I don’t live in the past—I only visit—and so can you!

THE VIKING AGE IN THE COMIX!

With the year-end holidays coming up, the time seems appropriate to present articles on inaccurate romantic fantasies featuring guys with horned helmets. Even the most of the diligent efforts to be authentic are still dragged down by the stereotypes of Vikings from popular romantic fantasy. As with the most popular and accurate of the comic versions, Hal Foster’s “Prince Valiant,” full plate armor exists beside the furry breech clouts and horned helmets. In other word, these interpretations should not be even remotely considered documentation.

But they can sometimes be very fun!

Dark Worlds Quarterly, an ezine, mostly devoted to articles about Robert E. Howard and other heroic fantasy by G. W. Thomas. Most are related to pulps and other fiction, but I recently discovered a series on comics.

The Strangest Northerns: Vengean of the Vikings

The Strangest Northerns: Sword of the Vikings

Galahad – Heroic Fantasy Hero

Vikings on a Rampage I

Vikings on a Rampage II

Vikings on a Rampage III

“Prince Valiant” is only fleetingly mentioned, and my second favorite Viking funny book, “The Viking Prince” is not mentioned at all. But Fantagraphics has published reprints of the entire Foster series, going to to the John Cullen Murphy run. And reprints of the 1950s Joe Kubert-drawn episodes of “Viking Prince” has been collected into a hard-cover.

The Jack Kirby-Stan Lee super-hero interpretation of Mighty Thor should not even be mentioned, despite the early “Tales of Asgard” back-up feature where Lee tries to struggle into Snorri Sturlusson’s shoes // //, but it is amusing to see Kirby’s earlier interpretations of Thor in various comic version and compare it to what he came up with later!

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