Claw the Unconquered

Open main menu Wikipedia Search Wikipedia Show my notifications Claw the Unconquered. Claw is a fictional character, a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Claw the Unconquered #1 (June 1975), in which he was created by writer David Michelinie and designed by artist Ernie Chan.[1][2]

Claw Publication information Publisher DC Comics First appearance Claw the Unconquered #1 (May–June 1975) Created by David Michelinie (writer) Ernie Chan (artist) In-story information Alter ego Valcan Scaramax Place of origin Pytharia Abilities Master swordsman, magical claw on right arm. Similar in many ways to Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian (and, more particularly, Marvel Comics's depiction of him),and a bit of Prince Corum Jhaelen Irsei ,who also possesses a demon hand.Claw carries a sword called Moonthorn and that makes him similar to Elric ,another Michael Moorcock character.Claw is often thought of as what some fans and scholars refers to as a Clonan-a clone of Conan. Claw is a wanderer and a barbarian in an apparently prehistoric age who battles various wizards, thieves, monsters, and warriors who cross his path. Unlike Conan, however, Claw has a deformed, claw-like right hand, the result of a curse which has been placed on his family. Known Relatives of Claw (Valcan Scaramax are: Kregar of Kanon Wood (father, deceased), mother (name unrevealed, deceased), an ancestor whose name wasn’t mentioned (deceased), Claw of Pytharia (possibly a descendant, see above), John Chan (aka Claw, descendant). Valcan once described himself as a member of the “Valcan clan”, but that was presumably sarcasm to indicate that he had no living relative. Group Affiliation: None other than the one John Clan was apart of known as Primal Force.

==Contents Publication history ==

Edit

Claw the Unconquered #1 debuted in mid-1975, a period when DC Comics launched a record number of new titles on to the comic book market (16 new titles debuted in 1975 alone). Claw was one of several of these new series which were set in the "fantasy" or "sword and sorcery" genre. (Other such titles include Warlord, Stalker, Starfire, Nightmaster, Tor, and Beowulf, Dragon Slayer.) Claw was one of the swords-and-sorcery heroes DC launched in the mid-1970s. He was the most successful of the lot along with the Warlord. Part of his (relative) popularity is that he’s essentially the DC version of Conan with a strong hook — the demon hand — grafted on.

The Known World in which Claw originally operated was sketched out by writer David Michelinie. The approach is eerily reminiscent of the work of Dungeon Masters in the late 1970s and much of the 1980s. For historical context, Claw was published in 1975 and the very first edition of D&D was released in 1974. At the time, DC's main rival, Marvel Comics, had found success in the genre with its Conan the Barbarian comics, and of all of DC's new fantasy characters, Claw most closely resembles Conan in both his character and appearance, except for the fact that Claw has a deformed hand. Claw the Unconquered was published bimonthly up until #9 (October, 1976), restarting again at #10 (May 1978). The entire series was written by Michelinie (though the never properly published #14 was credited to Tom DeFalco) and Chan remained on the title up to #7, with Keith Giffen taking over pencilling duties with #8. With the addition of Giffen, the series began to incorporate some science fiction elements, moving away from its pure sword and sorcery beginnings. The relaunch of the series lasted just three issues, as it was suddenly cancelled with #12 (September 1978) as part of the "DC Implosion" when DC's comics line was drastically cut. The cancellation was so sudden that two further issues of the series had been fully written and drawn. These stories were published in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #1 in 1978. (However, only 35 copies of that comic were ever officially published.) The character was revived in 1981 for a two part back up feature in Warlord #48-49 (August–September 1981) written by Jack C. Harris with art from Tom Yeates. This series tried to wrap up the story of Claw.

Fictional character biography
Edit

Cover to Claw #1, June 1975 The adventures of Claw, whose real name was Valcan, took place "in the realm of Pytharia" in a vaguely defined setting which resembled Earth's prehistory. His first adventure pitted him against "Occulas of the Yellow Eye," an evil sorcerer and king who was revealed to have murdered Claw's father, who had also had a deformed hand like his son. Occulas had received a prophecy which predicted that a claw-handed man would defeat him, and that prophecy became his reason for persecuting Valcan and his father.[1]

In an alien dimension there were 15 worlds; seven of those were worlds of light, seven of them were worlds of shadow, and the remaining world - Pytharia - hung in the balance. Centuries ago, a Pytharian man, seeking arcane knowledge that might help better his world, accidentally released a demon that attempted to possess him. Though the man managed to exorcise the beast, it left its mark upon him, transforming his right hand into a fur-tufted claw. It was a mark passed on to all his male descendants. The greatest of these descendants was Valcan, also called Claw, who wore a crimson gauntlet to hide his deformity.Claw's origin was revealed in #9, where Valcan learns that his family is cursed to have demon hands throughout their bloodline as a result of a deal his father made with demons.

In later stories it was revealed that Claw existed on the same world (Pytharia) as the original Starfire, which is apparently not Earth. Both Starfire and Claw were revealed as two of the "eternal champions of the Sornaii." The implications of this revelation were never explored, unfortunately, as the series ended in a cliffhanger.

Powers and abilities
Edit known as the Mark of the Claw,Vulcan is an expert swordsman. Claw the Unconquered is marked by a demonic brand on his chest which perverts his hand into a dark claw. He gains no strength from this but his birth mark marks him as one of the Claw, a generation of incredible warriors. Powers and Abilities Valcan aka Claw is an athletic male of awesome strength and prowess, able with the sword and quick as a cat. Having been trained by the gods, he can easily fight groups of men with little effort, and he has excellent endurance. His killer instinct is exceptional, and he can enter a fighting frenzy whenever needed.

Claw is not just a musclebound barbarian with quick reflexes. When he’s in trouble he swiftly comes up with clever strategies, often relying on understanding basic physics and an ability to quickly consider what’s available around him. If the direct approach — his favourite one — doesn’t work, he’ll probably find a good alternative.His understanding of physics is close to that of a modern person. He has used such things as :Focusing heat through a prism to dry an invincible much monster. Throw his sword to a monster so it would brandish it on top of a mountain during a raging lightning storm.Claw has spread oil on top of water and set it on fire to destroy killer weed. He also had notions of zoology despite his amnesia. Thus he could reason that a somewhat lobster-like giant monster likely had a soft underbelly.

Claw the Unconquered (DC Comics) Edit Claw was DC Comics attempt as cashing in on a Conan like hero,popular at the time.

Alias Edit Claw the Unconquered (Valcan of Pytharia)

Comics DC Universe Other DC Universe corners Power Level: Street-level Game System: MnM 3rd edition/DC Adventures Game system: DC Heroes Role-Playing Game Role: Character (Heroic)

Reward – 10 000 dreknars for the head and right hand of Claw ! The world trembles before his deadly blade !

Context Edit Claw was one of the swords-and-sorcery heroes DC launched in the mid-1970s. He was the most successful of the lot along with the Warlord. Part of his (relative) popularity is that he’s essentially the DC version of Conan with a strong hook — the demon hand — grafted on.

The Known World in which Claw originally operated was sketched out by writer David Michelinie. The approach is eerily reminiscent of the work of Dungeon Masters in the late 1970s and much of the 1980s. For historical context, Claw was published in 1975 and the very first edition of D&D was released in 1974.

There are many things therein for everything from the 1975 series to the 2006 series and beyond. Claw’s profile also assumes that you have read our article about the Fifteen Worlds.The interpretation of Claw varies from series to series. He’s often written as a generic barbarian type with a distinctive curse.For purposes of characterisation and stats, this profile considers that Michelinie’s 1970s take on the character is the most authoritative one.Thus, it downplays or rationalises changes stemming from a different take on the character.

The 1970s version was obviously inspired by Howard’s Conan, whereas the subsequent versions are shaped by the movie version of Conan starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.These thus feel more… generic to readers familiar with the 1982 movie since it greatly influenced the popular view of heroic-fantasy barbarian warriors.Like many comic book heroes,there are inconsistent aspects of the character,as many writers attempt to either add to it ignore various previous versions.

Background Edit Real Name: Valcan of Pytharia. Other Aliases: Vulcan the Claw (misinformed reference), Valcan Scaramax. Marital Status: Single. Known Relatives: Kregar of Kanon Wood (father, deceased), mother (name unrevealed, deceased), an ancestor whose name wasn’t mentioned (deceased), Claw of Pytharia (possibly a descendant, see above), John Chan (aka Claw, descendant). Valcan once described himself as a member of the “Valcan clan”, but that was presumably sarcasm to indicate that he had no living relative. Group Affiliation: None. Base Of Operations: Mobile. Height: 6’2” Weight: 225lbs. Eyes: Steely ice blue ! Hair: Black Advertisement

Wonder Woman
Edit

Main article: Ends of the Earth (DC Comics) Claw's first in continuity appearance in over twenty years occurs in Wonder Woman #21 (August 2008), where Wonder Woman and Stalker recruit Claw and Beowulf for a mission to slay the Demon Lord Dgrth.His sword and his memory restored to him, Claw was told of his great mission by the gods of the Elder Light and set out to maintain the cosmic equilibrium. Claw the Unconquered is recruited along with Beowulf to join Wonder Woman and the demon known as Stalker, to kill the demon D'Grth. They successfully destroyed D'Grth and each go their separate ways.[3]

Justice League: Cry for Justice
Edit Prometheus uses a missile derived from one of Claw's gauntlets (described as originating 'circa 13,902 BC') to neutralize Firestorm in Justice League: Cry for Justice #6 (March 2010).

Time Masters: Vanishing Point
Edit See also: Rip Hunter Valcan returns in Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1 where he meets Rip Hunter.[4]

Other versions
Edit Red Sonja /Claw The Unconquered: Devil's Hands #4. Variant cover by Jim Lee. John Chan Edit See also: Primal Force Another version of Claw is a superhero character created by Steven Seagle and Ken Hooper. He first appeared in Primal Force #1 (October, 1994). An Asian youth from Hong Kong, this Claw has no direct ties to the original Claw, although he bears an identical misshapen hand. Claw's real name was John Chan. Chan became the Claw after buying an ancient suit of armour and sword. The Claw of Pytharia, which had been dormant in one of the gauntlets, cut off his hand with the sword and grafted itself in place. The demonic spirit of the claw increased his fighting skills, but made it difficult for him to control his anger. John Chan was a member of Primal Force throughout that series's 15 issue run. Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal. Related

Swamp Thing
Edit

Main article: Swamp Thing Alternate versions of Claw have had cameo appearances in titles such as Sandman #52 (1993), Swamp Thing #163 (1996) and Starman (vol.2) #55 (1999).

Red Sonja
Edit See also: Red Sonja In 2006, with the popularity of sword and sorcery comics once again resurgent due to revivals of Conan by Dark Horse Comics and of Red Sonja by Dynamite Entertainment, DC began to publish new Claw material through their Wildstorm imprint. The character first returned in Red Sonja /Claw The Unconquered: Devil's Hands (March, 2006) a crossover limited series featuring Red Sonja which is co-published by Dynamite Entertainment and written by John Layman and pencilled by Andy Smith. A new Wildstorm Claw the Unconquered regular monthly title by writer Chuck Dixon and penciller Andy Smith debuted in June 2006. As of December 2006, the Claw monthly series has apparently run its course, ending with this version of Claw enslaved by demons from hell or a parallel universe, and the whole world doomed to demonic possession. The series gives Claw's full name as "Valcan Scaramax." It seems clear that Claw somehow either wandered back to his own world of Pytharia, or into some other world entirely, as nothing in the Claw series from Dynamite bore any connection to Howard's Hyborian realms.

It is unclear if the new Wildstorm Claw stories feature the original 1970s version of the character or whether they adhere to a new continuity. Red Sonja's current iteration is supposed to be consistent with her 1970s Marvel Comics continuity, and the direct connection between Claw's revival and the crossover with Sonja seems to indicate that these new stories occur on Hyborian Age Earth (where Sonja's stories are clearly intended to occur). Strictly speaking, the crossover also means that this version of Claw co-exists with Conan (and indeed the Marvel Universe, as Sonja's original appearances did), though it is extremely unlikely that those connections were ever intended or will ever be acknowledged.[5]

With the Red Sonja book shifting of several years to tell the story of a new Red Sonja, a descendant of the previous one sharing the soul of the departed character, a new Claw appears: Osin, a former ally of Red Sonja, accepting the Curse of Claw, and the partial merge with the Jullah demonic entity, in exchange for being able to locate, train, and protect the new incarnation of her friend.[6]

'''
Claw the Unconquered==''' == because Conan the Conquerer was already taken and bad Conan imatation,didn't the ball to go head to head with the Big Cimmerian
 * Red Sonja/Claw the Unconquered: Devil's Hands #1. Art by Alex Ross.


 * publisher = DC Comics
 * debut    = Claw the Unconquered #1 (May-June 1975)
 * creators = David Michelinie (writer)Ernie Chan  (artist)
 * alter_ego = Valcan Scaramax
 * full_name =Valcan Imaconanrip off Scaramax.
 * species  = Human
 * homeworld = Pytharia
 * alliances = Legion of Poor Conan Knockoff,who can't make it
 * partners = Beawulf,Stalker,Ironjaw,Wulf the Barbarian,
 * supports = Wears suspenders under fur loinclothe
 * aliases  =
 * powers   =I guess to most comic fan boys-

Claw is a fictional character, a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Claw the Unconquered #1 (June 1975), in which he was created by writer David Michelinie and designed by artist Ernie Chan.

Similar in many ways to Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian (and, more particularly, Marvel Comics's depiction of him),and a bit of Prince Corum Jhaelen Irsei ,who also possesses a demon hand.Claw carries a sword called Moonthorn and that makes him similar to Elric ,another Michael Moorcock character.Claw is often thought of as what some fans and scholars refers to as a Clonan-a clone of Conan. Claw is a wanderer and a barbarian in an apparently prehistoric age who battles various wizards, thieves, monsters, and warriors who cross his path. Unlike Conan, however, Claw has a deformed, claw-like right hand, the result of a curse which has been placed on his family. Known Relatives of Claw (Valcan Scaramax are: Kregar of Kanon Wood (father, deceased), mother (name unrevealed, deceased), an ancestor whose name wasn’t mentioned (deceased), Claw of Pytharia (possibly a descendant, see above), John Chan (aka Claw, descendant). Valcan once described himself as a member of the “Valcan clan”, but that was presumably sarcasm to indicate that he had no living relative. Group Affiliation: None other than the one John Clan was apart of known as Primal Force. strenth,brains and endurence isn't a power.

Character
Claw is a fictional character a sword and sorcery hero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Claw The Unconquered #1 (June 1975), and was created by David Michelinie and Ernie Chan.

Similar in many ways to Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian,as what Scott Evil would a rip off (and, more particuliarly, Marvel Comics' depiction of him) Claw is a wanderer and a barbarian in an apparently prehistoric age who battles various wizards, thieves, monsters and warriors who cross his path. Unlike Conan however, Claw has a deformed, claw-like right hand, the result of a curse which has been placed on his family.Olso unlike his stories basically stunk and the character was a poor imatation of Michael Moorcocks Prince Corum.Basically,this guy,like Atlas Comics was a badly designed Conan Rif-Off,that never really got off the ground and still isn't in my opinion .DC Comic is stuck with they either have let or publish something to keep those rights active.

Claw was the most obvious attempt to emulate Conan. Aside from the red metal gauntlet that hid his beastlike namesake, Claw was pretty much a Conan clone from his long black mane to his somewhat shaggy loincloth. The initial issues even featured art by Ernie Chan, one of the most frequent inkers on the color Conan title. Claw ran for twelve issues and good ridence to a lousy Conan knock off.I don't mind a Conan imatation,but sorry to many of them,certainly the comic business sucks.Must either be writting or fear of law suites that make publishers try bad ideas.Or maybe alot of them,just it's all about the look and not the substance..

== ==Publication history== ==



Claw the Unconquered #1 debuted in mid-1975, a period when DC Comics launched a record number of new titles on to the comic book market (16 new titles debuted in 1975 alone). Claw was one of several of these new series which were set in the "fantasy" or "sword and sorcery" genre, (others titles include Warlord, Stalker, Starfire, Nightmaster, Tor and Beowulf, Dragon Slayer). At the time DC's main rival Marvel Comics had found success in the genre with their Conan The Barbarian comics, and of all of DC's new fantasy characters Claw most closely resembles Conan in both his character and appearance (save the fact that Claw has a deformed hand).''

One of my favorite experimental books DC produced in the mid seventies was the sword and sorcery title,. A quarter page black and white spot appeared in those fun add pages (which are few and far between today) in a one hundred page issue a few months before it was released. At the end of a fantastic Viking Prince story, there was this half page add of a barbarian, sword in hand, and a blurb that the character would begin in late February. No title of the book was given, so how was a boy to remember what to look for? As a kid though, it peaked my interest, since I always loved the fantasy material, especially from National

This book was launched with seven other titles that were featured in a full page color advertisement a short time later...First DC gave you the world's greatest Super-Herores, Then DC introduced top quality Mystery Tales...Now DC Comics presents Fantasy at its best in our all new Adventure comics Justice, Inc, Tor, Kong, Claw, Stalker, Warlord, Beowulf, now on sale in there own action packed magazines! The promo had images of the DC stable of heroes, their monsters, and the new characters they were promoting, so I thought they had to be good from the argument presented by my favorite publisher. And most of these books did have an audience, even though a small one, but that could not prevent their quick demise. Only survived long enough for Claw to appear in two backup stories with some early art by Tom Yeates

. The character was even resurrected to feature in later issues of the 1995 team book,. But somebody other than myself must have liked the character with its recent Wildstorm mini-series and cross-over issues with Dynamite Comics of late. Claw The Unconquered was published bimonthly up until #9 (October, 1976), restarting again at #10 (May 1978). The entire series was written by Michelinie (though the never properly published #14 was credited to Tom DeFalco) and Chan remained on the title up to #7, with Keith Giffen taking over pencilling duties with #8. With the addition of Giffen, the series began to incorporate some sci-fi elements, moving away from its pure sword and sorcery beginnings.The whole story,if remember read like mud and made little with Cryptic this and that crap. The relaunch of the series lasted just three issues, as it was suddenly cancelled with #12 (September 1978) as part of the "DC Implosion" when DC's comics line was drastically cut. The cancellation was so sudden that two further issues of the series had been fully written and drawn. These stories were published in Cancelled Comics Cavalcade #1 in 1978, (however only 35 copies of that comic were ever officially published). The character was revived in 1981 for a two part back up feature in Warlord #48-49 (August-September 1981) written by Jack C. Harris with art from Tom Yeates. This series tried to wrap up the story of Claw,before Conan shows up his Hyborean Lawyers and sues his ass..

When the first issue appeared in June 1975, the tag line claimed THE WORLD TREMBLES BEFORE THE BLADE OF CLAW. I was excited about this new barbarian feature that looked a lot like Marvel's, but this warrior had a new gimmick, hidden underneath his crimson gauntlet was a horrible dragon's hand. Writer David Micheline provided the mystical scripts for the twelve issue run and the underrated Filipino artist Ernesto Chan provided the pencils for the first seven issues. Keith Giffin, Ricardo Villagran, Bob Layton, Joe Kubert, John Celardo, and Pat Boyette were

the artist/inkers for the remaining fantasy tales. The basic story was our hero searching for his origin and the secret behind this evil hand that often acted on its own accord, since it had a will of its own. In Castle Darkmon, King Occulas had heard of an outlander that would destroy his realm. So with the help of his aged wizard, they sent a legion of creatures to stop the barbarian named Valcan, who was also known as Claw. With a price on his head, Claw had to defend himself against bounty hunters and discover three missing amulets that would lead him to the enchanted silver sword Moonthorn, which was to reveal his unknown past. Along the way Claw is assisted by a devil horned rogue, Ghikyn, the prince of the thousand hills, who saves the barbarian from death on many occasions. The fighting duo eventually discovers and matches together all the talismans pieces that transport them into the Seventh Realm. Here Claw finally confronts King Occulas to find his forgotten past he so desperately seeks.Are they kidding Occulas-another one eyed bad guy named Occulas.I'm glad he wasn't missing a foot or he'd called Footulas.

I have always enjoyed the talented Filipino artists that were working for National in the seventies and eighties, as the artwork on these few pages speak for themselves. Ernie Chan, who also used the last name Chua for a time, once explained that when he arrived from the Philippines a "helpful" immigration officer said that there were too many Chan's in the USA, so the official wrote in Chua on the paperwork. The name was later changed back, but fans often still confuse the "two" artists due to their similar style. Chan after working on and many other Marvel and DC titles put an incredible amount of detail on these pages. He seems to really pull out all the stops when compared to his horror, western, or super-hero work of the same time period. Every panel is action packed, filled with beautiful women, exotic landscapes, fierce creatures, and other features that made him a fan favorite for sword and sorcery tales. The writer and artist weave some nice touches into the story line often using classic mythical figures like the Cyclops and Centaur, as well as developing some unique monsters for Claw to overcome. And often when the fighting really gets going, some villain usually pulls off the scarlet gauntlet only to be shocked at his possessed devil's paw.

==Fictional character biography==

Claw's (real name Valcan),also not known as Mister Spock, adventures took place "in the realm of Pytharia" in a vaguely defined setting which resembled Earth's prehistory. His first adventure pitted him against "Occulas of the Yellow Eye" an Evil sorcerer and king who it is revealed, murdered Claw's father (who also had a deformed hand like his son). Occulas received a prophecy which predicted that a claw handed man would defeat him, and this is his reason for persecuting Valcan and his father.

Claw's origin was revealed in #9, where Valcan learns that his family is cursed to have demon hands throughout their bloodline as result of a deal his father made with demons.

In later stories it was revealed that Claw existed on the same world (Pytharia) as the original Starfire, which is apparently not Earth. And both Starfire and Claw were revealed as two of the "eternal champions of the Sornaii". The implications of this revelation were never explored as the series ended in a cliffhanger.

Claw The Conqueror
Fresh from his co-starring role in Dynamite's Red Sonja/Claw the Unconquered: Devil's Hands, Valcan Scaramax, better known as Claw, returns to comic store shelves in his own monthly series from DC's Wildstorm imprint. After two issues, Claw has begun a quest to rid himself of the reptilian appendage that gives him his name. Instigating the quest is the mysterious and beautiful witch, Satarina Kal Quillion, who quite obviously has more on her mind than helping Claw. To facilitate the quest, Satarina has provided Claw with three Berserker companions, one of whom is the archer woman, Vivardi. Not only are the Berserkers cousins, they're also shape-shifters. Where their true allegiance lies at this point is anyone's guess.

Claw #1-2, the first issues of The Conqueror arc, are mainly set-up. Author Chuck Dixon is introducing the main characters and slowly moving them into place. For those who remember the hay day of comics when Lee and Kirby or Claremont or Simonson or Perez could whip out a star-spanning epic that was complete in two or three issues, had a cast of hundreds, and contained two to three subplots per issue, this new Claw is skimpy reading. Three pages featuring the gathering of Navarra's rather small force seems over-indulgent, even with Dixon's appropriately pulpish and dramatic captions setting the stage for an epic battle. Dixon has captured the voice of his characters, though. Claw is impatient, but not stupid. Vivardi is an enthusiastic warrior with a sly sense of humor, and Navarra is a man on a holy crusade. Claw The Unconquered #2 - cover Andy Smith's art works well for the most part.

His battle scenes are up close and personal. The characters have a good range of body types and expression. The appraising look Claw gives Satarina upon first encountering the very well built, very underdressed witch says more about his character than a ream of paper could. Likewise Vivardi, as she licks her enemy's blood from her fingers. There's an unholy glee in her look that bodes poorly for her enemies. The only time Smith truly fails in his rendition is when he tries to show Claw without his customary accessories. In a scene in issue two where Claw and Vivardi have just shared the bedroll, as they say, Claw is grossly misproportioned. His head looks to have been pasted on his shoulders, as his neck seems to have been lost somewhere. And let's not even discuss his legs. -- Rench and Royer of WSFX have chosen a highly effective and moody palate that complements the story without overpowering it. Their shadowed scenes are mysterious without being muddy, and their reds stand out brilliantly.

==

===Wonder Woman=== ==

Claw's first in continuity appearance in over twenty years occurs in Wonder Woman #21 (August 2008), where Wonder Woman and Stalker recruit Claw and Beowulf for a mission to slay the Demon Lord Dgrth.
 * Main article: Ends of the Earth (comics)

==Other versions==

Jimlee_redsonja-claw-04.jpg‎ (297 × 455 pixels, file size: 193 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Red Sonja /Claw The Unconquered: Devil's Hands # 4. Art by Jim Lee.

== ===John Chan=== ==

Template:See also Another version of Claw is a superhero character created by Steven Seagle and Ken Hooper. He first appeared in Primal Force #1 (October, 1994). An Asian youth from Hong Kong, this Claw has no direct ties to the original Claw, although he bears an identical misshapen hand. Claw's real name was John Chan (possibly in homage to Ernie Chan). Chan became the Claw after buying an ancient suit of armour and sword. The Claw of Pytharia, which had been dormant in one of the gauntlets, cut off his hand with the sword and grafted itself in place. The demonic spirit of the claw increased his fighting skills, but made it difficult for him to control his anger. John Chan was a member of Primal Force throughout that series' 15 issue run.

===Swamp Thing===


 * Main article: Swamp Thing&lt;noinclude&gt;

&lt;noinclude&gt;

&lt;/noinclude&gt;   

-ent-lt;noinclude&gt;

&lt;/noinclude&gt;



Visit Template:Claw the Unconquered/doc to edit this text! (How does this work?)

Alternate versions of Claw have had cameo appearances in titles such as Sandman #52 (1993), Swamp Thing #163 (1996) and Starman (vol.2) #55 (1999).

===Red Sonja===

Template:See also In 2006, with the popularity of sword and sorcery comics once again resurgent due to revivals of Conan by Dark Horse Comics and of Red Sonja by Dynamite Entertainment, DC began to publish new Claw material through their Wildstorm imprint. The character first returned in Red Sonja /Claw The Unconquered: Devil's Hands (March, 2006) a crossover limited series featuring Red Sonja which is co-published by Dynamite Entertainment and written by John Layman and pencilled by Andy Smith. A new Wildstorm Claw the Unconquered regular monthly title by writer Chuck Dixon and penciller Andy Smith is scheduled to debut in June 2006. As of December 2006, the Claw monthly series has apparently run its course, ending with this version of Claw enslaved by demons from hell or a parallel universe, and the whole world doomed to demonic possession. The series gives Claw's full name as "Valcan Scaramax". It seems clear that Claw somehow either wandered back to his own world of Pytharia, or into some other world entirely, as nothing in the Claw series from Dynamite bore any connection to Howard's Hyborean realms.

It is unclear if the new Wildstorm Claw stories feature the original 1970s version of the character or whether they adhere to a new continuity. Red Sonja's current iteration is supposed to be consistent with her 1970s Marvel Comics continuity, and the direct connection between Claw's revival and the crossover with Sonja seems to indicate that these new stories occur on Hyborian Age Earth (where Sonja's stories are clearly intended to occur). Strictly speaking, the crossover also means that this version of Claw co-exists with Conan (and indeed the Marvel Universe, as Sonja's original appearances did), though this it is extremely unlikely that those connections were ever intended or will ever be acknowledged.


 * Published by Wildstorm/DC ($2.99) Reviewed by Penny Kenny Fresh from his co-starring role in Dynamite's Red Sonja/Claw the Unconquered: Devil's Hands,


 * Valcan Scaramax, better known as Claw, returns to comic store shelves in his own monthly series from DC's Wildstorm imprint. After two issues, Claw has begun a quest to rid himself of the reptilian appendage that gives him his name. Instigating the quest is the mysterious and beautiful witch, Satarina Kal Quillion, who quite obviously has more on her mind than helping Claw. Claw The Unconquered #1 - cover To facilitate the quest, Satarina has provided Claw with three Berserker companions, one of whom is the archer woman, Vivardi. Not only are the Berserkers cousins, they're also shape-shifters. Where their true allegiance lies at this point is anyone's guess.


 * At the same time, Bishop Guye Navarra is raising up a holy army in response to a prophecy "of a dark warrior touched by the hand of Rzahl. The one who will raze the wall around the world." Oh, and there's also a doppelganger Claw running around, created when Valcan cut off his claw and left it lying about. Seems the claw not only can grow back on its host, but discarded claws can also live and thrive on their own. Claw #1-2, the first issues of The Conqueror arc, are mainly set-up. Author Chuck Dixon is introducing the main characters and slowly moving them into place.


 * For those who remember the hay day of comics when Lee and Kirby or Claremont or Simonson or Perez could whip out a star-spanning epic that was complete in two or three issues, had a cast of hundreds, and contained two to three subplots per issue, this new Claw is skimpy reading. Three pages featuring the gathering of Navarra's rather small force seems over-indulgent, even with Dixon's appropriately pulpish and dramatic captions setting the stage for an epic battle. Dixon has captured the voice of his characters, though. Claw is impatient, but not stupid. Vivardi is an enthusiastic warrior with a sly sense of humor, and Navarra is a man on a holy crusade.


 * Claw The Unconquered #2 - cover Andy Smith's art works well for the most part. His battle scenes are up close and personal. The characters have a good range of body types and expression. The appraising look Claw gives Satarina upon first encountering the very well built, very underdressed witch says more about his character than a ream of paper could. Likewise Vivardi, as she licks her enemy's blood from her fingers. There's an unholy glee in her look that bodes poorly for her enemies. The only time Smith truly fails in his rendition is when he tries to show Claw without his customary accessories.


 * In a scene in issue two where Claw and Vivardi have just shared the bedroll, as they say, Claw is grossly misproportioned. His head looks to have been pasted on his shoulders, as his neck seems to have been lost somewhere. And let's not even discuss his legs. Rench and Royer of WSFX have chosen a highly effective and moody palate that complements the story without overpowering it. Their shadowed scenes are mysterious without being muddy, and their reds stand out brilliantly. Letterer Travis Lanham's only mistake is the font he uses for the caption boxes. It looks suitably archaic, but it's somewhat difficult to read. Viewed mainly as a Conan wannabe with a gimmick, Valcan has never built up a large following.


 * Part of this is due to his spotty publishing history. Claw ran for nine issues between 1975-6, was cancelled, restarted with issue ten in 1978, and was cancelled again with issue twelve.


 * (For more info and a sample cover from a 1970s Claw, see SwordAndSorcery.org's "A Brief History of Sword-and-Sorcery Comics".) (See also Back Issue #2 from TwoMorrows for an unpublished Claw cover by the fantastic Joe Kubert.) The other part of Claw's problem is he lacks the charisma a leading man needs. And this has carried over into the new series. A quick look at issue one shows Claw appearing on fourteen of twenty-two pages, although, mainly he's reacting to others on eight of those pages. By issue two, Claw appears only on ten of twenty-two pages and for five of those appearances he's again reacting, not acting. Already he's being upstaged by his supporting cast. Claw the Unconquered has the potential to be a great series, but Dixon needs to beef up the role of his hero and pick up the pace a bit if he wants to keep getting my three bucks.




 * &lt;ref&gt;http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/recycleb/rb46.html"


 * Claw the Unconquered: Cliche and the Perfect Genre Piece" An Essay on Claw the Unconquered #1&lt;/ref&gt;

With the Red Sonja book shifting of several years to tell the story of a new Red Sonja, a descendant of the previous one sharing the soul of the departed character, a new Claw appears: Osin, a former ally of Red Sonja, accepting the Curse of Claw, and the partial merge with the Jullah demonic entity, in exchange for being able to locate, train and protect the new incarnation of her friend.&lt;ref&gt;Red Sonja #36 (2008)&lt;/ref&gt;


 * ==References==

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Summary
Cover to Red Sonja /Claw the Unconquered: Devil's Hands #1. Art by Alex Ross.

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