BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH'S DARK VAMPIRE GOD - RUNE !!!

A voracious and cunning monster whose sustenance is the very energies of life, and whose prey is all of humanity . . .

An ancient, alien sorcerer whose necromantic gemstones foretell the future and decipher the past . . .

A desperate creature fighting for survival against the ravages of disease consuming him from within . . .

This is . . .RUNE!

I had a strange fascination for Barry Windsor-Smith's Rune comic book series published by Malibu Comics. It was mainly for the dynamic artwork, but his overall work drew me in and kept me with the unique character, until he left the book after issue #6. Rune was creepy, tragic and captivating. Rune gave me a new appreciation for his artistic creativity.

Rune was a human-like alien in the Malibu Ultraverse, until he acquired the Star Stones, magical artifacts which made him virtually immortal, but cursed him with a monstrous form and a vampiric thirst for blood. Ages ago, he found himself stranded on Earth, and has been both worshiped as a god and reviled as a demon throughout history.

He is noted not for just drinking blood, but eating the entirety of his victims, such as one of the powered beings created in the first issue of the Strangers series. His powers had led him to predict the incident so he lay in wait and planned so he could kidnap and consume one of them. 

Here's the beginning of our story, please let me know if you want to see more. So, without further ado, enjoy!

Rune #0 

"Rune"

Plot & Script by Barry Windsor-Smith & Chris Ulm. Pencils by Smith with inks by John Floyd. 

Each Malibu Ultraverse October 1993 issue contained 3 pages of this story. It was published in 11 three-page installments, labelled A through K. Nine of the covers fit together as a puzzle to form the large Rune #0 cover image.  

Rune was created by Barry Windsor-Smith and Chris Ulm.

Barry Windsor-Smith did the covers for Rune #0-#6 & #9. 

The chilling Rune series continued in Godwheel #0-#3 & Rune/Silver Surfer. He even faced Conan the Barbarian, in a tale written and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith. 

 

Live Large My Friends!

Thank You!