Random Happenstance

Probably our last dive into Marvel's short-lived Frontier imprint here, as we previously saw Children of the Voyager and Dances with Demons, both of which would have been right at home at Vertigo. But today's book probably should've have been Heavy Metal, all the way! From 1993, Bloodseed #1, "Chapter One: Cold Blood" Script by Paul Neary, Liam Sharp, and Cam Smith; pencils by Liam Sharp, inks by Cam Smith.

All is not as it seems here, but a barbarian-type wakes up in a frozen wasteland. He doesn't remember much, except that his name was Lysander, and he had once been warrior-king of Elysium. Something has taken his memory, his kingdom, and his queen Ellissya away, but what? And how can he get them back? Sounds like time for a quest, but it's not a typical D&D fantasy setting: he finds a mysterious chamber of technology he doesn't understand, although he does get a mighty weapon...a really big wrench! From there he has an encounter with an anglerfish-like creature with a siren lure, then fights to save a telepathic pterodactyl? The pterodactyl is a friendly sort, who explains Lysander's power to heal himself and others through telekinesis (it worked to explain Superman's powers back then!) and asks him to give up his quest and come hang, since his people were going to hibernate soon, it was too damn cold. Lysander declines, but accepts some gifts: some clothes, and a "helmet of truth." The clothes include a cloak, and what appears to be a larger pelvis that he's wearing as a loincloth over his pelvis. Where form meets function, I guess?

Later, Lysander finds a sort of way station, filled with holographic guides and somewhat tawdry visions of Ellissya. Feeling sullied by that, he continues on, to a massive tower, guarded by a water creature, that is set on him by the hooded bad guy...who looks like Lysander, minus an arm! He has a little tirade, about who will be "the one true Bloodseed!"

Viewer discretion may be advised: there is way more nudity than usual in this one! They probably should've put that on the cover; it couldn't have hurt sales. And maybe even more in the second issue, where our hero meets another version of Ellissya, who seems to remember she had ruled Elysium, with him as her boy-toy consort! There are clues that they were all genetically-engineered and seeded on this world, but why...? We don't get the full picture, or the full series. The Frontier comics editorial page we mentioned before says this was going to be a four-issue mini, but may have fallen behind from the start: the two issues released were "book 1" but the rest never happened. An editorial page in one of the other Frontier books spins it as hey, cool art takes time; but this hit the stands at about the same time as the crash of the comic book market: there were just reams of books out there, with most of them probably cannibalizing their own market. The Bullpen Bulletins page this issue had a checklist, with 28 books coming out that week, and Bloodseed wasn't even on it! (Psychonauts #1 was!) Liam Sharp has done tons of stuff since, though: I thought he might've been pulled from this to his run on Incredible Hulk, but he might've done some Death's Head stuff in-between. Which I may also have grabbed, we'll see; and there was maybe one more Frontier book we'll see later. (I said no, Mortigan Goth! Although I do like that third cover...)