Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1 Review

 

Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1 Review

Writer: Julien Blondel

Artist & Colorist: Valentin Sécher

Translator: Marc Bourbon-Crook

Letterer: Jessica Burton

Cover Artists: Valentin Sécher, Norm Konyu & Florent Maudoux

Editor: Ibraheem Kazi

Designer: Matt Bookman

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 29, 2026

 

Elric feels an absence where his heart should be. As the emperor of a fallen empire travels through the Young Kingdoms, he mourns his beloved Cymoril. Nor can he forget that Stormbringer, the sword that sustains his life, killed her. Queen Yishana might have loved him. But like Shaarilla of Myyrrhn, Elric will not give Stormbringer the chance to drink the soul of another woman he cares about.

 

When most people see Elric, they regard him as an oddity. They associate his white skin with sickness and weakness. But some crave his power. Theleb K’aarna, who summoned the Singing Citadel to Queen Yishana’s kingdom, burns with ambition. Will the Pan Tangian find a way to harness Elric's link with Chaos? And can Elric protect the Young Kingdoms from the ambitious sorcerer? Let's leap into Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1 and see!

 

Story

Queen Yishana banished Theleb K’aarna from Jharkor for his treachery. But the sorcerer doesn't care about being the chief sorcerer to any ruler. He believes he's entitled to command the forces of Chaos. Despite how Arioch disregarded him, Theleb wants to be the champion of Chaos in the Young Kingdoms. And he doesn't care how many people die as he strives to achieve his goal.

 

Chaos and his black sword destroyed Elric’s world. Now, Elric yearns for peace. Perhaps one day, he can find Tanelorn, where he can enjoy a reprieve from the lords of Law and Chaos. Yet in Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1, a messenger finds him. If he wishes for the Young Kingdoms to survive, Elric must aid the Empress of the Dawn.

 

Julien Blondel's story forces Elric to contemplate his relationship with lord Arioch. The former Emperor of Melniboné must choose between his past and his future. Like Arioch, Elric regards the Young Kingdoms as children. With the fall of Melniboné, all the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of his former kingdom is gone. He cannot share it with the younger cultures. By serving Law, perhaps Elric can balance the Chaos Theleb K’aarna is unleashing. But as the messenger warns, the gods never tell you what they really want.

 

Art

As the robed figure walks down a cobblestone street, tall, decaying wooden buildings rise on either side. Rats perch on wooden posts as the figure approaches the city gates. Despite the rain, yellow and green light fills the air and tinges the tenements. Then more figures appear, brandishing weapons in Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1.

 

When Valentin Sécher introduces Elric and Moonglum, orange fills the night sky. Yellow mixes with brown as the two face warriors in the forest. Later, after finding refreshment in a tavern, warriors find them again. The yellow from the city that Theleb K’aarna entered links with the gold spilling from coffers and heaped around the man he visits. The Pan Tangian’s red face paint finds echoes in a tavern sign, the ring Elric wears, the messenger who meets him, and the fire that burns from the words inscribed on Stormbringer. Yet just as orange begins Moonglum's story, it also illuminates his climactic actions in Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1.

 

Amid the detailed art and luminous colors, Jessica Burton fills rectangular balloons and narrative boxes with small uppercase black letters. Stormbringer fills black boxes with larger, white letters as Elric contemplates the messenger’s words, and unwittingly follows the man’s advice to Moonglum. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Moonglum of Elwher is the opposite of Elric. Like Stormbringer, Moonglum sustains Elric. His buoyant spirit helps Elric carry on after losing his world. Arioch may have claimed that the Lords of Law were easier for mortals to understand. But as Moonglum remains by Elric's side, the bouncy, ever-cheerful man must tame his thoughts, lest he end up forever lost and unable to help his friend or his world, in Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress #1.

 

Rating: 9.3/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress#1.