Kull the Conqueror #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeKull the Conqueror #1 (1982) represents Marvel's ambitious attempt to revive Robert E. Howard's brooding warrior-king in a prestige format more than four years after the previous Kull title folded — signaling the publisher's renewed confidence in sword-and-sorcery as a market. Each issue of this two-part limited series was double the page count of a standard Marvel comic, making it an early experiment in the deluxe format that would define much of Marvel's mid-1980s output. The series also demonstrated that Howard's Pre-Cataclysmic world, with its philosophical, melancholy Atlantean king, could sustain standalone, self-contained stories rather than open-ended monthly runs. Though the 1982 volume was short-lived, it served as the creative bridge that led directly to the longer 1983 ongoing series, cementing John Buscema as the definitive visual interpreter of Kull for that era.
Kull the Conqueror #1 (1982) kicks off with seismic chaos as an earthquake shatters the city, setting the stage for a tale steeped in ancient mystery. When Kull uncovers a buried tomb marked by serpent men symbols during the reconstruction, he draws the attention of a sorceress whose advances he refuses—setting her on a path of vengeance. Written by Alan Zelenetz and brought to life with bold art by John Buscema, inks by Danny Bulanadi, colors by Marie Severin, and letters by Janice Chiang, the issue’s cover by John Bolton captures the mythic scale of a world where power and destiny collide.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
By the late 1970s, Marvel's first Kull title had run from 1971 through 1978 under the Kull the Conqueror and then Kull the Destroyer banners, ending after 29 issues. The 1982 revival was structured as a two-issue limited series, with writer Alan Zelenetz and penciller John Buscema handling the debut issue and Doug Moench and John Bolton taking the second. The format — double-length, ad-free, with a wraparound cover — was a deliberate departure from the standard newsstand comic, reflecting Marvel's early-1980s push toward a more premium product tier. The series had its actual release date of September 21, 1982, despite the December 1982 cover date.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published with a cover date of December 1982 (on-sale date September 21, 1982); this is the second volume of Marvel's Kull the Conqueror series, distinct from the 1971–1978 first run.
- Written by Alan Zelenetz with pencils by John Buscema, inks by Danilo (Danny) Bulanadi, colors by Marie Severin, and letters by Janice Chiang.
- The story is titled 'The Power and the Kingdom!' and centers on an earthquake that strikes Valusia, leading Kull to inadvertently break open an ancient tomb sealed with Serpent Men hieroglyphs and unleash a curse upon the city.
- The issue is double-length at 48–52 pages, formatted as a prestige/deluxe comic with no advertisements and a wraparound cover — an unusual production choice for Marvel at this time.
- Key recurring characters featured include Kull himself, his trusted companion Brule the Spear-Slayer, court adviser Councillor Tu, and the bard Ridondo.
- The entire 1982 limited series ran only two issues before concluding; the second issue (#2, cover date March 1983) was written by Doug Moench with art by John Bolton.
- The story was reprinted in The Chronicles of Kull Vol. 4 (Dark Horse Comics, March 2011) and again in the Kull the Conqueror: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus (Marvel, 2021), the third volume in Marvel's comprehensive Kull reprint project.
- Kull is set in the Pre-Cataclysmic Age, approximately 18,000 B.C., and his character — a brooding, philosophical Atlantean barbarian who became King of Valusia — predates Howard's more famous creation Conan; indeed, the first Conan story was rewritten from an unpublished Kull tale.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Kull the Conqueror #2 (1983), Kull the Conqueror #1 (1983), Kull the Conqueror #2 (1983), Superaventuras Marvel #18 (1983), Splitter #1 (1984), Splitter #3 (1984), Splitter #4 (1984), Splitter #5 (1984), Kull the Conqueror #4 (1984), The Chronicles of Kull #4 (2011), Kull the Conqueror: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #[nn] (2021), Kull the Conqueror: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus #[nn] (2021)
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