Number 1484: Viking Prince by the crown prince of comic artists

The Viking Prince feature, which ran in The Brave and the Bold for the first two dozen issues in the mid-to-late fifties, is a collaboration between Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. I believe the Viking Prince was a version of Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, although the comic book character was original enough in his own right. Being written by Kanigher in the Comics Code era meant that the blood and thunder was not in violent battles between humans, but often with supernatural entities, like the living giant stone statue in “The Secret of Odin’s Cup!” Kubert’s art on the story is superb.

From The Brave and the Bold #20 (1958):

Number 486


We come from the land of the ice and snow


In 1955, after implementation of the Comics Code, DC Comics created The Brave and the Bold, an anthology comic with three different heroes. The original lineup was Viking Prince by Joe Kubert, Shining Knight by Irv Novick, and Golden Gladiator by Russ Heath. Gladiator was soon replaced by Robin Hood.

The Brave and the Bold was a hit with me because of the Viking Prince. At the time I didn't see it as DC Comics' take on Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, all I knew was I really loved the artwork and the stories about vikings.

As the series opens, Jon, the main character, is an amnesiac, who is rightful ruler of a kingdom usurped by the "evil Thorvald," who wants him permanently out of the way. This story, "The Ice Dragon," is from Brave and the Bold #5. The stories for B&B were by Robert Kanigher, who also edited. The three artists for B&B also worked for him on the war comics.


"The Ice Dragon" is scanned from DC Special #12, May-June 1971.