ShareThisEveryone's heard of Conan, which tends to overshadow creator Robert E. Howard's other major barbarian character: Kull the Conqueror. Dark Horse's Arvid Nelson intends to change that with "Kull" No. 1, out this month."Conan is the big white barbarian in the room every time Kull is brought up," said Nelson, who gained fame as the writer of the alternative-history title "Rex Mundi" at Image. "But I've always thought Kull is very different from Conan, very different. I mean, both of them excel at kicking (butt) in a loincloth. On that level, Kull is very satisfying. Lots of swordplay and magic."But the similarities end there. Kull is a barbarian by accident of birth, but he has the mind of a philosopher. He's constantly brooding and worrying. He's tortured by inner demons. None of that is true for Conan. Conan's career ends when he becomes king. He starts going into decline. For Kull, it's exactly the opposite. His life begins when he becomes king. Why? Because for Kull, it's the ultimate test of his strength and his will."As opposed to King Conan, Kull is relatively young when he becomes king of Valusia, the dominant kingdom of the Thurian Age. In REH's fictional universe, that predates Conan's Hyborian Age, occurring as it does before the sinking of Atlantis. Nelson explains the difference:"I think there are a lot of differences between Hyboria, Conan's world, and Thuria, Kull's world," he said. "In the Conan stories, the wilderness is a place of freedom, a place of joy. That's not really the case for Kull. In Kull's world, the wilderness is vast, dark and dangerous. A place where one's will to survive is tested. Very Darwinian. Then again, the cities in Kull's time are far more 'civilized.' Cultures are more refined. So Kull's world is a place of extremes: The wildernesses are more wild, and the cities are more civilized."This should be a little familiar. We've seen Kull in various venues before, although never to great success.Kull debuted in the pulp magazine "Weird Tales" in 1929, in a story called "The Shadow Kingdom." Only one other Kull story was published before Howard's death, but seven more were published from his notes. (Conan, of course, did much better.)After the "Conan the Barbarian" comic book launched in 1970, Marvel Comics tried to catch lightning in a bottle twice with "Kull the Conqueror" (later "Kull the Destroyer") a year later. But that title, initially illustrated by the legendary brother-and-sister art team of John and Marie Severin, was canceled after 29 issues. Marvel tried out a "Kull" title a couple more times, plus appearances in anthology magazines like "Savage Tales" and "Savage Sword of Conan," and a graphic novel, "Kull: The Veil of Shadow" (1995). But he never reached Conan's success or Q rating.The two characters took a similar path in the movies. Conan had two successful films (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) in 1982 and 1984, has another in the works for 2010, plus a syndicated TV series (1997). Kull, by contrast, has had only one forgettable movie (starring Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo, 1997).But in all of those appearances some elements have been fairly standard. One is Kull's chief adviser, friend and sometime rival, Brule the Spear-Slayer. He's a "Pict," which in Howard's ancient world corresponds closely to American Indian culture. And he'll be a part of Nelson's "Kull" as well."Brule is going to be a very important character," Nelson said. "We're trying to stay faithful to the original stories, to Kull as Robert E. Howard imagined him. Not a kinder, gentler, focus-group-tested Kull. Pretty much all the characters from the Howard stories will be represented."Which will include the Serpent Men, an ancient, evil, shape-shifting race that once enslaved the human race, and wants to do so again."I see the Serpent Men as Kull's ultimate nemesis," Nelson said. "They are everything he is not. Sneaky, weak, nocturnal, cunning and evil. As far as villains go, they're far too good to be gotten rid of in a single story arc!"Although they can be revealed by a single ancient spell: "Ka nama kaa lajerama.""The significance of this phrase will become evident in the first Kull miniseries," Nelson said. "Until then, all I can say is this: If you ever meet anyone who is not able to pronounce those words, immediately run away from them as fast as you can, and don't look back. Trust me."(Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us.)
Kull is back..
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