Kull of Atlantis#Comics
{{Short description|Fictional character by Robert E. Howard}}
{{redirect|King Kull|another character|King Kull (DC Comics)|the collection of short stories|Kull (short story collection)}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Kull of Atlantis
| image = Hugh Rankin - The Shadow Kingdom.jpg
| caption = Illustration for Robert E. Howard's "The Shadow Kingdom" in Weird Tales (August 1929), Kull's first appearance
| first = "The Shadow Kingdom" in Weird Tales (August, 1929)
| creator = Robert E. Howard
| portrayer = Kevin Sorbo
| occupation = Current:
King
Former:
Soldier
Gladiator
Outlaw
Pirate
Slave
| species = Human
| gender = Male
| affiliation = Allies:
Brule
Tu
Ka-Nu
Enemies:
Thulsa Doom
| origin = Atlantis
| nationality = Atlantean
| weapon = Sword
Axe
}}
Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a fictional character created by writer Robert E. Howard. The character was more introspective than Howard's subsequent creation, Conan the Barbarian, whose first appearance was in a re-write of a rejected Kull story.{{cite web |last1=Harvey |first1=Ryan |title=Kull, King of the Dreaming West |url=http://perilousworlds.com/kull-king-of-the-dreaming-west/ |website=Perilous Worlds |access-date=23 April 2019 |date=25 February 2019 |archive-date=23 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423211514/http://perilousworlds.com/kull-king-of-the-dreaming-west/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last1=Byrne |first1=Bob |title=Hither Came Conan: Ruminations on "The Phoenix on the Sword" |url=https://www.blackgate.com/2019/01/22/hither-came-conan-ruminations-on-the-phoenix-on-the-sword/ |website=Black Gate |access-date=23 April 2019 |date=22 January 2019}}
His first published appearance was "The Shadow Kingdom" in Weird Tales (August, 1929). Kull was portrayed in the 1997 film Kull the Conqueror by actor Kevin Sorbo.
Personality and character
Kull is similar to Conan in many ways. He is a fierce warrior, ruthless and courageous on the battlefield, but not tyrannical or cruel. He has a strong sense of chivalry and virtue. Unlike Conan, Kull is philosophical and brooding. He agonizes over decisions that affect the lives of those around him, always looking for the most noble action to take. He is uncomfortable with kingship and prefers the life of a general.
Fictional character biography
=Life in Atlantis=
Kull was born in pre-cataclysmic Atlantis c. 100,000 BC, depicted as inhabited at the time by barbarian tribes. East of Atlantis lay the ancient continent of Thuria, of which the northwest portion is divided among several civilized kingdoms. The most powerful among these was Valusia; others included Commoria, Grondar, Kamelia, Thule, and Verulia. Note that the word "Thuria" never appears in any of the Kull stories. Howard coined the term while tying Kull's world to Conan's in the 1936 essay "The Hyborian Age".{{cite book|last1=Howard|first1=Robert E.|title=The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian|date=2003|publisher=Del Ray|location=New York|isbn=978-0739440810|pages=381–382|edition=Hardcover}}
Kull was born into a tribe settled in the Tiger Valley of Atlantis. Both the valley and tribe were destroyed by a flood while Kull was still a toddler, leaving the young Kull to live as a feral child for many years. Kull was captured by the Sea-Mountain tribe and eventually adopted by them. In "Exile of Atlantis", an adolescent Kull grants a woman a quick death so that she will not be burned to death by a mob. For this selfless act, Kull is exiled from Atlantis.
=Slave, pirate, outlaw, and gladiator=
Kull attempted to reach Thuria, but was instead captured by Lemurian Pirates. He spent a couple of years as a galley slave before regaining his freedom during a mutiny.
He tried the life of a pirate between his late adolescence and his early twenties. His fighting skills and courage allowed him to become captain of his own ship. Soon, Kull gained a fearsome reputation for himself in the seas surrounding Atlantis and Thuria. Kull lost his ship and crew in a naval battle off the coast of Valusia, but once again survived.
He settled in Valusia as an outlaw. However, his criminal career proved to be short-lived as he was soon captured by the Valusians and imprisoned in a dungeon. His captors offered him a choice: execution or service as a gladiator. He chose the latter. After proving to be an effective combatant and gaining fame in the arenas of the capital, a number of admirers helped him to regain his freedom.
=Soldier of Valusia=
Kull never left Valusia or returned to the life of an outlaw. Instead, he joined the Royal army as a mercenary, pursuing elevation through the ranks. In "The Curse of the Golden Skull" Kull, approaching his thirties, is recruited by King Borna of Valusia in a mission against the ambitious sorcerer Rotath of Lemuria. Kull proves to be an effective assassin.
Borna promoted Kull into the general command of his mercenary forces. Borna himself, however, had gained a reputation for his cruelty and despotism. There was discontent with Borna's rule among the nobility, leading eventually to a civil war. The mercenaries proved more loyal to Kull than any other leader, allowing him to become the leader of their revolt.
=King of Valusia=
Kull killed Borna and took the throne while he was still in his early thirties. In "The Shadow Kingdom", Kull has spent six months upon the Valusian throne and faces the first conspiracy against him.
The series continued with Kull finding that gaining the crown was easier than securing it. He faces several internal and external challenges throughout the series. The conspiring of his courtiers leaves Kull almost constantly threatened with loss of life and throne. The aging King is ever more aware of the Sword of Damocles that he inherited along with the crown.
"The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" finds Kull becoming progressively more introspective. The former barbarian is left lost in contemplations of philosophy.
Characters
= Brule =
Brule the spear slayer, a pre-cataclysmic Pict, and friend to Kull. Despite the animosity between Picts and Atlanteans, Brule is a fast friend and advisor to Kull.
= Tu =
First Councillor Tu is a trusted administrator, but also a constant reminder of the tradition bound laws and customs of Valusia.
= Ka-Nu =
Ka-Nu (sometimes named Kananu), the Pictish Ambassador to Valusia and wise man, is responsible for the friendship between Kull and Brule despite the ancient enmity between Atlanteans and Picts.{{cite web |last1=Maynard |first1=William Patrick |title=Kull and the Quest for Identity |url=https://www.blackgate.com/2015/12/04/kull-and-the-quest-for-identity/ |website=Black Gate |access-date=23 April 2019 |date=4 December 2015}}
= Borna =
The last king of Valusia, a cruel and tyrannical despot who was overthrown by Kull and his soldiers.
= Thulsa Doom =
Kull's mortal enemy is the sorcerer Thulsa Doom. Thulsa Doom is described by Howard in "The Cat and the Skull" as having a face "like a bare white skull, in whose eye sockets flamed livid fire". He is seemingly invulnerable, boasting after being trampled by one of Kull's comrades that he feels "only a slight coldness" when being injured and will only "pass to some other sphere when [his] time comes".
Works
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ !Title !Date !Publication !Form !Notes |
| "The Shadow Kingdom"
|1929, August |Story |Published in Howard's lifetime. |
| "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune"
|1929, September |Weird Tales |Story |Published in Howard's lifetime. |
| "Kings of the Night"
|1930, November |Weird Tales |Story |Published in Howard's lifetime. |
| "The King and the Oak"
|1939, February |Weird Tales |Poem | |
| "The Altar and the Scorpion"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |Story | |
| "By This Axe I Rule!"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |King Kull |Story |Re-written by Howard into the Conan story "The Phoenix on the Sword". |
| "Delcardes' Cat"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |King Kull |Story |Also known as "The Cat and the Skull". |
| "Exile of Atlantis"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |King Kull |Story |Originally an untitled story, title created by Lin Carter. |
| "The Skull of Silence"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |King Kull |Story |Also known as "The Screaming Skull of Silence". |
| "The Striking of the Gong"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |Second Book of Robert E. Howard |Story |A version edited by Lin Carter was first published in King Kull in 1967. |
| "Swords of the Purple Kingdom"
|{{Date table sorting|1967}} |King Kull |Story | |
| "The Curse of the Golden Skull"
|1967, Spring |The Howard Collector, no. 9 |Story | |
| "The Black City"
|{{Date table sorting|1978}} |Kull |Story |A version edited by Lin Carter was titled "The Black Abyss" and published in King Kull in 1967. |
| "Riders Beyond the Sunrise"
|{{Date table sorting|1978}} |Kull |Story |Originally an untitled draft, title created by Lin Carter. A version edited by Carter was first published in King Kull in 1967. |
| "Wizard and Warrior"
|{{Date table sorting|1978}} |Kull |Story |Originally an untitled fragment, title created by Lin Carter. A version edited by Carter was first published in King Kull in 1967. |
Style
Kull is Conan the Barbarian's direct literary forerunner. Conan's first story (both as a written piece and a published one), "The Phoenix on the Sword", is a rewriting of an earlier Kull story "By This Axe, I Rule". The Conan version has a completely new backstory, less philosophy, more action, and various supernatural elements. Many passages of both stories still match word for word.
One notable difference between Kull and Conan is their respective attitudes towards women. While Conan is a notable womanizer, finding a new love interest in nearly each of his stories, Kull is repeatedly mentioned as uninterested in having any such attachment. While highly chivalrous and on several occasions helping pairs of star-crossed lovers reach a happy consummation, he is never mentioned as having himself any relationship with a woman. Nor does Kull show any interest in marrying and founding a dynasty, as Conan does in The Hour of the Dragon, and none of Kull's wise advisors ever mentions this issue.
Inspiration
Patrice Louinet writes in "Atlantis Genesis"{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Robert E. |title=Kull, Exile of Atlantis |date=2006 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-345-49017-9 |pages=287-303}} that Howard may have been influenced by the work of Paul L. Anderson and his novellas published in Argosy in the 1920s. Louinet notes Howard's stories echo Anderson's subject (how the Cro-Magnons supplanted the Neanderthals). Also, Louinet found Howard had borrowed some names from Anderson (En-Ro of the Ta-an and Land of the Dying Sun resemble Am-ra of the Ta-an and Land of the Morning Sun). The Cro-Magnon/Atlantis connection seems to have originated with Lewis Spence, a British folklorist, in his "The Problem of Atlantis" (1924) and "Atlantis in America" (1925), works that could have influenced Howard.
There is a possibility that Kull's name comes from Old King Cole, who was mentioned in "The Search" by Edgar Lee Masters, published in Cosmopolitan, a poem Howard had "been trying to re-discover". It contains lines "The Tiger banner and Dragon banner/Flutter around the world", which compare to "The Hour of the Dragon", where the lion is Conan's emblem and the dragon that of his enemy, Nemedia, whereas the tiger is Kull's totem.[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/56436/56436-h/56436-h.htm#THE_SEARCH]
Adaptations
=Comics=
{{Redirect-distinguish|Kull (comics)|Knull}}
Kull has been adapted to comics by Marvel Comics with three series between 1971 and 1985.{{cite web |last1=Ching |first1=Albert |title=EXCLUSIVE: Robert E. Howard's Kull Returns, Now at IDW |url=https://www.cbr.com/kull-eternal-idw-publishing-robert-e-howard/ |website=CBR |publisher=CBR |access-date=22 March 2019 |date=21 March 2017}} The first was drawn by Marie Severin and her brother John Severin. He also appeared several times in The Savage Sword of Conan series and other anthology books. Another graphic novel, Kull: The Vale of Shadow, was published in 1989.{{cite web |title=Marvel Graphic Novel: Kull The Vale of Shadow (1989) - OGN SC |url=http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=88374 |website=comicbookdb.com |access-date=27 March 2019 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327222046/http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=88374 |url-status=dead }}
In 2006, Dark Horse Comics bought the rights to use Kull. The first series, titled Kull, was based on "The Shadow Kingdom".{{cite magazine |last1=Baichtal |first1=John |title=Dark Horse's Kull is Made of 100% Awesome |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/07/kullrocks/ |magazine=WIRED |access-date=27 March 2019 |date=10 July 2009}} {{as of|2012}}, three mini-series were published, Kull, Kull: The Hate Witch, and Kull: The Cat and the Skull. Dark Horse also re-published the Marvel stories into two different Kull collections. The Marvel color comics were collected into five volumes titled The Chronicles of Kull, and the Marvel magazine format, black and white stories were collected into two volumes titled The Savage Sword of Kull.{{cite web |last1=Fultz |first1=John R. |title=The Best KULL Comic Ever: "Demon in a Silvered Glass" |url=https://www.blackgate.com/2011/01/22/the-best-kull-comic-ever-%e2%80%9cdemon-in-a-silvered-glass%e2%80%9d/ |website=Black Gate |access-date=23 April 2019 |date=22 January 2011}} Additional reprints were published in Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword.
In 2017, IDW Publishing got the license and began publishing Kull Eternal, using "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" as a story foundation of Kull in a modern setting. The series was cancelled after the third issue.{{cite web |title=Kull Eternal Annual 2018 |url=https://swordsofreh.proboards.com/thread/698/kull-eternal-annual-2018?page=2 |website=The Swords of Robert E. Howard |access-date=July 26, 2023}}
In 2024, Arrow Comics published an adaptation of "The Shadow Kingdom" written by Randy Zimmerman with art by Russ Leach.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-04 |title=Robert E. Howard's "The Shadow Kingdom" Now A Graphic Novel From Arrow Comics |url=https://thesplintering.com/2024/03/04/robert-e-howard-the-shadow-kingdom-comic-book-arrow-comics/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=The Splintering |language=en}}
==Collected editions==
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Title !Material collected from !Publication date !ISBN |
| The Chronicles of Kull Volume 1: A King Comes Riding and Other Stories
|Creatures on the Loose! #10 The Coming of King Kull! (The Skull of Silence!), Conan The Barbarian #10 Kull the Conqueror (The King and the Oak) |December 2, 2009 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-413-4}} |
| The Chronicles of Kull Volume 2: The Hell Beneath Atlantis and Other Stories
|Kull the Conqueror (Vol. 1) #10 |April 7, 2010 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-439-4}} |
| The Chronicles of Kull Volume 3: Screams in the Dark and Other Stories
|Kull the Destroyer #21–29 |May 22, 2010 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-585-8}} |
| The Chronicles of Kull Volume 4: The Blood of Kings and Other Stories
|Kull the Conqueror (Vol. 2) #1 and #2 |March 2, 2011 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-684-8}} |
| The Chronicles of Kull Volume 5: Dead Men of the Deep and Other Stories
|Kull the Conqueror (Vol. 3) #3–10 |February 22, 2012 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-906-1}} |
| The Savage Sword of Kull Volume 1
|Savage Tales #2, |November 17, 2009 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-593-3}} |
| The Savage Sword of Kull Volume 2
|The Savage Sword of Conan #128–140, #145, #147–152, #158, #159, #161, #165, #169, #170, #172, #177, #182, #183, #186, #190–193, #196–199, #202, #213, #215, #229, and #230–233, |October 5, 2011 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-788-3}} |
| Kull Volume 1: The Shadow Kingdom
|Kull #1–6 |October 14, 2009 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-385-4}} |
| Kull Volume 2: The Hate Witch
|Kull: The Hate Witch #1–4 |July 13, 2011 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-730-2}} |
| Kull Volume 3: The Cat and the Skull
|Kull: The Cat and the Skull #1–4 |July 25, 2012 |{{ISBNT|978-1-59582-899-6}} |
=Film=
The 1982 Conan the Barbarian film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger borrowed many elements from Howard's Kull stories. The main villain Thulsa Doom was from the Kull series, as was the serpent cult.{{cite magazine |last=Williams |first=Owen |date=May 2010 |title=Conan the Unmade |magazine=Empire |issue=251 |pages=114–120 |location=London, United Kingdom |publisher=Bauer Media |issn=0957-4948}} Conan's early life as a slave and gladiator in the movie borrows heavily from Kull's origin story and only shares minor details with Conan's literary origins; Conan was never a slave or a gladiator in Howard's stories, and left Cimmeria of his own free will.
The 1997 film Kull the Conqueror stars Kevin Sorbo in the title role. The film was originally intended to be a Conan film and some elements of this remain.{{cite web |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/2760904/erics-bad-movies-kull-the-conqueror-1997/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161110172827/http://www.mtv.com/news/2760904/erics-bad-movies-kull-the-conqueror-1997/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= November 10, 2016 |title= Eric's Bad Movies: Kull the Conqueror (1997) |author= Eric Snider |website= MTV |date= 27 November 2008 }}{{cite web |url= http://popculture.com/entertainment/2017/05/20/arnold-schwarzenegger-conan-the-conqueror/ |title= Arnold Schwarzenegger Updates Status Of Next Conan Movie |author= Jamie Lovett |date= 20 May 2007 |website= Pop Culture Media }} The story's basis and several names can be directly traced to the Conan story "The Hour of the Dragon".
=Namesakes in other works of fiction=
Kull may have been the source of the name of King Kull, a Fawcett Comics supervillain and foe of Captain Marvel, later acquired by DC Comics.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} This King Kull combines barbarian elements with the bizarre science fiction elements common in Captain Marvel stories of the Golden Age of comic books.
Chronology
In Robert E. Howard's story "Kings of the Night", a character living in the time of the Roman Empire states that a contemporary of Kull's "has been dead a hundred thousand years as we reckon time."
Copyright and trademark
The name Kull was registered as a trademark by Kull Productions in 1985. The trademark is now owned by Robert E. Howard Properties.{{US trademark|1347678}}
The Australian site of Project Gutenberg has many Robert E. Howard stories, including several Kull stories.[http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-a-m.html#letterH A - M, Project Gutenberg Australia free ebooks ebook etext etexts] This indicates that, in their opinion, the stories hosted on the site are free from copyright and may be used by anyone, at least under Australian law. Subsequent stories written by other authors are subject to the copyright laws of the relevant time.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Kull}}
{{Robert E. Howard}}
Category:Fantasy books by series
Category:Male characters in literature
Category:Barbarians in popular culture
Category:Characters in pulp fiction
Category:Fantasy film characters
Category:Fictional mercenaries
Category:Fictional swordfighters in literature
Category:Literary characters introduced in 1929
Category:Marvel Comics Atlanteans (pre-cataclysm)
Category:Novels adapted into comics