Arak #1 debuted from DC Comics in September of 1981. Created and written by Roy Thomas, it introduced a sword-and-sorcery protagonist who would out-perform every other S&S comics title in the 1980s with the exceptions of Conan the Barbarian and Mike Grell’s The Warlord.

I remember exactly where I was when I read that first issue. For that matter, I remember exactly where I was when I read the insert/preview story in The Warlord #48. Here was Roy Thomas, fresh off his departure from Marvel Comics/Conan the Barbarian bringing a new barbarian sword-and-sorcery character to comics.

Let's put this into context. Roy Thomas is the greatest sword-and-sorcery author in the history of comics. He's been writing quality S&S for six decades. I really need to do a post on all the S&S characters--Conan, Kull, Red Sonja, Arak, Elric etc--that he has written/adapted over the years. In 1981, there wasn't anyone even close in the comics realm.

So, I was stoked to read Arak #1.* I would soon learn--in that issue and in the next few--that Arak is a Native American rescued by Viking rovers on the open sea and raised as one of their own. He crews aboard a drakkar which raids the Southlands. The series is set at the dawn of the Viking Age.

Arak's friends and crewmen are slaughtered by Angelica, sorcerous princess of White Cathay. He survives and soon meets Malagigi the Wizard and Valda the Iron Maiden. At this point, anyone who had read Ballantine Books' Orlando Furioso or was familiar with the Matter of France had a good inkling of what was in store.

Looking back, I see what a world-building master-stroke this was. In this interview, Roy makes things sound fairly haphazard. Perhaps he and Danette/Dann Thomas didn't fully realize what they were doing. By judiciously incorporating elements from Orlando Furioso and the Matter of France, they had basically created an alternate—yet authentic—Europe where they could tap into medieval legendary lore whenever they wanted and then use whatever actual historical data as they saw fit. The Early Middle Ages on sorcerous steroids, as it were. This created a world for Arak to adventure in that loosely approximated Conan's Hyborian Age.

Very early McFarlane rendition of Valda the Iron Maiden.

What about Arak himself? As is revealed over many issues, he is a scion of the 'Quontaka' tribe, which people lived somewhere on the northeast coast of North America around 760 AD. While raised as a Viking, Arak always clung to his own code. In several ways, he is the Man-Without-a-Tribe, just like Brackett's N'Chaka/Eric John Stark. A true Outsider.

The machinations of Angelica spirit away Malagigi the Wizard off to White Cathay. Arak and Valda the Iron Maiden resolve to rescue their friend. Charlemagne gives their mission his blessing. Adventures across the Mediterranean and Eurasia ensue.

For me, the first twenty-five issues of Arak constitute the best original sword-and-sorcery run in the history of comics--with only the first few years of The Warlord giving them a challenge. When Roy Thomas was writing Conan the Barbarian, he always had Robert E. Howard’s stories to lean on, to one extent or another. Arak was Roy writing S&S without a net.

The second half of the series, culminating in #50, saw the quality slowly dwindling. However, not one issue of Arak ever plunged to the depths seen all too often over at the post-Roy Conan the Barbarian during the same period.

A shout-out should be given to my girl, Valda. She and Marada the She-Wolf are my favorite S&S comics sword-women. According to Roy, a Valda mini-series with Todd McFarlane art was almost a thing. In a better world...

I should also give props to Ernie Colon. His art was somewhat stylized, but also very dynamic with solid composition. It just seemed to be a good fit for the character. I've always preferred the 'pure Ernie' version of Arak. De Zuniga and Alcala did a good job of inking him, but it just wasn't the same.

All in all, Arak set standards for writing, art, longevity and sales that--for S&S comics--were only exceeded by Conan the Barbarian (also written by Roy) and The Warlord (written and drawn by the mighty Mike Grell). Not bad, considering there’s been forty years worth of competition since then.

The best Roy Thomas interview on Arak can be found here. An excellent look at all of the Arak issues can be found here.

*Note: Roys says the name is pronounced 'AIR-ak".

Check out the Arak art/cover gallery below.