Tor

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Tor (comics)

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TOR (1993) Joe Kubert

February 20, 2014 Manuel Rodriguez Yague Comic 0 

Some authors embody a way of making comics, they symbolize a whole way of storytelling. His mastery becomes an example and influence for generations of later artists, mimicking your style or incorporate some of their findings to their respective techniques. Joe Kubert was one of them. His extensive career in the world of cartoons, unconditional love-and always professed that materialized in opening a school where he trained future renombre- artists and their ability to tell when intelligently using all resources at your disposal, you have become a paradigm that peculiar way of narrating the comic book American: dynamic assemblies, (not realistic) naturalistic drawing, story line and action-oriented ...

[1]One of the characters in the most worked and whose stories exemplified above, was Tor . This cave, created with his classmate at the School of Arts Norman Maurer , was born in September 1953 at number one in the collection entitled " 1,000,000 Years Ago ", published by St. John Publishing , a company for which Kubert was working as editor. Tor was a caveman, a transcript of Tarzan of Prehistory with elements of the genre of Lost Worlds that ran a primitive world fraught with danger in the form of huge and deadly beasts.

The character starred in one of the first experiments in 3-D, making this format in his Number 2 (November 1953), but back in the year following its two-dimensionality while again changed the title to " Tor "(May 1954). The series did not last beyond the Number 5 (October 1954), but the fact that when he St John left the publishing ceded the rights to his character Kubert , which was free and to recover it or leave your will.

Along with Carmine Infantino , tried to relaunch in 1959 as a comic book for the press, but was unsuccessful. In the mid-seventies, when DC launched a series of collections that were trying to get away from the superhero genre and under other fantasy-themed titles ("Atlas", "Claw The Unconquered", "Warlord" ...), Kubert has the opportunity to get his primitive man.

Tor was now a more mature and experienced to be, and Kubert much more expert author. His powerful images highlight this title made ​​over many others. Tor remembered in this collection the early years of the protagonist and maturity challenges, challenges that required the most primitive instincts of man.

This revival lasted only six issues (only the first new material had [2], the rest were reprints with new covers), but as the author continued to maintain his rights, he could continue working with other publishers (Eclipse, Atomeka Press, Epic Comics) or autoeditarlo even as it did in 1977 in the magazine " Sojourn "on his label White Cliffs Publishing . In an industry where companies fought to the end for the rights to their characters, rarely an American author had such control over one of his creations (other notable exceptions were Will Eisner and the " Spirit "or Jack Kirby andJoe Simon and his " Fighting American ")

In the nineties, when many of their peers and were heading to retirement firm step, Kubert started an excellent new stage through the development of several graphic novels and brief appearances in comic books.He created " Abraham Stone "to Malibu and then returned to his favorite caveman, Tor , in a limited series of four episodes for Epic in 1993 That number constituted not only proof that after sixty years before the drawing board was the master in top form, but a real lesson that should absorb anyone who wants to pursue this in the cartoons.

The action takes place in a distant past-the coexistence of humans with dinosaurs and other creatures, fruit over fantasy of paleontology, not directly included in the heroic fantasy genre. Tor is the son of the leader of a tribe killed by a brutal game of outsiders. Fleeing for his life, took refuge on the slopes of an active volcano, where he saves a girl who was going to be offered as a sacrifice for bestial humanoid appearance.But both are trapped and Tor must find ways not only to survive the test that will subject their captors, but to carry out his revenge against those who murdered his father and his tribe subjugated.

It is an argument without too many surprises. Kubert creates its own primitive world of old pulp stories in which what matters is to survive physical strength, courage and cunning. The hero responds to the archetype of the young stripped of their heritage and seeking revenge first and a place to find peace after. Tor is a "noble raw" capable of acts of raw violence, yes, but also feelings more complex, such as compassion or contempt . There is also the familiar theme of lust for power and its abuse. It is also interesting that Kubert does not fall into the void eroticism (always finds a graphical solution to hide the nakedness of the female lead) or the syndrome of "happy ending." Tor gets the intended revenge, but keeps the girl did not stand between a people who betrayed him as much as he now praise as a leader.

On the scheme in a relatively simple, linear and known in broad outline history Kubert constructs a succession of charged power and emotion through skilful not only in the drawing, but in the assembly scenes.

[3]

Indeed, Kubert demonstrated in " Tor "his stature as an integral narrator. Domina expressiveness of the figure and face, reflecting on them with great intensity but without fuss emotions such as anger, surprise, fear, tension, sadness ... Those emotions and action that are accompanied by a reinforcement assembly Dynamic fail all options available to them: tracking shots, angles, Elongated bullets, bullet-page zooms ... is hard to find an author who pour such excellence in all its pages. In none of these boredom, sameness or mechanical work is detected. They are bold in design, perfect in its execution, clear in his narrative . And that's saying something in an industry that pushes authors to fill pages and pages each month, pushing them to take shortcuts and recycle the same images over and over again. But no matter how many times you put Kubert drawing the same story, it always seems to do this first.

His stroke is loose and fast, yet accurate and nothing overloaded, knowing in their place, the lines and shadows to achieve the desired effect: movement, tension, mystery ...

Therefore, the texts abound. There is no dialogue in " Tor ". Not needed. And the truth is that given the narrative clarity that displays Kubert , also would require most support texts, too repetitive about what the picture shows and perhaps drag that old school did not understand the comic without text whatsoever.

" Tor "is ultimately a story of prehistoric exploits by running well known places and topics, yes, but whose masterful performance makes it absolutely recommended for any lover of adventure comic classic cut impeccably executed by one of the masters of genus.

Original article in a science fiction universe

  

Tags: Joe Kubert Tor

color:rgb(170,170,170)rgb(170,170,170)rgb(170,170,170)rgb(244,196,48);background:rgb(251,251,251);" | class="mbox-image" style="border:none;padding:2px0px2px0.5em;text-align:center;"| | class="mbox-text" style="border:none;padding:0.25em0.5em;width:835px;"|This article's lead section may not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (June 2014) |}

[4]Tor. Art by Joe Kubert.

Tor is a fictional character, a prehistoric-human protagonist who originated in comic books from the U.S. company St. John Publications. He was created by writer and artist Joe Kubert in 1,000,000 Years Ago! (Sept. 1953).

The character went on to appear in new stories and reprint collections published by DC Comics, Eclipse Comics, and others.

Contents

 [hide] *1 Publication history

• 2 Bibliography of the original publication
• 3 Collected editions
• 4 References
• 5 External links

Publication history

[5]Tor makes his first appearance as he rushes to aid his monkey Chee-Chee from the attack of aBrontosaurus-like carnivorous Dinosaur. From 1,000,000 Years Ago! #1 (1953) published by St. John Comics. Cover art by Joe Kubert

After his debut in 1,000,000 Years Ago (St. John, September 1953), Tor immediately went on to become one of the first comic book characters to star in 3-D comic books. The second issue of that series was renamed 3-D Comics before being renamed Tor with issue #3 in May 1954. At this point the series was once again in the traditional two-dimensional format. This series lasted until issue #5 (October 1954).

In 1959, Kubert and inker Carmine Infantino unsuccessfully attempted to sell Tor as a newspaper comic strip. The samples consisted of 12 daily strips, reprinted in six pages in Alter Ego #10 (1969) and later expanded to 16 pages in DC Comics' Tor #1. DC Comics would publish the Tor series for 6 issues from 1974-1975.

[6] Tor v2 #5, 1975 - Joe Kubert draws a chaotic, yet well composed cover design. Tor fends off a much larger, brutish caveman while Pterodactyls circle around them. The masthead tucks itself behind the brute's arm yet in front of the flying dinosaur's wing, increasing the illusion of depth. The interior reprints "The Giant One" and "Danny Dreams" from Tor #2B. Both are printed in color for the first time. This is number 5 of 6 Tor v2 issues with Kubert art and/or covers. See today's posts or more Kubert or Tor issues.See also this blog's  Kubert checklist. - - - - - - - - - - Kubert c'over pencils and inks = ***' "The Giant One" 'Kubert' pencils and inks 12 pages (first time 'in color') = *** "Danny Dreams" 'Kubert' pencils and inks 5 pages (first time 'in color') = *** - - - - - - - - - - Find on ebay: >this issue, >more Kubert issues, >more Tor issues

[7][8] Tor v2 #5, 1975 - Joe Kubert draws a chaotic, yet well composed cover design. Tor fends off a much larger, brutish caveman while Pterodactyls circle around them. The masthead tucks itself behind the brute's arm yet in front of the flying dinosaur's wing, increasing the illusion of depth. The interior reprints "The Giant One" and "Danny Dreams" from Tor #2B. Both are printed in color for the first time. This is number 5 of 6 Tor v2 issues with Kubert art and/or covers. See today's posts or more Kubert or Tor issues.See also this blog's  Kubert checklist. - - - - - - - - - - Kubert c'over pencils and inks = ***' "The Giant One" 'Kubert' pencils and inks 12 pages (first time 'in color') = *** "Danny Dreams" 'Kubert' pencils and inks 5 pages (first time 'in color') = *** - - - - - - - - - - Find on ebay: >this issue, >more Kubert issues, >more Tor issues

Eclipse Comics reprinted the two 3-D Comics featuring Tor, both in 3-D and non-3-D versions in 1986. As well, the magazine Sojourn featured new Tor stories by Kubert, and in 1993, Marvel Comics' Epic imprint published the four-issue miniseries Tor, with new stories by Kubert, who had acquired and maintained rights to the character.

Alter Ego #77 (May 2008) has a long article on St. John comics by noted comic historian Ken Quattro. The cover reprints the cover of Tor #3 from the original artwork and there is a Roy Thomas interview with Joe Kubert about his experiences at St. John.

Between 2001 and 2003, DC Comics published a three volume hardcover reprint series called Tor, while in 2008, they published a new six issue miniseries. In 2009, DC published a hardcover collection called Tor: A Prehistoric Odyssey, while in 2010 they published it in the softcover format.

A two-page story drawn by comics legend Lou Fine in a toy company's custom one-shot, Wham-O Giant Comics (1967), starred a prehistoric man named Tor, but this character is unrelated to the same-name Kubert creation .

Bibliography of the original publication

The first six comic books starring Tor were published under three different titles — the second of these in multiple 3-D editions:

• 1,000,000 Years Ago (Sept. 1953)

Tor in "Dawn", 11 pages + 1 extra page, 11-page reprint in DC's Tor #2; "Danny Dreams", 7 pages, reprinted in DC's Tor #2.

• 3-D Comics #2 (Oct. 1953)

"Tor" 8 pages; "Fire", 6 pages; "Imagine", 3 pages, both reprinted in DC's Tor #6.

• 3-D Comics #2 (Nov. 1953)

"Killer Man", 6 pages, reprinted in DC's Tor #4; "Giant-One", 10 pages + 2 extra pages, reprinted in DC's Tor #5; "The Run-Away".

• Tor #3 (May 1954)

"Isle of Fire", 11 pages reprinted in DC Tor 3; "Black Valley", 9 pages. reprinted in DC's "Tor" #4 with 1 extra page; "Danny Dreams", by Alex Toth.

• Tor #4 (July 1954)

"Red Death", 10 pages; "Last Chance", 4 pages; "Great Wolf", 7 pages.

• Tor #5 (Oct. 1954)

"Falling Fire", 10 pages; "Murder", 4 pages; "Man-Beast", 7 pages.

Collected editions

Three hardback books published as the "DC Comics Joe Kubert Library" reprints the St. John comics from the 1950s, the stories of DC's 1975 Tor #1-6, and the 1993 Marvel/Epic miniseries Tor #1-4.

• Tor, Volume One - ISBN 1-56389-781-4
• Tor, Volume Two - ISBN 1-56389-830-6
• Tor, Volume Three - ISBN 1-56389-998-1
• Tor: A Prehistoric Odyssey

References

1.  "GCD :: Covers :: 3-D Comics". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
2.  "GCD :: Covers :: Tor". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
3.  "GCD :: Covers :: Tor". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
4.  "GCD :: Covers :: Tor 3-D". Comics.org. 1986-07-01. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
5.  "GCD :: Covers :: Tor". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
6.  "GCD :: Covers :: Tor". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
7.  "GCD :: Covers :: Tor". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
8.  "GCD :: Issue :: Tor: A Prehistoric Odyssey #[nn"]. Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
9.  "GCD :: Series :: Tor: A Prehistoric Odyssey". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
10.  "GCD :: Issue :: Wham-O Giant Comics #1". Comics.org. Retrieved 2012-08-13.

External links

• Archer St. John & the Little Company That Could

Categories: 

• DC Comics titles
• Eclipse Comics titles
• Epic Comics titles
• Fictional prehistoric characters
• Fantasy comics
• DC Comics fantasy characters
• Jungle (genre) comics

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File:Tor Kubert.jpg

Tor. Art by Joe Kubert.

Tor is a fictional character, a prehistoric-human protagonist who originated in comic books from the U.S. company St. John Publications. He was created by writer and artist Joe Kubert in 1,000,000 Years Ago! (Sept. 1953).  The character went on to appear in new stories and reprint collections published by DC Comics, Eclipse Comics, and others. ==Publication history==

File:Tor1st.jpg

Tor makes his first appearance as he rushes to aid his monkey Chee-Chee from the attack of a Brontosaurus-like carnivorous Dinosaur. From 1,000,000 Years Ago! #1 (1953) published by St. John Comics. Cover art by Joe Kubert

 After his debut in 1,000,000 Years Ago (St. John, September 1953), Tor immediately went on to become one of the first comic book characters to star in 3-D comic books. The second issue of that series was renamed 3-D Comics before being renamed Tor with issue #3 in May 1954. At this point the series was once again in the traditional two-dimensional format. This series lasted until issue #5 (October 1954). In 1959, Kubert and inker Carmine Infantino unsuccessfully attempted to sell Tor as a newspaper comic strip. The samples consisted of 12 daily strips, reprinted in six pages in Alter Ego #10 (1969) and later expanded to 16 pages in DC Comics' Tor #1. DC Comics would publish the Tor series for 6 issues from 1974-1975.

Eclipse Comics reprinted the two 3-D Comics featuring Tor, both in 3-D and non-3-D versions in 1986. As well, the magazine Sojourn featured new Tor stories by Kubert, and in 1993, Marvel Comics' Epic imprint published the four-issue miniseries Tor, with new stories by Kubert, who had acquired and maintained rights to the character. Alter Ego #77 (May 2008) has a long article on St. John comics by noted comic historian Ken Quattro.  The cover reprints the cover of Tor #3 from the original artwork and there is a Roy Thomas interview with Joe Kubert about his experiences at St. John. Between 2001 and 2003, DC Comics published a three volume hardcover reprint series called Tor, while in 2008, they published a new six issue miniseries. In 2009, DC published a hardcover collection called Tor: A Prehistoric Odyssey, while in 2010 they published it in the softcover format. A two-page story drawn by comics legend Lou Fine in a toy company's custom one-shot, Wham-O Giant Comics (1967), starred a prehistoric man named Tor, but this character is unrelated to the same-name Kubert creation.

Bibliography of the original publication

The first six comic books starring Tor were published under three different titles — the second of these in multiple 3-D editions:*1,000,000 Years Ago (Sept. 1953):Tor in "Dawn", 11 pages + 1 extra page, 11-page reprint in DC's Tor #2; "Danny Dreams", 7 pages, reprinted in DC's Tor #2.*3-D Comics #2 (Oct. 1953):"Tor" 8 pages; "Fire", 6 pages; "Imagine", 3 pages, both reprinted in DC's Tor #6.*3-D Comics #2 (Nov. 1953):"Killer Man", 6 pages, reprinted in DC's Tor #4; "Giant-One", 10 pages + 2 extra pages, reprinted in DC's Tor #5; "The Run-Away".*Tor #3 (May 1954):"Isle of Fire", 11 pages reprinted in DC Tor 3; "Black Valley", 9 pages. reprinted in DC's "Tor" #4 with 1 extra page; "Danny Dreams", by Alex Toth.*Tor #4 (July 1954):"Red Death", 10 pages; "Last Chance", 4 pages; "Great Wolf", 7 pages.*Tor #5 (Oct. 1954):"Falling Fire", 10 pages; "Murder", 4 pages;  "Man-Beast", 7 pages. 

Collected editions

Three hardback books published as the "DC Comics Joe Kubert Library" reprints the St. John comics from the 1950s, the stories of DC's 1975 Tor #1-6, and the 1993 Marvel/Epic miniseries Tor #1-4.  * Tor, Volume One - ISBN 1-56389-781-4* Tor, Volume Two - ISBN 1-56389-830-6* Tor, Volume Three - ISBN 1-56389-998-1* Tor: A Prehistoric Odyssey

References

 ==External links==

• Archer St. John & the Little Company That Could