Worlds of Fear #7 (November 1952) was a pretty standard horror comic from Fawcett. This particular issue featured a story called “Journey to Chaos” that feels to me like proto-Sword & Sorcery. Gardner F. Fox had created the first true Sword & Sorcery comic only two years previously at Avon Comics. “Crom the Barbarian” had four adventures then faded from notice. The next S&S comic was Joe Kubert’s “The Viking Prince” in DC’s The Brave and the Bold in 1955. “Journey to Chaos” happened in that interregnum.
The author is not known as with so many old comics. The artist is Bob McCarty, recognizable from his style with the large-eyed characters. McCarty’s imagery is partly what makes this feel a little like a Sword & Sorcery tale. The inclusion of swords in what could have been a strictly Gothic tale helps a lot. His choices will be reflected in later 1970s DC comics.
The story begins when Stephen Blake and his fiancee, Glory, fly off the road.
Having killed Glory, Blake is wracked with guilt and sorrow. But a mysterious figure appears…
Satan! In exchange for his soul, Stephen is given a sword and sent on a quest to find his lost love.
A strange journey begins with Blake being transported to the Beyond…
A costume change and he is ready to face the first task: Cerberus, who seems to be missing some heads. But it has tentacles– so there. The Fantasy classic move of stabbing the giant monster in the eye works!
Now Blake must face his second trial: Charon the river boat pilot.
Finally in the realm of the dead, Stephen meets the master…Death!
Among the cloaked dead is Glory. The couple is reunited.
The hero wins his girl back by defeating death but there is a price. He can no longer touch her or she will return to the realm of the dead.
One last encounter…Stephen faces off against Satan and wins. He and Glory will be happy together after all.
The source of the author’s inspiration isn’t hard to see. It is Greek mythology and the story of Orpheus. This Greek supernatural adventure story shares some elements with modern Sword & Sorcery: including the quest, the supernatural opponent, and a hero who must face a number of battles. Heroic Fantasy gained much of its features from myths, especially those of the Greek heroes: Hercules, Theseus and Jason as well as Ulysses. Stephen Blake seems an ordinary man but his actions show him to be more.
Conclusion
I referred to DC’s 1970s comics sharing a connection with this comic. I had two comics in mind in particular. The first is Steve Skeates and Berni Wrightson’s Nightmaster from DC Showcase. The feel, the artwork, the themes remind me of this first attempt of DC’s to produce a Sword & Sorcery comic. The second is Beowulf Dragonslayer, which also has Satan as a character, though Beowulf’s Satan is much harder to deal with. I don’t know if this Quasi-Sword & Sorcery Comic inspired the DC crew but it is possible.
