The Last of the Viking Heroes #5

The Last of the Viking Heroes #5, June 1988, Genesis West Comics
by Michael Thibodeaux with Mike Royer, Trisha French, Linda Yamasaki, Joe Sinnot, and Palle Jensen

Blogger’s note: Entry for Saturday, April 5, 2008.

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been playing catch-up this week. Last weekend, I became surprisingly and pleasantly distracted by the unexpected reunion of my favorite punk band Face to Face, and I attended their first show in four years last Thursday night. (Feel free to check out my comic strip leading up to the concert here.) I’d never been to Pomona, California’s Glass House before, and before the show I wandered its surrounding Antique District a bit, and since the shops were already closed for the night I was determined to return and search for fanboy treasure. Sure enough, I dragged my girlfriend back there this very weekend and found a few old comics worth buying and reviewing. The Last of the Viking Heroes #5 is foremost among them.

Honestly, I purchased The Last of the Viking Heroes #5 for its cover alone. Its interior could’ve stunk to high heaven (it didn’t, but we’ll get to that in a minute) and I still would’ve been completely satisfied sinking a measly dollar into this issue, namely because of its cover’s collaborative effort. Five words: Jack Kirby and Dave Stevens. ‘Nuff said, right? It looks like Stevens inks Kirby’s pencils for this issue’s dramatic cover, starring some Vikings (duh) mourning the death of their warrior prince, and, man, is it classic comic book goodness. The traditional Kirby characteristics are present and accounted for, from the square-jawed faces to the round, bubbly muscles to that squiggly-line fore-shading, but Stevens’ inks help it all pop more than usual, with a reverence for both the style and genre they represent. Greg Theakston’s colors bring the piece home with a royal brilliance, heavy on the blues and purples. The more I look at this thing, the more I’m glad it’s a part of my collection.

Fortunately, Michael Thibodeaux’s story lives up to its cover’s hype, which is probably why esteemed artists like Kirby and Stevens decided to contribute in the first place. (An ad later in this issue reveals that Arthur Adams crafts an alternate cover to #7. Great company!) Basically, this issue tragically continues the tale of Prince Sven’s attempt to save his beloved Embla from the demonic Marik, and despite his orders to the contrary his three loyal friends follow close behind to help. When Sven finds Marik, he’s tricked into gruesomely severing his left hand so that one of Marik’s men could mystically inhabit his body, and though Sven’s friends arrive and vanquish their foes, they’re sadly too late to save their prince. Thibodeaux’s storytelling style is truly merciless, yet he balances the violent subtexts of this issue’s events with humorously campy divergences, perhaps in an attempt to explore the duality of Vikings’ harshness and hubris.

In one particular sequence, Tomgar, the brute of the bunch, forbids Jon the Magician from using his “powers” to fight their enemies, despite the fact that Jon is really getting his butt kicked. “You’re going to learn to fight if it kills you!” he commands. Such dialogue reminded me of the candor in Iron Jaw, a delicious exercise in unadulterated old world masculinity. Here, when Tomgar finally secedes, the sage’s skills ironically amount to smashing a smoke bomb and hitting his attacker in the head from behind. This comedic scene precedes the horrible revelation of Sven’s death and adds a moment of well-deserved levity in the midst of battle. Thibodeaux widely builds the reader up only to let him down, making the tragedy of these warriors’ loss all the more palpable.

His art is a bit less consistent, though at its best is certainly a joy to behold. The inking might have something to do with it, as Thibodeaux shares credit with Mike Royer and Joe Sinnott, and who does what is really kind of vague here. Still, The Last of the Viking Heroes #5 is a well paced issue with fluid, brutal, action-packed adventure and suspense, and every panel seems to offer something by way of mood or character to contribute to the greatness of the whole. I was afraid this issue would suffer from some Prince Valiant-style blandness, but I was sorely and gratefully mistaken.

I don’t think The Last of the Viking Heroes #5 will be the last I see of this series. Kirby, Stevens, Ditko (according to his letter on the letters page!) and a slew of other artists seemed to dig it, so I guess I’ll have to dig for it, like the buried treasure it seems to be. Like a favorite band’s reunion, or the patient search for back issues, some things are worth the wait . . . and therefore really never end.

Varmints #1

Varmints #1, 1987, Blue Comet Press
by C.A. Stormon, Glenn Wong, Jim Miller, Manuel Villalovos, Hiner

Blogger's note: Entry for Saturday, March 22, 2008.

I've been a huge fan of the Rocketeer since Disney brought Cliff Secord to the big screen in 1991. I have a small but honorable Rocketeer memorabilia collection, and since last year's Comic Con I have managed to acquire the multi-part, multi-publisher original comic book adventure that started it all, part of which I reviewed last February. So, you can imagine my shock and melancholy when I learned that Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens died earlier this month. His contributions to the comic book industry were surprisingly minimal in quantity considering the impact made by his work's quality, and while he will undoubtedly become best known for the Rocketeer, I have had the privilege of purchasing and enjoying his work in Pacific Comics' Alien Worlds and on the cover of Sheena: Queen of the Desert 3-D Special (which is waiting in the wings for a review later this year). The guy loved comics almost as much as he loved the ladies, and though his life was brief, it was a celebrated by a combination of these two passions that fans like me will adore for a long, long time.

One of the more peculiar aspects of Stevens' work with the Rocketeer are the parodies that resulted from his innovative jetpack-wearing hero. Around the time I posted that review last February, I found an interesting, limited list of "Goofeteer" collectibles on-line, including this pin featuring Goofy as the Rocketeer. I also read of a "Rabbiteer" somewhere, and recently I found him for myself in an issue of Varmints #1, published by Blue Comet Press. Now, I'm developing the bad habit of looking up many of these more obscure comics before I post my review about them, undoubtedly often skewing my impression, but sometimes, like this time, I just can't help it. Sometimes I really want to know if I'm not the only person that has read the obscure comic in question. When it came to uncovering proof of the Rabbiteer's existence, I was hard pressed to find anything except for an eBay auction for this very issue, which, at the starting bid of a dollar, is seventy-five more cents that I paid.

Ah, yet this week, all roads lead to Usagi Yojimbo, and I found this pin-up by Stan Sakai when I sought this rabbit's likeness in an almost futile image search:

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As you can see, the Rabbiteer shares the Rocketeer's basic costume design, though he seems a bit more eager to dive ear-first into battle. In Varmints #1, he, alongside Nails the mobster-like beaver and Ninja Duck (also pictured above) fight the dastardly Doctor Death (not related to the classic Batman villain of the same name, I presume) for the prize of a highly coveted ruby. The trio manage to defeat the Doctor's samurai robot, but in the end "Lucky" the Rabbiteer proves the irony of his name when a passing bird snags the jewels in its talons. It's really a whole lot of adventure for one weak visual gag, yet Glenn Wong's artwork actually grows on you considering the cartoony nature of his subject matter. Now, I need to get my hands on that Varmints special for which Sakai drew that back cover pin-up. If Yojimbo's involved, you can rest assured that issue is hide and hare above the rest.

Ugh. Sorry 'bout that one, too.

Varmints also features a pulp detective story starring a hippopotamus. Though this back-up tale ended too briefly for my tastes, the concept is interesting enough: basically, think Spawn, but with a hippo. Literally. When a police officer is killed in a zoo before his time, his spirit is sent back to Earth but accidentally lands in an adjacent hippopotamus. That's pretty much it, thus far. This story features a psychedelic afterlife sequence, but I'm curious to see if this hippo makes more of a splash in other issues. I mean, Spawn-meets-Hip Flask? How cool is that?

Also, interestingly, this odd issue's context about conquering death is quite appropriate for Easter, all things considered. Jesus was actually somewhat anthropomorphic at least in metaphor, as He was dubbed "the lamb of God" that was effectively led to the slaughter, if you believe in that sort of thing. When you strip all of the spiritual supplications away from the story of Jesus, one is left simply with a mythology about legacy, about preserving one's place in existence. Jesus sought to make a dynamic impact, and he gave His life to enable others' beliefs. In a much, much lesser way, Dave Stevens contributed to the world of comics and his work remains a testament to his talent. In both cases, whether or not you're a fan, some time should be set aside to tip the proverbial hat.

Hmm, I wonder, now . . . Does that make the Rabbiteer a false prophet . . .?