Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Howard Chaykin

The second thing to happen at this time was that a new generation of artists, whose styles were still-developing but were all utterly unique, were gaining toeholds at the Big Two.

Leiber wrote stories and novellas about the duo until 1988 and their collected adventures remain in print, currently in three omnibus volumes from Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy. They burst into print in Unknown a competitor to Weird Tales where Conan held sway, with a story in 1939.

His companion known as the Mouser was, at best, five feet tall and a rogue in every way. The red-haired Fafhrd was a seven-foot tall giant who was as good a singer as he was a swordsman. The author deliberately created a pair unlike Howard’s hulking, monosyllabic brute. Leiber was already a prolific writer when he created the pair with his friend Harry Otto Fischer first through correspondence and then prose. Writer Denny O’Neil suggested they acquire the rights to Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Howard’s creations and similar barbarians like Thongor, DC Comics wanted in on what might have been a hot genre.Īs DC tended to do at the time, they went for something a little more sophisticated, a little more literate.

Nothing indicates success like imitation so while Marvel was scooping up Robert E. And thanks to Roy Thomas’ efforts, sword and sorcery came to comics with the successful Conan the Barbarian. First, it was a period of experimentation as superheroes waned in popularity a bit making room for more war, western, and supernatural titles. *I have very fond memories of reading this comic miniseries on my bed as a teenager.The early 1970s was an exciting period for a comic book reader because two different things were happening. I really wish these comics were twice as long as they were to let them breathe a bit. For example, Fafhrd and Grey Mouser find a barrel of brandy at a story's end and discuss it as if it resolved some mystery, but I wasn't entirely sure about its significance. Chaykin's script whittles the tales down to bare bones and some of the smaller elements of storytelling get lost. This story is obviously more fantastic than the other, and also a great deal of fun.īut they're both too breezy, I think. The second story allows the two heroes a stroll on the ocean floor, seeking a night of romance with two sea-maidens. The first story features a little satire on religion, which, oddly enough, involves the least amount of fantasy of all of the stories in the series. This one features great art like the others, and Chaykin is cheeky as ever with the dialogue. The last of my nostalgia-fueled re-read of the F&GM books by Mignola, Williamson, and Chaykin.*

Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Howard Chaykin