Rakan (2nd Series)

(AK, 2006)

As a boy, Rakan watches helplessly as his tribe is killed by barbarian hordes. Afterwards, he wanders the desert starving until rescued from jackals by a surprisingly friendly sabre-toothed tiger and her cub. Boy and cub bond and together they discover a lush oasis, the home of the hermitic warrior Hakim, who teaches Rakan to be a righteous warrior and sending him off on a quest.
It’s one part Conan, one part Lone Ranger (his subtitle is The Lone Warrior; plus you get the feeling he’s the kind of guy who’d helped oppressed peoples without being asked) with just a touch of Ka-Zar. Although with his cool looking vest and semi-formal education he’s no barbarian, and instead of wandering aimlessly, he has a very specific purpose.
Calling this “wholesome” is a sure way to turn off a lot of potential readers, but this one isn’t so much old-fashioned as classic, a perfect example of solid, straight-forward adventure stuff with solid art that’s made all the better by the rich computer coloring.

— S. A. Bennett

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