Michael Moorcock’s albino swordsman appeared for the first time in Science Fantasy #47 (1961) in the story “The Dreaming City”. Fifty-eight years later, television finally comes calling. I thought before the new show sets everybody’s mind’s eyes for ever more, let’s look at some of the artwork and comics that have appeared in the last fifty years.
Stormbringer was an obscure 1965 comic drawn by Moorcock’s long-time friend, James Cawthorn. It was reprinted in 1976.
March 1972 saw the notorious Conan/Elric team-up in Conan the Barbarian #14 and 15, written by Roy Thomas and Moorcock, drawn by Barry Windsor Smith. Marvel introduced the pointed hat that Moorcock hated.
In 1973, it was the independent comic (what were still referred to as “Undergrounds” back then) featuring the work of John Adkins Richardson. Only a $1 when comics were 20 cents, it was an expensive treasure.
Frank Brunner, Sword & Sorcery artist extraordinaire, drew Elric for another independent, Mike Friedrich’s Star*Reach. Brunner would return again and do more for Epic Illustrated and Heavy Metal. The cover for Star*Reach #6 (October 1976) was painted by Jeffrey Catherine Jones.
Star*Reach also introduced Elric to Bob Gould in 1976. Gould would go on to do classic covers for the Elric books.
By June-July 1978, the first Elric parody appeared in Dave Sim’s Cerebus the Aardvark. Elrod is a loud-mouth, inept,self-deluded slub armed with a “named” sword. Sim, of course, pokes fun at the pointed Marvel hat.
The Fall of 1980 saw the beginning of the true Elric coming of age, with Marvel Comics publishing P. Craig Russell’s first appearance as Elric artist. The Dreaming City appeared in Epic Illustarted, with scripting by Roy Thomas. In 1983, Russell and Michael T. Gilbert continued the wave with Pacific Comics, Thomas still scripting. In my opinion, Russell is the quintessential Elric artist and if the television people have any brains they have already contracted him to do the production design for the new show….
First Comics took over for Pacific, publishing adaptations of Moorcock’s Elric novels along with comics about his other characters Dorian Hawkmoon and Corum as well. Russell bowed out and Gilbert worked with George Freeman. Later Jan Duursema took over and then Mark Pacella and Nicholas Koenig. Russell’s style and designs inspired all those who followed.
1987 saw Wendy Pini of Elfquest fame develop images for an animated Elric film called Law & Chaos. Pini did not make the film but wrote a book about the journey.
P. Craig Russell would return to Elric for later projects like Stormbringer and One Life.
In 2004 DC Comics got in on the growing Sword & Sorcery boom with Elric: the Making of a Sorcerer, written by Moorcock and drawn by S&S great, Walt Simenson and Steve Oliff.
That renaissance was slow to blossom but by 2011 Sword & Sorcery was back on top. BOOM Comics did a twelve-part series written by Chris Roberson and illustrated by Francesco Biagini.
2013 saw the masters of graphic novels in Europe approach Elric with art by Didier Poli and Robin Recht.
What’s next? No doubt, with a TV show coming, Moorcock will have to pick and choose what new comics projects he wants to see. After fifty-eight years, he will be a darling of Fantasy once again – with a popularity that only George R. R. Martin can understand.
Fantastic artwork and a great article, thank you!
That Frank Brunner work done for Star Reach was also used for the cover art of Chaosium’s Stormbringer roleplaying game, a great game by two RPG legends: Ken St. Andre and Steve Perrin.