Warlord #30
Published and © by DC, February 1980
Title: “Warpath”
Synopsis: Warlord encounters various obstacles as he races back to Shamballah to warn of a pending invasion.
Writer: Mike Grell
Penciler: Grell
Inker: Vince Colletta
Review: By this point, Warlord – and creator Mike Grell – have settled into a solid-but-unspectacular groove: The action is crisp but the stakes don’t feel real. The characters are interesting but remain underdeveloped; the same can be said for the world-building. On the art side, the pencils are above average, the inking subpar. A sense of sameness has settled in. Even the covers are starting to look similar (compare this issue to the previous month’s cover.) This issue does offer a nice surprise twist with the identity of a character. But let’s wait and see if the stakes really escalate next issue.
Grade: B
Cool factor: Mike Grell’s Warlord is always an above-average book.
Not-so-cool factor: There’s always the sense it could have been so much more.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “The scent of death is in the air! It heralds the coming of total war!” – Warlord, in his element
Editor’s note: This review was written Feb. 23, 2024.
