N-Spiration: The Mercenary

Paid by the mission, a hired killer - special operations for sale - comes across a secret brotherhood: one which serves order. Where will this charge lead, as he rides dragons across strange but familiar continents - uncovers ancient and forgotten wonders: knowledge of both the material and of the beyond? 

Presented to you - direct from Spain - The Mercenary.

N-Spiration: The Mercenary

About the Book(s)

The Mercenary started as a serialized science fiction and fantasy series in Spanish periodical Cimoc, making its first appearance in 1980. Thereafter, between 1982 and 2003, the character, universe, and semi-episodic story has expanded into 13 volumes, graphic novels, translated into multiple languages and distributed widely outside its native nation.

Of these works, many can be found second hand in physical copy on Ebay, Amazon or as Kindle editions, in addition to on antique or out-of-print sources like Abe Books. Notably - perhaps as a result of the out-of-print nature of most of these editions - most of the English translations are also available freely online in sites where one might read comics online: however, while they are not particularly hard to find, the legality of them being in question, I am reluctant to provide an avenue here. The ethics (and legality) of that, I leave to the judgement of the reader.

Why The Mercenary?

First and foremost - why should you read at least one of The Mercenary stories?

Because they ooze pulp adventure.

 If the hallmark of Appendix N is its addiction to the fantastic - to adventurers, to treasure-hunters, to all of the classic elements of sword and sorcery: The Mercenary comes out in spades. Every issue is an action-packed adventure - twists, turns, romance, mystery, and wonder. Rescuing the young wife of a porcine noble, only to have her betray you because she doesn't want to return? Bingo! Trudging through snow and torch-light in secret underground hallways to recover a radioactive laser weapon? Got it. Punching an evil wizard in the face after having been tipped off by a buxom harem captive set on her liberation? Seek no further.

The Mercenary is the wet-dream of an aspiring fantasy adventure referee. If you read through even one of the comic novels - I dare you to resist running an LBB frenzy thereafter.

A further quality of The Mercenary that I find appealing - it's artful mix of magic and science. There is not an Ebberon-esque integration of magic into technological application - nor is magic all simply ignorant earthlings misinterpreting super-science from ages past. The series mixes and matches - spoiler for the rest of the paragraph - by making it seem, initially, like super-science is what the land perceives as magic: but then, as issues drive on, magicians emerge - magic becomes more evident and distinct in its own right. Magicians and alchemists use both magic and science - which is refreshing and very in-character for Appendix-N: as it shows a three dimensional character who is willing and able to pursue multiple avenues to the same end.

The fantastic is immediately evident - the protagonist rides dragons and fights monsters, after all - but the fantastic is mixed between the mystical (some obvious, some implied) and the perceived as mystical: such that the reader, a 20th century mind (or 21st these days) will recognize scientific references while the characters muddle through them - sometimes, a sort of suspense occurs unbeknownst to the protagonists: unaware of the hazards of their situation, the reader leafs through the pages wondering whether their incidental decisions or instinct reactions will guide them to safety or to ruin. The implementation is never ham-fisted and the effect is always artful: something that can be a challenge for authors aiming to mix these themes - or for a referee trying to run a more gonzo setting.

A final point to sell you on The Mercenary - you may have noticed already with the images presented: the books are gorgeous. Every single panel is a work of art - oil painting on canvas - transcribed into a comic format after: a technique that held true until 1998, when the artist began using a computer to touch up or tweak his traditional artwork. The Mercenary, thus, has a very distinct, very timeless appearance to it - which, combined with evocative subjects and dynamic action, serves as a spur to the emotion and imagination.

Vicente Segrelles has a very Frazetta-like vibe to him: the paintings hearken back to very Renaissance sense of scale and of color, while leveraging unapologetic appeal of characters as beautiful as the setting around them. Segrelles is a master of lighting and motion - something that is an incredible benefit in the kindling the fire under the table for your workaday adventure gamer.

Any Cons?

Nope - none.

More seriously - to speak to considerations for the reader - an interesting couple elements to be aware of: the series is "low fantasy" in a literary sense: that is, it introduces elements of the fantastic into the actual world. In places, globes are shown portraying Earth - or references are made to cultural elements and folk tales that exist in real cultures seated in real regions.

One book is set in nondescript middle-ages Spain.

One book is has reference to Aladdin's lamp of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.

For the casual reader, this can be fun. It's not intended to be a historical epic, nor is it intended to be necessarily chronologically consistent: it's not clear if it's alternative Earth, or if it's forgotten-history or hidden-history Earth, or if the author simply didn't care and wanted to create a fun story to tell using his characters and perspective. In either case, while some places The Mercenary goes would logically not be correlated - if this bothers you, you may find yourself skipping a couple of the books. However, internally the tomes are consistent. Each tale moves through large swaths of space and covers a full range of story - but that range, those spaces, they are within reason, within cinematic verisimilitude, and create a believable atmosphere.

Or, if not believable, one that feels within the realm of reason for a fantasy epic. 

Further Reading

The best part about the work of Vicente Segrelles is that he is mostly still at it! His home page - http://www.segrelles.com/ - last updated 2021 - contains references to his work, biography and contact information, and a series of advice articles about art based in his experience.

Segrelles - as an artist - was widely prolific in the 70s through the 90s: leaving a significant trail of credits as an artist and illustrator for those who like his style. Due to the age of much of the material - and due to its Eurocentric distribution compared to my linguistically stunted English - I cannot personally vouch for the content of the stories illustrated: but in the compilation of visual splendor, especially pieces made prior to the advent of computer illustration, it may serve as a deep portfolio.

A further bibliographical listing is provided on his home page - however I was unable to find links to direct prints or similar: so reader, you are on your own to track them down by title.

In Conclusion

I owe a debt of gratitude to the Discord friend who posted some random images from this tome and inadvertently led me to it. Skimming through it again in order to post this review, my desire re-kindles, my gaming ambitions arise, and new ideas spring into my head for more powerful, more challenging adventures. The Garimeter reading - or, at least, this Garimeter reading - for The Mercenary is a solid 1: OSR out the wazoo.

The Mercenary is epic, beautiful, and brimming with adventure. It would make a stunning addition to any coffee table or bookshelf - and its contents would inspire a stunning addition to any OSR home campaign.

Delve on, readers!

The Mercenary and all imagery thereof is property of Vicente Segrelles with English translation copyrighted under Nantier Beall Minoustchine of New York, NY. Images included in this article are included for review purposes under US Code Title 17, Chapter 107 - Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and all imagery related to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is property of Wizards of the Coast and is likewise referenced and used under US Code Title 17, Chapter 107 as a combination of review and parody.

The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.