''El Mercenario'' () 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 Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

artist

Vicente Segrelles Vicente Segrelles (born 9 September 1940) 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 fantasy world, ' ...

, published beginning in 1980. An unusual feature for a comic book, every panel is painted in

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

, 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 is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

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 The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...

, and other characters familiar from the world of

heroic fantasy Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of ...

. 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 file:Warhammer40kcosplay.jpg, Cosplay of a character from the ''Warhammer 40,000'' tabletop game; one critic has characterized the game's setting as "action-oriented science-fantasy." Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction ...

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