Publisher: 4 Winds Publishing (November, 1988)
Softcover, 48 pages
This
story first appeared in Skorpio, a
South American magazine which published illustrated stories similar to Heavy Metal. It was first published in
the 1980s by 4 Winds Publishing, an
independent company dedicated to bringing foreign material to the United
States. Unfortunately, it went bankrupt after two years and only producing a
handful of books. Luckily, this was one of the books produced.
The
entire story is in the tradition of The Trojan War, or the birth of King Arthur
if you prefer. Two mighty armies go to war over a purloined wife (or so it
seems at first) in an exaggerated series of epic battles. And our protagonist,
Bask De Avregaut, is caught up in the middle of the conflict.
The
titular “moving fortress” is a massive portable war machine, power on what
seems to be nuclear waste, or fantasy equivalent of it. Our hero first becomes
a captured slave, grinding away filling the engines with its toxic gunk. He
eventually, after a few well-placed murders, works his way up the military
hierarchy, until the final big battle.
While
the story is almost predictable, the real reason to read this volume is the
incredible and visionary art by Alcatena. It is clear he was allowed to take
liberties with a lot of the material. Each panel is crafted with panache and
verve, filled with fascinating detail and oddities. Nearly anyone of them could
stand alone as an individual work of art. Taken together it is a breathtaking
display of skill in the medium.
For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst. 
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