Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring Vol. 1 review — Can Robert E Howard’s holy warrior survive the quest for Thoth-Amon’s legendary ring?

The seemingly eternal influence of the snake god, Set, has hung heavy over Titan Comics’ various Howardverse titles in recent months. From the machinations of Thoth-Amon in Conan the Barbarian to the sinister plots of Set’s shapeshifting serpentine followers throughout different ages in the Savage Sword of Conan #10, to the long-awaited Conan: Scourge of the Serpent mini-series, Set’s evil has spread across the ages to affect more and more of Robert E Howard’s legendary characters. Now, it’s time for another to join the fight against the snake god’s relentless followers. One who serves a far different God. Is his faith strong enough to stand against the serpentine threat? Or will he fall before its terrible fangs?

*Mild spoilers ahead for Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring Vol. 1*

Written by Patrick Zircher, our story begins in Africa, in the kingdom of Ndongo. There, a mysterious man named Paolo makes a desperate escape through the jungle, pursued by a group of Ndongo warriors who seek to stop him. He manages to make it to his waiting ship, though not without suffering the deaths of a few comrades. For the moment, the reason for his hasty escape is a mystery, though it will not remain that way for long. 

We’re then introduced to the titular character himself. The Sword of Vengeance. A warrior guided not by glory or treasure, but by faith and honor. Solomon Kane. At the moment, he’s working as a privateer in the service of Queen Elizabeth, albeit a somewhat conflicted one. He pushes aside his feelings of conflict, though, as he fights a vicious battle alongside his comrades, hewing a path through the enemy with sword and pistol until he reaches the enemy captain’s quarters. There, he shoots a man he believes to be the ship’s captain, as the man had just fired upon him. To his horror, however, he discovers that the man dying by his hand is not the enemy captain, but rather an innocent man. A passenger by the name of Paolo Laurenti. The same Paolo, it turns out, that we saw fleeing Ndongo only a few pages earlier. Wracked by guilt over his terrible mistake, Kane accepts the dying man’s request to take his package to his brother-in-law, Abramo Bensaid, in Venice.  

Meanwhile, back in the kingdom of Ndongo, a pair of Ngongo villagers depart the Sao Mancos mission to search for answers behind the recent deaths in the region in spite of Father Goncallo’s reservations. What they discover, though, is something far more horrific than anything they could have expected: a corpse, devoured down to the skeleton, bearing an inhuman, serpentine skull. They bring the skull back to Father Goncallo to study, inadvertently bringing the sinister threat of Set’s disciples back to the Mission with it. 

After a long journey, Kane finally makes it to his destination, though not without enduring his share of trouble. After a bit of hostility from Abramo Bensaid’s daughter Diamanta, Kane gives them the package entrusted to him by Paolo, which is revealed to be little more than a  worthless trinket. At least, that’s what it looks to be at first glance. Certain Paolo wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to send them something so trivial, she smashes it to reveal a map hidden inside. A map for a treasure sought by one Rolando Zarza, who happens to show up at this exact moment with his associate Nico Cassani. Zarza demands the map at gunpoint, but is forced to reconsider his approach after Kane intervenes and Diamanta threatens to burn the map. Accepting that attempting to take the map by force will undoubtedly end poorly, Zarza relents and instead appeals to Abramo Bensaid to join him on their quest. Bensaid agrees, as does his daughter and Solomon Kane. Thus, the group of reluctant allies set out for Africa in search of the serpent ring of Thoth-Amon. An undertaking that will prove far more dangerous than any of them could possibly expect. 

Given how many of Titan’s Howardverse books have dealt with the threat of Set’s followers recently, it is difficult to completely separate this story from recent Conan stories, particularly thanks to the presence of Thoth-Amon’s serpent ring and the shapeshifters. Whether the events of this book will play a role in the ongoing Scourge of the Serpent mini-series remains to be seen. Fortunately for readers interested solely in Solomon Kane, this book remains largely separate from the ongoing events taking place elsewhere in the Howardverse, with no other titles needing to be read to understand and enjoy this one. If you have happened to read other stories such as Jim Zub’s recent arc in Conan the Barbarian, however, you might find the story all the more compelling due to the connections to the wider universe. 

Looking at this story by itself, however, it’s nothing less than a thrilling adventure packed to the brim with dangerous threats, compelling protagonists, and an overarching evil that looms ever-heavier with every page. Kane’s motivations for joining the quest in particular make for a compelling protagonist, especially as his relationship with Diamanta evolves over the course of the journey. He remains consumed by guilt over his killing of her uncle Paolo, a secret he does his best to keep from her as he doesn’t wish to hurt her or her father. Instead, he does his best to ensure they remain safe on their quest, determined to atone for his terrible sin. 

Kane is far from the only interesting protagonist, however. Diamanta quickly proves herself to be far more than the scholarly girl she’s initially presented as, providing both medical aid to the group’s wounded and showing little —if any— hesitation to leap into the fray with gun in hand when trouble arrives. Cassani is largely presented as little more than a vain womanizer, determined that he will have Diamanta before the journey is complete, yet there seems to be more to him beneath the surface. And Zarza…well, he’s pretty much exactly what he appears to be from the moment you meet him: arrogant, greedy, and dangerous. In other words, a good foil for our titular Puritan warrior. 

Given the nature of the threat the group faces and the connection to recent Conan the Barbarian books with the ring of Thoth-Amon, you might expect the story to be rife with supernatural elements. To a degree this is true. From the shapeshifting, serpentine monsters determined to stop any from finding the serpent ring to the surprising display of magic from one of our protagonists, supernatural forces are interwoven into the underlying fabric of the story from very early on, especially if one has been reading other Howardverse titles. In spite of this, however, Solomon Kane manages to maintain a much more grounded feel to the story. This could simply be owed to its setting. Compared to a fantastical world such as the Hyborian Age, the 16th-17th century setting of Solomon Kane naturally feels much more familiar even with the mystical elements. This, in turn, makes the danger feel more real. These aren’t barbarian kings or magic-wielding sorcerers embarking on this quest. They’re ordinary humans, armed with their wits and weapons against an ancient, eldritch evil. Even when magic does make an appearance, it feels less like an instant key to success and more like merely another tool, one quickly brushed past by the story. 

In addition to manning the writer’s pen, Zircher also serves as the story’s illustrator, something he does to great success. His artwork is clean and detailed, capturing each character expertly. From Kane’s brooding grimness and guilt-ridden eyes to the fatherly concern filling each line of Bensaid’s aged face, each character feels alive and distinct. The settings likewise feel distinct from one another, giving their journey a real sense of progression.

I found very little to complain about in this story. If anything, I only really had one complaint, that being the —in my opinion— underutilization of a certain villainous character that could have played a much bigger threatening role. Instead, the group figures out the truth of them fairly quickly, albeit not before they have a rough encounter with Set’s followers. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this character for what they were, but rather that I felt the story could have done a bit more with them. 

Overall, Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring Vol. 1 is a thrilling adventure tale, bearing a healthy balance of mysticism and realism to deliver a story that fans of the character and newcomers alike will undoubtedly enjoy.

Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring Vol. 1 is available now from Titan Comics.