Comments on: Warlord

By: James Dell

James Dell — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:30:38 +0000

The new 2009 series is now ongoing monthly at DC. Though its likely to get cancelled sales are really low and the art isn’t even being drawn by Mike Grell but some artist-by-committee approach gang of unknown talent. It doesn’t look all that great. I’d say its days are numbered.

By: Lance

Lance — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 15:46:02 +0000

Hi, I may be a bit older, but I really loved the original series. This new one has me more the a little confused as to its point. I mean the only similarity I can see to the original is the name of some of its characters and a slight (though as you so validly put it “Cumbersome”) resemblance in appearance of its main character. If you are going to change it that much why bother to call it The Warlord at all? Call it something else then you don’t offend fans of the original series and new fans of this series don’t have to put up with or griping about all the changes.

By: K T

K T — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 12:22:29 +0000

I agree that the action is often confusing. The line work also seems too thick and pasty on the whole.

It’s also disappointing that they’ve dropped so many of the old characters and changed the rest so much. Our hero no longer seems to have a daughter named Jennifer, his love (before he met Tara) is no longer called Rachel, there’s no longer that cat-girl named Shakira… and I don’t think I’ll hold my breath and wait for Deimos to appeaar either. And Morgan’s gear seems to have become very cumbersome in appearance.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 14 May 2006 14:49:35 +0000

Thanks for taking my comments in the spirit they intended, because I fear they might read as harsher than I meant them.

The risk you point out is a valid one, constantly faced by companies trying to keep old properties and trademarks alive. It’s probably most visible currently, in my opinion, when it comes to Firestorm, which keeps teasing elements of the previous, well-loved series.

The phonebook is a good idea, although I probably wouldn’t pick it up, because I just don’t care. (Again, I hope that sounds more bemused than mean.) I’m not even sure why I tried the current series, but I liked it. It’s not great comics, but it’s more entertaining to me than DC’s superhero books.

By: Mark Hale

Mark Hale — Sat, 13 May 2006 05:01:01 +0000

I’m pretty sure Warlord popped up in Jurgens’ Teen Titans run as well.

By: Chuck T.

Chuck T. — Fri, 12 May 2006 13:25:32 +0000

I first read Warlord in a DC 100-Page Digest, which ran the whole Deimos saga, all killer and no filler. (It was a long time until I saw how much had been cut, but it still reads quite well.)
The new one, I’m having a hard time judging on it’s own, since I was able to read a bloody ton of the old all at once, which makes the new seem slow. The subplot with the girlfriend and the rival isn’t going to end well either, and I couldn’t believe that Tara would side with…the big evil brute whose name escapes me. And we haven’t even gotten to the helmet yet, which is both a huge redesign, and redesigned to be huge.
I should quit complaining, though: I’m hoping the series does well enough to get a DC Direct Warlord action figure to replace my He-Manesque Remco one…

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 12 May 2006 13:05:06 +0000

That's a valid point Johanna, and one that didn't occur to me (though probably should have). However, it does make we wonder if there's some point where publishers alienate more old readers than gain new readers? (My problem is not so much with the reboot itself -- I'm not opposed to rebooting characters per se, it's that this reboot is so clumsily done and adds nothing to a previously well-designed character.) The continuity in the 100+ issues of the original Warlord may seem daunting, but there's actually very little backstory there that can't be covered in a page or two, tops. Take a look at his appearance in Aquaman (I think it was around issue #75), he blends in with a minimum of continuity effort...and where's my Showcase presents Warlord? It seems he would be perfect for the black-and-white phonebook approach.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Fri, 12 May 2006 11:39:39 +0000

Why start over? Perhaps to attract new readers like me who didn’t read the series when it first came out THIRTY years ago? I think Warlord’s a hoot, but I wouldn’t bother with it if it was another backward-looking continuity-based retro book.

By: Chance

Chance — Fri, 12 May 2006 07:08:55 +0000

I agree. I flipped through this at my local shop and put it back on the shelf. The writer offers no reason whatever for the fan to be interested.