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| Viking Prince | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Brave and the Bold #1 (August/September 1955) |
| Created by | Robert Kanigher (writer) Joe Kubert (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jon Haraldson |
| Abilities | No superpowers, has all the skills and abilities of a fully trained knight. |
The Viking Prince is a fictional Viking hero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #1 (August 1955), and was created by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Joe Kubert. He was one of three historical fiction characters to premiere in the first issue (the other two being the Silent Knight and the Golden Gladiator).
Fictional character biography
In The Brave and the Bold #1, the main character is found amnesiac, on a beach by 10th century Scandinavian fishermen, who named him "Jon" after a legendary prince. His enemy Thorvald knew his true identity, and wanted to kill him before he regained his memory, or met someone else who recognized him. This set-up was ignored by later writers, some of whom made no mention of his background, while others portrayed him as an actual prince, the son of King Rikk.
The Viking Prince continued to appear in The Brave and the Bold until #24 (Jun/Jul 1959).
In Our Army at War #162-163 (Jan 1966 & Feb 1966) Sergeant Rock found the Viking Prince in a glacier. He was defrosted, and fought alongside Rock in World War II. Jon had a death wish, because he had fallen in love with a valkyrie, and was banished from Valhalla by Odin, who said he could only return to his love if he died a heroic death. However, Odin also made the Viking Prince invulnerable to all known weapons. He is killed by plastique explosive, an unknown weapon at the time the curse was made. (In current continuity, Jon was still killed in World War II, but made his way to this period through a time warp, rather than being frozen.)
The Viking Prince was part of the Lord of Time's Five Warriors from Forever in Justice League of America #159-160.
The Viking Prince appeared in a backup strip in "Arak, Son of Thunder", issues 8 - 11 (April - July, 1982). The four part story, "Frozen Hell for a Viking" was written by Kanigher and drawn by Jan Duursema, a graduate of Kubert's art school.
In Legends of the Dark Knight #35 (early Aug 1992) Batman encounters Jon Rikkson, a modern-day descendant of the Prince who has become an environmental crusader. The story also features a legend describing Prince Jon's encounter with a Viking Batman.
In Birds of Prey #29 (Jul 2001) Black Canary, having been sent back in time to 12th century America, meets Jon Haraldson, the Viking Prince, who is one of the Viking explorers who have discovered Vinland, and they have a brief relationship before she returns to the 21st century. Jon takes a bullet intended for Dinah, but apparently survives, later being described as mourning "a love lost to time".
The Viking Prince appears in The War That Time Forgot (2008 miniseries), in which warriors from throughout history find themselves on a mysterious island.
The Viking Prince is one of six DC heroes featured in Walter Simonson's 2012 graphic novel "The Judas Coin".
Other versions
Justice League Unlimited
The Viking Prince is the focus of one of the episodes of the Justice league animated series titled "to another shore."
DC: The New Frontier
The Viking Prince appears briefly in Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier, a story of his being cast away and washing up on Dinosaur Island is told in a book discovered by the Martian Manhunter in his guise of John Jones.
Collected Editions
- The Viking Prince (Collects The Brave and the Bold #1-5, 7-24 & Our Army at War #162-163); ISBN 978-1-4012-2777-7
In other media
Television
- Jon appears, as a corpse, in the Justice League Unlimited episode "To Another Shore".
External links
- Viking Prince at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
- Jon Riksson at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
- Viking Prince at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015.