The Crusader

The Crusader is an early Erik Larsen creation who debuted in the self-published Graphic Fantasy #2 before Image Comics existed, later becoming a recurring presence in Larsen's Savage Dragon universe.

Born in the pages of Graphic Fantasy #2 in 1982, The Crusader is a Bronze Age original conjured by Erik Larsen himself — the same visionary who would later build the Image Comics universe around Savage Dragon, where The Crusader has continued to surface across an impressive four-decade span. With 13 catalogued appearances and a key issue to their name, this is a character whose roots run deep into comics history, predating Image's founding and carrying that indie-pioneer spirit forward. Sharing the page with the likes of Amy Dragon and The Destroyer, The Crusader keeps genuinely interesting company — and for collectors who love tracing a creator's full mythology from its earliest, roughest edges all the way to the present, this is exactly the kind of find that makes digging through back issues so rewarding.