Mighty Samson

Last updated
Mighty Samson
Cover of Mighty Samson.jpg
Cover of Mighty Samson #32 by Whitman Comics
Publication information
Publisher Western Publishing
Format Ongoing series
Publication dateJuly 1964 - April 1982
No. of issues32
Creative team
Written by Otto Binder
Artist(s) Frank Thorne, Jack Sparling
Collected editions
Mighty Samson Archives Vol. 1 ISBN   1595825797
Mighty Samson Archives Vol. 2 ISBN   1595826599
Mighty Samson Archives Vol. 3 ISBN   1595827056
Mighty Samson Archives Vol. 4 ISBN   1595827935

Mighty Samson was a comic book series published Gold Key Comics. A post-apocalyptic adventure, it was set in the area around New York City, now known as "N'Yark", on an Earth devastated by a nuclear war. [1] The series was created by writer Otto Binder and artist Frank Thorne. [2]

Contents

Publication history

Mighty Samson ran for 32 issues between 1964 and 1982. Its initial run lasted 20 issues (cover-dated July 1964 - 1969). Issues #7–20 each had a back-up story with the large-headed character Tom Morrow. Mighty Samson returned in 1972 with issue #21 and ran through #31 in 1976. The first two issues of the revival reprinted #7 and #2, respectively.

A final new story was published in Gold Key Champion #2 in 1978. Then in 1982, six years after its immediate predecessor, Whitman Comics published issue #32, which reprinted #3 but with a line-art version of #4's painted cover. It was sold bagged with Turok #130 and Dagar the Invincible #18.

Issues #1 through #6 featured art by Frank Thorne, most well known for illustrating Marvel Comics' adaptation of Robert E. Howard's Red Sonja in the 1970s. Artist Jack Sparling took over the artwork with #8, and Binder and Sparling did the title through #20. In the new issues beginning with #23, art was by José Delbo, and later by Jack Abel. Most covers were fully painted by Morris Gollub. Other were generally by George Wilson.

Western Printing and Lithographing, which owns Gold Key, left the comic book business in 1984. A few years later, some of its properties, such as Doctor Solar and Turok, Son of Stone , were picked up by Valiant Comics, though Mighty Samson was not. [3]

In 2010, Dark Horse Comics began publishing the first of four hardcover archives, each reprinting several issues of the original series in one place for the first time. [4]

In December 2010, Dark Horse Comics also began a new re-imagining the Mighty Samson series. [5] Among the new creative team members were former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter serving as head writer, and artist include Patrick Olliffe. The first issue included a bonus reprint of the 1964 issue #1.

In 2016, Dynamite Entertainment launched Gold Key Alliance, a story with Gold Key properties, including Samson.

Fictional character biography

Samson is a heroic barbarian adventurer endowed with superhuman size and strength living in a future where nuclear war has bombed the world back into a second Stone Age. Leaving his home tribe after the death of his mother, he loses an eye to a ferocious hybrid creature called a liobear (a mixture of a lion and a bear), which the blond giant manages to kill in unarmed combat, later skinning and wearing its red pelt caveman-style throughout most of his adventures and using a strip of its hide as an eyepatch.

Badly wounded in the battle, he is found and nursed back to health by the beautiful golden-haired Sharmaine, whose father Mindor is a bespectacled, white-coated scientist who extrapolates forgotten 20th-century knowledge from ancient artifacts he discovers in the ruins of N'Yark (New York). In gratitude, Samson decides to join in their quest to restore the benefits of civilization to mankind and protect them from the bizarre mutant beasts and savage tribes that dwell among the once famous landmarks of the rubble-strewn, jungle-choked city.

He must also defend them from a recurring foe in the lovely, dark-haired form of the ruthlessly ambitious Queen Terra of Jerz (New Jersey), a highly competent scientist in her own right who attempts to use the advanced technology she uncovers to expand her kingdom into the devastated metropolis and to win the mighty Samson for her own.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Shooter</span> American comic book writer (born 1951)

James Shooter is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and is known for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' seventh editor-in-chief, and his work as editor in chief of Valiant Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar (comics)</span> Comics character

Solar is an American fictional comic book superhero created by writer Paul S. Newman, editor Matt Murphy, and artist Bob Fujitani. The character first appeared in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #1 in 1962 by Gold Key Comics and has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, Dark Horse Comics in the 2000s, and Dynamite Entertainment in the 2010s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Windsor-Smith</span> British graphic novelist (born 1949)

Barry Windsor-Smith is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best-known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' Conan the Barbarian from 1970 to 1973, and for his work on the character Wolverine, particularly the 1991 "Weapon X" story arc. His other noted Marvel work included a 1984 "Thing" story in Marvel Fanfare, the "Lifedeath" and "Lifedeath II" stories with writer Chris Claremont that focused on the de-powered Storm in The Uncanny X-Men, as well as the 1984 Machine Man limited series with Herb Trimpe and Tom DeFalco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turok</span> Fictional character

Turok is a fictional character who first appeared in American comic books published by Western Publishing through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596. After a second Four Color appearance, the character graduated to his own title – Turok, Son of Stone — published by both Dell and then Gold Key Comics from 1956 to 1982. Subsequently, he appeared in titles published by Valiant Comics, Dark Horse Comics and Dynamite Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Key Comics</span> American comic book publisher

Gold Key Comics was an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.

<i>Marvel Feature</i>

Marvel Feature was a comic book showcase series published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. It was a tryout book, intended to test the popularity of characters and concepts being considered for their own series. The first volume led to the launch of The Defenders and Marvel Two-in-One, while volume two led to an ongoing Red Sonja series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fabian Nicieza</span> Argentine-American comic book writer and editor

Fabian Nicieza is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Nomad, Cable, Deadpool and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters, among them Deadpool, Domino, Shatterstar, and Silhouette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otto Binder</span> American writer (1911–1974)

Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for Captain Marvel Adventures and other stories involving the entire superhero Marvel Family. He was prolific in the comic book field and is credited with writing over 4,400 stories across a variety of publishers under his own name, as well as more than 160 stories under the pen-name Eando Binder.

<i>Dagar the Invincible</i>

Tales of Sword and Sorcery Featuring Dagar the Invincible is a comic-book series created by writer Donald F. Glut and artist Jesse Santos for Western Publishing's Gold Key Comics line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korak (character)</span> Fictional character

Korak, a fictional character, is the ape name of John "Jack" Clayton III, the son of Tarzan and Jane Porter.

Planet of the Apes comics are tie-ins to the Planet of the Apes media franchise. They have been released by several publishers over the years and include tie-ins and spin-offs.

<i>John Carter, Warlord of Mars</i> Marvel Comics series

John Carter, Warlord of Mars is a comics series published from 1977 by American company Marvel Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman (writer) and Gil Kane (penciller), it was based on the Barsoom series of Edgar Rice Burroughs and featured the eponymous character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samson (Fox Feature Syndicate)</span> American comics superhero, created 1939

Samson is a superhero who appeared in comic books published by Fox Feature Syndicate. He first appeared in Fantastic Comics #1. The writer was uncredited, but is believed to be Will Eisner; the artist was Alex Blum, using the pseudonym "Alex Boon".

John Edmond Sparling, was a Canadian comics artist.

<i>Indiana Jones</i> (comics) Comic book series

The Indiana Jones franchise has appeared in many comic books. Marvel Comics initially held the comic book licensing rights before they were acquired by Dark Horse Comics in 1990. Marvel published adaptations of the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, while Dark Horse adapted the Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis video game, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarzan in comics</span>

Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, including comics.

<i>Savage Sword of Conan</i>

The Savage Sword of Conan was a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of American company Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. Savage Sword of Conan starred Robert E. Howard's most famous creation, Conan the Barbarian, and has the distinction of being the longest-surviving title of the short-lived Curtis imprint.

<i>Gold Key: Alliance</i> Comic book series

Gold Key: Alliance is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment, which ran from April 6 to August 17, 2016. The series featured five Gold Key Comics characters: Magnus, Mighty Samson, Solar, Doctor Spektor and Turok.

Jesse Santos was a Filipino comic-book artist. He was best known as the co-creator of Dagar the Invincible and Tragg and the Sky Gods with writer Donald F. Glut.

The Sovereigns is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment, which started running ran from May 7, 2017, with the prelude issue published on April 6, 2017. The series is written by Aubrey Sitterson, Chuck Wendig, Kyle Higgins and Ray Fawkes, and drawn by Alvaro Sarraseca, Dylan Burnett, Johnny Desjardins and Jorge Fornes.

References