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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 16, 2024 12:47:55 GMT -5
Kull the Conqueror, volume 3 (1983) Ten issues long only, this series is in my opinion one of the best the market had to offer at the time. Unpretentious, flying pretty much under the radar, it gives the impression that it’s way better than it had any right to be!
It was also something of a surprise to see it published in 1983. Kull had had a difficult publication history.
After an appearance in Creatures on the Loose #10, the king of Valusia had gotten his own series ( Kull the Conqueror) in 1971. Three months elapsed between issues 1 and 2, and the suddenly discontinued book had seen its storyline continued in Monsters on the Prowl #16. Luckily, that issue proved to be a good seller and Kull was back in his own mag for a third issue the following year. The extraordinary art team of Marie and John Severin, plus the adaptation of stories by Kull’s creator Robert E. Howard, no doubt contributed to make this brief run a classic of the sword & sorcery genre (and of American comics in general, if you ask me). The book was however not a strong seller and several things were tried to boost interest: change the title to Kull the Destroyer, start a continuing storyline in which Kull loses his throne and tries to regain it, that kind of thing. The comic was interrupted after its August 1974 issue, and a new B&W magazine was created to replace it in 1975: the gorgeous Kull and the Barbarians, which ended way too early after a mere three issues. (Michael Whelan covers, artwork by Neal Adams among others... it was a lovely mag). Kull the Destroyer would however be back with its 16th issue (Aug 1976) and make its way to #29, which saw its cancellation.
Up to then Kull had had several chances, but didn’t seem to be a strong seller, no matter what was tried. But after a few years, in 1982, Marvel took tentative steps to test the market again (or so it seemed; perhaps the success of the Conan movie opened the field for more S&S?) with two issues of a second volume of Kull the Conqueror. They were oversized, printed on glossy paper, wraparound covers, with such luminaries as John Buscema (#1) and John Bolton (#2) at the drawing board. Good stuff, especially issue #2 (in which Kull got briefly married; a lovely story by Doug Moench). I couldn’t say why this second volume wasn’t simply continued, but its success warranted a third volume, which is the one I’ll be reviewing in this thread. (The previous Kull books are of course well worthy of analysis, needless to say). Kull the Conqueror #1 (vol. 3, May 1983)  Wraparound cover by Joe Jusko,and a rare example of his line work; Jusko is of course famous for his painted covers. 48 pages, no ads, priced at $1.25. A bargain, if you ask me. The paper is however not the glossy one used for vol. 2, but regular newsprint. Eye of the TigressScript by Bruce Jones and April Campbell (a couple in real life, if I'm not mistaken). Art by John Buscema, Bob Wiacek and Dan Green Like a few previous stories featuring Kull, this one feels very important. It really builds on the king's legend, tells us about the hero’s fantastic origin, and was treated as canon by following writer. Kull, Brule and the villainous Baron Kaanuub are all guests at a state marriage in Thule. Heads of state from several other countries are present, including the new ruler of the barbarian island of Atlantis: one Ku-Var, who has apparently been busy killing a lot of rivals over the previous years. Seeing Ku-Var as a barbarian lord is a welcome change from what we had seen in the Kull the Destroyer series, in which Atlantis had been transformed into a civilized nation led by one of Kull’s childhood friends, a change probably engineered by sorcery. That civilized Atlantis had vanished without explanation at one point and the plot had been abandoned. When I first read today's issue, I had been happy to see Atlantis restored to the way Howard had described it, even if I’d have liked some kind of explanation! But I fully understand that when starting a new series, taking care of dangling continuity problems from six years ago is probably not a very astute move. With the brutish Ku-Var is this issue’s antagonist: the wild and beautiful woman warrior Iraina. Since these are not the enlightened days of Red Sonja (that would wait a good 10,000 years), nobody knows what to make of a woman warrior and everyone considers Iraina something of an amusing oddity. That is a mistake, as during the course of the festivities each king is invited to send of champion for a bit of good-natured fighting and Iraina is selected by Ku-Var. She’s supposed to face Brule the spear slayer, and when he refuses to fight a woman, she cruelly humiliates him. Among Ku-Var’s people is the elderly Ram-Os, who used to be a priest of the Sea Mountain tribe to which Kull belonged as a youth; Ram-os helped raised Kull back in the day, after he had been found living among tigers (a little Mowgli-like, if tigers instead of wolves had taken an interest in fostering human babies). Ram-os warns Kull against Iraina’s ambition, saying she is a force to be reckoned with.
That warning turns out to be prophetic when Ram-Os turns up at Kull’s court in Valusia several months later: Iraina, when faced with the lecherous intentions of Ku-Var, went all Judith & Holofernes on him and took control of Atlantis.  Iraina clearly has magical powers which she then puts to good use. After killing all the Atlantean men she could find, she turns the island’s female population into her own army… an army that can turn into literal tigers! Like Kull, the tiger is her totem and she seems to have a like with the tiger god. Iraina’s forces conquer most of the Thurian continent. Eventually, the treacherous Baron Kanuub (it’s always him, isn’t it?) tries to ingratiate himself to Empress Iraina by offering her a chance to get rid of Kull. He had seemed smitten with her upon their first encounter, so it should be easy to organize a private meeting in which she could dispose of him. Iraina agrees to the plan and accompanied by a single tiger, pays the Valusian court an official visit. Meanwhile, Brule starts suspecting that Ram-Os may not be as loyal as he pretends to be. Following him, he witnesses the old priest performing a ceremony to the tiger god Jaquari in the camp of Iraina’s army. Cornering the old guy, Brule forces him to explain himself and we readers get a lot of plot exposition, as well as Kull’s and Iraina’s full origin! A few decades prior, Ram-Os had foreseen that a special child would be born among the Sea Mountain tribe; a child who would one day rule the Thurian continent. The chief of the tribe, who could have been Herod of Atlantis, ordered all babies born at the prophesied time to be disposed of. Naturally Kull was one of those kids, but his mother had actually borne twins: Kull had a twin sister, Iraina.  The two babies had been left in the jungle for the tigers to eat, but Ram-Os had later tried to rescue them. He only had time to grab one, however, before the approaching beasts had caused him to flee; it was Iraina. Kull, for his part, had not been eaten but rather adopted by the tigers, among whom he’d become a strong and wild lad. Ram-Os had raised iraina in secret, feeding her tiger milk (where the heck did he find it?) and teaching her the ways of magic. When young Kull was found by the Sea Mountain tribe, Ram-Os had naturally understood what had happened to the lost child and had helped raised the lad, but before he could tell him about his sister, Kull had had to flee Atlantis. (This of course stretches credibility greatly considering that Kull lived for many years among his people, but the story has such a classic ring to it that I’ll let it pass). A grown-up Iraina would later join Ku-Var’s campaigns and eventually replace him, as seen above. Kull is of course unaware of any of that, and when he and Iraina find themselves alone, he tries to make the moves on her; she responds by scratching his face and siccing her tiger on him.  Brule arrives in time to save the king, but at the same moment Iraina’s tiger army invades the City of Wonders! Kull send Brule summon the Black Legions, but is attacked by his sister who transforms into a tiger herself. The siblings fight for several pages until Kull breaks Iraina’s neck. With the woman’s death, her magics evaporate and the tiger army turns back into an unarmed human one, no match for Valusia’s legions which subdue it without violence. Ram-Os dies too because reasons, and Kull is left to ponder the strange twists of fate that led him to kill his own flesh and blood.
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All right, I’ll grant that the plot doesn’t make a lot of sense in hindsight, but it's quite a fun and epic ride. The concept of Kull having a sister like Iraina is extremely cool; their clash is also pretty dramatic, as both could have been the child meant to fulfill the prophecy. (Ram-Os had his money on Iraina, as you’ll have guessed). And since Iraina actually did conquer most of the Thurian continent, perhaps she was indeed the prophesied one! That would be a good thing, because during its on-again, off-again years, the Kull series featured lots of prophecies about an Atllantean conqueror taking over the mainland; to see it finally fulfilled without turning everything topsy-turvy would be a welcome bit of continuity tidying. The artwork is really good, with John Buscema being well served by Wiacek and Green, whose inking evokes Buscema’s own in several places. John furthermore seems to be enjoying himself: we are treated to a lot of depiction of human and animal bodies in dynamic poses, which I think is the man’s forte. John knows his anatomy and what a tiger looks like! I was a little annoyed by the depiction of Baron kaanuub, who is usually shown as a short and plump fellow; here he’s taller and lanky, and were it not for his black beard we wouldn’t recognize him. He’s also described as “the rightful heir to Valusia’s throne”, which is something of an overstatement. The Shadow Kingdom says that he'd become king if Kull were to die suddenly, but that's because he was Kull's "greatest opponent" when the Atlantean usurped King Borna's position; I would then assume that Kaanuub was one of the many plotters who meant to assume power once the king was dead (Kull being one of them), and not that the crown actually belongs to him.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 16, 2024 13:42:35 GMT -5
(...) Wraparound cover by Joe Jusko,and a rare example of his line work; Jusko is of course famous for his painted covers. 48 pages, no ads, priced at $1.25. A bargain, if you ask me. The paper is however not the glossy one used for vol. 2, but regular newsprint. (...) Which is too bad; I recall seeing on some site about 10 years ago, a bunch of pages for an unpublished (I think) comics story he did and it is absolutely lovely work. It's too bad that most of what he does are those Vallejo-esque painted images for covers, posters, cards, etc., as I'd much rather see him to straight up line work. But I guess he does what pays the best, which is understandable. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 16, 2024 15:04:11 GMT -5
Kull the Conqueror #2 (vol.3, July 1983)  Bill Sienkiewicz adorned many a comic with his painted work in the ‘80s, and I am certainly not unhappy about it! The covers in this series were for the most part spectacular. (Michael Golden and Barry Windsor-Smith are righjt around the corner!) Two stories in this issue, one acting as a short epilogue. The Amulet of KaScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Buscema, Dan Green and Joe Chiodo Zelenetz was my favourite Conan and Kull writer in those post-Roy Thomas days. Unlike most of his colleagues, he actually referred to Howard’s work in an accurate way. He also gave Kull and Conan very different voices, emphasizing Kull’s philosophical bent while retaining his adventurous nature. The Ka from the title is the divine Bird of Creation, mentioned in Howard's The Shadow Kingdom (one of the two Kull stories published in Weird Tales, if we except the poem The King and the Oak. This issue feels pretty significant again, as we witness the end of an entire ancient race. We also see how Kull is a pretty compassionate and responsible man, one who's eager to make amends for his faults or failings. We open with old Councillor Tu suffering from a severe wound after falling from his horse alone in a rainy night. The king blames himself for the kindly councilor’s plight, as he had departed some state function early, leaving the old man to take care of things and return home on his own later. He blames himself a lot.  Kneeling next to the old man’s bed, an apologetic Kull has a vision of himself standing over Tu’s form as a great black bird comes to take the old man’s life. The king fights the creature to save his friend and it is the bird who dies instead. Kull then learns from a physician that Tu’s life might be saved by the amulet of Ka, a magical object that gives power over life and death. The amulet is said to be found on a mountain in the unexplored lands south of the Thurian continent. Kull wastes no time to start on this quest, accompanied by Brule the spear-slayer and by two of his soldiers, Akreon and Ethias. The journey proves to be very uncomfortable, as the quarter must cross a sweltering jungle where they also have to contend with a wounded mastodon. Ethias apparently drowns accidentally, although it quickly becomes clear that Aekron has a treacherous agenda of his own and probably murdered his companion off-panel. The remaining trio reaches the mountain and there encounters the last of an ancient race of bird-men. Their leader tells of their history: once a powerful race, they tried to conquer the world and came to blows with humanity. In the ensuing war, all their females and brood were slaughtered, in accordance with this passage from The Shadow Kingdom: (Notice how Brule’s statement does not mention the existence of bird- men; just of bird- women. But it fits: if there were indeed bird-men and bird-women and that the latter all died, the remaining bird-men would be an endangered species. By the way, the few remaining wolf-men also mentioned were seen in Kull the Conqueror vol. 2, #2.  Kull informs the king of the bird-men that he’s here to get the amulet of Ka, which incidentally is the only thing that kept his brethren alive for so long after their females all died. Surprisingly, the bird king does not object. He seems resigned to the idea that his race’s time might be over, and is willing to let Kull try to get the amulet (which he has to fight a supernatural guardian to obtain. That's not a condition set by the king, that's just how things work). That decision does not sit well with a younger and brawnier bird-man, who won’t go gently into that good night; he and a few friends attack Kull and his companions in their quarters. The king hears the clash of arms and comes to set things straight, saying to his rebellious compatriot “we have outlived the past, and the future is no longer ours”. Swords clash, but the melancholy king easily triumphs. Kull, Aekron and Brule then climb even higher toward the mountaintop, where the amulet lies waiting. A giant bird similar to the one from Kull’s vision shows up, shooting eldritch rays from its eyes at the intruders. While the king is busy with the winged menace, Aekron seizes the opportunity to stab Brule in the back. Seeing his friend fall, Kull goes a little berserk and the bird is slain; but the badly wounded Pict then reveals that Aekron is a traitor. The man, inspired by Kull’s own ambition that led him to the Topaz Throne, means to do the same thing by appropriating the amulet. He and the king fight, with the result one would expect. Recovering the amulet, Kull pushes it onto Brule’s deadly wound, not really knowing how to make its magic work. Thankfully that’s all that’s needed; the Pict is restored to health. The king of the bird-men asks to hold the amulet once more, and as he clutches it for one last time he dissolves into dust, like the rest of his race. Several days later, a restored Tu gently chides Kull for his supersitious beliefs, hoping the king didn’t pay too much for the trinket that supposedly saved his life. Kull is elated to see the old man back to his former self. Now as readers we might think “wait, wait, wait… Kull now has an amulet that can cure anything? Won’t that be a plot hindrance in the future, as no wound or disease will reall matter?” (I had the same reaction at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, since drinking from the Holy Grail was supposed to make Indy immortal). But have no fear, effendi, for the second story in this issue puts that worry to rest! RepriseScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Buscema and Bill Sienkioewicz Sienkiewicz is an inker whose work I enjoy over pretty much any penciller’s, with the very surprising exception of Barry Windsor-Smith’s. He does another fine job here.  Tragedy strikes when a young lad tries to pick a pomegranate for his lady-love; he falls from the tree, hits his head on a marble bench, and dies. The devastated girl rushes to her father, a nobleman who was discussing his daughter’s upcoming nuptials with the king. The girl has heard of the amulet of Ka, and begs Kull to save her lover. Kull believes that it is too late, as the lad is already dead, but he gives it a try. It is not the boy who comes back from the undiscovered country, though, but rather Death itself, taking control of his body. Very angry that Kull would dare try to steal a soul from its kingdom, Death throws a violent tantrum that only ends when Kull smashes its head with a marble bench (probably the very one that killed the poor guy in the first place). Later, Kull makes his way to the sea and reflects thus: “This amulet was never meant for mortal keeping… for we are blind and wisdomless fools. Aye, enough that men might dream of being kings… but Valka preserve us from dreamers who’d pretend the power of gods”. And he throws the amulet to the waves.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 16, 2024 20:49:30 GMT -5
Kull the Conqueror #3 (vol.3, Dec 1983)  Is this a unique event in comic-book history? Although this third issue is 48 pages long like the previous two, it’s only $1.00 instead of $1.25! Prices going down for a comic-book series? Really? Be still my beating heart!
I also love the Michael Golden cover, and there will be more like it in the future. Since this is an oversized issue (still no ads), the title and credits are found on the inside front cover; that leaves the first page uncluttered, which is a blessing as we’ll see right below. Dead Men of the DeepScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Buscema and Klaus Janson (with colours by Janson too).  Great Valka, Honen and Hotath! I love Janson’s inking over Buscema’s pencils, of course, but there’s more: can the man colour or what? All through this issue we’ll be treated to gorgeous sunsets, night scenes, late afternoon lighting… Janson is a very gifted artist! This tale is one of revenge long-delayed, but also focuses on the social acceptability of slavery in the Valusian empire. A play early in the issue features the tale of ungrateful slaves who would revolt against their just master, a message Kull strongly disagrees with; in his native Atlantis, a man would “sooner throw himself on his own forged steel than enslave his fellow or be enslaved”. Councillor Tu naturally tries to explain how the institution of slavery is inseparable from civilisation, but the king is not particularly receptive. A pirate named Roc, meanwhile, abducts a bunch of Valusian senators who were on their way to discuss Kull’s proposal for an increased funding for the Valusian navy. Roc holds them for ransom, to be paid within an extremely tight deadline. The Valusian captain who brings the bad news informs the king that by coincidence, one of his galley slaves claims to have been rowing for Roc many years before. Since Kull found himself in that predicament when he first fled Atlantis, he demands to meet the man; it turns out he knows him well, for the man in question is his own rowing mate, named Gorn. Poor Gorn had been captured by the Valusian years before after a pirate ship had been sunk, and he'd been rowing for Kull's people ever since.  A rather embarrassed Kull has Gorn freed on the spot, and reflects that he will at the first opportunity try to pass a law freeing all the slaves rowing on Valusia’s galleys. In fact, if he had his druthers, he’d outright ban all forms of slavery from his kingdom! Here, Zelenetz adds a bit of realism to the series, showing that Kull is not an absolute ruler, despite what Robert Howard seemed to establish in his story By this Axe I Rule. At the end of that tale (which would be re-written as the first Conan story ever), Kull had basically said that *he* was henceforth the law, like a Thurian Age Judge Dredd. We don't know if that came to pass, though. When he would return to Marvel and Kull a decade after his leaving for DC, Roy Thomas would revisit in greater details the early life Kull (in the pages of Savage Sword of Conan), integrating historical notions from issue #2. Roy would however forget about issue #3, as he would name the captain who captured Kull after his flight from his homeland "Captain Tokor", not Roc, and make no mention of Gorn. Then again... at the end of the Kull back-up feature near the final issues of Savage Sword of Conan, Kull has escaped the Lemurian pirates but a caption says that he will be a slave again. Perhaps we leave the door open to his being captured by Roc, this time. Not very parsimonious, I know.
But let's get back to business.
Kull decides that no ransom will be paid and leads a ship and crew toward the pirate’s stronghold, meaning to recover his senators. Ah, I almost forgot another piece of the puzzle for this issue: a local nobleman, Count Dal Sendor, is in cahoots with certain conspirators from the City of Wonders; he means to cause the death of the king by sorcerous means. Tricking Kull into giving him his cloak in exchange for one the count has had made for him, Dal Sendor gives it to a priest of the god Anu who doubles as a wizard. The priest takes part in Dal Sendor’s plot in exchange for his cult to be made the state’s official religion upon Kull’s death.
(Let's note that the cult of Anu will still be going strong 10,000 years later during the age of Conan, as we saw in the story Rogues in the House.)
The first manifestation of the curse placed on King Kull is the attack of his ship by a heaven-sent flying bull. Beautiful page, here, and my hat’s off to Janson! Great use of negative space and sharp contrast!  Kull defeats the beast (which admittedly takes some doing) and the Valusians reach Roc’s island. Once there they feign to negotiate an exchange, and Kull feels disgusted with himself; civilization has taught him the art of duplicity, for he pretends to be ready to pay a ransom while planning to raid the pirate’s fort that very night. Many pages of action later (and none of them boring!), Roc is defeated and the Valusians head home. Anu’s curse is still upon them, though, and the ship is boarded by countless sea zombies! The Valusians are on the cusp of drowning under the sheer number of opponents, when they are rescued by a second Valusian ship, led by Councillor Tu. The loyal old man has defied his king’s orders to stay put in Valusia and followed him on his dangerous mission! Leaving their own ship to join Tu’s, the Valusians set fire to their now-overrun galley and set sail for home. We have two epilogues: first, Count Dal Sendor murders his pet wizard to cover his tracks. "He who betrays an ally and pretends nothing ever happened lives to plot another day", right? And second, the senators who were saved by Kull with the help of his friend Gorn… all vote ungratefully against his proposal to halt slavery aboard Valusian ships. They do agree to an increase in size of the Valusian navy, but Kull won’t be a Thurian Age Lincoln as he hoped. A very cool issue, beautifully rendered and coloured by Janson, and with a serious message mixed in all the adventuring.
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Post by berkley on Nov 17, 2024 0:43:25 GMT -5
Kull has always been my favourite REH character but I missed this series at the time and I've never read since either. But if I have the back issues I think I'll dig them out since I'm reading a few other 80s things at the moment. I've also been planning to re-read the REH stories as part of the 20th-C fantasy reading I've been doing lately so this Kull comic will fit in nicely.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 17, 2024 9:28:44 GMT -5
Kull has always been my favourite REH character but I missed this series at the time and I've never read since either. But if I have the back issues I think I'll dig them out since I'm reading a few other 80s things at the moment. I've also been planning to re-read the REH stories as part of the 20th-C fantasy reading I've been doing lately so this Kull comic will fit in nicely. I re-read a few paragraphs of The Shadow Kingdom for this thread, and boy! It's even richer than what I remembered!!! References to places not used in the Marvel comics Kull series, like Mu or Kaa-U (names that make me dream, certainly); references to Valusia being an empire and not a kingdom; references to a single Pictish king, while I had always pictured the Picts as baing a nation of loosely-allied tribes; Kull obtaining the throne not due to a single moment of hot-headedness but after careful plotting... There's a lot in that single story, as is usually the case with Robert E. Howard's writing! The man's imagination was simply wonderful. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 17, 2024 12:07:56 GMT -5
Kull the Conqueror #4 (vol.3, Feb 1984) We’re back to a $1.25 price tag for a 48 page comic, still no ads. Another Michael Golden cover, and this fan is very happy.  This time around, we are treated to a quartet of stories by four different artists. Each of them allows us to learn a little more about Kull’s world and about characters like the defunct King Borna (Kull’s predecessor). A framing sequence sets the stage: plague has returned to the City of Wonders, as it does regularly (and as occurred often in antiquity, so no need to look for a supernatural explanation here). This framing sequence is drawn by the too-rarely seen Charles Vess, and it features our usual characters (Kull, Tu, Brule, Ridondo) plus one we hadn’t seen in a while, the philosopher-slave Kuthulos. Kuthulos had been there for Kull’s very first appearance in Creatures on the Loose #10, then had made another appearance in Kull the Conqueror vol. 1 #7 (adapting the Howard story The Cat and the Skull, also known as “ Delcardes’ cat”) and again in SSoC #226.  The disease forcing everyone to remain inside the royal palace, they start swapping stories. Brule interrupts his game of chess with Kuthulos to tell the first tale, which harkens to the story “ Wizard and Warrior”, adapted in SSoC #55, in which he did the same thing -although he was playing against Kull at the time. Brule’s TaleScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by Ernie Chan and Joe Rubinstein A rare case of Chan’s pencils being inked by someone else instead of the other way around, or Chan doing all the art. They’re a good match. Brule evokes the days before he became an envoy to the Valusian court, back when he was chief of the Borni tribe full-time. His people welcome a quartet of warriors from the Sungara clan and have a party with them, as is the custom. The morning after the party, however, a devastated Borni woman reveals that the four Sungara abducted and raped her after everyone had gone to sleep. The Borni are outraged and the woman’s husband is told to abide by the Pictish custom: to avenge his mate, he must take the weapons she brought him upon their marriage and use them to kill her abusers. The husband however demurs and meekly claims that he’s content to have his wife back alive. The rest of the Borni do not take kindly to this very un-Pictish pusillanimity and execute him right then and there.  Brule, being chief, must now shoulder the responsibility of avenging his tribeswoman. He pursues the Sungara and teaches them not to mess with Borni women, a lesson that they won’t actually learn considering that they’re quickly all dead. Brule returns to his tribe, and the wronged woman thanks him for restoring her honour. However, she says that she still has to cleanse the shame brought to her own family by her husband’s cowardice, and kills herself. A mournful Brule is visibly deeply moved, but his attitude shows that such behaviour is in accordance with his people’s ways. That’s a very brief story, but rich in ethnological details. I love the custom of presenting weapons to one's spouse during the marriage ceremony. I also love the way the justice system (such as it is) is so expeditive among the Picts. I certainly don’t think it’s a good way to run a judiciary, but it fits a brutal and honour-bound society quite well; it feels very Pictish. Ridondo’s TaleScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Bolton Man, I love Bolton’s art. It can be a little sparse sometimes when it comes to backgrounds, but his chiaroscuro always gives his work a classical elegance that is practically unmatched. His does great work on Kull, as seen in previous occasions (in Bizarre Adventures #26 and Kull the Conqueror vol. 2, #2). A trio of brothers from the merchant class, quite proud of financial achievements that allow them to rub elbows with the nobility, are dismayed to learn that their sister, whom they intend to marry off to a Count’s son, is in love with a penniless store clerk. They murder the lad and bury his body. The poor girl doesn’t understand where her man has disappeared until he appears to her in a dream and instructs her to go get his body and rebury it in her garden, from where he’ll always be able to watch over her.  Very quickly, a tree grows over the body of the deceased, bearing strange fruit. The three brothers, insisting that their sister marry the candidate they’ve selected, come to taunt her over the grave and decide to eat of the fruit; it turns out the plum-like things contain hellworms that promptly cause their demise. Take that, you selfish social climbers! Alas, vengeance does no heal the lady’s heart and she soon dies of a broken heart. I liked that story, but it could have been a House of Mystery tale for all that it related t Kull’s world; we didn’t learn anything new about Valusia. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and the art is lovely. Tu’s TaleScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by Jackson Guice Kull’s predecessor on the throne of Valusia was Borna. He was apparently not particularly popular, since Kull managed to usurp his throne and wasn’t the only one to plot such a move. At Marvel, Borna was first depicted as a big and brawny warrior-king, who gave Kull a run for his money when the two clashed. I like that idea far more than that of a snivelling ruler who behaves like a petulant monster, the way King Numedides was depicetd in the Conan comics. (Borna himself was thus depicted in the Kull graphic novel which, strangely enough was written by Alan Zelenetz who shows him as the regular big bruiser here). Anyway. This story is meant to show how awful Borna was, thus perhaps justifying Kull’s crime of regicide in the very first issue of his first ongoing series. It also shows how people will try to justify their actions when serving a bad ruler, a sly social commentary on the part of the writer! Borna is a vindictive king who treats his kingdom and subjects as he pleases. Espying a girl at some royal venue, he inquires about her; she’s an orphan, betrothed to a honest lad of no means. Borna demands that she share his bed, and has the pair abducted. The lady is made pretty for the lecherous king, but in the royal bedchamber she defends herself; first clawing at Borna’s face and then smashing a jug on his head. Enraged, the vicious king decides that the ungrateful wench will have her marriage ceremony after all. He has her dressed in a wedding gown and brought down to the palace’s cellar to see a cask of Amontillado her lover, quite dead, chained in a tiny alcove. She is thrust in the alcove which is then walled shut, there to spend eternity with her new husband.  When Tu’s tale is over, his companions ask how he could have worked for such a monster as Borna; Tu defends himself by saying his meek attitude saved his own life and allowed him to try and help Valusia’s citizens in other ways. Ridondo, who was also around at the time, claims that the romance of regal majesty blinded him to the true nature of Borna. Even Kull justifies himself, saying *he* killed the bastard in the end! (Never mind that Kull didn’t do it out of a sense of justice, but purely out of personal ambition)! This Edgar Allan Poe retread is pretty brutal, but I like the way it doesn’t excuse the behaviour of those who let evil have its way.
Kuthulos’ TaleScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by Bill Sienkiewicz Kuthulos’s story sounds like a fairy tale, a legend, rather than a historical one. Did these things really happen? Who knows. But we know he’s well-versed in matters mystical. Goat-herders had a problem, a long, long time ago: their goats were being taken by unknown parties. I’d blame space aliens, but one of them accidentally discovers the truth: a local wizard sacrifices them to the god Yagotha, who is meant to open the dimensional doors to some Lovecraftian elder gods.  The goat-herders aren’t into the universe-saving business, but they are definitely in the “you don’t mess with my goats” business and they brain the wizard. Alas, he’s had time to summon Yagotha, and it starts snowing… an evil snow that stinks of offal and threatens the whole planet. Luckily, a hero (who is drawn as Kull, although we know it wasn’t really him) rides in with his magic sword and shield, and he zaps the elder gods back to where they came from. Who knows when they might try to return? Kull states that if and when it happens, there will always be people to oppose them, he being the first in line. (We know that’s not vain boastring, since he did exactly that when he accidentally freed the Soul of Silence in his very first Marvel appearance).
With this fourth issue, Kull the Conqueror vol. 3 ends its double-sized run; the following issue would be normal-sized, with ads.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 18, 2024 21:04:28 GMT -5
Kull the Conqueror #5 (vol.3, Aug 1984)  Michael Golden draws the cover instead of painting it, and much as I love his painted work I am a huge fan of his pen and ink stiff. He doesn’t disappoint. This first normal-sized issue sees print half a year after the previous one. It also begins a sort-of continuing storyline, while the previous issues could have been read in any order. The smaller format will make the next issues feel lighter than the previous ones plot-wise; that does not make them less enjoyable. Their tight and brief stories usually carried some significant reflection on the human condition, and thus really “felt” like Kull tales. In tone, they were very different from King Conan stories. A vision of Lost LoveScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Buscema and Klaus Janson Last time around, Kull and company were stuck in the royal palace because of the plague running rampant over the kingdom. Now the disease has run its course, and the people of Valusia (fed misinformation by Baron Kaanuub’s agents) blame the king for their losses. Kull himself feels guilt for not having gone to his people earlier and comfort them in their time of need, and he curses himself for agreeing to his counselors' advice about not risking the life of the king. This feeling of being stifled by Valusia’s rules echoes the way the king felt in Howard’s story “ By This Axe I Rule”, in which he finally broke a few tables of the law to affirm his role as absolute ruler. (Since that was written 40 years ago, it's not a commentary on current political trends). Valusian citizens are busy burning their dead in a great pit (in front of a Chekhov’s aqueduct, which we readers notice immediately) when the king happens to ride by for an inspection of his post-pandemic kingdom. A distraught and bereaved young man throws a locket at the king, telling him the image it contains is that of his lost lover. The fellow angrily attacks the king and would be promptly skewered by Brule for his actions if Kull didn’t show him mercy; clearly the man is only deranged by understandable grief. Still, the people is angry. “We are mourners, conqueror. Common wretches you’ve forsaken, who herald your latecoming with neither flute nor horn but a doom”. Baron Kaanuub, never one to miss an opportunity for mischief, quickly recruits the bereaved man in a plot to kill the king. Feigning to share his grief for his dead woman, Kaanuub proivides the guy with a magical flute with which he could raise a monster which would kill the king. (Kaanuub isn't really sure if the thing works; he clearly throws everything at the wall to see whatever might eventually stick). In the meantime, Kull is the guest of one Count Lalandra, another one in a long series of ne'er-do-well nobles who plot with Kaanuub to get rid of the king. Lalandra’s approach is less elaborate: he just sends a lovely girl to Kull’s room, hoping that his hired killers will find their target naked and otherwise busy when they burst into his bedroom. Kull, ever chivalrous but not really into the pleasures of the flesh, declines the advances of his would-be paramour. Seeing her discomfort and supposing that his sending her away might reflect poorly on her, he gives her a ring that will prove to anyone that the king was not displeased with her.  Kull is a really compassionate guy, as he also showed in By This Axe I Rule when he comforted the slave girl Ala without letting her know he was the king. Lalandra’s plot fails, but then there’s the matter of the magical pipe that does manage to raise a smoldering creature.  It seems to be formed from the angry remains of the victims of the plague who were cremated. The guy who lost his lady-love is promptly killed by the creature, and the hapless Kaanuub is trapped in a mausoleum. Luckily, Kull leanrs of the pipe and is on the case!
The image below reminds me that I enjoy the way John Buscema doesn’t draw Kull as if he were Conan. Apart from giving him a different body shape, Buscema almost never draws wristbands on Kull (I think it makes his arms loog stronger, myself) and instead of dressing him in a loincloth, he gives him an attire more appropriate for a king: a tunic that extends to the knees.  Fighting a burning monster is of course something of a challenge, and when good old axe blows fail, Kull resorts to using the water from an aqueduct (we expected that, didn't we?) to smother its flame. Having witnessed the battle, the same people who were booing their king earlier are now back onboard for the Kull 2024 campaign: “Herald the king with trumpet and drum! All hail Kull, king of Valusia”, leaving our hero to ponder : “Ha! Those who cursed me at dusk now crow my praises at daw! Now say, Brule, where’s a king’s contentment when the love of his people is so easily lost and won?” Good question indeed, your majesty. One could rightfully wonder why Kull still tolerates the presence of Kaanuub, who after all was involved in the plot that cost him his crown way back in volume 1 and is clearly still planning on sitting on the throne one day. Even Brule asks about it. Kull explains that he intends to keep the baron close by and to keep him busy to prevent him from indulging in more mischief; a "keep your friends close but your enemies closer" kind of thing. We'll see in a few issues how that turns out.
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Post by berkley on Nov 19, 2024 1:07:15 GMT -5
Kull has always been my favourite REH character but I missed this series at the time and I've never read since either. But if I have the back issues I think I'll dig them out since I'm reading a few other 80s things at the moment. I've also been planning to re-read the REH stories as part of the 20th-C fantasy reading I've been doing lately so this Kull comic will fit in nicely. I re-read a few paragraphs of The Shadow Kingdom for this thread, and boy! It's even richer than what I remembered!!! References to places not used in the Marvel comics Kull series, like Mu or Kaa-U (names that make me dream, certainly); references to Valusia being an empire and not a kingdom; references to a single Pictish king, while I had always pictured the Picts as baing a nation of loosely-allied tribes; Kull obtaining the throne not due to a single moment of hot-headedness but after careful plotting... There's a lot in that single story, as is usually the case with Robert E. Howard's writing! The man's imagination was simply wonderful. I haven't started reading the series yet but as to Kull and the setting of his stories in general, I agree: REH did a fantastic job of creating a fictional world that feels like it has depth in both time and space - it has a history and even a pre-history about which we know only enough to make us want to learn more; and the world of Kull's present is also broad and various enough to provide opportunities for different sorts of adventure while leaving enough unknown to allow room for mystery.
I've always found the maps of both Kull's world and Conan's Hyborian Age to be just a little disappointing in this regard - they aren't bad, and I'd certainly rather have these maps than none at all, but for me they don't quite capture the richness and mystery of REH's fictional worlds as well as Tolkien's map of Middle-Earth does the setting of his epic fantasy.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 19, 2024 20:52:14 GMT -5
Kull the Conuqeror #6 (vol.3, Oct 1984)
I love those Golden covers. They really pop out, and I admire how each and every line he puts to paper seems to play a role; his art is always very clean, very crisp, and with lots of volumes.
Goblin MoonScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Buscema and Klaus Janson A short story with the feel of a fairy tale, Goblin Moon reads a bit like a Halloween story. In this issue, writer Alan Zelenetz (not aware that the mag was just a few issues from cancellation) starts shaking things up a bit as far as the cast goes. First he introduces the bora Ballin family (Count Murom bora Ballin and his daughters Nalissa and Daphna). Then he sets the stage to get rid of two important characters. The mention of Count bora Ballin is worthy of note, because one such Count is mentioned in the Howard story The Cat and the Skull, also known as Delcardes’ Cat. In it, Delcardes herself was the daughter of Count Goron bora Ballin, a long-time partisan of Kull: When Delcardes’ Cat was adapted in Kull vol. 1 #7, the lady’s family name wasn’t given and we didn’t meet her dad. She was just a noblewoman named Delcardes. The bora Ballin family is therefore seen for the first time in Marvel’s continuity, with Goron’s name changed to Murom and Delcardes not being mentioned; perhaps at Marvel she's not his daughter at all. This Count bora Ballin does partly fill the shoes of his namesake, though, as we saw him freeing Kull from the gladiator pits in the Kull graphic novel The Vale of Shadow. (Personally I'd prefer to think that Delcardes is indeed a bora Ballin and the eldest of three daughters, and that she's left Valusia with her Zarfhaanan husband after Kull #7). That's why she's not present in this issue. As today’s story begins, Baron Kaanuub is kept busy organizing a big party to celebrate the betrothal of Nalissa bora Ballin, leaving him little time for mischief (or so we hope). Alas, it’s also that time of year when people hurry back home at dusk, because it is the night of the Goblin Moon! It is said that during that night of nights, goblins come out of the bowels of the Earth to tempt unlucky passersby with their heart’s desire. Should the hapless travelers succumb, they are supposedly dragged to the goblins’ kingdom to become their thrall! Most of our Valusian cast (Count Murom, Tu, Kuthulos, Baron Kaanuub, Kull) discuss the legend without giving it too much credence, although Kuthulos insists that it is based on fact (as per the words of the famous Raama, the sage whom we met in flashback in Creatures on the Loose #10). As fate and comic-book plots would have it, Brule is at very moment acting as an escort to Count Murom’s younger daughter, Daphna, with the girl insisting on stopping to pick flowers despite the approaching sunset. Brule has to manhandle the lass to get her back on her horse (much to her displeasure!), but it is too late: the Goblin Moon rises and the legend is of course VERY true! Brule and Daphna are both promised goodies by a horde of comically misshapen goblins; the Pict does his best to protect his charge who has already fallen for roses and dance, but is trapped like a fly in honey when offered a spear that promises adventure and glory. Luckily for the two, Kull has been convinced by Kuthulos’s arguments and he decides to go after the missing pair now that night has fallen. Naturally, sending a rescue team is out of the question: “By my orders, none but the king may risk this haunted night!” And off he goes, astride his great stallion. I guess there aren’t that many roads around Count bora Ballin’s estate, because Kull finds Vrule and Daphna very quickly. Charging the goblins on his mighty horse and swinging his great axe, he plunges into their chittering mass and starts chopping off limbs, to very little effect. In fact, not upset at all, the goblins offer him his own heart’s desire: wisdom and empire!  Yes, that’s pretty much what I would have expected. Kull, like Solomon, always strove to be a good ruler. We also know that he was an ambitious man. That was a good try, but Kull's will is indomitable and he shatters the goblins’ spell. fighting some more magical illusions, he is saved (and his companions with him) when the sun finally rises. Well, I say “finally” but it appears to have been a pretty short night. Probably around the end of June. Brule and Daphna emerge from what seems to have been a dream, and neither remembers what happened (although they will refer to these events in future issues). Kull is a little amused, reflecting that without witnesses to confirm his deeds, he will again be accused of being a dreamer by Councilor Tu! As all this is transpiring, Baron Kaanuub manages to pursue his traitorous agenda even as he organizes Nalissa bora Ballin’s party. He tries to get the poet Ridondo to join his cabal (as in their good old days of plotting a regicide, back in Kull vol.1, #9) and he pays a pair of ruffians who are meant to murder Kull at the upcoming masque.
Here's a little spoiler: for once, the Baron's shenanigans won't be left unpunished!
To be continued! |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Nov 20, 2024 20:38:14 GMT -5
Kull the Conqueror #7 (vol.3, Dec 1984)  MasqueradeScript by Alan Zelenetz Art by John Buscema and MARIE SEVERIN! Yes, Mirthful Marie, who so brilliantly made the first volume of Kull the Conqueror such a classic from issues #2 to #10 (with the help of her brother John), is back! Although she’s inking Buscema’s pencils instead of having her own pencils inked, her presence (and the fact that she also colours the book) gives this issue some of the feel of those early great Kull comics. This Kull fan was pretty happy when he first got that issue! As shown last issue, a big bash has been prepared to celebrate the betrothal of Count Murom bora Ballin’s daughter, and everyone who’s anyone is attending. The highlight of the party is a masque… a masque in which Kull is to be assassinated, if Baron Kaanuub has his way! We open with a duo of dumb ruffians who were hired to perform the regicide. The poet Ridondo, who has apparently joined this new conspiracy against the king, brings them their disguise and invite to the masque. He himself will be present at the dressed as a jester, complete with a full yellow mask. In the same derelict hostel where these preparations are made, a man is playing Hamlet with a skull. Alas, it’s no Yorick he’s addressing, for the skull he’s holding is that of his dead lover. She and her father both died at the hands of Baron Kaanuub’s tax collectors when their family couldn’t pay the baron’s unjust levies, and our man swears revenge. As he leaves his room, we see him crossing paths with a hooded Ridondo carrying his costume in a duffel bag. The stage is set, and Zelenetz will soon lead us astray with many red herrings as murder attempts keep piling up! Before we get to the masque of sudden death, though, we make a detour to the gymnasium where Kull is keeping in shape by practicing what looks like a sure way to slip a disc.  Having apparently recovered his memory concerning what happened under the Goblin Moon, Brule states that his failure to protect Daphna bora Ballin last issue proves that living in decadent Valusia has softened his warrior’s edge. He plans on returning to the Pictish isles to regain it. He also hints that Kull might be suffering from a similar loss of his savage instincts. The king is quite unhappy about his best friend’s departure, and he insists that his own fascination with civilization hasn’t dulled his abilities. Alas, Brule is adamant and takes his leave. The masque starts a bit later, with Baron Kaanuub seeing to both the festivities and to his assassination plot. Young Daphna tells her sister how she felt when Kull rescued her last issue, and we detect a teenage infatuation brewing up!  Far from the party, Brule is riding out of the City of Wonders when he hears a voice calling for help from a darkened alley. But let’s maintain the suspense and quickly jump back to our first red herring! A duo of jugglers trade daggers in front of Kull’s seat, demonstrating rare skill. Their demonstration reaches its climax, and they say “ and now, King Kull… These daggers are meant… FOR YOU!" before simply making a gift of the daggers to the grateful king. Phew! Thinks the reader. But immediately, a man in a lion mask bursts from the crowd, vowing to kill… Baron Kaanuub! Is that the grieving lover we met earlier? No, it’s our second red herring; this is just a drunk fellow whose wife the baron once kissed against her will. The bumbling sot is carried away, sure to have one heck of a headache in the morning. But then comes red herring #3 (which is already better than Brother Power the Geek did)! The man we think is a disguised Ridondo, with the yellow mask, drops his lute and runs at the nobles surrounding Kull’s seat. But his target isn’t Kull, it’s Kaanuub again! Kull intervenes and knocks the would-be assassin down. This time he does turn out to be the mourning fellow from earlier, who we guess must have stolen Ridondo’s costume when they met in the hostel. Baron Kaanuub is shaken by the turn of events and he attempts to depart, but is instead arrested by red slayers under the command of Brule and Ridondo. The voice Brule had heard earlier had been that of the minstrel, after he had been ambushed by the man who stole his costume. Ridondo wasted no time to reveal the new conspiracy against Kull to the Pict, a conspiracy he had feigned to join just to find out how deep it went. Arresting Kaanuub doesn’t mean the party will now be more peaceful, though, because THEN his hired killers strike! but the two are pretty incompetent, and despite the advantage of surprise, they are quickly subdued by the king. The next day, Kull tries to impress on Brule the importance of his role at the Valusian court, especially since he’s just once again helped save the life of the king. But Brule won’t relent, and he leaves for good. No more Brule? Well, this wasn’t meant to be a permanent thing, as we’d follow the Pict’s adventures in the next few issues. A well-plotted story, with the added bonus of seeing Marie Severin work on Kull again. And it was great to have Kaanuub finally be caught red-handed! Sixty cents was a pretty decent price for such enjoyment! Granted, it wasn't Kull #2-10... but it felt a little like it.
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