Worried about where you're going to get your comic book sword-and-sorcery fix with Conan The Barbarian ending his brief tenure at Marvel and the Hawk The Slayer mini-series wrapping up at Rebellion?
Look no further than Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer, published by Opus.
I'll confess this is a title I dithered over picking up, but I'm so glad I did.
Except for the visuals - from Frazetta's legendary painting and, lately, Lucid Eye's miniatures - I know absolutely nothing about the character, having read neither the previous novels nor comic books that have been inspired by this iconic imagery.
It turns out, it doesn't matter, as Mitch Iverson's raw and brutal story tells you everything you need to know about this iteration of the character to get going.
It turns out, it doesn't matter, as Mitch Iverson's raw and brutal story tells you everything you need to know about this iteration of the character to get going.
Kur The Death Dealer is cut from the same cloth as many a Robert E Howard character, but has his visage permanently concealed by a sentient, cursed, helmet that can grant him great strength at the cost of shards of his soul.
Not only does the first issue of this new series introduce us to its titular hero, but also his seeming nemesis, some kind of sorcerous undead monster that can melt (or age?) lowly peasants with his vile gaze.
Thanks to Stefano Martino's incredible artwork, the image of his fiend's split face is the stuff of nightmares, and bodes well for the horror-tinged graphics to come.
Our hero saves a female magic-user, Admira, and her baby, Mesh, from a pack of hungry wolves then - as a violent storm closes in - takes them back to his trap-laden underground lair for their protection.
However, while he's off getting them some dinner, his guests are kidnapped by his mysterious foe and the ball is set rolling for this first story arc.
Packed with violence, sex, and even a soupçon of foul language, this is full-on old school sword-and-sorcery, harkening back to the 1970s and '80s - when Frazetta's artwork was defining harsh fantasy worlds for a generation (on book and VHS covers, and film posters).
An intriguing mix of Judge Dredd, the Incredible Hulk, vintage roleplaying game aesthetics, and Deathstalker, at first taste, Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer is a near-perfect genre debut.
My only concern comes in the comic's editorial column where, with only a single issue of this title out in the wild, executive editor Denton J Tipton is already talking about creating "an entire multiverse of Frazetta's famous creations".
I'm all for ambition, but am concerned that such enthusiasm could pave the way for a similar failure-to-launch as we witnessed with Universal Picture's planned Dark Universe, where - seeking to emulate Marvel's cinematic success - they put the cart before the horse and seemingly created their "universe" before proving they had the quality of product to keep it alive.
That may be the most famous example, but we've seen plenty of proclaimed "shared universes" and "multiverses" in recent years, across a variety of media, but few have gained the traction they aspired to without already having a broad fanbase and stable of established characters.
Just on the basis of this single issue, I'd love the proposed Frazetta universe to take off, but I hope Opus can afford to take their time and let it establish itself organically, rather than trying to force it on an audience that might not be invested in - or ready for - it.
That said, Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer #1 is a mighty start to the range and I really hope this title gets the legs under it required to keep it running for years to come.
Here's a taste of upcoming covers:
Not only does the first issue of this new series introduce us to its titular hero, but also his seeming nemesis, some kind of sorcerous undead monster that can melt (or age?) lowly peasants with his vile gaze.
Thanks to Stefano Martino's incredible artwork, the image of his fiend's split face is the stuff of nightmares, and bodes well for the horror-tinged graphics to come.
Our hero saves a female magic-user, Admira, and her baby, Mesh, from a pack of hungry wolves then - as a violent storm closes in - takes them back to his trap-laden underground lair for their protection.
However, while he's off getting them some dinner, his guests are kidnapped by his mysterious foe and the ball is set rolling for this first story arc.
Packed with violence, sex, and even a soupçon of foul language, this is full-on old school sword-and-sorcery, harkening back to the 1970s and '80s - when Frazetta's artwork was defining harsh fantasy worlds for a generation (on book and VHS covers, and film posters).
An intriguing mix of Judge Dredd, the Incredible Hulk, vintage roleplaying game aesthetics, and Deathstalker, at first taste, Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer is a near-perfect genre debut.
My only concern comes in the comic's editorial column where, with only a single issue of this title out in the wild, executive editor Denton J Tipton is already talking about creating "an entire multiverse of Frazetta's famous creations".
I'm all for ambition, but am concerned that such enthusiasm could pave the way for a similar failure-to-launch as we witnessed with Universal Picture's planned Dark Universe, where - seeking to emulate Marvel's cinematic success - they put the cart before the horse and seemingly created their "universe" before proving they had the quality of product to keep it alive.
That may be the most famous example, but we've seen plenty of proclaimed "shared universes" and "multiverses" in recent years, across a variety of media, but few have gained the traction they aspired to without already having a broad fanbase and stable of established characters.
Just on the basis of this single issue, I'd love the proposed Frazetta universe to take off, but I hope Opus can afford to take their time and let it establish itself organically, rather than trying to force it on an audience that might not be invested in - or ready for - it.
That said, Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer #1 is a mighty start to the range and I really hope this title gets the legs under it required to keep it running for years to come.
Here's a taste of upcoming covers:
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| Issue 2 cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz |
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| Issue 3 cover art by Paul Renaud |
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| Issue 4 cover art by Marco Turini |
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