Get Graphic: Sécher's Conan Brings Back The Days of High Adventure!
Mar 07, 2022
Art by Valentin Sécher
Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
In 2020, Portland, Oregon publisher Ablaze drew a line in the sand, and they did it using the savage sword of Robert E. Howard's Conan.
While Conan the Barbarian currently shares shelf space at Marvel, he's also getting a more aggressive treatment at Ablaze. The publisher's approach is very simple: their Conan is uncensored, unrestrained, violent, and, yeah...a little horny. But that's kind of what Robert E. Howard would've wanted, right?
If you need an even greater contrast then check out Ablaze's latest Conan mini-series The Cimmerian: Hour of the Dragon (JAN221066), an adaptation of Robert E. Howard's only full-length Conan novel. The comic comes courtesy of fantasy-adventure heavy-hitters Julien Blondel (Elric) and Valentin Sécher (Métabarons). In the following interview, Sécher gives PREVIEWSworld a tour of his art studio and explains the process behind those grandiose, painted images that have become his calling card.
Firstly, who are you and where do you hail from?
My name is Valentin Sécher and I am a comic book artist and illustrator. I’m 33 years old and live in Northwestern France.
How did you get into comic books as a fan?
My father reads a lot of comics. He had a subscription to the metal magazine Hurlant. It was therefore natural that I turned to comics, too.
How did you get into comic books as a professional?
I studied art for three years at the Pivaut school in Nantes. The day of the final exam, the comic book author and illustrator, (Stéphane) Louis, was in the jury. He took me by the shoulder and said, “You’re coming with me.” Two weeks later, I signed on to do Khaal with Soleil and Louis has become one of my closest friends in the field.
What’s it like working on such an iconic character?
Before Conan, there was the Méta Baron. That was already something! It’s exciting to work on a character like Conan because all of my heroes have more or less had the chance to illustrate him. Illustrators like Frazetta are the reason I wanted to become a comic book artist myself. It is therefore a challenge to follow in their footsteps, but the more complicated the game, the more exciting it is.
What tools do you use to create?
For my pages, I use ink on paper. The coloring is done digitally. For my illustrations like the cover of Conan, for example, it’s oil paint on wood.
What’s next for you?
I am currently illustrating a Conan short story: La tour de l’éléphant (The Elephant Tower) for Editions Bragelonne. This book will be released this year (2022) and will be a big book of illustrations where each double-page spread will be a unique painting. The format is incredible. I have 25 oil paintings of Conan to do, a dream job (I’m only halfway through and am having more fun than ever!).
If you want to discover more of Victor's work, be sure to follow him on Instagram or check out his official website.
THE CIMMERIAN: HOUR OF THE DRAGON #1 (JAN221066) hits comic shops on March 9, 2022. It will be released monthly from Ablaze Publishing.
A world to explore. A throne to be reconquered.
Under the funeral vaults of the mausoleum belonging to the ancient and cruel Emperor Xaltotun of Python, three men devoured by ambition come to offer to the inert body of the deceased sovereign the heart of Ahriman, a source of im-mortality which once belonged to him. Taken away at the cost of his life. In ex-change for this offering, the three men claim a single thing: the world. However, there is only one person able to stand in their way, a Cimmerian who seized the throne of Aquilonia: Conan!
The Hour of the Dragon is the only full-length Conan novel written by Robert E. Howard, and is considered by many to be one of his best works. It is now adapted into a comic mini series by two visionaries of heroic fantasy and imagi-nation: Julien Blondel, writer of Elric, and Valentin Sécher, artist of Méta-Baron bring forth a grandiose, bloodthirsty epic!
A world to explore. A throne to be reconquered.
Under the funeral vaults of the mausoleum belonging to the ancient and cruel Emperor Xaltotun of Python, three men devoured by ambition come to offer to the inert body of the deceased sovereign the heart of Ahriman, a source of im-mortality which once belonged to him. Taken away at the cost of his life. In ex-change for this offering, the three men claim a single thing: the world. However, there is only one person able to stand in their way, a Cimmerian who seized the throne of Aquilonia: Conan!
The Hour of the Dragon is the only full-length Conan novel written by Robert E. Howard, and is considered by many to be one of his best works. It is now adapted into a comic mini series by two visionaries of heroic fantasy and imagi-nation: Julien Blondel, writer of Elric, and Valentin Sécher, artist of Méta-Baron bring forth a grandiose, bloodthirsty epic!
A world to explore. A throne to be reconquered.
Under the funeral vaults of the mausoleum belonging to the ancient and cruel Emperor Xaltotun of Python, three men devoured by ambition come to offer to the inert body of the deceased sovereign the heart of Ahriman, a source of im-mortality which once belonged to him. Taken away at the cost of his life. In ex-change for this offering, the three men claim a single thing: the world. However, there is only one person able to stand in their way, a Cimmerian who seized the throne of Aquilonia: Conan!
The Hour of the Dragon is the only full-length Conan novel written by Robert E. Howard, and is considered by many to be one of his best works. It is now adapted into a comic mini series by two visionaries of heroic fantasy and imagi-nation: Julien Blondel, writer of Elric, and Valentin Sécher, artist of Méta-Baron bring forth a grandiose, bloodthirsty epic!
A world to explore. A throne to be reconquered.
Under the funeral vaults of the mausoleum belonging to the ancient and cruel Emperor Xaltotun of Python, three men devoured by ambition come to offer to the inert body of the deceased sovereign the heart of Ahriman, a source of im-mortality which once belonged to him. Taken away at the cost of his life. In ex-change for this offering, the three men claim a single thing: the world. However, there is only one person able to stand in their way, a Cimmerian who seized the throne of Aquilonia: Conan!
The Hour of the Dragon is the only full-length Conan novel written by Robert E. Howard, and is considered by many to be one of his best works. It is now adapted into a comic mini series by two visionaries of heroic fantasy and imagi-nation: Julien Blondel, writer of Elric, and Valentin Sécher, artist of Méta-Baron bring forth a grandiose, bloodthirsty epic!
A world to explore. A throne to be reconquered.
Under the funeral vaults of the mausoleum belonging to the ancient and cruel Emperor Xaltotun of Python, three men devoured by ambition come to offer to the inert body of the deceased sovereign the heart of Ahriman, a source of im-mortality which once belonged to him. Taken away at the cost of his life. In ex-change for this offering, the three men claim a single thing: the world. However, there is only one person able to stand in their way, a Cimmerian who seized the throne of Aquilonia: Conan!
The Hour of the Dragon is the only full-length Conan novel written by Robert E. Howard, and is considered by many to be one of his best works. It is now adapted into a comic mini series by two visionaries of heroic fantasy and imagi-nation: Julien Blondel, writer of Elric, and Valentin Sécher, artist of Méta-Baron bring forth a grandiose, bloodthirsty epic!
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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. He is also the Consumer Marketing Manager for Geppi Family Enterprises. Troy's comics work includes MF DOOM: All Caps, Public Enemy's Apocalpyse '91, the Glyph Award-nominated Fight of the Century, the Harvey Award-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Award-nominated Magic Bullet.
