Atlas/Ardden; $2.99
Back in 1975, Wulf The Barbarian #1 debuted from Seaboard Periodicals’ Atlas comics line. Set “...On a nameless world in a forgotten time...,” Wulf was a young man, an orphaned prince whose parents were killed by trolls in the service of an evil sorcerer. He had spent the last decade training for the time when he could take his revenge. He got part of it, and sought more, and then the series ended far too earlier.
Flash forward 36 years: Wulf is witnessing the destruction of his home world. He sees an evil foe conjuring up an exit from their ill-fated planet, hoping to take his bloodlust elsewhere in service of the dark forces who command him. Wulf strikes what should be a killing blow… but it doesn’t quite work. Meanwhile, on Earth, Detective Sam Lomax witnesses a fiery, glowing vortex. It’s clear that the escape from Wulf’s world is going to end up here, in the 21st century.
Writer Steve Niles, who created 30 Days of Night, re-teams with artist Nat Jones, who previously collaborated with him on Spawn: The Dark Ages, to kick-off this reboot. The first issue blends an epic feel and action with a breezy pace to set up the character, the dying world and the situation.
Generally when we see a number of splash pages in a single issue, it’s a sign of not enough story. After all, if you’re giving up 1/22 of your storytelling space every time you do that, you’re inherently limiting yourself. However, Niles and Jones make it work. The rest of the issue is tightly packed and the splashes are used well to establish Wulf and the situation he’s facing.
It’s a forceful, page-turning read. The action is bold and the mysteries are compelling, and we’re already ready for more.
– J.C. Vaughn
Explore a wide variety of comic book unvierses, including Atlas-Seaboard, Atlas 2.0, and many others in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide To Lost Universes. Scheduled to go on sale on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, you can find it in the September PREVIEWS from Diamond Comic Distributors or on the Gemstone Publishing website (if you don’t live near a comic shop).
