VERY FINE/NEAR MINT
Written by Mike Grell
Art by Chad Hardin & Walden Wong
Cover by Mike Grell
Revolution in Shamballah! The Warlord has been captured, and his allies must convince the downtrodden populace of the Shadow Lands to rise up against the terrible and enigmatic master who holds them all prisoner. But our heroes just might be martyred by the Minosaur first!
Date Available: 07/08/2009 BONUS REVIEW by GARY OWENS
Mike Grell, mastermind of the original Warlord last century, has re-engineered his character and is giving it another go. Something similar was tried recently, but was quickly shelved. Take Two. The story goes that Travis Morgan, astronaut, gets launched into another world of strange creatures, magicians, and kingdoms that strive to get one up on each other. Think of it as a Jules Verne/Edgar Rice Burroughs compilation world. Back then, He had his arch-nemesis, an evil magician Deimos, referenced in this book. In this new take, more outsiders have been dropped here, with one setting himself up as King, taking Deimos’s old post, and is trying to take over kingdoms. The Warlord, and his old companions, is out to stop him. While I enjoyed the original series, my main complaint here are the transitions, and the rush to action; the best comic writers nowadays pause the story, move slowly, slyly, into the brawls, letting the characters breathe and demonstrate foibles, before the inevitable fisticuffs. Not here. The art satisfies, but the story, to me, rushes for a safe predictability. In the end, I hope I’m wrong about this title. But for now…
