If you missed 1972….
Sword &Sorcery at Warren in 1973 continues with Esteban Maroto and Dax taking the show. In fact, with Sword & Sorcery gaining steam, Eerie became Warren’s home for most of the S&S they now published. You still found the odd tale in Creepy and Vampirella but if you wanted Dax and a regular feed of barbarian swordsmen taking on monsters you read Eerie.
“A Blade For Teacher” (Eerie #45, February 1973) written by Bill Warren
“Dax: The Witch” (Eerie #45, February 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto
“Orpheus: Tomb of the Gods” (Vampirella #22, March 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto
“Dax: The Giant” (Eerie #46, March 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto with editing by Steve Engelhart (Thanks, Martin!)
“A Most Private Terror” (Creepy #52, April 1973) written by Doug Moench
“Dax: Gemma 5” (Eerie #47, April 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto with editing by Marv Wolfman
“A Scream in the Forest” (Creepy #53, May 1973) written by Greg Potter
“Dax: The Sacrifice” (Eerie #48, June 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto with editing by Len Wein
“Descent Into Hell” (Creepy #54, July 1973) written by Kevin Pagan was the first new Sword & Sorcery to be done in color. The new editor, Bill DuBay, introduced the brilliantly colored section at the middle and raised the price of the magazine.
“Dax: The Vampire” (Eerie #49, July 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto with editing by Don McGregor
“Dax: The Secret of Pursiahz” (Eerie #50, August 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto
“The Golden Kris of Hadji Mohammed” (Eerie #52, November 1973) adapted by George Henderson from the story by Fredrick Moore
“Dax: Death Rides the Night” (Eerie #52, November 1973) Art and story by Esteban Maroto with editing by Al Milgrom
“Soul and Shadow” (Creepy #58, December 1973) written by Gardner F. Fox
Conclusion
Something unusual is coming for 1974. Only one Sword & Sorcery story will appear as the magazine goes back to its roots for a year, publishing straight horror. The good news, 1975 changes all that again. The Warren S&S story did not end in 1974, as the publisher will expand the number of titles to compete with its competition, the Marvel Black & White line, Skywald and later Heavy Metal.
Warren actually had Esteban Maroto’s Dax scripts rewritten into more idiomatic English by a number of their writers who went uncredited in the magazine itself but who were identified in the fanzine The Comic Reader once Warren started supplying upcoming-issue info to TCR. Those credits are in the Grand Comics Database now. “The Giant”: Steve Englehart. “Gemma-5”: Marv Wolfman. “The Sacrifice”: Len Wein. “The Vampire”: Don McGregor. “Death Rides This Night”: Al Milgrom.
I will check that out and add.
Fond memories of Dax