Gold Key Comics...Dagar the Invincible

With the success of Marvel Comics Conan the Barbarian book in 1970, the sword and sorcery craze had officially begun, which encouraged other companies to soon follow including Gold Key's new character, Dagar the Invincible. Created by a team new to Western Publications, writer Don Glut and artist Jesse Santos barbarian mercenary first appeared in Mystery Comics Digest under another name as a one-shot. But as Dagar was just slated to be in another of there anthology books, the editors at Gold Key decided to give him his own title in October of 1972 called Tales of Sword and Sorcery Starring Dagar the Invincible. The first four issues removed around Dagar hunting down an evil wizard named Scorpio who had destroyed his entire clan, and in the process finding his true love, the lovely Graylin. Santos wonderful artwork initially created a handsome hero who fought ghastly monsters, assorted zombies and other supernatural entities. But as his artistic chores grew on other Gold Key titles, producing numerous pages and painted covers, his tighter style considerably loosened to accommodate all the work and the character's good looks. Unusual for a Gold Key comics, Glut like to cross-over his characters to his other series and include inside jokes for Santos to draw, such as the Gold Key logo on shields of warriors or cryptic messages drawn on walls. Lasting eighteen original issues, the series folded in December of 1976 with a few reprints to follow years later before the company ended.