Kaleb Daark – A Second Look
If you have been into oldhammer for a while, and know your way around, You will probably know who Kaleb Daark was. I am not gonna do a complete rundown on this because it’s known, it has been told and stuff. Gideon, over at his ‘Awesome Lies’ blog did a nice brief talk on the character but at the current time of writing, it’s not online for viewing on his site but check out https://awesomeliesblog.wordpress.com anyway.
For people who don’t know, I’ll do a brief intro:
In the Third Citadel Compendium, released December 1985, The first chapter of the new Warhammer Comic strip ‘The Quest of Kaleb Daark” appeared. It was completely different from had been done before for Citadel and Games Workshop, and featured freelance external writers and artists. In this case, John Wagner & Alan Grant on the writing, with Brett Ewins with Jim McCarthy on art, with Steve Potter on Letters. These were professional comic people who have had a string of successes and were then currently on 2000AD doing the likes of Judge Dredd (which Wagner co-created). Games Workshop made a big plug for this and it was clearly the next big thing for them.
The story followed Kaleb Daark, a Elf turned Chaos Champion, in the service of Malal, the Renegade chaos god. While it is nothing new for the Chaos Gods to fight amongst themselves for power, Malal was still a renegade and Daark was a man of Chaos to whom all Chaos was his enemy. Loyal to no-one but Malal, he wished only to kill all chaos, which is how come Malal had come to him. What was Malal’s reasons? we don’t know. After the first part, he returned for part two in the third Citadel Journal (March 1986) along with the first set of rules. They released a figure pack which contained Kaleb Daark on foot, and on horse back, along with the rules to play with him in Warhammer (then 2nd Edition Fantasy Battle but also gives stuff for Fantasy roleplay 1st Edition). The third chapter appeared in the Fourth Citadel Journal (January 1987) which included two villains for him to fight, Jaek and Helwud, the Chaos Brothers. Like Daark, they also had figure packs, each containing a standing and mounted figure, along with the rules for them.
and that was it. Everything was dropped.
As Gideon pointed out, with some information from Rick Priestley, there appeared to be two factors for it being dropped. the Citadel Compendium and Journal (in that current format) stopped and there was a huge IP blow out. It appears Wagner and Grant thought it was, much like Wagner had originally almost got for Judge Dredd, a Freelance package. They produce it for GW to use, but they owned the copyrights and stuff.. Where as GW was going at it from the side there normal business practice of ‘work for hire means anything you create for the company, becomes owned by the company’. But that was the end of that, and all planned future content was scrapped.
Now, the reason this is a second look is, I felt there were bits, probably due to his background, that was missing from this whole story which I wanted to add.
Back in the late 70s, when Pat Mills was working on the comic to become 2000AD, John Wagner was told that the new job he was doing, Judge Dredd, was to be a contract Job. Basically, this meant, as said about above, they would write it, get it drawn and everything as a complete package, which was then sold to the comic for an agreed price. Not only did it allow the creators to receive credits for story and art, but had some level of copyright on there work as well as a better level of income. While this isn’t and still isn’t, an industry standard, it is something that has been done a fair bit (it’s how alot of Newspaper scripts were done) and something that creators in the late 70s, early 80s had been fighting for. However, not long before launch date, he was told it would instead be in-house. So Wagner quit after doing his first Dredd script.. and then came back a couple of months later cause the work was fun and the money was good.
This does appear that Wagner was willing, though might have needed some good compensation, to do work-for-hire. It appears the contract with Games Workshop was… well, as far as I’m aware, no-one outside of the initial situation has seen a contract or anything. Not all three chapters would have been complete before it started to be published in 1985, though they might have been, but if so, something happened in 1987 to mean nothing more was to come forward and plans changed. The end of chapter 3 promised the next chapter ‘God Amok’, so they would have expected one. New figures had been released so they had invested in this as a big thing, The then in production ‘Realms of Chaos’ was to feature Malal and his legions, with art taken to be Greater and Lessor dæmons for him yet all this, gone.
On the face of things, Kalab Daark was clearly in the Warhammer World. It wasn’t like Wagner and Grant could just take the rest of the strips to 2000AD. But Games workshop couldn’t use Malal, Daark, or the goddess Arianka so there wasn’t much they could go themselves.
The figures, sculpted by the always good Jes Goodwin, went out of production and are kinda sort after now. Daark, being in production longer, is much easier to find then the Chaos Brothers.
I reached out to John Wagner for any comments/memory and from what he can remember, it came to an end because GW discovered that Wagner (et al) had the rights to the characters, and GW wanted it all, so they just pulled the plug. Sadly, that does ring true for a number of GW projects over the years which lead to a number of… iffy things and changes.
Now, there is another shadow over this whole thing. GW was known for using alot of ‘I love this, can we put it into our stuff?’. I’ve said about before that early rule books even credit Michael Moorcock for inspiring alot and Kalab Daark is one of them.
I’m not sure how much of the ideas came from Wagner and Grant, the script clearly has there style to it, but lets just say this. Daark IS Elric of Melniboné.
They are both Elven, with pale skin and pretty much white hair (Elric is an albino, Daark has gone pale due to the strain of his relationship with Malal, making his hair so pale is appears almost white). Both serve a chaos God (Elric serves Arioch, Daark serves Malal). Both have a strained relationship with said god. Both have a soul draining weapon (Elric has the living runeblade ‘Stormbringer’, Daark has the living DreadAxe). Both are pulled on the strings of fate into a quest which isn’t always in their own interest (Elric ends up fighting and destorying everything and everyone he holds dear, ending with taking his own soul, while Daark, despite only wishing to kill Chaos, ends up being forced on a quest to save a Goddess of Law and Order but we have no clue as to it’s end).
Of course, both are taken in a different way but it’s there. Oh and as we are on this point.. Jaek and Helwud, the Chaos Brothers… who even point out, they are on a mission from God. If you don’t know the Blues Brothers reference there, then this strip might not be for you. Hell, the background for them with the rules… raised in an orphanage under close supervision of a priestess, would creep down to the cellar at night to listen to the stories of a stranger there.. boy, it’s soo blues brothers.
And of course, while minor, I kinda have to mention the Goddess Arianka in her crystal prison, is kinda like 5 years before, when Wagner had Psi-Judge Anderson encased in transparent material ‘Boing’ after trapping the spirit of Judge Death inside her mind, sealing them both forever (well, about 100 issues until the Dark Judges turn up looking for Death) and enshrined in the Hall of Justice.
Maybe this hints at why a Chaos god like Malal wanted to help a goddess… and the expression on her face which was.. tricky to tell. All we do know if there was some connection between the two characters.
Also not mentioned but I really should is.. I’m not sure what came first, the figures or the characters. This is somewhat interesting because if you look at the Kaleb Daark figure, mostly take the mounted version (as he has his helmet) it doesn’t quite line up with the art in the first chapter.
While some details we can put down to style and trying to sculpt things, the Helmet in the comic has 2 little wings like ears on a dragon. the figure has HUGE bat wings which are the same size as the helmet, making him greatly look like Judge Fear from 2000AD. Where in the comic has both shoulder pads having mid sized spikes, with the left one mostly taken up with a large skull, the figure has that left one has a HUGE horn/spike, compared to the mid spikes on the Right size, then we move to his mutant horse (revealed in the third part to be called ‘beast‘. The first chapter, it has exposed head with only basic rains, showing it large fangs and a large single horn on his forehead, the figure has an spiked armoured head with twin horns. Where the chapter has an armour skinny tail with a arrow at the end, the figure has a normal horse tail. All in all, the figure has a much more armoured horse, with a chair back for it’s rider, where the comic one doesn’t appear to.
However, in Chapter third, after Daark has removed his armour and then put it back on, his helmet now matches the figure, and his horse is now more armoured, with the two horns, also much more like the figure. On a side note, In the first chapter, Daark is Right handed holding his Axe in his right, with his shield in his left (there is even a picture fairly close to the pose shown on the unmounted figure), In a ritual to talk to Malal, he uses his left hand to cut himself to shed blood, where as by the last few pages of the last chapter, he appear to be Left handed.. there is also the odd panel where.. Malal’s emblem on his chest (half black/half white skull) swaps which side of black and which is white. I think the inker might have gotten a bit confused when inking bits.
I would personally say, the design was come up with first. It was agreed upon. So the first chapter was being drawn while Jes Goodwin was sculpting the figure. Some changes had to be made for sculpting/casting. This was finished after the first chapter was drawn, and later the design was tweaked using the figures when chapters two and three were being drawn.
It’s also of interest if you look at some of the little details in design. Malal’s colours are shown as Black and white with a half-half design down the middle. This is carried into Daark’s design itself with his hair being long on one side (much like his ‘past’ self is shown, where it’s a short crew cut on the other side, he also has a normal eye on the side with long hair, with an enlarge or maybe fake eye on the other. His horse has the same hair deal with his mane being long on the right side, like it’s rider, and short on the left side.
As I’m already here, Chapter two is an early Skaven appearance as there had first appeared not long before and the 3rd Citadel Journal was a big thing for them as it was pretty much their first appearance, with the Scenario ‘Vengeance of the Lichmaster’ featuring them, and John Blanche giving a article on how to Paint Skaven, as well skaven creator Jes Goodwin giving his background and information on them along with the first rule for them. Skaven have often been said to be a real bunch in that pretty much all the major traits which stayed with them were there from the start. This comic shows alot of it as while they are serving Khorne (the chaos side of Skaven was something which did change a bit) they look and act how you would expect. Brett Ewins must have been either given figures or photos for references cause you can ID many of the Skaven troops in this strip, or atleast ones which are close.
Going back to the Miniatures. The second chapter saw the release of the Kaleb Daark Miniature set, which featured both foot (no helmet) and mounted (with Helmet) version of Daark. The third chapter introduced a few champions of Khorne who started to fight against him. the Chaos Brothers had a release, each one released on his own in a set with mounted and unmounted versions (both shared the same Horse Sculpt). But Khorne sent 2 other Champions against Daark at the same time. Zinbar Sickelsword, and Hogan Headhacker. One could also argue that in the first chapter, Sleban Foulheart, who was also a Chaos Champion of Khorne, was a notable player. If the series did continue, I could see these three atleast getting Minis. but that leads to the question.. did they? officially? no. But Citadel was never one to let little things stop them and have been known to retool, or just change the tabbing, on figures from licensed ranges (such as the Eternal Champion and 2000AD-Judge Dredd lines) atleast trying to remain in production. In fact, the non-mounted versions of Jaek and Helwud were later released as part of the Chaos Thugs line.
Well. I’m not sure. Zinbar Sicklesword has, well, a sicklesword and a large warhammer, where Hogan Headhacker is shown with a serrated knife and drinking blood from a head. He later appears to have a helmet which has a crown of Horns. Did Citadel release figures which would match these around the time (or within a few years), most likely by Jes Goodwin, who did the others? maybe.
It should also be pointed out that White Dwarf 83 (November 1986) featured the Warhammer Battlegame (scenario) The Crude, the Mad and the Rusty by Aly Morrison, Jes Goodwin and Graeme Davis. What was special about this one? It was a battle against Skrag the Slaughterer (a ogre chaos Champion figure, first shown in issue 79. Who did he Serve? Malal! he was one of the Doomed Ones, like Kaleb Daark. In fact, outside of Daark, this is pretty much all we get.
The Scenario deals with Skrag, having made his pack with Malal, he was lead to a Chaos Dwarf Stronghold to get a special suit of armour. once made, he then slaughtered the whole lot to consecrate the armour to Malal. But, Chaos Dwarf Spikes-Harvey-Wotan survive and sworn an oath to Khorne that he would end Skrag’s life. The Scenario deals with this battle. Wotan has the Mad dwarven engineer Oxy O’Cetylene and his steampowered tin-man, along with two Chaos Goblin Fanatics ‘Blood’ and ‘Gore’ on his side. It’s a very interesting skirmish game using WFB2 ruleset. Basically Skrag against 5 foes. The figures were already out but they even had a special deal for buying them as a set. Maybe I’ll cover this game/scenario at some point. Even without the figures, they have cut out token versions, like many old GW stuff had. “We want you to buy the minis, but why not just use these proxys for the time being?” love that. Interestingly, while many ‘figures’ were renamed for the Combat Cards, Skrag the Slaughterer appeared in the Monsters set and kept his name. It doesn’t appear that he has the half-half hair design and the paint job doesn’t reflect Malal’s colours but being 1988 when it was released, they would have dropped all the Malal references by this point.
Interesting read but what makes you think Kaleb Daark is an Elf?
While not much in the first chapter, his ears are leaf shaped. In the second it becomes a more pronounced ‘vulcan’ point, noticeability different from all the humans shown in the strip. This carries on to be shown in the third chapter, though ‘Vetch’, assistant to Walpurgis the Mage has very much that style, though in chapter one he appears more as a halfling and kinda treated as such in how the Empire treats Halflings) He also appears, even in figure, to have the more lithe style that Jes Goodwin gave to his Elf characters (and one figure which confuses me).
When the Flashback to his youth takes place, while we could argue the face, his clothing and design does appear more elf-like in again, lithe elf like body, ears still have a point (also hard to tell but interesting he has the one large black ear when still keeper of his own). While we appear to see his Mother killed, and with human features, it’s tricky to tell but IF the woman who you clearly see the head off is meant to be the mother, she does have human ears).
One problem is that he was meant to be from the Southern land. which would kinda say.. why isn’t he dark skinned? the Southern lands are more Araby and are dark skinned humans and related races. Though they could say ‘Southern Land’ as in just more south then where they are at the time. Well.. He is in Praag, and more into Norsca. Which would put the southern parts of the Empire, which is more a mixture of Dwarf, Halfling and Elf areas.
the Warhammer Background for Daark, to allow him for WFRP or WFB doesn’t really give too much to go on apart from a bit more of the ‘yes, we have read Elric’ and when added to the other bits, I felt leant more on the Elf, as Elric being from Melniboné, of an elf-like race which was the source for most of what Jes Goodwin (and probebly others) did for the Elves.
Of course, Melnibonans aren’t really elves, and we can’t take this minor things as 100% confirming either way, but I feel and kinda still do, the evidence more leans on the side of Elf then anything else. Though the closest we really get is ‘Chaos Warrior’. And really, there are only a few people I know who survive that can atleast have a chance of answering this. Rick Priestly, Jes Goodwin or John Wagner. Wagner doesn’t have a great memory of minor details like that, Jes appears… limited about what he’ll talk about and I don’t know any contact for him, and Rick Priestly might be possible, but only seams to get contact via Face Book, which is out for me.
But of course, I could be completely wrong. He might not be an elf. What are your thoughts?
I never thought of his origin as being anything other than human. Not that it makes a difference to his published story anyway.
Fair enough ^_^ He could well be a young pure innocent boy from a rural village in the south of the empire, who was turned to evil by chaos wiping out his village and family before his eyes, and promised revenge against all of Chaos.