The glory of the Viking Prince!
By PETER BOSCH
The late Joe Kubert (born Sept. 18, 1926) was one of the greats. Though he was known especially for all the war comics he did magnificently for DC Comics, he turned out exceptional artwork in other genres, as well. One of these was with the Viking Prince, a swashbuckling feature in the first 24 issues of The Brave and the Bold (except missing in #6).
Kubert was born 96 years ago (he died in 2012); here is a selection of his covers and interior pages for that spectacular ongoing feature, as well as later comic covers when the Viking Prince teamed up with Sgt. Rock to fight Nazis. (Pencils and inks by Kubert in all cases.)
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The Brave and the Bold #1 (Aug.-Sept. 1955, DC). Splash page from the first story featuring the Viking Prince.
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DC Special #12 (May-June 1971, DC). For the reprint of several stories of the Viking Prince, this issue included a new double-page replacing the first-issue splash above.
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The Brave and the Bold #15 (Dec. 1957-Jan. 1958, DC). Splash page.
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The Brave and the Bold #18 (June-July 1958, DC). Splash page.
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The Brave and the Bold #19 (Aug.-Sept. 1958, DC). Story page.
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The Brave and the Bold #20 (Oct.-Nov. 1958, DC). Splash page.
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The Brave and the Bold #22 (Feb-Mar 1959, DC). Cover with a wash tone by Jack Adler.
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The Brave and the Bold #23 (Apr.-May 1959, DC). Cover with a wash tone by Jack Adler.
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Our Army at War #162 (Jan. 1966, DC). Cover.
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Our Army at War #163 (Feb. 1966, DC). Cover.
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DC Special #12 (May-June 1971, DC). A new cover drawing by Kubert revising his splash page for The Brave and the Bold #5 (Apr.-May 1956). This issue featured reprints of three stories of the Viking Prince from B&B.
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Sgt. Rock Special #1 (Oct. 1988, DC). New cover by Joe Kubert, with colors by Adam Kubert. This reprint issue contains both parts of the Viking Prince-Sgt. Rock team-up from Our Army at War.
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The Viking Prince (2010, DC). A 296-page, full-color hardcover reprinting the entire run from The Brave and the Bold, as well as the two-parter from Our Army at War. The dust jacket features detail from the cover of The Brave and the Bold #24 (June-July 1959).
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MORE
— 13 COVERS: A JOE KUBERT Birthday Celebration — 2021 Edition: ENEMY ACE. Click here.
— MAKE WAR NO MORE: Joe Kubert’s Heartfelt Stamp of Protest. Click here.
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PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, has just been published by TwoMorrows. He has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. Peter lives in Hollywood.
September 18, 2022
That top one kind of looks like Ditko pencils.
Kubert was a master!
September 18, 2022
It’s been said that Ditko’s work was influenced by Kubert’s style, but Ditko did not do anything on “The Viking Prince.” As a matter of fact, he did not do any work for DC until the mid-1960s.
September 18, 2022
Happy birthday to the late Mr. Joe Kubert.