Warlord #31
Published and © by DC, March 1980
Title: “Wings Over Shamballah”
Synopsis: Warlord’s journey home to Shamballah is once again interrupted, this time by wild dogs, trolls and a demon bird.
Writer: Mike Grell
Penciler: Grell
Inker: Vince Colletta
Review: This reviewer keeps waiting for Warlord to generate and sustain some momentum, but … nah. Our titular hero continues to wander from issue to issue, sometimes with a larger goal in mind, sometimes not. Regardless, what readers almost always end up with is a series of by-the-book, swords-and-sorcery one-offs. Warlord auteur Mike Grell needs to start stretching as a writer, layering in some subplots and developing multi-issue storylines. And bring back the sorely missed supporting cast. On the visual side, Grell continues to be an above-average penciler and storyteller, but Vince Colletta’s inking keeps this book from reaching another artistic level.
Grade: B
Cool factor: Warlord is always solid …
Not-so-cool factor: … but there’s also an inescapable sense that 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: “This place makes King Solomon’s mines look like the five and dime.” – The Warlord, striking gold
Editor’s note: This review was written June 8, 2024.
