| Slot: |
Wulf the Barbarian 1 |
| Item: |
Wulf the Barbarian 1 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
2702038001
|
Owner Comments
August 2022 update - I had an opportunity to add Larry's signature to this, so I took that opportunity.
Larry Hama's work is really evident on this cover. The protagonist definitely being one of his lean, mean men. There's a lot going on here - but it all is stuff that I like, really. OK mostly. The blue background lets us know it's a bright day outside, but the massive, and well rendered and colored torch, lets us know we're heading for the darkness. Our protagonist's stance seems a little unbalanced, which makes sense since he's standing on the corpse of a giant - but why stand right there? It seems like a poor tactical choice. His chain shirt is well rendered without having that high level of detail that you might get from other sword & sorcery artists of the time. I think the thing that really disturbs the eye is Wulf's left forearm. Without realizing it, Larry has made it extra extra long in order to strap the shield on, but really the upper strap of the shield should hit right below the elbow in order to provide strength and control. Having that much forearm visible above the strap makes the left arm just silly in length.
Overall? Well Atlas books weren't on my radar in 1975, the local candy & cigarette store didn't carry them at all - but I'd like to think that I would have likely picked this up off the spinner rack for a quarter.
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| Slot: |
Wulf the Barbarian 2 |
| Item: |
Wulf the Barbarian 2 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
4231933001
|
Owner Comments
"The Monsters of Famine!" Evidently, every artist working at Atlas worked on this issue. I'm really torn about the cover on this issue. I love a tentacle monster and I think Wulf and the damsel look really good - but the antagonist screeching the background looks wrong - like, I can't figure out what she is, wrong. And not threatening - just kinda dumb. Then there's the word balloons and the huge, yellow text box. Just all kludged up visually - which is bad, because I think without those elements (and the antagonist) this is probably a really strong, dynamic cover. Well rendered too, with lots of strong details in Wulf, the water, and the beastie.
Overall? I don't know - it's just so busy as a cover, I'm can't see this cover convincing me to part with my hard earned quarter.
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| Slot: |
Wulf the Barbarian 3 |
| Item: |
Wulf the Barbarian 3 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
3803418008
|
Owner Comments
Can we talk about the ultimate focus on the bikini damsel? and a bondage cover. Pretty sweet - very much in the spirit of sword & sorcery books. Plus we're fighting rat-men. That's just too damn awesome. I don't understand the flaming background and the tiny patch of grass that we're on - nor where the bondage chains are supposed to be attached, but maybe the story explains that. As for old Wulf's stance - well...it is dynamic. But he's holding his sword all wrong for being at the end of the massive backswing that is shown, so it doesn't work well for me. The sword should be pointing directly at the spine of the book with his hand cupping the pommel from the top. Other than that, his stance is good, his feet wide, his hips low - he looks like a swordsman that knows what he's doing.
Overall - Oh yeah - just for the blonde bikini babe. But also for the awesome ratmen fight.
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| Slot: |
Wulf the Barbarian 4 |
| Item: |
Wulf the Barbarian 4 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0174120005
|
Owner Comments
"Death-Night in the Darkling Forest!" I'm not really familiar with Jim Craig's work - but what I have seen of his cover art is clean. It has strong lines and clean compositions and this is no exception. I just don't understand the cover image in this case - I think the tentacles are some sort of magic attacking/restraining our obligatory bikini damsel, and then Wulf is fighting a demon? Maybe?
Overall? There's probably a reason this is the last issue. Not bad, but not competing for my hard earned quarter against the other books on the spinner rack
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