In a continuation of my recent sword and sorcery (and specifically barbarian) comic book reading foray, I jumped into the world of Wulf the Barbarian by Atlas Comics. This is the Atlas publisher from the 1970s, usually referred to as Atlas/Seaboard to distinguish it from the much earlier pre-Marvel Atlas of the 1950s.
If Claw the Unconquered seems truncated at 12 issues (or 14, if you count the two photocopied unreleased stories), Wulf was pruned to the quick at only four installments. This was the result of the entire Atlas/Seaboard publication roster abruptly disappearing when the company was dissolved only months after it was created. The Atlas/Seaboard story is an interesting one.
As a reader who gobbled up comics during the 90s boom of independent publishers, it came as a surprise that some of the business stratagems of that era had already been attempted in the mid-seventies at Atlas/Seaboard. Specifically, Atlas/Seaboard attracted some high-level talent by offering very good pay (some of the highest in the industry at the time) and rights to characters authors created. In a similar creator-focused vein, original artwork was returned to the artists. All of this brought many exceptionally talented creators to the new company, including names like Alex Toth, Steve Ditko, Russ Heath, Bernie Wrightson, Wally Wood, Neal Adams, John Severin, Pat Boyette, and others.
Unfortunately, Atlas/Seaboard faced numerous distribution problems as they burst out of the publishing gate, launching 23 titles and an additional five oversized comics magazine titles in a very short span of time. According to some sources, in addition to the distribution issues, some readers reacted negatively to what they perceived as carbon-copies of existing Marvel heroes. All of this culminated in the company dissolving late in 1975. Wulf was one of a handful of titles that made it to four issues. It was an abrupt and complete end to the Atlas/Seaboard universe.
I have only read Wulf from that list of 23 titles. I feel it had real potential. The character, a blonde-maned barbarian “on a nameless world in a forgotten time,” was created by Larry Hama. Hama, of course, would go on to garner acclaim as the writer for years on Marvel’s G.I. Joe title. In Wulf, he did both the writing and penciling for the first two issues. He does an excellent job in both departments and it was disappointing to see him depart after those initial issues.
The first issue introduces the reader to Wulf, a young and optimistic outlander, and his mentor Stavro Dar Kovin, a disabled juggler, as they exist on the margins of society in the city of Azerebajia. It’s not long before we are treated to a flashback origin story, explaining how Wulf, prince of Baernholm, and Stavro, fencing master of the house of Wulfgar, have ended up destitute on the streets of a foreign city.
We are then brought back to the present day, as Wulf’s reality is turned on its head and he is suddenly thrust into an adventure leading ultimately to his destiny (a destiny we as readers are doomed to never reach).
This first issue is excellently told and well-drawn. The pacing and characterization are top-notch and an early example of Hama’s skill as a craftsman of compelling stories and characters. While the comic uses some familiar tropes, both the plot and the characters feel fresh and different. This comic could really have developed into a great narrative had it been allowed to evolve. Keeping Hama on the title would also have helped, but I did find the third and fourth issues enjoyable, if not nearly as masterfully done as the first two. And with the conclusion of issue four, the tale is interrupted and seemingly confined to the ashpits of abandoned comics. Wulf will find good company there in the likes of Claw, Star Hunters, Korg, and so many others.
