Fire-breathing dragons! You won’t find any T. rexes or giant snakes here. These are Bronze Age Dragons, with wings and fiery breath. (well, mostly.) I looked at Four Color Dragons before (and I plan to again), and Superhero dragons, and even such dragonslayers like Sigurd and Beowulf. But this time I am doing only Sword & Sorcery comics and real dragons. I could include all those from the Warren Magazines but I refer you here instead. I also left out the Skywald. Of course I haven’t got every one of them. These are some that I thought were singular and interesting. I know there are more European comics, for sure.
The picky definition for dragon here is necessary, just to narrow the field if nothing else. I mean Conan alone had any number of serpents, giant snakes and other reptilian adversaries. These are not necessarily “dragons”. Robert E. Howard used a T. rex in “Red Nails” but is it really a dragon? My concept of one, for this post anyway, is much closer to Smaug from The Hobbit and the Golden Age of dragons.
“Dragon Slayer” (Phase #1, 1971) was written by Len Wein. This two pager is interesting because it is one of the first things Tony deZuniga ever did in Sword & Sorcery. It is obvious from the drawing that the ladies (not seen here) were drawn with clothes then changed to offer all their charms.
“The Blood of the Dragon” (Conan the Barbarian #12, December 1971) was written by Roy Thomas. This one is intriguing for several reasons. The first is the cameos of Roy Thomas and Gil Kane on the opening page. Secondly, it is an attempt by Thomas to expand on the Hyborian Age. I don’t think the feel is right though, too medieval. Gil Kane drew plenty of Conan but is often forgotten as the man between Barry Windsor-Smith and Big John Buscema.
“The Sorceress of the Red Mist” (Dracula #3, October 29, 1972) was written by Esteban Maroto and Laurence James. The UK’s Dracula was an anthology of comics drawn by Spanish artists like Esteban Maroto. This one is nice because it is in color. Maroto was doing “Dax the Damned” for Warren at this time.
“Spell of the Dragon” (Chamber of Chills #2, January 1973) was written by John Jakes and Dan Adkins. This particular strip is something of a legend. It is the only Brak the Barbarian story not first written in prose. It had an impact if you look at the next comic. Nick Cuti and Joe Staton parody S&S over at Charlton. Staton even “swipes” from Adkins and Mayerik. For more John Jakes and Brak, go here.
“Who?” (Midnight Tales #5, September 1973) was written by Nick Cuti. Keen the Barbarian is no action hero and the writer seems to be no fan of Thud & Blunder. Which isn’t quite true. For more on Conan parodies, go here.
“Damsel in Dragon Dress” (Grim Wit #2, September 1973) was written by Doug Moench and Richard Corben.Women become dragons! The humans exit quickly and let the dragons have a tale.
“The Last Dragon” (Mystery Comics Digest #13, September 1973) was written by Don Glut. This one was a bit of a surprise. It only appeared in this digest, not in the back of a Dagar the Invincible comic. Korza the mage creates a dragon for a young prince to kill. It has a nice twist in the end, which I won’t reveal.
“The Prophecy!” (Sword of Sorcery #4, September-October 1973) was written by Denny O’Neil. This one is a personal favorite. I enjoyed Howard Chaykin’s adaptations of the Leiber stories, but it is this O’Neil/Simonson background tale that I remember the most fondly. Leiber did write a story each about Fafhrd & Mouse before they teamed up, so Denny had some idea of how to go about this. The artwork is a snapshot of the potential Simonson that will be featured in Thor comics in the future.
“The Treasure of Nai-Po-Gah” (Tales of Sword and Sorcery Dagar the Invincible #6, January 1974) was written by Don Glut. Actual Dagar this time, with a dragon pretending to be human. Dagar takes him out by dropping a huge statue of a knight on him. He doesn’t end up with the treasure though.
“Warrior’s Burden” (Tales of the Zombie #3, January 1974) was written by Tony Isabella. Zombie samurai versus dragon. And that’s not even the weirdest part. The warrior’s name is Gilgamesh.
“The Teeth of the Dragon” (Kull and the Barbarians #2, May-July 1975) was written by Gerry Conway. This lengthy tale is mostly about serpent men but Kull does take on a water dragon. The Jess Jodloman art is classic!
“When a Tiger Returns to Atlantis” (Savage Sword of Conan #9, December 1975) was written by Doug Moench. Another black&white Kull tale. This time Kull returns to Valusia, is received by a parade then attacked by a dragon. Sonny Trinidad is no slouch either. The back-up features in SSoC were great for art not done by John Buscema. It was cool to see how other artists saw the Howard characters.
Taar le Rebelle #1, 1976 was written by Claude Moliterni. Part of another long story but in the forest Taar encounters a dragon and slays it. Jaime Brocal RemohÃ’s art is so lush I’d look at it if it was about street sweepers. Let’s be happy it has dragons.
“Lair of the Dragon” (House of Hammer #11, August 1977) was written by Steve Moore. This one appeared as a three-pager in a Monster magazine. After pieces on Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger and Wizards, we get this short comic. A knight happens on a dragon and saves the damsel. Too bad, she’s also a dragon!
“The Dragon at Castle Frankenstein” (Savage Sword of Conan #22, September 1977) was written by Don Glut. Solomon Kane rescues the damsel then kills the dragon in the moat. Unfortunately, Kathyrn doesn’t make it. Don Glut playing with Horror icons again. He does it so well.
“Master of the Bells” (Red Sonja #5, September 1977) was written by Roy Thomas and Clair Noto. A temple of bells is guarded by a two headed dragon that Sonja kills. Classic Thorne Sonja.
“Conan, Girl, Dragon” (Savage Sword of Conan #27, March 1978) was drawn by Clyde Caldwell. Roy Thomas fills some pages by showing the young hopefuls who have sent in samples of their work. Clyde Caldwell would go on to be a star of the 1970s and 1980s. Jeff Easley also had one but without a dragon.
Conclusion
I have to admit I thought there were more dragon stories in the 1970s. Comics like Beowulf, Stalker, The Warlord and Claw the Unconquered at DC, for instance. Most of them have some kind of giant snaky monster but shy away from actual fire-breathing dragons. Beowulf had a giant snake. The Warlord (during Mike Grell’s original run especially) always used T. rexes. You have to remember Morgan is in a very Pellucidarian locale. It’s going to be dinos!
When I think about this I guess actual dragons were either not barbaric enough or maybe just a little too worn out by 1970. The writers wanted big, saurian beasties but not Smaug. The image of St. George and the Dragon was an iconic battle between hero and monster, one that Conan and his ilk, recycled endlessly. But, in the end, not the happening thing. But at least we got these.
Next time…the 1980s!
