Tragg and the Sky Gods #1
Published and © by Gold Key (Western), June 1975
Title: “Spawn of Yargon”
Synopsis: A prehistoric couple empowered by the “genetic tinkering” of aliens must later defend their tribe when the “Sky Gods” return.
Writer: Don Glut
Artist: Jesse Santos
Review: Mixing alien technology with prehistoric times has long been a reliable recipe for fantasy fun. For instance, in comics, Mike Grell combined those ingredients during his always-enjoyable Warlord run at DC (see reviews). But the mix falls short on Tragg and the Sky Gods, with less-than-stellar creative execution taking the blame. There are interesting concepts at play, but Don Glut’s script fails to develop them. Worse, the story’s plodding pace fails to hold reader interest. On the art side, Jesse Santos delivers stylish pencils, but his storytelling isn’t strong. This debut issue isn’t awful, but it should have been better.
Grade: C-
Second opinion: “As is usual with 1970s Gold Key titles, six pages of plot were stretched over an entire issue, making for tedious reading.” – Frank Plowright, FantaCo’s Chronicle’s Series Annual #1, 1983
Cool factor: Dinosaurs and aliens? How can you go wrong?
Not-so-cool factor: Holy Von Däniken, what a snoozer!
Notable: This issue is reprinted – with less attractive cover coloring – in 1982’s Tragg and the Sky Gods #9, published by Whitman.
Character quotable: “He was no god, Lorn … with or without his weapon!” – Tragg, uppity caveman
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Jan. 7, 2013.
