Preview – Garth Ennis And Henry Flint Bring Back A Cult Classic In ‘Hawk The Slayer: Watch For Me In The Night’
by Richard Bruton
Hawk The Slayer, the classic 1980s fantasy adventure, gets a sequel from Garth Ennis and Henry Flint – it’s time for one final battle!
Released in 1980, Hawk The Slayer is one of those beloved movies for devotees of fantasy and sword & sorcery. Pretty much dismissed as a failure on its initial release, it’s attained a cult status over the years, with Ennis being one of those who’s loved it since he first saw it in 1981, telling the tale of his aunt taking him and a friend to see it in Donegal in 1981.
So, when Rebellion got the licence for the adaptation, Ennis was first in the queue to take on a sequel. And you can tell that love for the character all the way through this sequel, with Ennis going large on things, expanding on the film but keeping the spirit and tone exactly as those who love the film will remember. This was never going to be one of those sequels that reinvent things or ridicule the original, this is every bit Hawk The Slayer Part 2.
That original film, directed by Terry Marcel and starring John Terry and Jack Palance, told the tale of two warring brothers, the brave Hawk and Voltan, fighting to gain control of a magical sword in a battle that could threaten their world.
Ennis and Flint continue the saga years after the defeat of Voltan with an old evil on the rise. Spurred on by a mysterious sorceress, Hawk gathers his comrades together and heads off to battle the evil of Voltan and his supposed masters, the Black Wizards, for one final time.
Yes, it’s Hawk back doing just what all the fans, including Ennis, love him doing.
The five-issue series debuted in 2022 and gets this collected edition on 28th March.
Ennis and Flint really have managed to capture the essence of the film and transpose it to the comics page. Whether you love the original, love a good bit of sword and sorcery, or just enjoy seeing two incredibly talented have a great time making comics, it’s well worth a look.
And if you’ve never seen the movie, worry not, there’s a perfect summation of it in the first eight pages, which we’ve included in the preview below.
Now, a preview from Hawk the Slayer: Watch For Me In The Night. First, that perfect recap I was mentioning…
And now, continuing the story…
Hawk The Slayer: Watch For Me In The Night– by Garth Ennis and Henry Flint, letters by Rob Steen, covers by Greg Staples and released by Rebellion on 28th March, 2023.
