Hägar the Horrible

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Image:Hagarthehorrible.gifHägar the Horrible is the title and the name of the main character of a syndicated comic strip by Dik Browne, first seen in February 1973 and distributed to 1,900 newspapers in 58 countries, in 13 languages.

Hägar is an overweight Viking warrior who regularly goes off to invade England. The humor of the comic strip comes from his interactions with his longship crew (whose first mate, contrary to depictions of Vikings as big muscled warriors, is a short naïve fellow named Lucky Eddie) and his family (his wife Helga, his son Hamlet, his daughter Honi, his duck Kvack, and his dog Snert).

For a brief time, the strip had its own brand of sponsored soda, which was unfortunately named "Hagar the Horrible Cola." It is generally recalled as one of the funnier flops of the marketing industry.

Since Dik's retirement in 1988, his son, Chris, has continued the comic himself.

The strip is popular enough to warrant a book, Hägar the Horrible's Viking Handbook, which advises how to loot, where to loot, and how to be a good Viking. It includes a list of the Top Ten Most Sackable Cities (of 10th century Europe): London, Paris, Venice, Madrid, Novgorod, Cologne, Geneva, Dublin, and Byzantium.