Warlord (British comics)

Infobox| title = Warlord
comic_color = background:#ff0000


caption = The first issue of Warlord was published in 1974, included a free gift and cost 5p.
schedule = Weekly
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publisher = D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
date = 1974 – 1986 (four further years as part of Victor
issues = 657
past_current_color =background:#ff9275
main_char_team = Codename: Warlord, Union Jack Jackson, Spider Wells, Bomber Braddock, Iron Annie
writers =
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Warlord was a comic paper published weekly in the UK during the 1970s and 1980s.

First published in 1974 by D.C. Thomson, it was dedicated to wartime adventures and was a popular boys' comic. The comic included several stories per issue, the main one being about a character called Lord Peter Flint (in the strip entitled ), a World War II James Bond.

At the end of 1978 another comic, "Bullet" had been merged into it. It ran for 12 years (627 issues) until 1986, when it was incorporated into the long-running "Victor" comic. For the next four years after the comic's demise, the publishers produced summer specials, ending in 1990.

Other characters and stories included the popular Union Jack Jackson, Spider Wells, Bomber Braddock and Wingless Wonder. Features included "True Life War Story" and articles on weaponry called "Weapons In Action". After "Bullet" was added to the comic, it featured that publication's main story Fireball — a secret agent who was Lord Peter Flint's nephew.

Often the comic would include free gifts and toys and offered membership to an 'exclusive' club for a small fee.

The magazine was published in a time before political sensitivity known as Political Correctness (PC), and quite patriotic in content. Before the addition of the "Bullet" comic, "Warlord" had been specifically geared towards stories and articles about World War II. Much of the language used in the stories was modern, and terms given used to describe the enemy reflected commonly used descriptions. Being patriotic, the 'good guys' always won in the end, and both Germans and Japanese were frequently stereotyped.

The comic, however, often showed the Germans in a heroic light, usually with honourable Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe officers as the heroes and committed Nazis, or SS officers as the bad guys. These tales were usually set on the Eastern Front to ensure the Germans were not shown killing their British or US enemies, the Russians being useful bogeymen. Comic Strips that followed this model include: Iron Annie about a heroic Ju-52 'Iron Annie' crew and Kampfgruppe Falken which followed the exploits of a German Penal Battalion on the Eastern Front.

Notable characters

"Warlord" included many stories and characters set mainly in World War II and later conflicts like Korea. Though most of them featured heroes from Allied nations such as Britain and the US, there were some series which took the German point of view.

They included:

*Union Jack Jackson: a British Royal Marine serving with the Americans.

*: Lord Peter Flint is the James Bond-like secret agent whose missions take him to various areas of conflict, including Nazi Germany itself. The storyline borrowed from "The Scarlet Pimpernel" the idea of a seemingly upper class fop actually being the daring wartime agent. Stories would generally start off in Britain with Lord Peter Flint, who hadn't signed up to fight, being accused of cowardice before secretly going off on a mission then returning home. There was a recurring cast of enemies representing various aspects of the Third Reich such as the Gestapo and the SS.

*Killer Kane: Squadron Leader Kane of the RAF during and after the Battle of Britain.

*Kampfgruppe Falken: Major Heinz Falken leads a Dirty Dozen-like group of German soldiers from military penal battalions.

*Wolverine: French-Canadian Sergeant Revelle leads a mixed crew of Allied soldiers in a M10 Wolverine tank destroyer.

*Iron Annie: the adventures of Kurt Stahlmann of the Luftwaffe and his JU52 transport plane during World War II.

*Kelly's Choppers: Lieutenant Jack Kelly, a USAF helicopter pilot in Korea.

*The Best of Enemies: During the Korean War, British Sergeant Tom Wilson forms a bitter alliance with Muller, a German with whom he has old scores to settle.

External links

* [http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/ DC Thomson home page]
* [http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/ Website dedicated to British comics and publications]