I didn't know too much about The Warlord other than the fact that he seemed to be DC's version of Ka-Zar. I enjoyed his appearances on Justice League Unlimited however, and I should really give his stories a shot, I think. They also sport some very nice artwork by Mike Grell, an underrated artist if there ever was one.
Warlord is less Ka-Zar and more inspired by other Edgar Rice Burroughs characters like John Carter and his ilk. I don't know how it holds up, but I remember liking the issues I read a decade or two ago.
ReplyDeleteI think Warlord was also a fighter pilot before he became Warlord, so he and Ben might have more in common than you might think. If nothing else, Grell's work is always a pleasure to look at.
ReplyDelete-Mea
...sometime in '83 (5th grade) I reluctantly brought an issue of Warlord because 1) magazine rack in my local drugstore had absolutely nothing else on sale and 2) I had 60 cents burning a hole in my hands. What can I say, the world of science-fantasy opened up and I was soon in Walden Books buying novels and novellas for more! (remember Walden Books?)
ReplyDeleteWarlord is definitely more along the lines of John Carter, except that the stories took place in a 'hidden continent' setting, which is probably what reminded you of Ka-Zar.
ReplyDeleteEven after Grell left the art was always pretty decent. As for the stories, make sure you have a stack of consecutive issues or a "Showcase" type trade. It definitely reads better that way than as random individual issues.
I highly recommend reading Showcase Presents: The Warlord Volume 1 since the art is b&W plus it collects the early issues including his first appearance in 1st Issue Special #8.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see Ben and Travis Morgan together.
If you ever return to the top of the alphabet again, I'd love to see Amethyst (another of DC's delving into sword & sorcery in the early/mid 1980s)
ReplyDeleteDave sez,
ReplyDeleteThe Warlord, like Jonah Hex, was just one of those books on the fringe that I just could not get into - but Mike Grell's art is FANTASTIC. I've read the Who's Who pages on The Warlord cast, and it seems pretty cool.
Walden Books was a pretty cool place to find comics and trades - are they out of business now?
Daqmn... That is a GREAT Green Arrow pencil drawing.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm way late to this, but I'm going through your covers chronologically.
ReplyDeleteGlad there is a shout out to Grell, he was my favorite as a kid (and we're almost the same age).
Giving your (fantastic) work a push on Gab.
Welcome, Dr. Torch - you're never too late!
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