Thrud The Barbarian - Reception and Awards

Reception and Awards

Thrud the Barbarian was one of the best loved pieces in White Dwarf over the five years that the strip ran, being voted "Most popular feature" for three consecutive years during the magazine's golden age. Long-term fans of Thrud were excited and nostalgic to see him return in his own full-length comic, but were concerned that the idea would not stretch to 24 pages. In reviewing issue 1, Jez Higgins, writing on TRS2, and Robert Clark of Strike to Stun, considered the comic a success that was more than one joke spread thin and which was not limited by the single page brevity of the original strip. Steven Maxwell of Bulletproof Comics, however, found that what worked well within the constraints of a single page seemed stretched when spun out over 24. Issue 2 received similarly mixed reviews, with Clark criticising the comic for being much the same, with the same themes and joke as issue 1 while Glenn Carter of Comics Bulletin found it to be well written light reading with quite a few elements of humour. Overall, the comic was deemed a success, with even the more negative reviewers awarding it 6 out of 10 and looking forward to more issues.

Although the writing received mixed reviews, the reception of the artwork was almost entirely positive. Higgins, recalling the heavy blacks and bold outlines of the original strip, found Critchlow's new style to be much more open and expressive. Maxwell also praised Critchlow's development as an artist, judging the comic to be beautifully drawn and coloured with a clear line style. Carter thought that the art was a little flat in places, but nevertheless praised it for being unique with a lot of character.

Critchlow was also commended for the risky decision to write, draw and publish the comic himself. The comic was compared favourably with professional quality comics, with its lack of adverts viewed as an advantage over those offerings. The high production values were also praised, with the glossy cover and high quality paper used for the inner pages.

In 2004, Thrud the Barbarian won the Eagle Award for "Favourite British Small Press Title". In 2006 Thrud was nominated for the "Favourite Colour Comicbook – British" Eagle Award, but lost out to 2000 AD.