Solomon Kane (Puritan adventurer) (original) (raw)
Comments: Created by Robert Ervin Howard, adapted for Marvel Comics by Roy Thomas and Ralph Reese.
"Solomon Kane... a name that tells of both wisdom and wandering..."
— Cathryn (Savage Sword of Conan I#22/2)
The primary chronology of Solomon Kane was derived from the articlesThe Trail of Solomon Kane (Kull and the Barbarians#3) and Kane... the Avenger (Savage Sword of Conan I#219), both written by Fred Blosser, which were adapted from the chronological order devised by Glenn Lord for the Red Shadows anthology. The dates are derived from these articles and the stories themselves:
Kane was born "around 1530" (The Trail of Solomon Kane, Kane... the Avenger).
Kane and Cabel were mercenaries in 1545, "ten years" and "a decade" (Solomon Kane#2) before 1555.
Kane battled Gideon "around 1553" (The Trail of Solomon Kane, Kane... the Avenger).
Kane witnessed murder of John Redly "around 1553" (The Trail of Solomon Kane, Kane... the Avenger).
Kane began his hunt of Le Loup shortly after "15 September 1553" (Marvel Premiere#33).
Kane first encountered Dracula "around the mid 1550's" (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#3) and "between 1553 and 1566" (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition#17), with their second encounter "so many months" (Savage Sword of Conan I#26/2) later.
Kane encountered Cabel in Germany in "the year of our Lord, 1555," during the "wintry" (Solomon Kane#2) season.
Kane encountered Ali-Ben Ar in "the year of our Lord 1555" (Solomon Kane#4).
Kane battled Driago "in the Spain of Philip II" (Conan Saga#50/3), thus sometime after 1556.
Kane discovered the city of Negari in 1566, later stating he was "perhaps a decade older" (Savage Sword of Conan I#220) than Conan, who was age 26, as it was "more than a month" (Savage Sword of Conan I#219) after the death of B�lit.
Kane and Drake were privateers from "1566" for "some six years" (The Trail of Solomon Kane) to 1572.
Kane accompanied Drake on his voyage from "1577-78" (Kane... the Avenger).
Kane witnessed Doughty executed in "1578" (Savage Sword of Conan I#62/2), which occurred July 2, 1578.
Kane and Grenville were in the Battle of Flores in "1591" (Savage Sword of Conan I#41/2), fought August 30-September 1, 1591.
Bess died in 1603, "seven years" (Savage Sword of Conan I#20/2, Solomon Kane#6/2, Savage Sword of Conan I#162/2) before 1610.
Kane returned to Negari in 1606, "four decades" (Savage Sword of Conan I#219) after 1566.
Kane returned to Devon in "1610" (The Trail of Solomon Kane, Kane... the Avenger).
The date of "1556" (Solomon Kane#3) for Blades of the Brotherhood was in error, as it occurred between the execution of Doughty in 1578 and the Battle of Flores in 1591. The dates of "1555" (Solomon Kane#5) forHills of the Dead and "1559" (Solomon Kane#6) for Wings in the Nightwere in error, as they occurred after the Battle of Flores in 1591.As the dates and histories are sometimes contradictory, it is difficult to be 100% certain of the placement of all the stories.
The stories Hawk of Basti and The Children of Asshur were never adapted to Marvel, but were confirmed as canon in The Trail of Solomon Kane and Kane... the Avenger. The original stories by Robert E. Howard were incomplete fragments, but were posthumously completed by Ramsey Campbell.
Although Kull and the Barbarians#2/2 being given the staff by N'Longa shortly before rescuing Zunna from the vampires, Solomon Kane#5 retconned this, depicting him receiving the staff shortly after killing Le Loup.His middle initial of L. was from "the letters S.L.K.", which he had carved onto the cheek of a bandit in Red Shadows.Bess was first mentioned in Solomon Kane's Homecoming, and her full name given as Elizabeth "Bess" Morgan in Savage Sword of Conan I#162/2. The birthdate of "1570" (Savage Sword of Conan I#162/2) on her tombstone was in error, as she was a childhood friend of Kane, himself born in 1530.
Julka and Morgit Sinkovit's surname was revealed in Vampires: The Marvel Undead#1. Baron (Robert) von Staler's first name was revealed in Marvel Atlas#1. The city of Engazi was named in The Savage World of Solomon Kane.
Relatives of Solomon Kane had been mentioned in non-canon sources. In the film
Solomon Kane (2009), his father was named Josiah Kane and his brother Marcus Kane. In the books Tarzan Alive (1972) and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (1973) by Philip Jos� Farmer, Solomon Kane and Bess had a daughter named Bess Kane, who married a man surnamed Clarke, and they were the ancestors of notable characters such as Denis Nayland Smith from The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu (1913) by Sax Rohmer, Doc Savage from The Man of Bronze (1933) by Lester Dent, Sherlock Holmes from A Study in Scarlet (1887) by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Tarzan from Tarzan of the Apes (1914) by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Estimation of Solomon Kane's height and weight,
courtesy of Loki
First option is the original stories - what REH established should overrule anything else. But, AFAIK (and please correct me if I'm wrong), he only identifies Kane as "tall" - trouble is, in the era Kane comes from, the average height of European males was only around 5'5",
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/09/040902090552.htm
so "tall" subjectively could be as little as, say, 5'8". Not much help here.
Next option, we use a character with a known height for reference who Kane has met. Kane's only interacted with Dracula in terms of this kind of thing. Dracula is 6'5". Trouble is, there's no decent comparison shots in SSoC#26, and Dracula Lives#3 isn't definitive - they are rarely side by side and standing straight up, with either one or other usually lowered in a fighting stance or nearer to the reader than the other. The one shot that might work suggests Dracula actually towers over Kane, but Kane was hurt at the time and might have been slouching, or he might simply be closer to the reader (see the image in the main profile)
So the next option is a multi-step comparison, and here's where we have more luck. We've got a great height comparison for Mary Jane Watson (5'8") and Red Sonja from MTU. 
A human in ideal proportions has a body (including head) that is 7.5 times the height of their heads. I think we can all agree that both MJ and Sonja have ...perfect proportions. So using some cutting and pasting, I figured out that Sonja is between 5'11.5" or 6'. That sounds about right - tall enough to be above average by today's standards, let alone Hyborean times.
Next, compare Sonja to Conan - and again, we've got a good comparison shot in Sonja's second appearance, Conan the Barbarian#24.
Again, assuming Conan is in perfect proportions, which I think we can all concur with, and using that head to body ratio and Sonja being 6', Conan is around 6'6" - which again thinks works. He's tall, but not ridiculously so. From the REH stories, he hit 6' early in his teens and was "not yet his full height." On that 7.5 times head height factor, that makes his head somewhere shy of 9" tall, which important for the final step.
I think the shot in the main profile with Kane and Conan side by side, is probably the ideal height comparison for the two men:
The top of Kane's head is about a quarter of the height of Conan's head above Conan's chin - which makes him somewhere close to 6.5" shorter than Conan (and looking at the last two images, a bit shorter than Sonja). I think we're looking at a height of 5'11" to (maximum) 6". That still makes Kane "tall" by his era's standards (a good 6 to 7 inches above average), and above average even by today's norms.
Now the weight. Kane is described as having virtually no fat - he's "gaunt" faced, with "rangy" limbs. Even if he was 6'2", 220 lbs. is high for that - by comparison, Ryan Reynolds is a muscular 6'2" and apparently weighs around 190 lbs. And even now, as Deadpool, he's not as thin as he was when he played Hannibal King - per his comments on the DVD audio commentary for Blade Trinity he was down to 4% body fat for that one, which would fit Kane better. So even if Kane is the same height, having him more than 190 lbs. seems high, and if Kane is a couple of inches shorter...
Excellent points and excellent research, Stuart. I do think we have to keep in mind how much Marvel’s history is different from the real world, as Conan’s time period was just a couple millennia away from Cro-Magnon man in the real world. Based on your research, I think 6’ is appropriate. He’s lean, but mostly muscle with no fat, so I think 190 lbs. is still right.
Profile by Wolfram Bane.CLARIFICATIONS:
Solomon Kane has no known connections to:
* Aleister Kane, an associate of Dr. Strange @ Marvel Fanfare I#52
* Daisy Kane - model, Cleo Vanderlip agent--Dakota North#
* Daryl Kane aka. Nemesis @ Falcon#1
* Eddie Kane - a death row inmate who was freed and replaced by the Two-Headed Thing--Strange Tales I#95
* Eric Kane - a convict who found the Lizard Men and was transformed into one of them after stealing their diamond @ Journey Into Mystery I#64
* Eric Kane - built time machine, traveled into past, transformed into Neanderthal--Strange Tales I#109/3
* Garrison Kane, former agent of Department K @ X-Force I#2
* Joshua Kane - hunter, targeted Werewolf (Jack Russell)--Werewolf by Night I#4
* Luther Kane- scientist, attempted to manipulate Jack Russell into killing rival Judson Hemp--Werewolf by Night I#5
* Roderick Kane of Earth-62192 - would be conqueror from the 51st century--Strange Tales I#92/2
* Shannon Kane - aka Spider Queen--Eagle#2/6; Invaders II#1
* Sugar Kane, a Britney Spears-like pop star @ Uncanny X-Men#395
* Kain, of the Pacific Overlords @ Avengers West Coast I#71
* Kaine, aka Scarlet Spider. A Peter Parker clone @ Web of Spider-Man I#119
* Kaina - Contraxian woman, aka Marcy Kane--Spectacular Spider-Man II#34
* Cain, biblical son of Adam and Eve @ Howard the Duck III#4
* CAIN, JUDAS ( ) - Sub-Mariner foe--Sub-Mariner Comics#15
* Caine, Ben, news editor of KGG-TV @ Daredevil I#95
* Commander Caine, leader of warrriors of Haalmhad of reality-791 @ Marvel Preview I#15
* Knut Caine, the Mad Viking, Loki ally @ Tales to Astonish III#1
* CANE (Johannes Vulpe) --USA Comics#12
* Cane (Lorne Quickfall) - assassin hired by Rosalie Carbone, English mercenary--Punisher War Zone#8
* King Solomon, former Sorcerer Supreme @ Red Raven Comics#1/8
* Solomon Negus, vampire drug dealer @ Spider-Man vs. Vampires#1
* Dr. Solomon Pernell - head of the Solomon Institute for the Criminally Insane--Avengers I#194
* Solomon Prey, drug dealer @ Black Panther: Panther's Prey#1
* Ulysses Solomon Archer, aka U.S. Archer, heroic trucker @ U.S. 1#1
* Solomus - ancient sorcerer, opposed Sardeth--Marvel Two-In-One I#90
* other Solomon, or Kane-sounding characters
images: (without ads)
Savage Sword of Conan I#13/2, page 3, panel 1 (main image);
#53/2, pg. 9, panel 4 (vs. Akaana)
Marvel Premiere I#34, page 13, panel 7 (Kane vs Le Loup);
Solomon Kane#5, pg. 5, panel 13 (with Cabel in Germany);
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#37, pg. 8, panel 1 (vs. worm);
Savage Sword of Conan I#220, page 7, panel 5 (Kane and Conan);
pg. 35, panel 1 (senior Kane at time of return to Negari)
Appearances:
Monsters Unleashed#1/4 (August, 1973) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Ralph Reese (pencils, inks)
Dracula Lives#3/3 (October, 1973) - Roy Thomas (writer), Michael Reed (pencils, inks)
Kull and the Barbarians#2/2 (July, 1975) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Alan Weiss (pencils), Neal Adams (pencils, inks), Karen Mantlo (letters)
Kull and the Barbarians#3/3 (September, 1975) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Alan Weiss (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Karen Mantlo (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#13/2 (July, 1976) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Doug Moench (adaptation), Steve Gan (pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#14/2 (September, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Mike Zeck (pencils, inks)
Marvel Premiere I#33 (December, 1976) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Howard Chaykin (pencils, inks, colors), Jim Novak (letters)
Marvel Premiere I#34 (February, 1977) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Howard Chaykin (pencils, inks), Don Warfield (colors), Jim Novak (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#18/2 (April, 1977) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Howard Chaykin (pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#19/2 (June, 1977) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), Alan Kupperberg (pencils), Sonny Trinidad (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#20/2 (July, 1977) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Virgilio Redondo (pencils), Rudy Nebres (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#22/2 (September, 1977) - Don Glut (writer), Sonny Trinidad (pencils, inks), Davida Lichter-Dale (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#25/2 (December, 1977) - Don Glut (writer), Steve Gan (pencils), Dino Castrillo (inks), Jim Novak (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#26/2 (January, 1978) - Don Glut (writer), David Wenzel (pencils), Marilitz (inks), Jim Novak (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#33/2 (September, 1978) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils), Duffy Vohland (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#34/2 (October, 1978) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils), Bill Wray (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#37/2 (February, 1979) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#39/2 (April, 1979) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#41/2 (June, 1979) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils, inks)
Marvel Preview#19/2 (Summer, 1979) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), Will Meugniot (pencils), Steve Gan (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#53/2 (June, 1980) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#54/2 (July, 1980) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Don Glut (adaptation), David Wenzel (pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#62/2 (March, 1981) - Robert E. Howard (original story), David Wenzel (adaptation, pencils, inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#83/4 (December, 1982) - Mary Jo Duffy (writer), Danny Bulanadi (pencils, inks), Joe Rosen (letters)
Solomon Kane#1 (September, 1985) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Ralph Macchio (adaptation), Steve Carr (pencils), Bret Blevins (pencils, inks), Glynis Oliver (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)
Solomon Kane#2 (November, 1985) - Ralph Macchio (writer), Bret Blevins (pencils, inks), Christie Scheele (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)
Solomon Kane#3 (January, 1986) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Ralph Macchio (adaptation), Bret Blevins (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Ken Feduniewicz (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)
Solomon Kane#4 (March, 1986) - Ralph Macchio (writer), Mike Mignola (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Bob Sharen (colors) Joe Rosen (letters)
Solomon Kane#5 (May, 1986) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Ralph Macchio (adaptation), Jon Bogdanove (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Ken Feduniewicz (colors), Ken Bruzenak (letters)
Solomon Kane#6 (July, 1986) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Ralph Macchio (adaptation), John Ridgway (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Ken Feduniewicz (colors), Jim Novak (letters)
Solomon Kane#6/2 (July, 1986) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Sandy Plunkett (pencils), Al Williamson (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan I#162/2 (July, 1989) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Steve Carr (adaptation, pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Diana Albers (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#171/2 (March, 1990) - John Arcudi (writer), Steve Carr (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Gary Fields (letters)
Conan Saga#50/3 (May, 1991) - Alan Rowlands (writer), Steve Carr (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Jack Morelli (letters)
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#37 (January, 1992) - Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Jean-Marc Lofficier, Randy Lofficier (writers), Geof Isherwood (pencils, inks), George Roussos (colors), Pat Brosseau (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#219 (March, 1994) - Robert E. Howard (original story), Roy Thomas (adaptation), Colin MacNeil (pencils, inks), Diana Albers (letters)
Savage Sword of Conan I#220 (April, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer), Colin MacNeil (pencils, inks), Diana Albers (letters)
Conan: Serpent War#1 (February, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Scot Eaton, Vanesa Del Rey (pencils), Scott Hanna, Vanesa Del Rey (inks), Frank D'Armata, Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors), Travis Lanham (letters)
Conan: Serpent War#2 (February, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Vanesa Del Rey, Stephen Segovia (pencils, inks), Frank D'Armata, Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors), Travis Lanham (letters)
Conan: Serpent War#3 (March, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Vanesa Del Rey, Luca Pizzari (pencils, inks), Frank D'Armata, Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors), Travis Lanham (letters)
Conan: Serpent War#4 (March, 2020) - Jim Zub (writer), Vanesa Del Rey, Ig Guara (pencils, inks), Frank D'Armata, Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colors), Travis Lanham (letters)
The Get of Garm, Part 1-4 (text story in Conan: Serpent War#1-4 (February-March, 2020) - C. L. Werner (writer)
Bibliography:
Blosser, Fred. "Kane... the Avenger" (1994, published in Savage Sword of Conan I#219), "The Trail of Solomon Kane" (1975, published in Kull and the Barbarians#3).
Campbell, Ramsey and Howard, Robert E. "The Children of Asshur" (1979; completed from original fragment by Howard, 1968), "Hawk of Basti" (1979; completed from original fragment by Howard, 1968).
Hensley, Shane Lacy and Wade-Williams, Paul. "The Savage World of Solomon Kane" (2007).
Herman, Paul. "The Neverending Hunt: A Bibliography of Robert E. Howard" (2010).
Howard, Robert E. "Blades of the Brotherhood" (also titled "The Blue Flame of Vengeance," 1968), "The Castle of the Devil" (1968), "Death's Black Riders" (1968), "The Footfalls Within" (1931), "The Hills of the Dead" (1930), "The Moon of Skulls" (1930), "The One Black Stain" (1962), "Rattle of Bones" (1929), "Red Shadows" (1928), "The Return of Sir Richard Grenville" (1968), "The Right Hand of Doom" (1968), "Skulls in the Stars" (1929), "Solomon Kane's Homecoming" (1936), "Wings in the Night" (1932)
First Posted: 11/18/2019
Last Updated: 03/28/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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