Slipknot

 

 

Originally published in Albedo #5

Publication Date: October 1985

Written and Drawn by Stan Sakai 

'Slipknot'

In Brief: Nilson and Hermy meet Slipknot the man who can climb anything!

Summary:

Hermy and Nilson have reached the City of a Thousand Toads, ready to start their new lives as adventurers. After Nilson steps in the….muck left by an ox-cart he sends Hermy to get the cape off a nearby scarecrow so he can clean his shoes. But he decides its good enough to keep and takes it as a sign of good fortune and soon they’ll be hired by a rich merchant…..

Five weeks later they still haven’t had a single job offer.

 

Suddenly from an alleyway a shadowy figure offers them a job. Taking them back to his hideout he introduces himself as Slipknot….master thief.

After making sure he can trust them, he begins explaining his plan to rob the treasure vault of King Kilbun (while plotting to let them take the fall for the crime). Nilson goes to hang up his coat, quietly telling Hermy how they’ll turn Slipknot in for a reward once they know his plan.

Once he’s explained his elaborate scheme Hermy asks if it’s time to turn him in?

Slipknot attacks, but Nilson is able to fight him of, until he slips on Hermy’s discarded candy apple, hits his head on the coat rack and drops his sword.

With Slipknot’s dagger at his throat all seems hopeless….until Nilson offers the thief his cape of invisibility. When the thief tries it and demands to know why he’s still visible, Nilson hastily explains that everyone knows that invisible eyes can see other invisible things and therefore his visibility is a sign that he’s invisible.

Convinced, Slipknot leaves the pair to begin his reign of terror against the city.

And so our heroes go to explain their story to King Kilbun, and graciously accept any reward for Slipknot’s capture. Sadly as the king’s vault has just been robbed by a phantom thief their only reward is a trip to the palace dungeon.

Notes:

• The story started in Albedo #1. It continues in Critters Special #1.(Though several other stories will be published in the meantime)
• Some orc looking creatures appear in this story. They might just be generic fantasy creatures, or they might be a remnant of the epic war between the goblins and the anthros that was meant to be the plot of the series.
• The City of a Thousand Toads is full of toads. I think that's neat.
   

Review:

After all the set up last time, our heroes careers as swords for hire is finally underway!

Not that it goes that well. We're currently in the comedic short story phases of Stan's 2500 page epic (which is also the only part he's actually finished at this stage), but we get to know the characters a little better. Nilson's willing to turn someone in for money, and Hermy likes apples. 

The art continues to be the main selling, point with the bustling cityscape's having lots of nice details and gags scattered throughout. And Sakai can stage a good sword fight.

Anyway on page nine our heroes walk past a brothel.

It's not that explicit, but it's more risque than anything you'll ever see again in Sakai's work.