Robert E. Howard's King Kull in Comics

Having found several issues of Marvel Comics' “King Kull” from the 1970s, I wanted to see how he started off.  So I ordered The Chronicles of Kull Volume 1 from Barnes & Noble, and dived in when it arrived. 

The volume contains twelve stories, nine from the "King Kull" run, and three shorter ones that originally featured in other titles.  While Roy Thomas guided the series, Gerry Conway, Len Wein, and John Jakes helped out with the writing.  The latter surprised me, as I was mainly aware of John Jakes from his Kent Family Chronicles.  This was a series of historical novels published in the 1970s, which began with the American Revolution, and traced the growth of the United States through eight novels.  (They made TV mini-series based on the first three).  As it happens, John Jakes wrote Science Fiction and Fantasy before he moved to Historical Fiction, including five books about a character called Brak The Barbarian. 

These talented writers pay homage to Kull’s creator, Robert E. Howard.  Six stories are adaptations of original King Kull stories, and a seventh is adapted from a series of Horror stories (the De Montour series) that Howard wrote.  They even throw in a King Kull poem by Howard called “The King and the Oak,” and it’s arguably the most atmospheric of all, as Kull travels through a forest, and the trees begin to move of their own accord.  It was nice to see that, in the beginning of the series, the writers endeavored to preserve the spirit of Howard’s writing, while working equally hard to appeal to contemporary comic book readers.  

In comparison with The Chronicles of Conan, this volume contains the original artwork.  Although I liked the modern colorized versions of Conan, it was nice to read these old stories in their original form.  This seems especially important for Kull, as Gerry Conway has said that he collaborated heavily with colorist Marie Severin, and much of the pacing and structure of those stories was due to her input.  Marie and her brother John, who did the penciling, gave the stories a Middle Ages feel, more like a Prince Valiant story than one set in Conan's Hyborian Age. 

Oh, and they also did some great monsters.

Out of curiosity, I checked the online reviews for The Chronicles of Kull, expecting to find readers heaping praise on the volume for publishing the original artwork.  Strangely, many reviewers complained “Why couldn’t they have digitally recolored it?”  This is the reverse of The Chronicles of Conan, in which most reviewers cried, “Why couldn’t they have given us the original artwork?  This modern recoloring is terrible!” 

As comic book author Brian Michael Bendis has said, you can never make everyone happy.  But I loved reading The Chronicles of Kull Volume 1, and wish I could recommend it to you.  Unfortunately, one problem again reared its head.  

As with The Chronicles of Conan Volume 1, this book also wanted to fall apart on me as I read it.  Although the good folks at www.barnesandnoble.com again provided me with another copy (completely free of charge), the second one likewise fell apart as I read it.  Hopefully, Dark Horse Books will get its act together soon, for I’d love to read further volumes in the series.  King Kull may be a barbarian, but he shows great wisdom and compassion in ruling his subjects. He never hesitates to risk his own life in defense of his kingdom of Valusia, and successfully fights off foreign invaders, hellish creatures, and of course the evil Thulsa Doom, a wizard so powerful that director John Milius decided to cast him as the villain in his 1982 movie “Conan The Barbarian.” 

By Valka, I swear that if King Kull was in charge, he'd cut the deficit, stop the gridlock in Washington, and secure our borders.  Perhaps if we (and the good folks at Dark Horse Books) paid him greater respect, he might even run for President.  Long live King Kull!  All hail King Kull!

Dragon Dave

Free Comic Book Madness

When my wife first told me that last Saturday was Free Comic Book Day, I have to admit, I was dubious.  It sounded like one of those things, like Get a Free Kiss from Stan Lee Day, that at first you think sounds pretty terrific, but then…uh, perhaps that wasn’t the best example.  Anyway, I figured the shops would stack up a few old comics, and the first few customers through the door would snatch them up.  But my wife, it seems, is the true believer in this household.  She roused me in the morning with the smell of frying bacon, and by the time I made it up for breakfast, she’d cooked an omelet too.  She even served up her homemade jelly-filled donuts to give us strength for the day ahead.

"Iiiiiiiiittttttttt'ssssssss bacon!"

"Mmm, Jelly Donuts!"

Our comic book shop is located in an industrial park, far away from the busy street, and usually we just drive up to it and park.  But on Saturday, we had to hunt for a space as soon as we turned off the street, and joined the people walking at least the length of a city block to get there.  Man, was I ever glad my wife had fed me a nourishing breakfast!

Outside the store, there were gazebos galore, and under them everything a person could want to celebrate Free Comic Book Day properly.  People sold those trade paperback comic book compilations, and manga books, and toys both old and new.  Others spun pizza dough with their hands before baking them in portable ovens, or served up such delicacies as hot dogs and chili fries.  Adults had dressed up in the uniforms of their favorite superheroes, and children got their faces painted at one of the booths.  My wife particularly admired a woman’s R2-D2 sundress.  And it wasn’t just the readers joining in for the fun: they even had industry professionals there.  If you wanted, you could even buy a membership to an upcoming comic book convention. 

Amid so much activity, the crowd hadn’t forgotten what the real purpose of the event was.  They swarmed around the tables of free sample issues of new titles from various publishers, as well as a table where older comic books awaited them.  We picked up a few that caught our eye, and then joined the line to get into the store.

A line into the store?  What was with that?  Why couldn’t we just walk in like usual?

By the time we reached the door, another free comic had made its way into our bag, thanks to a comic book writer, who, dressed up in a beige Victorian suit and matching top hat, practically thrust it into my hands.  (I decided not to suggest that he upgrade his monocle for a contact lens.  Hey, whatever helps him write his stories best, right?)  A woman inside the door taped our bag shut, and then we waded through the crowded rooms into the back, where all the boxes of old comic books were half-price.

Half-price!

"Can you say, 'swag?'"

Nearly-swagged.

An hour later, we returned to our car, our bags bulging with comic books both free and purchased.  (Should I say purchased, when, price-wise, they nearly gave those away too?)  The latter included some missing issues “Conan The Barbarian” and “Kull The Destroyer” that I needed for my collections.  The shop owner even gave us a little of the history of the Hulk-verse, concerning the origins of She-Hulk, Red Hulk, and Red She-Hulk.  Oh, so much comic book lore still to learn, to read, and to enjoy!  It could only have happened on Free Comic Book Day, which all in all, I must say, is an infinitely better idea than Get a Free Kiss from Stan Lee Day.

I’m shaking my head right now.  I mean…uh, how do I come up with ideas like that?  Stan Lee, I love you, man, but really!  I suppose, if I had to, I’d kiss She-Hulk.  But only if she was in a good mood.

Dragon Dave