Water Fortress'' (Norma Editorial, Dec. 1991) #''The Black Sphere'' (Norma Editorial, May 1993) #''The Journey'' (Norma Editorial, Aug. 1995) #''The Year 1000'' (Norma Editorial, 1996) #''The Lost Civilization'' (Norma Editorial, 1998) #''The Giants'' (Norma Editorial, 1998) — short stories #''The Flight'' (Norma Editorial, 2000) #''The Ransom I'' (Norma Editorial, 2002) #''The Ransom II'' (Norma Editorial, 2003) *"Jubilee Edition" (10 page mini-comic)

External links

''The Mercenary'' section of Segrelles' website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercenario, El Spanish comics titles Comics characters introduced in 1980 Fantasy comics 1980 comics debuts Spanish comics characters