Arak is a
fictional
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, ...
comic book character and a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
published by
DC Comics. He first appeared in a
special insert in ''
The Warlord'' #48 (August 1981) and was created by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
and
Ernie Colón.
Arak (Bright-Sky-After-Storm) is depicted very much as a
Conan knock-off in early appearances. Later, after encountering the
Moirai, who explain his destiny to him, he takes on a more
Native American appearance, including leather-fringed pants and a
Mohawk hairstyle
The mohawk (also referred to as a Mohican) is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair in the center. It is today worn as an emblem of non-conformity.
The m ...
.
Unlike Conan (a character Roy Thomas also wrote during his tenure at
Marvel Comics), who usually fought against
H. P. Lovecraftian monsters and entities, Arak encounters figures and creatures from myth and legends, including
Greek,
Norse,
Judeo-Christian
The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, or ...
,
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
,
Orient
The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...
al and others.
''Arak'' was relatively
culturally sensitive for the time when it debuted. Unlike other Native American heroes, like
Apache Chief, who took a cartoonish view of Native Americans similar to the old western movie Natives, Arak did not have broken speech or other stereotypical Native traits. Also, the Vikings looked more like real Vikings and were not illustrated wearing the stereotypical horned helmets and fur clothing.
Arak returns in the crossover event ''
Convergence'', being turned by
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
into an almost cybernetic entity with no memory of his previous life, and being renamed as Telos, becoming the main villain for most of the event until the finale, when Arak/Telos remembers his identity.
Publication history
After his debut in ''
The Warlord'' #48, Arak starred in a monthly
DC Comics series, ''Arak, Son of Thunder'', which ran 50 issues (and one 1984 annual) from September 1981 to November 1985. After a few token appearances in other stories, Arak has not appeared in any new adventures since 1988.
The ''Arak'' series was written, in one form or another, by
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...
, joined in later issues by his wife
Dann Thomas and by
Jean-Marc Lofficier and
Randy Lofficier. After penciling the first 12 issues, artist co-creator Colón left the title, replaced by a string of artists, including
Adrian Gonzales,
Ron Randall,
Gérald Forton
Gérald Forton (10 April 1931 – 16 December 2021) was a Belgian-born French comic book artist. He was the grandson of , creator of ''Les Pieds Nickelés''.
Life and career
In 1950, Forton wrote his first short stories in Caméra 34. In 1951, h ...
, and
Tony DeZuniga.
Fictional character biography
Arak's mother, Star-of-Dawn (of the Quontauka Native tribe) was seduced by an evil serpent god while wandering alone. She realized at the last moment what was happening, and tried to escape before the final act. She was rescued by He-No, the Thunder God. He took her into his realm and under his care she recovered from the serpent god's venomous bite. Although she married him in gratitude, she did not really love him, and missed her people; so he returned her to her tribe. Her father, the tribal
shaman, recognized the touch of both deities upon her, and that she bore He-No's child. She named him Bright-Sky-After-Storm, for 'he will follow in his father's footsteps, who is the thunder'. Years later, a tribe that worshipped the serpent deity attacked while the serpent itself attacked He-No; the Thunder God was winning but saw his son about to die. He struck down the attacker, suffering severe wounds in the process. While most of the Quontauka were slaughtered, He-No arranged for Bright-Sky-After-Storm to wind up in a canoe and float out to sea, beyond his enemies' reach.
Bright-Sky-After-Storm was discovered out at sea by
Vikings and rescued just before the canoe sinks. He is unconscious, but awakens just long enough to utter the phrase He-No (a reference to his Native American father) a few times and swing a knife at the Viking leader. He was not attacking, but cut off the leader's necklace which has a hammer symbol called a hammer of thunder (related to the god
Thor from
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
). The leader wants to kill him, but another Viking stops him and adopts the boy. He names him Arak (intended as "Eric" but Bright-Sky-After-Storm mispronounced it) and raises Bright-Sky-After-Storm as a Viking, trained in warfare. Arak is particularly effective with a small axe, similar in proportion to a Native American club he was found with, but can also use a sword, shield, and bow.
As a young man Arak joins the Vikings on their raids. They consist mostly of raiding monasteries for treasure, including a huge gold bejeweled cross which the captain hangs upside down on the mast as a good luck hammer of thunder. Near the end of the first issue, a sea serpent sent by the
sorceress
Sorceress or The Sorceress may refer to:
* A female practitioner of supernatural magic
Film
* ''Sorceress'' (1982 film), a fantasy film directed by Jack Hill
* ''Sorceress'' (1995 film), a fantasy film directed by Jim Wynorski
Literature
* S ...
Angelica attacks the Vikings and some monks. All of the Vikings, including Arak's adoptive father, are killed. Arak seizes the gold cross and says, "Hammer of one god, or cross of another, strike for me now!" He throws the cross, which has a sharp bottom, at the serpent. The cross pierces the roof of its mouth and enters its brain, killing it. Arak manages to save one monk. The monk tells him that God has delivered them. Arak replies he does not know it if it had been the monk's god, or his own god, whom he had all but forgotten.
Adventures
After the first issue, Arak goes on to other
Conan-like adventures similar to those of another major DC-created fantasy hero,
Travis Morgan (The Warlord). He becomes an ally of
Carolus Magnus
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Emp ...
(a.k.a. Charlemagne) and befriends several of his knights. He enters a relationship with Valda the Iron Maiden. After a time, he leaves his Court on a mission to the
Pope; from there he sets off in search of his destiny.
Arak encounters many creatures and races from myth and legend, gods, heroes and demons. At one point, he dies and encounters his father, He-No, who explains his origin and offers him a place at his side. Arak refuses, wanting to find the remaining fragments of his tribe (now wandering across North America, seeking a new home). In anger, He-No returns his son to his body - but gives him a single feather from his enormous Headdress of Power. From this point on, Arak gains the ability to see spirits and a resistance to magic. He becomes a shaman, although he still concentrates the majority of his skills on his warrior training. Eventually, he bids farewell to his friends and sails from Japan across the Pacific back to North America. He finds his people and leads them to an island off the West coast of Canada where they remain at peace. On his deathbed, his father appears to him, tells him he loves him, and leaves a mystic cloak for a descendant who he promises will aid the world when they need it the most. Arak/Bright-Sky-After-Storm dies happy.
Time travelling
Arak and Valda (along with several other heroes of past eras) traveled to the present day to help battling the
Ultra-Humanite during the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths'' in ''
All-Star Squadron'' #55 (1985).
More recently, Valda was transported to the present day to become a member of the extended
Shadowpact in the ''
Day of Vengeance'' special. She is apparently still living in our time and has visited the
Oblivion Bar on several occasions.
''Convergence''
Powers and abilities
Arak is a good swordsman, skilled with a tomahawk, trained in hand-to-hand combat and is competent with the bow and arrow. He also possesses limited certain magical powers which include weather manipulation, earth control, longevity, along with spell and illusion casting, all due to his godly heritage.
In other media
In 1982, several of the characters from the ''Warlord'' series received action figures in a line called "Lost World of the Warlord" from
Remco. Despite his not being related to the ''Warlord'' series, Arak was one of the figures in the line.
References
Further reading
*
I Want to Do It All ''Again!'', ''Alter Ego: Centennial'' vol 3 #100, TwoMorrows Publishing (March 2011), pg 15-20
*
American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s' by Keith Dallas, TwoMorrows Publishing (2013), pg 36-38
*
500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes' by Mike Conroy, Barron's (2003), pg 55
*
Women and the Comics' by Trina Robbins and Catherine Yronwode, Eclipse Books (2008), pg 113
External links
at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2012.
DCU Guide: Arak, Son of Thunder*
*
{{All-Star Squadron
Comics characters introduced in 1981
Characters created by Roy Thomas
DC Comics fantasy characters
DC Comics superheroes
Fantasy comics
Fictional Native American people
Fictional swordfighters in comics
Matter of France