THE WARLORD #55

“Have A Nice Day!”
Writer: Mike Grell
Artist: Mark Texiera

Morgan, Tara and Shakira are riding toward Shamballah when they come upon a battle. The forces of King Ashir are assaulting a fortress. The assault fails and the army is forced to retreat. Morgan and company then become the guests of their friend Ashir and find out whats going on. It seems that a group of brigands have taken over the fortress and are charging tolls on an important merchant rout. This was the third attempt and has ended in failure. So Morgan comes up with a plan. They build a giant smiley face with the words Have a Nice Day on it. Then leave it as a gift for the brigands. The brigands discover a hatch on the smiley face and set it on fire. The distraction allows Morgan to lead an armed group to capture the castle. Shakira decides to stay in Kaambuka as Morgan and Tara head off to Shamballah.

“Atlantis!”
Writer: Paul Kupperberg
Artist: Jan Duursema

It is the 183rd year of the reign of King D’Tullah and an ice age has descended on Atlantis. Sub-men are storming the city to seek warmth. The high mage Arion is called on to drive them out. He does but has been finding his magic fading. When summoned before the king Arion must read the Oracle of Choloh. He received a vision from his former master to seek him out. Later another attack this time by dinosaurs drains Arion’s power and he almost falls victim to a raptor. Slaying it the old fashioned way with a sword he comes to the realization that he must find his old master Choloh.

This Trojan Horse story with a fun little twist was a joy. A sort of last little adventure for Morgan before he must hang up his sword and settle into the boring life of the court of Shamballah. Using a smiley face was pure genius giving the story a tongue in cheek humor. The epilogue had Morgan and Tara discovering the bodies of the woodcutter and his wife before arriving at Shamballah. This woodcutter was the foster father of their son Joshua who is presumed dead. Its revealed that he is now in Shamballah. An indication that Grell hasn’t forgotten about Morgan’s son and will be exploring that in the future.

The backup Arion was a great choice for this series. This ancient Atlantis that is being destroyed by the ice age has so much potential. Atlantis is a society that mixes advanced science with sorcery. The main character Arion has a lot of depth and so does his love interest the captain of the royal guard the Lady Chian. Definitely looking forward to exploring this world of magic and science.