Voltar (comics)

Voltar
Illustration for first release in the Philippines, 1963
Publication information
PublisherCraf Publications (Philippines), Warren Publishing (USA)
Publication date1963 (Philippines), 1977 (USA)
Main character(s)Voltar
Creative team
Created byAlfredo Alcala

Voltar was a comic strip title and comic book character created, written, and illustrated by Filipino illustrator Alfredo Alcala in 1963.[1] A story about Vikings, Voltar was first published in the Philippines by CRAF Publications, a comic book company established by Alcala himself, together with other colleagues in the field of comics such as Virgilio Redondo, Nestor Redondo, Amado Castrillo, and Tony Caravana, among others. Voltar was described as one of the most spectacular comic strips to ever appear in Philippine comics.[2]

Although the inspiration for Voltar, as a Viking saga[3] and as a tale about a "barbarian hero",[4] was the Conan the Barbarian novels written by Robert E. Howard,[4] the style of the illustrations was described by G.W. Thomas as "brilliant for 1963" because it was done seven years before any actual illustration of Conan the Barbarian as a character in comics existed.[1] Voltar was first published in the United States by debuting in Magic Carpet #1 (1977)[5] and then in Warren's comic magazine The Rook in 1980, after Alcala drew artworks for Marvel Comics, particularly The Savage Sword of Conan.[1] "The End Time", written by the Bill DuBay, was printed in The Rook from issue 2 through 9.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Voltar" (Alcala Komiks Magazine) (1963)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Komik was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Voltar, a Viking saga, ALFREDO ALCALA
  4. ^ a b Voltar, a Viking saga Archived October 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Alfredo Alcala
  5. ^ Per Arndt, "The Warren Magazines", artist "[Alfredo] Alcala's Voltar character had been invented in the Philippines back in the 1960s.... He debuted in America in Magic Carpet #1 (1977) with scripting by Manuel Auad."