BRONZE AGE MINUTE: Warlord #7

DC; July 1977
Cover by Mike Grell

Title: “The Iron Devil”
Synopsis: Warlord returns to Skartaris with new ally Mariah, only to find one of his old allies possessed by demonic weapon.

Writer: Mike Grell
Penciler: Grell
Inker: Grell

Review: Writer-artist Mike Grell continues to develop the Warlord’s world. New cast members join and old ones evolve, while new settings and mythologies pop up regularly. Creatively, Grell seems to grow more confident each issue, and the series is starting to feel like something special. Mariah is a strong addition to the cast, even as Grell tarts her up in a fanged bikini getup. The book feels sexy, not sexist, and there’s plenty of beefcake to go with the cheesecake. Sex, violence, skins and sin: There’s something dangerous about the Warlord’s world, and that’s a big part of the series’ appeal.

Grade: B+

Cool factor: Be they barbarians or babes – or both! – Mike Grell’s characters tend to have brains. The cast’s smarts help set the series apart from similar genre fare.

Character quotable: “In that outfit, you’re about as inconspicuous as a W.A.S.P. in Harlem!” – Travis Morgan, Warlord and fashion critic

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