The Classics - The Warlord #21

   Since the success of the comic book version of Conan, there have been hordes of sword-and-sorcery, blade-wielding heroes of all shapes and sizes - but the best (and perhaps most unique) entry in the race was Mike Grell's Warlord.

   Created in the late '70s, the series featured Travis Morgan, a pilot flying a secret mission who crash-lands in the Arctic, passing through a hole into a strange tropical land inside the Earth. There he finds Skartaris, a land of dinosaurs, swords and magic.

    The inside of the Earth, it turns out, is hollow, like Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar.

   He has one lucky break - he has with him a large gun (a .44 AutoMag) and lots of ammunition. He quickly learns how to fight with a sword, leads a revolt of slaves and meets and falls in love with a princess named Tara.

   The stories in the series are an impressive collection of mostly single-issue adventures, with some sub-plots continuing over several issues.  Grell's writing combines adventure, humor and places it all in imaginative settings. His artwork seals the deal, working in a realistic style reminiscent of Neal Adams. With powerful layouts, great character designs and wild menaces, it was a terrific series.

   The Warlord's main opponent was the evil wizard / scientist Deimos, who kidnapped Travis and Tara's infant son and used arcane skills to age the child to manhood - but he was just a mindless killer. So Morgan is forced to fight his own son - to the death!

   It's a gripping story with several twists that actually had ramifications into the future as it set up a storyline that was finally resolved just a few years ago in the last Warlord series (to date).

   Grell managed to bring together all the elements of great sword-and-sorcery stories - lots of action, bizarre menaces, beautiful (and powerful) women, heroic men, great villains, exotic locales, mystery and intrigue - and package it up in a fantastic series that was always entertaining.

   Highly recommended!

Grade: A

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The Warlord #12

I've always been a big fan of Mike Grell's Warlord.

At times, the book has been handled by other creators, and the results were usually disappointing. But with Grell writing and drawing, the comic has almost always been excellent.

This revived version of that character's adventures has been entertaining, but seemed to struggle under the weight of a lot of backstory.

It's been surprising to see Grell working so hard to squeeze in so many characters, trying to bring readers back up to speed on the mythology of the character.

In this issue, we see the reasons behind Grell's haste, as the title takes a genuinely shocking turn. It was almost three decades ago that Grell set up the story that reaches its climax in this issue, and it's amazing to see it unfold.

More than that I will not say, except to add that the art is exceptional. I could quibble with a few page layouts, but the fact is, Grell is still the master of this kind of swashbuckling action/adventure story.

Any reader who fondly remembers those original Warlord stories owes it to himself (or herself) to buy this issue. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Grade: A

The Warlord #8

I was a huge fan of The Warlord when Mike Grell first created the comic back in the mid-'70s, and I followed it faithfully until that initial run wrapped up about a decade later.

The original concept was a clever mix of Edgar Rice Burroughs-style adventure and sword-and-sorcery. It took pilot Travis Morgan and dropped him into the Pellucidar-like world at the center of the Earth.

It was a savage world where he was forced to fight with his wits, his sword, and his pistol. He faced all kinds of challenges, including dinosaurs, prehistoric men, aliens, advanced technology, and an evil opponent who just wouldn't stay dead.

He also found friends to fight at his side, a mate in Queen Tara, an extended family and his destiny.

Combine the concept with some strong writing and great art (both by Grell) and you had a comic that was always entertaining and built a dedicated following.

The character has been revived a few times since that original run, sometimes successfully, and sometimes not. But the most recent revival has been written by and featured covers by Grell, and the last two issues have included interior art by that artist, too - yet the book doesn't seem to be getting much attention.

It's a shame, because the book really has recaptured that original feel (although I do think the first story arc tried too hard to pile in all the main characters from the original run).

This two-issue stint by Grell seems to be an effort to introduce the character to a new audience, as it focuses directly on Travis Morgan, who finds himself in the ruins of a lost city, defending a beautiful and mysterious woman against marauders and monsters. The story's a bit heavy on the recap, and the present-day story isn't as strong as I'd like, but it's entertaining just the same.

Grell hasn't lost a step, and his art is as strong as ever. I have to admit, I wish he was supplying the art on all the issues of this title, but I suppose we can be thankful for this blast from the past.

If you're not reading The Warlord or have never read the comic, this two-issue story would be a good place to start - and DC has issued a Showcase collection reprinting a pile of those earlier stories. All highly recommended!

Grade: B+

The Warlord #4

As much as I'm a fan of the adventures of The Warlord (Travis Morgan), I think writer Mike Grell has made a tactical error with this first storyline.

Don't worry, it's full of lots of action and cliffhangers and battles to the death - all the usual Burroughs-inspired stuff that makes the series fun to read.

But I think his only mistake is in trying to introduce every single ally of Morgan's in this opening story. The cast was built up over years in the original series, and now we've met almost all of them in three issues. It's a treat for longtime fans, but I suspect new readers may be feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Still, the story is fun, as Morgan faces off against an intruder who is also from the "modern" world - one who carries the same deadly weapons as The Warlord, and has added some other sinister weapons to his arsenal.

The art isn't bad, but it definitely suffers in comparison to Grell's covers - and this issue was apparently a team effort, with two pencilers, Joe Prado and Chad Hardin, and three inkers.

This issue isn't exceptional - it's mostly setup for the next issue - but it is a fun read.

Grade: B-

Warlord #1

When The Warlord first appeared in 1975, I was immediately hooked.

I was already a fan of Mike Grell's art from his work on Legion of Super-Heroes and Green Lantern.

His work included elements of Neal Adams (strong anatomy and creative layouts) and Gil Kane (lots of power packed into each page), but still managed to be unique and always interesting.

I believe his work on Warlord was his first attempt as a writer and artist, and again he didn't disappoint. He managed to fuse together the high adventure of Edgar Rice Burroughs with the sword-and-sorcery genre, and threw in some science fiction for good measure.

For those who missed it, The Warlord is Travis Morgan, an Air Force pilot whose spy plane is shot down and crashes into the arctic. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself in Skartaris, the hollow world (apparently) inside the Earth where the sun shines constantly, and dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures lives alongside primitive humans.

It's an obvious riff on ERB's Pellucidar, but it made a great setting for Morgan's adventures, and the comic enjoyed a long run. I highly recommend any of the issues by Grell.

The Warlord hasn't fared as well under other creators, so it's good to see the character back with Grell again writing. Unlike other efforts, this issue makes no attempt at "rebooting" the story.

As per Grell's usual style, the story starts out quickly and never slows down, as we meet a new group of explorers who are apparently making their way to Skartaris.

We also get a quick recap of Morgan's story, and then the story blazes on. Grell hasn't lost a step, I'm happy to say.

He provides the covers, but the interiors are by Joe Prado and Walden Wong. Their work is quite good, and only suffers in comparison to Grell's. They have a good grip on the feel of the comic - the book is in good hands.

It's good to see this comic back again, and here's hoping for another long run of stories from Grell.

Grade: A-