Weirdworld: Warriors of the Shadow Realm

Weirdworld: Collected Editions #1

by Doug Moench (Writer), Mike Ploog (Illustrator), Pat Broderick (Illustrator)

Welcome to Weirdworld, a land of legend and lore! Meet Tyndall, a lost elf on a dangerous quest - a quest to the heart of evil and beyond! One that will unite him with the beautiful Velanna, and forge an alliance for the ages. Together with grumpy dwarf Mud-Butt , these warriors of the shadow realm will brave the City of Seven Dark Delights, face the fallen god Darklens, and meet the Dragonmaster of Klarn. But will they ever fi nd their way home?
Collecting: Marvel Premier 38, & material from Marvel Super Action 1, Marvel Fanfare 24-26, Marvel Super Special 11-13, Epic Illustrated 9, 11-13

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

268 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Doug Moench, is an American comic book writer notable for his Batman work and as the creator of Black Mask, Moon Knight and Deathlok. Moench has worked for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics and many other smaller companies; he has written hundreds of issues of many different comics, and created dozens of characters, such as Moon Knight. In 1973, Moench became the de facto lead writer for the Marvel black-and-white magazine imprint Curtis Magazines. He contributed to the entire runs of Planet of the Apes, Rampaging Hulk (continuing on the title when it changed its name to The Hulk!) and Doc Savage, while also serving as a regular scribe for virtually every other Curtis title during the course of the imprint's existence. Moench is perhaps best known for his work on Batman, whose title he wrote from 1983–1986 and then again from 1992–1998. (He also wrote the companion title Detective Comics from 1983–1986.)

Moench is a frequent and longtime collaborator with comics artist Paul Gulacy. The pair are probably best known for their work on Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu, which they worked on together from 1974–1977. They also co-created Six from Sirius, Slash Maraud, and S.C.I. Spy, and have worked together on comics projects featuring Batman, Conan the Barbarian and James Bond.

Moench has frequently been paired with the artist and inker team of Kelley Jones and John Beatty on several Elseworlds Graphic Novels and a long run of the monthly Batman comic.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way back in the day, Marvel didn’t toss away many potential ideas for comics (“Hey, the kids really like this new groovy band, Kiss, let’s give them their own comic!”) and here, the bones of J.R.R.Tolkien get to be picked over. It says so right on the cover.



There are dwarves, goblins, wizards, wraiths and a bunch of other fantasy trappings, but the main character,Tyndall, is an elf.



Katy Perry!?! Yikes, dude!

Weird World! It’s party time! Excellent! (The Wayne’s World theme song kept popping up into my head while reading this. Weird, no?)

So the Weird Saga, collected here, was published over a span of years, first in black and white.



Naked elf pops out of an egg and it’s on…

Doug Moench was co-creator and writer throughout the volume. The art is a high point and reaches its zenith with John Buscema penciling the art (with assistance from Ruby Nebres and Peter Ledger) in the “Warriors of the Shadow Realm” story.







Velanna, the elf lady who popped out of the egg and Mud-Butt, a grouchy dwarf, round out the cast.



Mud-Butt is supposed to be the comic relief, but just isn’t that funny.



They can have him.

Quests and derring-do are the order of the day.







Bottom Line : This isn't something I'd normally read, but it was a bargain bin find and I'll give almost anything a chance for a few dollars. The storyline and phantasmagorical plotting loses its way at times and the dialogue can be dreary and half-baked, but this a fun volume and recommended for fans of fantasy comics. The superior art out paces the script. In addition, there are lots of extras in the back of the book for the really hard core comic fans.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these when they came out in the 80s. The biggest problem with this series is it was published over several titles across many years. This collected volume is awesome, now I can read everything at one sitting without jumping between multiple books. Great story, world and art. Very recommended

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with art from Mike Ploog and featuring some of the greatest work John Buscema ever did. What went wrong? Moench gives Buscema a lot of awesome stuff to illustrate but the narrative is yet another long, plodding, contrived Fantasy story. I some people may like this kind of story but to me its tense-less nonsense without internal consistency.

As a side note, I dislike when publishers and creators declare their own work "a masterpiece" and "most important comic book of the decade" and so on. If it's good, don't worry, we'll tell ya.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Fantasy with a capital F. Ditto Sword and Sorcery. Marvel gave it a shot here. And failed. Midway into the collection John Buscema gives it and uplift and his parts are the best of the book. But as a Fantasy fan looking at this it's just... a poor attempt at a genre Marvel's never had any luck with.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, the art throughout this collection is never less than good, and at times absolutely gorgeous. The initial short piece also holds up to its own modest ends. However, as the series progresses it becomes apparent that each quest was conceived on its own, with the overarching elements seeming more tacked on than an integral part of a larger, epic story. The addition of Mud-Butt helps to lighten the proceedings a bit, but while this generally makes the book more enjoyable to read, it does little to move the plot forward. Furthermore, the whole thing feels a little unfinished. I have to suspect that the creative team was expecting to carry on and then it just didn’t happen.

I’m sure the foregoing makes it sound like I hated the book. In fact, I enjoyed it, just not nearly as much as I had hoped to. It felt like a series of attempts to mimic various other popular fantasy tropes (with varying degrees of success), somewhat superficially stitched together into a “major” quest. And yet... there is a certain modest charm to be found. If you aren’t expecting a great and cohesive whole, the individual stories can be fun. And of course, they give you a great excuse to look at the pictures.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect example of, even if the writer is the same, how the artist makes a huge difference in the tone of a story. I'm not sure why John Buscema seems to be the go-to artist to follow Mike Ploog. Maybe he was just the go-to artist to pick up a title after anyone left. (He must be second to Jack Kirby in number of pages done for Marvel.)

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Ugly Mirror on Weirdworld (1975). This intro is a short piece, but it's quite strong with beautiful artwork, an unusual storytelling technique (full of compression and narrative) and an interesting revelation. It's a pity it was shrunk down from magazine size, making the print too small, but it's otherwise a great teaser [7+/10].

The Lord of Tyndall's Quest (1977). The narrative has backed off here to somewhat more normal for the comic world (alas!) and you can increasingly see the ElfQuest influence as the Klarn travel through a world that hates them. The coolest thing about this issue is the increasing ... weirdness such as the wax monsters and the reveal of Klarn itself. Though there are certainly standard fantasy tropes here, Moench is coming up with his own wacky ideas too [7/10].

Lord Raven (1979). I generally find it weird that this story was shelved for so long. Perhaps it's not as strong as its predecessors (and it definitely has the weakest art in the book, not that it's bad, just normal), but it still has the fun wackiness of the setting (which as usual comes across through the villains) and an adventure that really seems to put things on an epic path. I'll be interested to see if these unfinished plot threads continue onward [6.5/10].

Warriors of the Shadow Realm (1979). An entirely gorgeous Weirdworld comic, and one that does a great job of detailing the backstory of the world. It runs a little long, and our protagonists are too often railroaded along the quest path, but it's still an interesting story, propped up by that beautiful art [7/10].

The Dragon Master of Klarn (1981-1982). At this point, Weirdworld has gotten a little repetitive, as the heroes go after yet another sorcerous lord. But it still has nice art and the general strengths the comic has shown thus far [6+/10].

Overall, Weirdworld is amazing for its time period: a full throated fantasy comic full of innovative and unusual ideas. The writing isn't quite what I'd expect from a modern book, but it still holds up decently well, making this a beautiful addition to any fantasy library.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Come, come -- enter! Don't be afraid of my modest abode. The trappings of enlightenment often appear dark..." so says Zarthon the sorcerer in this colorful and wild adventure through Weirdworld. Weirdworld, "...teeming with...elves and dwarves and goblins an sorcerers and Nightfangers and Dragons and Elemental Wraiths and Swamp-Serpents and Were-Men and Ogres and Sprites and Weirdling-Steeds and all the rest."

Warriors of the Shadow Realm is more than just a wide-ranging fantasy tale, it's an achievement of fantasy art by legendary artists in the world of comics and graphic novels. I've long been a fan of Mike Ploog's inkwork, and herein I discovered just what wonderful things happened when John Buscema doodles and passes along his renderings to Peter Ledger for color and Ruby Nebres for ink. Words can't express how brilliant the color effects are throughout this collection. Such color was ahead of its time when it was originally published between 1976 and 1986, and remains timeless looking even now.

Beyond the art, which is stunning, the story itself is full of fantasy action, a touch of whimsy, and plenty of broad adventure. The dialogue can come across as somewhat silly, from time to time, but let's lay some of the blame at the feet of a certain irascible dwarf named Mud-Butt, chalk some of it up to naive Elves who are just seeking their place in Weirdworld, and finally, to some overly-dramatic, evil sorcerers, who always seem hell-bent on conquering the world and seeking deity-level power, at any cost! Weirdworld: Warriors of the Shadow Realm is a lot of fun and I'll definitely be reading it again, as well as recommending it to fantasy-fan friends of mine.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mixed bag but some of these stories are truly excellent and emblematic of a lost brand of 70s fantasy.

The star here is mike Ploog — this is some of his best work, recalling the Bakshi film, wizards, on which Ploog worked, illustrating the stunning opening sequence. While the film never lived up to the promise of those illustrations, here we have several brilliant issues drawn in Ploog’s lavish detail. A cartoony, whimsical style that also has strength, with bold brushwork, deep blacks and dramatic layouts. There is more than a hint of Frazetta as well, by way of his 1975 lord of the rings portfolio.

Moench scripts the entire book with varying results. The origin story is rather thin though Ploog gives it his all and makes it worth reading. Then there is an issue where the elves are captured by a dark wizard and Tyndall is sent to Klarn for dragon’s blood. A zany adventure but full of imagination. This where Weirdworld starts to get good. Next is what I consider the peak — a three-issue story about lord Raven and his evil castle. The first issue is illustrated by Ploog and has the best art in the book. Absolutely brilliant with deft and subtle charms. Pat Broderick takes over the next 2 issues and does a very good job as well, sticking fairly close to Ploog’s style. He comes up with a lot of interesting designs for the castle, the goblins, and dragon riders. The story is again madcap, but wonderfully idiosyncratic and imaginative.

Sadly, the rest of Weirdworld takes a steep nose dive. These are the issues penciled by John Buscema. While his work on Conan is undeniably excellent, with a power and sense of motion that has rarely if ever been equaled, he tries a new style here and the results are mostly a failure. A tremulous, weak ink line, without substantial blacks. Something you might expect in an old children’s book of fairy stories from the 1900s, but Buscema can’t pull it off. His imagination is also lacking, as he fails to come up with any interesting designs for his entire run, despite many opportunities to do so. (The dragons are embarrassing.) The one exception might be the dark riders, pale figures garbed in green that could have inspired Stephen King’s similar riders in his novel, the Wolves of the Calla. Buscema also redesigns the cantankerous dwarf, mudbutt, for no reason and his take is far worse than the original.

The scripts for these last 2 stories are also poor. The worst is the title story — warriors of the Shadow Realm. Overburdened with exposition, slow to get moving. The heroes face few obstacles and overcome less, as they are repeatedly saved at critical junctures. The final story is better in structure, but exceedingly generic (Buscema may be to blame), and fails to leave much of an impression.

As for the “painted” colors by Peter Ledger — It’s hard to paint something when the penciller/inker hasn’t designed it for paint (because there is no apparent value pattern and the lights and darks are spotty). An interesting experiment but not a wholly successful one. The second “painter” sticks mostly to a low-effort watercolor approach and the results are bland and underwhelming.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read if you like 70's fantasy and very unlike everything else coming out of Marvel. I think this particular collection includes all the the classic Weirdworld stories. The place has been revisited since, but I don't think these characters were ever explored again. That's too bad. I think that if this had been given time to mature, it would have gotten better. The stories are not too amazing, but the world-building is really great. Plus there is art by Mike Ploog and John Buscema. Also, a thing I have never really seen in a Marvel book, airbrushed colors. They are wonderfully garrish and amazing.

[Ricky Kimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tolkien Influenced Comic Fantasy

This collection of Marvel's Weirdworld stories are the adventures of two elves in this world that owes a lot to J.R.R. Tolkien. The creator of this series claims he never read Lord of The Rings but you do see it's influence. Especially in the final chapters.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Marvel take on fantasy with elves, dwarfs, dragons and sorcerers. Weirdworld.

[Josh Chimchirian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, a fantasy with plenty going on but nothing I haven't read or seen before.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a shame there was so much time between them, it seems like if they were able to stay with one vision of the characters and the world, it could have been pretty good. As it is, it seems like a mish-mash of whatever fantasy was popular at the time... the first couple (with amazing Mike Ploog art) feels alot like Elfquest... which even Al Milgrom mentions in his 'Editor-Al' column. Then with the painted art it's a very clear LotR rip... with a Evil Dark Lord using scary horseman to chase the elves and reclaim an artifact that will let him walk again.

The last one is almost a mix of the two, but not quite, and tosses in Dragon-riding for good measure... as if someone had read the Anne McCaffrey books and said 'let's do that!'

The art, though very different, is great throughout. I imaging the original painted books are quite amazing with their pull out spreads...even shrunk down they're pretty awesome.

Sadly, the writing is very different... the characters change in both look and personality in each story, then back again... no idea if that was just time passing and the direction changing, or editorial mandate, but they seem barely the same people.

The trade is a nice package, though strangely organized. It's full of covers, text pieces, original art pages, and the like, but they are peppered throughout the book, with a bunch at the end. I would have prefered a more chronological format, as it was pretty mind bending reading in a couple spots.

Overall, I can see alot of missed potential... makes me want to see Moench and Ploog give it another shot without Marvel to deal with!

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an unusual book. It's a Marvel book, but it's very self-consciously not the story you'd see in a Marvel book. The marketing (included in the book) is very clear that it's meant to appeal to fans of Lord of the Rings. The author seems to think he's doing something different.

It's not fully clear what the point is. It seems like the author wants to make it about a discovery or a quest, but the quests end quickly and the discoveries don't seem to add up.

It's also never as funny as it thinks it is (when it thinks it's being funny, anyway.)

The art is unusual. It looks like a lot of paintings rather than a lot of comicbooks. It didn't seem to translate well to this book because of some weird issues with dimensions.

Also of note is the prevalent misogyny. Women are scarce and when they do appear are primarily objectified. The most important female character has incredible intuition until a villain causes her to "matur[e]" (his words) which turns her into a shrew or a similar overused stereotype.

[Adan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good fantasy series from the imagination of Doug Moench. Five different stories of different lengths featuring the elves Tyndall and Velanna and the dwarf Mud-Butt fighting against sorcerers, giant serpents, goblins, and various other fantastical creatures. There's also a lot of interesting backmatter detailing the creation of these stories for process junkies.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvel's attempt to cash in on Tolkien and the big fantasy boom of the 70's has some very nice art and cool ideas, but as it never got a regular series, it is presented as a collection of shorter pieces, and so the saga comes across a bit clunky.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good gorgeous read for fantasy lovers! Go read!