In the 1970s the lines between Sword & Sorcery and its more Science Fiction friend, Sword & Planet, began to blur. The comics were largely to blame for this though authors like Roger Zelazny wrote series like Madwand, in which Magic takes on Science. Films like Wizards did nothing to stem the tide of Science Fantasy works. (Whether this was a good thing or bad, is largely a matter of taste. Myself, I have always liked my S&S without technology muddying the waters. My least favorite is the Wizard of Oz reveal where all the goblins are robots and the giant dragon is an illusion created by holo-projectors.)
That being said, there were a number of 1970s Sword & Planet comics that threw genre definitions to the wind and just went for it. These have inspired many authors and artists who followed. Not surprising, most of them are European with a couple of special exceptions.
Andrax (VERLAG KAUKA)
Andrax was originally published between 1973-1975 with reprints in the 1980s. It was written by Miguel Cusso with art by Jordi Bernet. Bernet’s style is similar to Joe Kubert’s.
Andrax is a trained Olympian who is sent to another reality by a mad scientist. Lots of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard in this series. First published in the German magazine Primo, the opening segment appeared as a back-up feature in The Barbarians Featuring Ironjaw #1 from Atlas Comics (June 1975). The closest thing to this comic is Frank Thorne’s Samson and Wally Wood’s Hercules Unbound.
The First Kingdom (BUD PLANT)
Jack Katz left mainstream comics to create this twenty-four volume mega-saga. Beginning in 1974, it ran to 1986.
Written and drawn by Katz, it defies just about every convention in comics. Though the series would be better described as Sword & Planet, there is much in it that is closer to Sword & Sorcery. It largely depends on which section you are reading.
“Darklon the Mystic”(WARREN/PACIFIC)
“Darklon” first appeared in Eerie #76, 79, 80, 84, 100, from August 1976-June 1981. Warren would bring Darklon back to boost their latest hero, Hunter, Demon Killer but Starlin was not involved. “Hunter, Demon Killer and Darklon the Mystic: Ashes to Ashes” was written by Rich Margopolous and drawn by A. l. Sanchez in Eerie #121. Jim Starlin wrote and drew the original series. More Sword & Planet but oddly influential. Much of the heroic fantasy after 1976 featured more guns and spaceships.
The whole black and white saga was collected and colored by Pacific in November 1983. The colorizing made the pages muddy and less interesting.
Starlin would attempt an even bigger Space Opera comic with Dreadstar in Epic Comics in the 1980s.
Storm (OBERON)
Storm began February 1977 and ran to 2001. Cimoc Revista Vol 2 #19-26 (1982-1983) reprinted the series.It was written by Saul Dunn, Martin Lodewijk, Dick Matena, Kevin Gosnell and Don Lawrence. Art was provided by Don Lawrence. (Thanks Frans.)
Axa (FANTAGRAPHICS)
Axa was a comic strip that ran in European newspapers from 1978 to 1986. Written by Donne Avenell and drawn by E. B. Romero who is famous for the Modesty Blaise comics. The comic became a series of graphic novels in the US in the 1980s (written by Chuck Dixon). In 2005 a film was announced but it has not been produced as of yet.
The explosion of “adult comix” in America, mostly through magazines like Heavy Metal, later 1984, Epic Illustrated and others can be attributed to comics like these. In some cases it was the other way around, Heavy Metal and its European versions such as Metal Hurlant, Cimoc Revista and Warren International insured that there was a market for Sword & Planet comics. In an age of graphic novels, hard cover collections, it is hard to imagine that comics like these would have to struggle to be published.
