The Treasury of British Comics has revealed 2000AD artist Stewart Kenneth Moore‘s stand out cover for the hardcover web shop exclusive for the upcoming collection, Karl the Viking Volume Two – The Voyage of the Sea Raiders.

The collection is due for release in December, and is available to pre-order now.

Originally serialised in Lion, “Karl the Viking” is a sweeping historical fantasy story of an orphaned Saxon boy, adopted and raised by the viking Eingar after his raid on Britain. In Karl the Viking – Book One: The Sword of Eingar, released earlier this year, we learnt how, upon coming of age, Karl succeeds Eingar and leads his tribe into battle in Britain against wild tribes of Picts, and re-connects with his old Saxon family, gaining an ally in his cousin Godwulf, and making an enemy of the Earl of Eastumbria.

Launched in the weekly comic, Lion, in October 1960 as “The Sword Of Eingar” (in Issue 447, cover dated 29th October 1960), this terrific adventure strip was retitled “Karl the Viking” with Issue 463 (cover dated 18th February 1961), running for four years until September 1964, a total of 13 adventures spread over 205 issues, plus four in various editions of Lion annual (one written by fantasy author Michael Moorcock, perhaps best known for his Elric saga).

Lion reprinted Karl’s early strips as “Swords of the Sea Wolves” from October 1966, with Karl renamed Rolf, until October 1967, also publishing one new adventure in the 1968 Lion annual. The strip was again reprinted in Smash! between April 1969 through to March 1971, this time as “Erik the Viking“, with one new adventure featuring in the 1971 Valiant Summer Special. One story even got an outing in the Action Holiday Special, in 1980.

The series was extensively reprinted, under all three names, in Europe in various periodicals and albums including, in a four-book set from the Don Lawrence Collection, introduced by Steve Holland.

In Karl the Viking – Volume Two: The Voyage of the Sea Raiders, due for general release 8th December 2022, the brave Briton takes the fight even further abroad than before as he and his band of warriors battle against the rival viking Gefion One-Eye in Africa, become mercenaries in a violent dispute between treacherous Russian tribes, and survive against fantastical and unnatural sea monsters. 

“Karl the Viking” is the fast-paced series which made artist Don Lawrence‘s reputation when he was already a master of pen and ink, and it was on this basis that he was hired to revolutionise painted comic art with “The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire”, also being reprinted under Rebellion Publishing’s Treasury of British Comics imprint.

This volume also contains stories written by Michael Moorcock, penned when he was just beginning to create the adventures of Elric.

• Karl the Viking – Volume Two: The Voyage of the Sea Raiders (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
By Michael Moorcock (Writer) and Don Lawrence (Artist), plus art by Edmund Drury, Robert Forrest and Ruggero Giovanni
Out: 8th December 2022, Paperback (plus Treasury of British Comics webshop exclusive hardcover), 256 Pages
ISBN: 9781786187338

Stories included: Gefion One-Eye, Island of Monsters, The Magician in the Swamp, The Fallen Meteorite, The Fortress of Death, The Voyage of the Sea Raiders, The Quest of the Long Ships, The Curse of the Claw, The Monster of the Swamp, The Ghost of the Tideless Sea, The Swamp of Fear and The Sword of the Sea Wolves

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Collections, Comics, downthetubes News

Tags: Don Lawrence, Edmund Drury, Karl the Viking, Michael Moorcock, Robert Forrest, Ruggero Giovanni, Stewart Kenneth Moore, Treasury of British Comics