Previously I outlined the major Heroic Fantasy movies and shows that Sword & Sorcery fans could have watched in their youths. Many of those films and programs received comic book adaptations, usually by Dell Comics. I looked at the Sinbad ones previously, but here are the best of them from 1941 to 1968. The 1970s and 1980s are another beast altogether and deserve their own posts.
What I really wanted to do in this post was look at which ones have aged better compared to their original celluloid versions. I got the idea when I saw the comic adaptation of Jack the Giant Killer, which reads better than it views. The film version has very poor special effects that look better in the comic book. Not all will suffer the same fate…
These comics are arranged by publication date, not the release of the films.
1940s
The Reluctant Dragon (1941) was based on the Kenneth Grahame story. The cartoon adaptation was written by an unknown author. Cartoons are the easiest to adapt well since they are already in a comic book style. Tripp’s adaptation is text heavy and I prefer the cartoon.
1950s
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (December 1954) was written by an unknown author. A black & white TV show always looks better as a color comic. The early art of John Buscema doesn’t hurt either. Big John would bring his action-oriented style to true Sword & Sorcery comics with Conan the Barbarian.
Lancelot and Brian (March 1957) from the same series was written by an unknown author.
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (September 1958) was adapted by Gaylord Du Bois. It’s hard to beat the animation of Ray Harryhausen. Buscema again, so I’d say this one is a tie. They’re both great.
Sleeping Beauty (April 1959) was written by an unknown author. I always liked Sleeping Beauty but became more fond of it when I learned it contained design work for an abandoned The Hobbit film. (Look at that orc-like goblin!) This comic is very long and covers the entire film. Al Hubbard does a good job of capturing the scope of the original. The film is still better.
Hercules (July-September 1959) was adapted by Paul S. Newman. Old Sword & Sandal movies are hard for me to watch. I wish a good Harryhausen monster would show up once in a while. I would recommend the Buscema version. It has monsters.
1960s
The Sword and the Dragon (June-August 1960) was adapted by Leo Dorfman from Michail Kochnev‘s screenplay. A Russian film, the comic is easier to experience. That dragon is not very convincing…
Hercules Unchained (August-October 1960) was adapted by Paul S. Newman. More Sword & Sandal. Reed Crandall is a good substitute for John Buscema. I recommend the comic.
The Thief of Baghdad (September-November 1961) was adapted by Ken Fitch. The 1961 re-make with Steve Reeves again. Crandall and Evans every time.
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (August 1962) was written by an unknown author. This silly scenario involves time travel. I think I’d recommend the original black & white film over the comic. Neither is brilliant.
The Magic Sword (September 1962) was written by an unknown author. I found this favorite from my youth to be quite watchable with Basil Rathbone as the villain. Some of the effects don’t hold up but they are better than most. Watch the film. The comic is lackluster.
Jack the Giant Killer (January 1963) was adapted by Ken Fitch. This left-over from The Magic Sword was made immediately after. The actors are familiar from 7th Voyage of Sinbad as well. The dragon effect is truly awful. Go with the comic.
The Mighty Hercules (July-October 1963) was adapted by Paul S. Newman. This old black & white cartoon is another favorite of days gone by. The comic offers a color version that is well worth the time. Go with both.
Jason and the Argonauts (August-October 1963) was adapted by Paul S. Newman. A great Harryhausen masterpiece. The comic does not do it justice. Watch the flick.
Captain Sindbad (September 1963) was adapted by Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer. A non-Harryhausen Sindbad. The movie is rather dull while Russ Manning’s artwork is never so. Go comic on this one.
The Sword in the Stone (February 1964) was adapted by Carl Fallberg. This comic is difficult to find. The movie is one of Disney’s better adaptations. Watch the flick.
The Arabian Knights (May-August 1969) in Hanna-Barbera’s Hi-Adventure Heroes comics was written by an unknown author. A Saturday Morning bit of fluff. Neither the cartoon or the comic is special other than Mike Royer’s artwork in the second issue.
Conclusion
Heroic Fantasy movie comics are a great way to re-live the fun of the past. Special effects have improved so much over the years that some of these films are laughably bad now. But that doesn’t mean their comic adaptations are as bad off. Some, like the John Buscema’s, the Harryhausens and Sleeping Beauty, have real power in them still. Movie comics rarely got the best treatment in comics. One-offs, they can be poorly done for a quick buck. Still, I like to believe the creators that worked on these comics weren’t merely gathering a paycheck.
Jack the Giant Killer was an intentional imitation of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (Nathan Juran, Mathews and Thatcher, parallel plot, leprechaun in a bottle subs for genie) with admittedly inferior stop motion models and occasionally less perfect animation. But, it is still way out of the league of stuff like The Magic Sword.
I would stick up for Captain Sindbad too, but it’s just a personal favorite and Russel Manning is hard to beat.