KORREK

Real Name: Korrek

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Katharta) humanoid

Occupation: Barbarian warrior;
    former prince

Group Membership: Dakimh's band (Dakimh the Enchanter, Howard the Duck, Jennifer Kale, Man-Thing/Ted Sallis)
    formerly leader of Kathartan army

Affiliations: 2222, Agogin, Andy the Angel, Bharph, Chirreep, Maftra, Master C'haaj, NAAC-P30, Rabis, Hemlock Shoals, Claude Starkowski, Zokk

Enemies: The Band of the Bland (Black Hole/Morton Kribbee, Sitting Bullseye/Oliver Bedwette, Spanker/Fred Hovel, Tillie the Hun/Matilda von Tromp), le Beaver (Pierre Dentfris), Big Mack, Black Talon (Thibodaux Boudreaux), Brotherhood of Evil Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, Withiner), Bzzk' Joh and the Imperium Emporium, Congress of Realities, Dr. Angst (Floyd Mangles), Galactongue, Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt, Klonus, Kong Lomerate, Maller, Mortak, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling, and Wally Sidney, Tai, Thog and the demons of Sominus

Known Relatives: Unidentified father (King of Katharta, deceased)

Aliases: Korrek the Barbarian, Warrior Prince of Katharta, Warrior Prince of the Westlands

Base of Operations: Korrek's castle, Dimension of Katharta

First Appearance: Adventure into Fear#19 (December, 1973)

Powers/Abilities: Korrek is a strong and able swordsman, talented hand-to-hand combatant and virtually fearless. He has been known to be blinded

    He wielded a firesword which spewed mystic fire, and briefly wore a mystic helmet created for him by Dakimh which protected him from dimensional disturbances.

Height: 6'5"
Weight: 267 lbs.
Eyes: Blue, although mostly seen as white, with no visible irises (this may be artistic license, or his ocular appearance may change under certain circumstances)
Hair: Blond

History:

(Adventure into Fear#19 (fb) - BTS) - Korrek is the son of the king of the realm known as Katharta.

(Adventure into Fear#16-18 - BTS) - A series of activities within "the Man-Thing's swamp", Earth's nexus of realities, disturbed the balance among the various dimensions. This disturbance was exacerbated by the Overmaster, an alias of Thog, and his Congress of Realities.

(Adventure into Fear#19 / Man-Thing I#1) - Korrek and his warriors began to crossover into other dimensions. On one such journey, they encountered Jennifer Kale and the Man-Thing in the Land-between-Day-and-Night. Korrek incorrectly believed Jennifer to be to blame for the disturbance.

    As the imbalance grew in severity, Korrek was transported to Earth, emerging from a jar of peanut butter ("or--is it a jar of...man?"--Gerber) within Kale's house. Korrek was disoriented and fled when confronted by the entire family. In the swamp outside, he encountered the Man-Thing and attacked it, until he learned the futility in trying to injure the swamp beast.

    They were joined by Howard the Duck, who was also transported to Earth by the imbalance, and all three of them were confronted by a warrior force of the Congress of Realities. After some struggle, Dakimh appeared, banished the Congress, and transported Korrek and his new allies to his castle. After being joined by Jennifer Kale, the group traveled to Therea in an effort to prevent Thog and the Congress from overtaking that realm. Ultimately it was the Man-Thing who temporarily destroyed Thog, bringing his plans to a halt.

(Giant-Size Man-Thing#3 (fb) ) - Upon returning to Katharta, Korrek found that the sorcerer Klonus and his agents, Mortak and Tai, had led an attack on the village. The entire realm had been overrun and his own father, the king, slain. Korrek was captured and enslaved by Klonus and his allies for nearly a year.

(Giant-Size Man-Thing#3 / Man-Thing I#22 (fb) ) - Korrek was freed by the Man-Thing, who was sent by Dakimh. Alongside Dakimh, Jennifer, and the Man-Thing, Korrek overthrew Klonus and Mortak and retook control of Katharta. Korrek withheld himself from slaying Mortak after having him at his mercy.

    Dakimh's physical form was slain by Klonus in the course of the battle, and Korrek helped to lay his body to rest.

(Howard the Duck I#22-24) - Korrek was again summoned to Dakimh's castle, alongside Howard the Duck, Jennifer Kale, and the Man-Thing, to stop Bzz'k J'oh and his Imperium Emporium from destroying all of reality. Korrek and his allies were assisted by NAACP-30 and 2222, magical agents of Dakimh. Korrek co-piloted the ship, the Epoch Weasel.

    After the Weasel broke down, Korrek attempted to arrange new transport through Big Mac, and then slew Big MAc when he refused them. Upon reaching J'oh's base, the Death Store, Korrek fended off some of J'oh's warriors while Howard incapacitated J'oh himself. After 2222 destroyed the Death Store, Korrek and his allies dropped Howard off back in Cleveland before flying off again.

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" (fb) - BTS) - Korrek was transported -- along with Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj, Hemlock Shoals, Claude Starkowski -- to within a motorhome (specifically a Winnebago)-like construct in an interdimensional space between Reality-616 and Reality-791021 (mirroring the storyline generated by the dark matter-powered Poporb of Krylorian techno-artist Chirreep).

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") - After Andy the Angel inadvertently flattened Howard while rapidly opening the door and was then attacked by Howard in response, Dakimh urged Howard to desist, assuring him of Andy's innocence. Dakimh's voice caused Howard to notice the others in the recreational vehicle (RV). After Hemlock Shoals pointed out the arrival another vehicle/conveyance in the interdimensional space, and Claude noted it to be a fire hydrant, Dakimh explained that it, like their "RV," this was an artificial construct, crafted to resemble a common object. Pressing his fingertips to his temples, Dakimh mystically probed the "fire hydrant," sensing its inhabitants to be Dr. Angst and the Band of the Bland (Black Hole Sitting Bullseye, Spanker, Tillie the Hun), le Beaver, Black Talon, Bzzk J'oh, Dr. Bong, Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt, Kong-Lomerate, Maller, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling, and Wally Sidney. Dakimh noted that, apart from their evil, they seemed to have little in common...except that they all wanted Howard dead.

    As Howard attempted to depart and met up with Chirreep, the monstrous mouth Galactongue appeared and disgorged an entire galaxy. As the contents formed a planet with an immense office building, Dakimh noted with concern the objects streaking toward them: The Brotherhood of Evil Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, Withiner) then appeared and challenged both groups to "Play both ends against the middle, and all you desire shall be yours."

    Both groups were transported to the office building on the planet formed from contents disgorged by Galactongue; Dakimh's group arrived in the mailroom.

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") - When Howard prepared to leave the group in disgust, Korrek climbed out from under a mountain of mail and -- noting that time had wrought little change in Howard as he would too happily desert his comrades in the face of these prepositional fiends -- hurled his sword at and imbedding it in the metal door, slamming it shut and halting Howard's exodus.

    Briefly startled, Howard then reached up, pulled the sword out of the door and retorted, "Korrek...lemme try'n put this diplomatically. One'a the reasons I'm not exactly EAGER to fight the good fight at your side..."

    Whirling around, holding the sword with both hands and waving it at Korrek, Howard continued, "...is that only a MORON throws his weapon away before the fight's even STARTED! Do I have to COMPLETE the syllogism, or do you get the DRIFT?"

    Stepping back when his own sword was waved in his face, Korrek replied, "Anger overcame my REASON, fowl!  I am not so INCAUTIOUS in battle!"

    Howard tossed down the sword and started for the door again, replying "What-- you only get mad at your FRIENDS? Look, thew-brain, if you NEED me, give a holler, okay?  Otherwise--"

(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" - BTS) - Kong Lomerate led the villains in a plot to destroy the other group.

    Bong, presumably along with some of the others, targeted Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj (sp?), Hemlock Shoals, and Claude Starkowski, while Kong led Maller, Jackpot, and Greedy Killerwatt to attack Howard and Chireep, who had followed Howard..

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks).

    Korrek is pretty much Conan by way of Gerber. Korrek has been described as being uniquely significant and having some cosmic purpose, although it does not appear that he has yet demonstrated this purpose.

    In Man-Thing I#20, some demons of Thog impersonate Korrek, Dakimh, and others. Korrek himself does not appear in that issue.

    Katharta is listed as a dimension, yet Korrek sees a village aflame and states that all of Katharta was in flames. Perhaps Katharta is one city within a larger realm, and/or Katharta is the name of the capital city and the dimension, much like Asgard.

    The struggle against Bzz'k J'oh was a timely parody of the movie "Star Wars", in case it's not obvious.

    Korrek received an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook, which was then expanded to a standard profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#6

    Gerber's unpublished script:

• Obviously, the point at the start of these was that the events of the Howard the Duck magazine series and Bizarre Adventures#34 never happened in Reality-616. 
• I don't know how the story was to end, but Howard's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry confirmed Howard as not originally coming from Duckworld but that his reality had been warped/merged so that it was now his native world. The events of the Howard the Duck magazine occurred in Howard's history as a result of the reality merger.
       Steve Gerber himself approved the entry before it was published.
• Chireep's stories created or were based on an alternate reality (Earth-791021), which then merged with (or overwrote) Earth-616's, affecting Howard's behavior and memory.
       Howard indeed had all of the adventures from the magazines, and the few other stories prior to 1985, but they were the merged Howard, which is why he remembered Duckworld as his home.
       In that reality, his parents' names were Ronald and Henrietta according to Gerber's story, BTW.
• When Chireep stopped making stories, the alternate reality split from Earth-616, and Howard was flung into the void, which is where Gerber's unpublished story took place.
• The events of this script were referenced in Korrek's handbook entries: Sometime later, Korrek joined with Dakimh, Jennifer, Man-Thing, Howard, Claude Starkowski, Master C'haaj, and Hemlock Shoals to resolve damage caused by a reality warp initiated by Krylorian Techno-Artist Chireep. His current whereabouts are unrevealed.
  
• The "next issue" blurb was to be:
                                 POWER PLAYS!  BACK-STABBING!  CAREER

                                  STRATEGIES!  RUG-PULLING!  DEATH!  NEW

                                  CLOTHES!  MORE DEATH!  PLUS-- IN CASE

                                  YOU MISSED IT IN 1974-- THE ORIGIN OF

                                  HOWARD THE DUCK!  ALL IN THE ASTOUNDING

                                  CONCLUSION OF "SECRET CRISIS II"--

                                  REALITY: ITS PREVENTION AND CURE!

Profile by Snood

CLARIFICATIONS:
Korrek has no known connections to

• Korra, Atlantean, wife of Thakorr, grandmother of Namor @ Namor II#1
• Korr-Lo-Zann, of the pre-Cataclysmic era - Hooded Ones/Wizards of Torranna @ Kull the Destroyer#22
• or any other "Korrek" characters

images: (without ads)
Adventure into Fear#19, p8, pan7 (main image)
Giant-Size Man-Thing#3, p6, pan1 (closeup)
Man-Thing I#1, p10, pan1,2 (receiving the mystic helmet)
Giant-Size Man-Thing#3, p29, pan6 (fight)
Howard the Duck I#23, p4, pan2 (grabbing Howard the Duck)

Appearances:
Adventure into Fear#19 (December, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Man-Thing I#1 (January, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Giant-Size Man-Thing#3 (February, 1975) - Steve Gerber (writer), Alfredo Alcala (pencils/inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Man-Thing I#22 (October, 1975) - Steve Gerber (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils/inks), Len Wein (editor)
Howard the Duck I#22 (March, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Bill Wray (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck I#23 (April, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Val Mayerik (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Howard the Duck I#24 (May, 1978) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Steve Gerber (editor)
Gerber's unpublished Man-Thing script
Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#6

First Posted: 04/21/2002
Last updated: 08/28/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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