If you missed the last one …
Sword & Sorcery at Warren in 1978 shows marks of change. Competition with the Warren Black & Whites made its mark. Heavy Metal magazine began the year before, and unlike the Marvel B&W line the publishers of HM didn’t model their publications on Warren. (Of the Marvel bunch, only Savage Sword of Conan was regular by 1978.) Heavy Metal took the French comic Metal Hurlant as its inspiration, bringing a mix of SF, sex and European cool to America. Artists like Moebius (Jean Girard), Philippe Druillet and Enki Bilal of France as well as Brits like Angus McKie set a new vibe. Along with these were Americans who worked in underground comics (as well as regular comics) like Gray Morrow, Richard Corben, Howard Chaykin, Stephen Bissette, Alfred Alcala, Mike Kaluta and Alex Nino, doing work with more mature content than Marvel or DC.
Warren had to do something in the face of this. That was to include more nudity and stories about sex in all their magazines. To combat the Science Fiction angle (Star Wars changed everything in 1977) , editor Bill DuBay created 1984 (later retitled 1994, and I assume if it had survived beyond 29 issues, it would have been called 2004 eventually.) Warren had experimented all the way back in 1974 with Comix International, a reprint meant to appeal to underground comix fans. In many ways that feel was given to 1984 but with new material. But it wasn’t just in 1984. “Etran to Fulsing” (Creepy #94) offers a typically apocalyptic version of S&S, with an SF feel, shades of Thundarr the Barbarian, only two years away.
Sword & Sorcery continues in 1978, drawn by familiar artists, written largely by Gerry Boudreau and Bill DuBay but with stories from Budd Lewis, Nick Cuti and others. A few DC pros do a story here and there. Of the writer/artist pieces, Richard Corben appears in color and Wally Wood appears for the last time. Wood was disgusted by how his work was treated by DuBay and refused to sell to Warren after this. (For more on this, go here.)
“Etran to Fulsing” (Creepy #94, January 1978) written by Nick Cuti.
“Carrion” (Eerie #90, February 1978) written by Gerry Boudreau.
“The Quest” (Vampirella #67, March 1978) written by Budd Lewis.
“The Last Dragon King” (Vampirella #67, March 1978) was written by Roger McKenzie.
“The Last Dragon King” (Vampirella #67, March 1978) written by Roger McKenzie.
“Dragon Lady” (Creepy # 97, April 1978) written by Bill DuBay.
“The Munificent Ali Addan And Son!” (Vampirella #68, April 1978) written by Bill DuBay & Esteban Maroto.
“Quick Cut” (1984 #1, June 1978) art and story by Wally Wood.
“Tale of a Fox” (Creepy #100, August 1978) written by Nick Cuti.
“Winner Take All” (Creepy #100, August 1978) written by Len Wein.
“The Last of the Red Hot Lovers” (1984 #2, August 1978) written by Bill DuBay.
“One Night Down on the Funny Farm” (1984 #2, August 1978) written by Wally Wood, (rewritten by Bill DuBay).
“Divine Wind” (Eerie #94, August 1978) written by Louise Jones and Budd Lewis.
“Scheherazade” (Vampirella #72, September 1978) written by Bill DuBay.
“Ogre” (1984 #4, October 1978) written by Jan Strnad.
Conclusion
Over all, Sword & Sorcery at Warren in 1978 was nothing new though we do see some bright spots. Many of the color inserts were S&S. Two of the strips are set in Medieval Japan. The effects of Manga from Japan are slowly seeping over to America. (We see examples of this earlier in “The Bushi” in Star*Reach #7, January 1977) as well as at DC and Marvel with the work of Sanho Kim.) This is also the last year of Esteban Maroto. By 1979 most of the Spanish artists will be gone.
Next time… 1979…changes are a’comin’!
Thanks for doing this. It’s extraordinary what those artists were capable of.