Howard Chaykin - Sword of Sorcery 1 Page 14

I've already said it, some time ago, and I'll say it again now: I love Howard Chaykin's art, especially in his early days! While this is certainly not his earliest published work, this story marks the first time he was in command of his own strip, so it stands to me as a key turning point in his career!...

Around this time, late 1972, that is, DC Comics was trying hard to catch up with the Sword and Sorcery genre launched in the comics world with tremendous success by Marvel with their (still unbeaten to this day) adaptation of RE Howard's Conan the Barbarian.

After a 2-year rumination period, DC finally retaliated with 2 tryout anthology titles: "Weird Worlds" (focusing on the most fantasy-oriented series of ER Burroughs, namely John Carter and Pellucidar) and the very-creatively titled "Sword of Sorcery" chronicling the adventures of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

Both titles were short-lived, which is a shame as they were graced with some of the best talents available, but which is why, I suspect, they are largely forgotten by now.

Case in point, then, the main story, adapted by Denny O'Neil sees a young and enthusiast Howard Chaykin immediately putting his mark in with a very distinctive style and a great flair for storytelling.

It also doesn't hurt that he is more than skillfully helped on the inking front by the infamous Crusty Bunkers, also in one of their first outings. Those with long memory will recognize the nickname for that loose gang of artists, revolving around Neal Adams, that weighed their talents in to complete a book in record time or, in that case, help a fellow young artist.

While generally difficult to identify for sure, we can be pretty sure that the Crusties on that story were Alan Weiss, Rick Bryant and Neal Adams himself (who named the culprits). An all-star team, if you ask me! The forefront figures, whether horse or warrior, do carry the unmistakable Adams touch, which adds considerably to the action and ambiance of this page!