Rediscovering The Mighty Samson
Of the former Gold Key character being revived by Dark Horse Comics, Mighty Samson is definitely not the best known. Magnus, Solar and Turok would definitely compete for that distinction, and even Doctor Spektor would probably finish ahead of the barbarian from a dystopic future.
But that’s not stopping Dark Horse from reintroducing the character to new audiences as well as those of us remember him in the form of Mighty Samson Archives – Volume 1. The 200-page, $49.95 hardcover collection will feature the work of writer Otto Binder (Captain Marvel) and art of Frank Thorne (Red Sonja) and DC veteran Jack Sparling. It’s set to go on sale in August 2010.
Writer Jim Shooter will be writing and supervising the new series, which will update the character and his world.
In the original created by Binder and Thorne, the character first appeared in Mighty Samson #1 in 1964. Samson was a barbarian-esque denizen of N’Yark, an area of jungle-infested ruins dotted with crumbled skyscrapers and populated by mutants spawned from the fires of a nuclear conflict. Given his name, it’s probably not surprising that he was very large and equally strong.
Despite the dog-eat-dog world of the future, Samson made a deathbed promise to his mother to only use his power for good. In the first issue, one of the mutant creatures, liobear, cost Samson lost an eye, so he was seen with an eye patch afterward. He also wore the liobear’s skin, thus pretty much completing the set-up for the series.
The Mighty Samson initially ran for 20 issues, ending in 1969. It was revived intermittently for another 12 issues until 1982, some of which reruns. Mighty Samson #32, released under the Whitman imprint, is notable as the only issue featuring a line art cover. The others in the series generally featured paintings by Morris Gollub or George Wilson.
The character also appeared in one issue of Gold Key Champion (#2, 1978), but that it until later this year when a new series debuts.
"The Mighty Samson is a super-strong, righteous barbarian in a world filled with fantastic things. Other stories set in post-apocalyptic times tend to be dark, grim and depressing, but the Mighty Samson is about hope and the belief that we can come back from anything if we have the will," Shooter told Scoop. "It’s a powerful idea — the spirit of humankind rebooted."
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Rediscovering The Mighty Samson
Of the former Gold Key character being revived by Dark Horse Comics, Mighty Samson is definitely not the best known. Magnus, Solar and Turok would definitely compete for that distinction, and even Doctor Spektor would probably finish ahead of the barbarian from a dystopic future.
But that’s not stopping Dark Horse from reintroducing the character to new audiences as well as those of us remember him in the form of Mighty Samson Archives – Volume 1. The 200-page, $49.95 hardcover collection will feature the work of writer Otto Binder (Captain Marvel) and art of Frank Thorne (Red Sonja) and DC veteran Jack Sparling. It’s set to go on sale in August 2010.
Writer Jim Shooter will be writing and supervising the new series, which will update the character and his world.
In the original created by Binder and Thorne, the character first appeared in Mighty Samson #1 in 1964. Samson was a barbarian-esque denizen of N’Yark, an area of jungle-infested ruins dotted with crumbled skyscrapers and populated by mutants spawned from the fires of a nuclear conflict. Given his name, it’s probably not surprising that he was very large and equally strong.
Despite the dog-eat-dog world of the future, Samson made a deathbed promise to his mother to only use his power for good. In the first issue, one of the mutant creatures, liobear, cost Samson lost an eye, so he was seen with an eye patch afterward. He also wore the liobear’s skin, thus pretty much completing the set-up for the series.
The Mighty Samson initially ran for 20 issues, ending in 1969. It was revived intermittently for another 12 issues until 1982, some of which reruns. Mighty Samson #32, released under the Whitman imprint, is notable as the only issue featuring a line art cover. The others in the series generally featured paintings by Morris Gollub or George Wilson.
The character also appeared in one issue of Gold Key Champion (#2, 1978), but that it until later this year when a new series debuts.
"The Mighty Samson is a super-strong, righteous barbarian in a world filled with fantastic things. Other stories set in post-apocalyptic times tend to be dark, grim and depressing, but the Mighty Samson is about hope and the belief that we can come back from anything if we have the will," Shooter told Scoop. "It’s a powerful idea — the spirit of humankind rebooted."
Popular Topics
Overstreet Access Quick Links
