I still remember the day I bought Warlord #1 new off the spinner rack at Ahmann's Newsstand. It was the first (but not the last!) time I thought I was getting in on the beginning of a new series, when in fact I was not. I bought the second issue as well, and the fourth. I was a bit disheartened that I had missed the third, but it ended up being something of a moot point as I wasn't to see another for at least four years. At some point in the '90s I bought the entire series from one of the dealers who advertised series sets in CBG. I was reading along at a steady clip until I ran out of steam somewhere in the mid-40s and I never did read the rest. In 2009 I bought the Showcase Presents volume, reasoning that even the b&w was superior to the color newsprint. My plan had been to use the Showcase edition as a springboard back into the rest of the series, but although I read the Showcase, I didn't continue beyond that point.
A couple of months ago DC solicited today's Omnibus edition. I had no interest in it at the time, but shortly thereafter I was working my way through Marvel's various Ka-Zar series and changed my mind. (DC's Skartaris isn't all that simialr to Marvel Savage Land really, but it's close enough.) I managed to get my order in before FOC and have been looking forward to reading it again, in a superior format, ever since. The first thing I noticed about the omnibus, even before I got it home and removed it from its shrinkwrap, is that it was lighter than the Marvel Masterworks volume I also bought today. It is printed on the lightweight paperstock identical to the Bronze Age Joker omnibus, like newsprint but whiter. Some here have complained about how unwieldy the thicker omnibus editions are; if that a factor for you, take note. It's also 25 bucks less expensive than a glossy omni.
The first volume comprises issue #1-36 and 1st Issue Special #8.
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I picked up a copy too! I'm looking forward to getting back into the adventures of my favorite disco gladiators!
A LITTLE LIGHT READING... and I mean light!
This volume is 742 pages and weighs only 3¼ lbs. It comprises 37 issues, and I at first thgout of comparing it to the Amazing Spider-Man omnibus (38 issues plus), but that's not really a fair comparison since that one's 1088 pages (and weighs 8 lbs. even, BTW). A closer comparison is the Defenders omnibus, which is 760 pages and weighs 1½ lbs. Here's the thing, though: the Defenders omnibus is 1½" thick, whereas the Warlord one is 2½". CONCLUSION: Glossy paper stock is thinner but much heavier than newsprint. What it comes down to is this: the Spider-Man and the Warlord volumes are rougly the same size, but would you rather have 742 pp. that weigh 3¼ lbs. or 1088 that weigh 8? Another way to look at it is, at roughly 750 pages: is the glossy paper stock wirth the extra ¾ pound?
I'm not generally a fan of sword & sorcery or fantasy or whatever this is, but I like Warlord (probably because of Mike Grell). All of the issues are 17 pages (except one), and because two-pages each issue are a double-page spread, it's really more like 15. I finished it this morning, but really had to hold myself back from reading more than an issue per day (my usual rate). If DC sees fit to release a second volume I will certaibnly buy it, but I'm not Jonesin' for it that hard. I followed it up with Green Arrow #28 (and the last three pages of #27). Nice!
Oddly, I remember Shakira more prominently than either Tara or Mariah, although Shakira wasn't introduced until #32. To be prefectly honest, I always thought Shakira was Mike Grell's own little joke on the CCA (if you get my drift).