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<HEAD><TITLE>Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Arak, Son of Thunder </TITLE> <script language="JavaScript"></script> <META name = "author" content = "Donald D. Markstein"> <META name = "description" content = "Hypertext encyclopedia of comics and animation"> <META name = "subject" content = "Hypertext encyclopedia of comics and animation"> <META name = "keywords" content = "comic books animated cartoons animation comics comix syndicated comic strips"> <META name = "publisher" content = "Donald D. Markstein"> <META name = "format" content = "text/html"> <META name = "language" content = "EN"> </HEAD><BODY> <body onload="if (self!= top) top.location = self.location"></body> <BODY BGCOLOR="FFFFFF" TEXT="000000" LINK="0000EE" VLINK="551A8B"> <TABLE><TR><TD WIDTH=310 VALIGN="CENTER"><IMG GALLERYIMG="NO" ALIGN="LEFT" HEIGHT=286 WIDTH=300 ALT="Arak, Son of Thunder. Artist: Ernie Colón." SRC="arak.jpg"> <TD VALIGN="CENTER"> <H1>ARAK, SON OF THUNDER</H1><FONT SIZE=4> <B>Medium:</B> Comic books <BR><B>Published by:</B> DC Comics <BR><B>First Appeared:</B> 1981 <BR><B>Creators:</B> Roy Thomas (writer) and Ernie Colón (artist) <FONT SIZE=3> <! BEGIN DONATION CODE> <HR><FONT SIZE=2 COLOR="993366"><CENTER> If this site is enjoyable or useful to you, <BR>Please contribute to its necessary financial support. <BR><A HREF="http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/pay/T1237L0BCY25QA" TARGET="_blank">Amazon.com</A> or <A HREF="https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=don%40toonopedia.com&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_cod e=USD" TARGET="_blank">PayPal</A> </FONT></CENTER><HR> <! END DONATION CODE> <P><A NAME="cont"> In 1932, with the creation of Conan, pulp writer Robert E. Howard made sword-wielding barbarians, cavorting through a pre-technological world full of monsters and magic, a distinct sub-genre of fantasy fiction. This type of story  <P ALIGN="RIGHT"><A HREF="#cont"><FONT SIZE=2><I>continued below</A></FONT> </TABLE> <CENTER><! BEGIN ADSENSE "LEADERBOARD" CODE> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <! END ADSENSE CODE></CENTER> <P><TABLE><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP"> was brought to comic books in 1970, when <A HREF="marvel.htm">Marvel Comics</A> licensed Conan from the Howard estate, and has been part of the comics scene ever since. Tho Marvel has been the most prolific exploiter of the style, the other comic book giant, <A HREF="dc.htm">DC,</A> hasn't completely ignored it. DC's most successful barbarian hero was Arak, Son of Thunder. <P> Arak was first seen in <I><A HREF="warlord.htm">Warlord,</A></I> another swordfest (but this one starring a modern American in an inner-Earth world full of dinosaurs). The 48th issue (August, 1981) featured a 16-page free insert previewing the new series, a promotional ploy DC used several times during the 1980s (as when the first new <A HREF="dialh-2.htm">"Dial H for Hero"</A> story was inserted into <I><A HREF="legion.htm">Legion of Super Heroes</A></I> #272, and when <I><A HREF="titans2.htm">New Teen Titans</A></I> was previewed in <I>DC Comics Presents</I> #26). The story told of an attack that wiped out the Quontauka, a tribe living on the East Coast of North America, in the 8th century CE. Its sole survivor, an unnamed 10-year-old boy said to have been favored by He-No, the Quontauka god of thunder, drifted out into the Atlantic Ocean, in an open birch-bark canoe. <P> The story was continued in the first issue of his own comic, which came out the following month. He was rescued by a band of Vikings, traveling far west of their usual haunts. They named him Eric, which he pronounced "Arak", and raised him as one of their own. He grew into a powerful warrior, skilled with both the Viking sword and his own tomahawk. In the second issue, his Viking companions wiped out as a just result of their own ruthlessness and rapaciousness, he went off seeking the court of Carolus Magnus (Charlemagne), whom he continued to serve for the rest of his life. <P> The series was created by writer Roy Thomas (who also co-created DC's <A HREF="infinity.htm">Infinity Inc.</A> and Marvel's <A HREF="invaders.htm">Invaders</A>) and artist Ernie Colón (whose credits range from <A HREF="amethyst.htm">Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld</A> to <A HREF="dcontrol.htm">Damage Control</A> to <A HREF="jackie-j.htm">Jackie Jokers</A>). Thomas remained writer on the series throughout its run, but Colón left after a year. Several artists drew it after him, most prominently Tony DeZuñiga (<A HREF="jonahhex.htm">Jonah Hex,</A> <A HREF="blorch-1.htm">Black Orchid</A>), who had <A HREF="glossary.htm#inker">inked</A> Colón's work at the beginning. <P> In #33, seeking his American roots, Arak was killed. But, like many deaths in comic books, it didn't last. After a direct meeting with He-No himself, he was resurrected, and thereafter functioned as both a physical warrior and a mystical shaman. <P> The comic lasted 50 regular issues and one annual, ending with a cover date of November, 1985. Four months later, he made his only <A HREF="glossary.htm#xover">crossover</A> into the mainstream DC <A HREF="glossary.htm#universe">Universe,</A> in a time-traveling adventure with <A HREF="alstarsq.htm">The All-Star Squadron</A> (the group that included most DC-owned <A HREF="glossary.htm#superhero">superheroes</A> active in the 1940s). Since then, the character has remained dormant. <P ALIGN = "RIGHT">— DDM <P><A HREF="index.htm">BACK</A> to <I>Don Markstein's Toonopedia</I> Home Page <BR><A HREF="today.htm">Today in Toons:</A> Every day's an anniversary! <P><! BEGIN ADSENSE BANNER CODE><CENTER> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </CENTER><! END ADSENSE CODE> <TD WIDTH=10><TD WIDTH=180 VALIGN="TOP"> <! BEGIN ADLINKS CODE><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><! END ADLINKS CODE> <P><! BEGIN ADSENSE REFERRAL CODE><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><! 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