Sword and sorcery comic

This relatively short-lived sword and sorcery comic book about Tulgonian warrior Dagar was written by Donald F. Glut, who would go on to direct and write such films as THE EROTIC RITES OF COUNTESS DRACULA (2001), THE MUMMY’S KISS (2003) and COUNTESS DRACULA’S ORGY OF BLOOD (2004).

This Gold Key Comics series, which began publication in 1972, was drawn by Filipino artist Jesse Santos, who also co-created the comic TRAGG AND THE SKY GODS with Glut.

DAGAR THE INVINCIBLE’s main strength is the artwork. Jesse Santos produced some pulpy, colourful painted covers for the comic, as did other artists, and Santos alone supplied the interior illustrations, which boasted quite detailed ink lines and decent figure-work.

Here’s a whole bunch of covers to feast your eyes on…

Here's the original art, attributed to George Wilson, for issue #1 — Here’s the original art, attributed to George Wilson, for issue #1

Issue #4 - a giant scorpion! There are loads of other monsters in this issue — Issue #4 – a giant scorpion! There are loads of other monsters in this issue

Issue #9 - this features a battle between a giant sloth and a huge snake — Issue #9 – this features a battle between a giant sloth and a huge snake

The original acrylic on board illustration, by George Wilson, for the cover of issue #10

Issue #11 - in this story we are introduced to primordial blob-monster Dargomma! — Issue #11 – in this story we are introduced to primordial blob-monster Dargomma!

Issue #13 - this golem can turn into an attractive woman! — Issue #13 – this golem can turn into an attractive woman!

Issue #15 - a golden idol mutates into a bird demon! — Issue #15 – a golden idol mutates into a bird demon!

Here's Jesse Santos' original ghoul-tastic art for the cover of issue #16 — Here’s Jesse Santos’ original ghoul-tastic art for the cover of issue #16

Issue #17 – Dagar fights a monster slug known as the Devil of the Tide!

Here’s some of Jesse Santos’ interior artwork for DAGAR…

Our fur-clad hero battles the giant scorpion from issue #4

Dagar and his companion Graylin watch a serpent overpower a Megatherium in issue #9

Issue #15 - you need dancing girls in sword and sorcery stories, right? — Issue #15 – you need dancing girls in sword and sorcery stories, right?

An idol transforms into a condor monster in issue #15

Here comes the mutated slug in issue #17!

Issue #17: man versus monstrous mollusc!

Interestingly, top stop-motion animator Jim Danforth and Don F. Glut tried to get a movie version of Dagar made. Danforth produced this concept painting in an attempt to help promote the project, which unfortunately never went into production…

Okay, while we’re at it, let’s check out some of the lush and lurid covers Jesse Santos produced for the aliens-and-prehistory comic series TRAGG AND THE SKY GODS…

Issue #2 - stampede! — Issue #2 – stampede!

Issue #7 - green-haired alien zaps a Styracosaurus in the face! — Issue #7 – green-haired alien zaps a Styracosaurus in the face!

Issue #8 - how can Tragg beat an animated carnosaur skeleton?! — Issue #8 – how can Tragg beat an animated carnosaur skeleton?!

Donald F. Glut wrote all of the Tragg stories and Jesse Santos did all of the covers, but Santos only produced the interior art for the first few issues, before Dan Spiegle took over.
Anyway, here’s are a few examples of Santos’ interior illustrations for TRAGG AND THE SKY GODS…

In issue #2 a green-haired female alien intends to incinerate an Allosaurus' brain... but her ray gun is out of power! — In issue #2 a green-haired female alien intends to incinerate an Allosaurus’ brain… but her ray gun is out of power!

In issue #2 there's a stampede of beasts! — In issue #2 there’s a stampede of beasts!

Hey, let’s finish this feature with the glorious painting showing Dagar punching a giant gorilla right in the mouth…

This 32-page one-shot comic special, written by Alec Worley and drawn by DaNi, features the return of Black Beth, a female warrior originally developed in the early 1970s by Spanish artist Blas Gallego (and an unknown writer).

A quick lowdown on Black Beth…
The original Black Beth story was going to appear in a comic that unfortunately never went ahead, so the first tale eventually went to print in the pages of Scream! Holiday Special in 1988 (Scream! was a British weekly horror anthology comic aimed at younger readers).
Black Beth then appeared many years later in a couple more tales, now written by Alec (2000 AD) Worley and drawn by DaNi. These two stories were featured in the Scream! & Misty Halloween Special in 2018 and the Misty & Scream! Special in 2020.

Beth confronts a rock-creature on the beach of an island... — Beth confronts a rock-creature on the beach of the Isle of Phantoms…

Black Beth and The Devils of Al-Kadesh is the latest Black Beth yarn, which has the swordswoman and her blind companion Quido venture to the city of Al-Kadesh, on a mission to prevent the place from being destroyed by a dead (but not actually dead) witch called Anis-Amuun. But just who is it that really wants to wipe out this wicked city that is also known as ‘Hell’s Cauldron’?

Beth meets the Templars — Can Beth trust the Templars?

Andrea Bulgarelli's wonderful cover art — Andrea Bulgarelli’s wonderful cover art

The sword and sorcery story is pretty no-nonsense and moves along in a pacy manner, with Beth encountering the Templars of the Cleansing Dawn and fighting pincered Tritons, which we are told are carrion-eaters from the sea bottom. There’s also a large, four-eyed spectral owl that is the familiar of Seer Estevan, a pterosaur-like creature that is ridden at one point by Beth, and a couple of sorcery-created rock-beings.

The main pleasure to the found with this comic, however, is DaNi’s artwork. It is colourful, comprised of masses of scratchy ink lines and has a real Euro-comics vibe to it (DaNi is Greek, born in Athens). Her art style here edges towards the abstract sometimes, giving the impression she did some of the line-work super-fast, then overlaying it all with luscious colours: pinks, greens, blues and mauves. And she’s also not scared to leave some areas of the page white. The panel and page layouts are a pleasure to the eyes.
(DaNi scanned different watercolour brush strokes she made so she could work on the colours on her own digitally, adding them to her inks, which were drawn traditionally and then scanned).

A spectral owl - with four eyes! — A spectral owl – with four eyes!

In addition to the lead 32-page story, this publication has back-up stories by Alec Worley, Andrea Bulgarelli, Doug Graves and Vincenzo Riccardi, pin-ups by David Roach and Andreas Butzbach, plus an awesome cover by Andrea Bulgarelli.

I love the scribbly detail and lush colours in each panel

PROCESS SHOTS FOR THE CREATION OF THE AWESOME COVER…

Talented artist Andrea Bulgarelli did an amazing job with the cover for the Black Beth comic, so let’s have a look at how that stunning illustration came into being…