Unlike Conan and the works of Robert E. Howard, J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (forget about any of his other books!) have received few adaptations. Fortunately the ones we have are worthy.

Art by Wally Wood

The earliest Tolkien related comic was a parody of Middle Earth done by comics master, Wally Wood, for DC Comics’ Plop #23 (September-October 1976) called “King of the Ring”. Wood was working before any movies or even that many Hildebrandt calendars. His send-up feels much like Harvard Lampoon’s Bored of the Rings (1968). Wood himself had been drawing Fantasy comics since the 1960s though published only in the underground comics arena. Later he would present these in Warren publications like 1984.

Rankin-Bass’s The Hobbit

1977 saw the release of Rankin-Bass’s The Hobbit on TV and 1978 Ralph Bakshi’s first half of The Lord of the Rings in theaters. In Europe, a comic book was released in many languages based on the Bakshi version. These were drawn by Luis Bermejo.

Art by Luis Bermejo

1989 brought us David T. Wenzel’s The Hobbit for Eclipse Comics. Since 1989 the comic has been collected and reprinted all over the world in many languages. Originally spread out over three issues, this comic adapted faithfully the first novel. Wenzel got his Fantasy comics start with Marvel and adapting the Bran Mak Morn stories for Savage Sword of Conan. The Hobbit was a massive step-up because it is in water-color. He went on to do several other non-Tolkien fantasy graphic novels. The original English adaptation for The Hobbit was done by Chuck Dixon. Dixon got his start in S&S writing for Savage Sword of Conan and later did Brath in 2003.

Art by David T. Wenzel

And that’s about it. No spin-off Aragorn comics, no Legalas & Gimli mini-series, no Savage Sword of Mordor.

And that is the key here. The Tolkien estate was very strict in deciding when and how any adaptations would happen. Robert E. Howard died of suicide in 1936, leaving his estate in the hands of fans and enthusiasts. People like Glenn Lord were active in promoting Howard’s legacy, while the Tolkien children were understandably less free with copyrights. (remember the paperbacks of 1965?)

I know the Tolkien estate wanted it this way, BUT imagine what might have come out of the 1970s and 1980s if there had been more Tolkien comics? It would have changed the direction of graphic Fantasy adventure everywhere. We are finally seeing this new dimension explored with the new television series. We can hope there will be opportunities in comics too.