Warlord (comics)
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The Warlord was a sword and sorcery comic book published by DC Comics from 1976 - 1989. It was created, written, and drawn by Mike Grell. The title The Warlord comes from the comic's main character, Travis Morgan, who obtains the name of The Warlord in the first few issues as he fights for the freedom of the people of Skartaris.
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Teaser
From the sky he came, to a world of eternal sunlight and eternal savagery-- Travis Morgan, a man with a lust for adventure and passion for freedom! As his fame spreads, so grows the legend of THE WARLORD.
In the savage world of Skartaris,
life is a constant struggle for survival.
Here, beneath an unblinking orb of eternal
sunlight, one simple law prevails:
If you let down your guard for an instant you will soon be very dead.
Synopsis
Vietnam veteran SR-71 pilot Travis Morgan passes through a dimensional barrier to the underground world of Skartaris, in a move strongly reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Pellucidar. There Travis, wielding his military-issue .44 caliber pistol, became the Warlord and fought various evil sorcerers like Deimos as well as kings. He was later joined by scantly-dressed female barbarian Tara and gained various sidekicks like Machiste, Shakira, and his magic-wielding daughter Jennifer Morgan. In one story arc Morgan even becomes the U.S. President in the far future (Issue 84).
The book was DC's answer to Marvel Comics's popular Conan the Barbarian title. Arion was another DC Comics sword & sorcery title, but was not a spinoff of Warlord. It began as a six-page supplement in the back of Warlord during its regular run. The Barren Earth was another series (with a more science-fiction Dune bent) that ran as a Warlord supplement, but it only enjoyed four issues as an independent series.
In 1992, DC published a six-part mini-series, entitled Ballad.
Some say that his looks resemble that of Green Arrow (as pointed out in issue 28 of Green Arrow), but are in reality based more upon his creator, Mike Grell, a former member of the Air Force. Grell is caricatured in Warlord's first appearance, "1st Issue Special" #8 (see also Warlord #35), and is clearly sporting the signature, shaggy goatee.
Issue Outline
General
1976 - 1989: 133 Issues plus 6 Annuals
1992: 6 Issue miniseries called Ballad
Notable issues
Issue 1: First appearance of Tara, Travis Morgan's mate in Skartaris and Queen of Shamballah. (Travis was married and widower before coming to Skartaris.) Also the appearance of Deimos, Travis Morgan's arch enemy for the first 50 issues.
Issue 2: First appearance of Machiste, becomes lifelong friend of Travis and is also ruler of Kiro, a kingdom of Skartaris.
Issue 6: First appearance of Mariah, Russian Archeologist who joins Travis in Skartaris and later becomes Machiste's mate.
Issue 15: First appearance of Joshua, Travis and Tara's son.
Issue 32: First appearance of Shakira, a cat-woman who is Travis' traveling companion on many adventures.
Issue 34: Travis acquires the sword, Hellfire, that must draw blood everytime it is drawn even if it is Travis' own blood.
Issue 38: First appearance of Jennifer Morgan, Travis' daughter
Issue 51: Reprint of Issue 1
Issue 93: Origin Retold
Issue 114: Legends Cross-over Chapter 12
Issue 115: Legends Cross-over Chapter 16
Warlord Supplement Series
Issues 37 - 47: OMAC, One-Man Army Corps
Issues 48 - 49: Claw
Issues 51 - 53: The Saga of Dragonsword
Issues 56 - 62: Arion
Issues 63 - 88: The Barren Earth
Other media
Warlord has appeared in an episode of Justice League Unlimited where Green Lantern, Supergirl, Stargirl, and S.T.R.I.P.E. stumbled onto Skartaris and teamed up with him to stop Deimos and his unlikely allies: Metallo and Silver Banshee of the Legion of Doom from stealing a huge piece of kryptonite rock. He was voiced by Paul Guilfoyle. Travis Morgan has also shown up in an issue of Green Arrow (Issue 28) and Secret Origins #16.
External links
- The Big DataBase of Comic Books: Warlord
- Welcome to the Lost World, a summary of the series.Template:DC-Comics-stub