Sword & Sorcery at Warren – Part 6: 1974-1975

If you missed 1973…

With Dax coming to an end in 1973, the days of Sword & Sorcery at Warren might have come to an end. The company simply reprinted all of his adventures, rather than come up with new material. 1974 produced only one new Sword & Sorcery story early in February.

A year went by and the company welcomed Archie Goodwin back for a short stint. Goodwin, who had always been pro-S&S, didn’t seem interested. The works of Edgar Allan Poe got the focus rather than Robert E. Howard.

Dax was reissued with new words by Budd Lewis but it was the new series, El Cid, in 1975 that really brought S&S back. Written by Budd Lewis (after all that Dax practice) and others with art by Gonzalo Mayo, it filled the void left by the departure of Dax and Esteban Maroto.

Maroto returns to Warren heroic fantasy mid-1975 with “A Hero Born of Wishes” that contains a very Elric-looking horseman. His distinctive style is less impressive when surrounded by so many other Spanish style artists. Berni Wrightson and Ken Kelly are the only Americans to show up here.

1974

“The Other Side of Hell” (Creepy #60, February 1974) written by Bill DuBay.

1975

“The Song of Alan Bane” (Creepy # 71, April 1975) written by Gerry Boudreau.

“The Minotaur” (Creepy #71, April 1975) adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne by Rich Margopoulus. I could have put this one in my post on Warren story adaptations but it feels like it belongs here more.

“El Cid and the Troll” (Eerie #65, April 1975) written by Budd Lewis.

“The Death” (Eerie #65, April 1975) written by Budd Lewis.

“Frontispiece” (Eerie #66, June 1975) written by Bill DuBay. This is my favorite Warren inside cover. Wrightson and S&S, what more do I need to say? Makes me wish he had done a long series of heroic fantasy after his early work on Fafhrd & Grey Mouser at DC.Horror comics snapped him up and never let go.

“El Cid: The Seven Trials” (Eerie #66, June 1975) written by Bill DuBay.

“El Cid: The Seven Trials: Part II” (Eerie #66, June 1975) written by Bill DuBay.

“El Cid and the Vision” (Eerie #66, June 1975) written by Gerry Boudreau and Budd Lewis.

“El Cid: The Lady and the Lie” (Eerie #66, June 1975) written by Gerry Boudreau and Budd Lewis.

“El Cid: The Emir of Aragon” (Eerie #66, June 1975) written by Jeff Rovin and Budd Lewis.

“The Wolves At War’s End!” (Vampirella #43, June 1975) written by Victor Mora & Budd Lewis.  Lewis rewrote this one from Pilote #737 and #738 (1973).

“Merlin: The Kingmaker” (Eerie #67, August 1975) written by Budd Lewis.

“Godeye” (Eerie #68, September 1975) written by Budd Lewis. This one is unusual in that it is a portal fantasy, starting in our world then going to a realm of fantasy.

“A Hero Born of Wishes” (Vampirella #45, September 1975) written by Gerry Boudreau.

“Deep Brown and Jorum” (Eerie #68, September 1975) written by Jim Stenstrum. Love a good giant spider!

“El Cid: Crooked Mouth” (Eerie #70, November 1975) written by Budd Lewis.

Conclusion

Sword & Sorcery at Warren 1974-1975 did not see the last of El Cid. He will be back in 1976. Budd Lewis has at this point become the point man on writing S&S for Warren. He wasn’t alone though. Gerry Boudreau had written the post apocalayptic version for Gold Key and The Mighty Samson. Bill DuBay would take on more and more as editor of the Warren magazines and would re-write some stories, not always pleasing the artists such as Wally Wood. But all that lies in the future. For now Warren is happy to give its readers more S&S from artists like Gonzalo Mayo. (Mayo, for now, has supplanted Esteban Maroto. In 1976 he would move onto Vampirella and away from Eerie.)

Next time 1976-1977….