Crom the Barbarian

One of the earliest barbarian heroes in comics, Crom is a sword-and-sorcery warrior who debuted in Avon's Strange Worlds #1 in 1950, written by Gardner Fox with art by John Giunta. He adventures in a savage fantasy world alongside figures such as Queen Tanit.

Sword-and-sorcery was already weaving its pulpy spell through comics when Crom the Barbarian swung onto the scene in Avon's Strange Worlds #1 in 1950, conjured by the legendary Gardner Fox and artist John Giunta at the height of the Golden Age. One of the earliest barbarian heroes in the comic book medium, Crom carved out a niche across titles like Eerie and Barbarians and Beauties, sharing his savage adventures with the likes of Queen Tanit. That his appearances have surfaced in collections as recently as 2020 — spanning some seven decades — speaks to the enduring fascination collectors have with these rough-hewn, pre-Conan fantasy heroes, and any issue featuring him is a genuine artifact of the genre's earliest roots.