Thrud The Barbarian #1
Thrud the Barbarian. I can hear the groans now. Sounds like yet another one-note parody of Conan, and it's not like the world needs another one of those. Well, yes it is, and no it isn't.
For many years, Thrud ran as a one page strip in White Dwarf magazine (during the period known by its readers as 'before White Dwarf was crap'). Thrud, standing about 8 feet tall, with a huge exaggerated physique, an enormous axe, and a very, very small head bashed and battled his way through a series of comic misadventures. It ran for many years and I always found it enjoyable. It was well drawn, and the jokes were funny. Think about that for a second - a one-note parody being a) funny in the first place and b) remaining funny. That's a pretty difficult thing to achieve, and gives some indication of Critchlow's skill as a cartoonist. While Thrud marched through the strips striking Frazetta-style poses, hacking and slashing monsters into bits, the strip's pay off would often be quite understated - a sight-gag made all the more funny by a follow-up good line for instance. So in the hyper-fantasy world of Thrud, the best jokes came subtlety (relatively speaking at any rate) and timing. All very English really.
Being a long fan of Thrud then, I picked up this comic with a mixture of excitment and trepidation. I was pleased to see Thrud back, but could a one-page black and white strip really grow to a 24 page colour comic? The answer, happily, is yes. Huzzah! All the elements are here - good punchlines, nice sight-gags, lots of cartoony ultraviolence (with terrific sound effects), iconic poses - but more. This isn't one joke spread thin, it's a well put together funny story. For us old-timers, the biggest change is in Critchlow's drawing. Formerly strong on heavy blacks and bold outlines, his style now is much more open and expressive, the line much lighter (it reminds me of someone, but I can't think who - Vaughn Bode is the name that keeps coming to mind, but it it's him). The colouring, in particular, is extremely good working with, rather than against, the line work.
It's a hit. THWOP!
US format, 24 colour pages, £2.60. From Thrud the Barbarian, PO Box 371, Southport, PR8 6YE, or http://www.thrudthebarbarian.com/.