WEIRDWORLD

Type: Extradimensional realm

Environment: Earthlike
Lands of Weirdworld include the Great Northwestern Unknown Continent, Monster Isle, the Mystic Isles, the Hard Land Sea, the Frosty Sea and the Sea of Eternity. The main continent includes the hovering island of Klarn (including the Region of Shadow which lies beneath Klarn and the Heart of Evil which lies in the bright core), the Crooked Spines Mountains, the Icy Wastes, the Crystal Caverns, the Desert Shrand-Skim, Dwarf Haven, Darkhaunt Woods, Golden Glen, Rainbow Dells, Nanty Glo, the Great Marsh, the City of Seven Dark Delights, the City of the Mad, Crater Lake, the Tomb of Limbo (later the Shrine of the Dawning Miracle), Sky Steppes, Treehaven, Twin Demon Peaks, Goblin Spire, Flame-Moss Moor, the Forbidden Lagoon, the Nightmare Grotto, the Great River, the River Swift, the River Rage, the Dragon Fang Mountains, Decision Point, the Point of No Return, the Circle Gate Mountains, the City of the Damned, the Bay of Grace, the City of the Unclean, the City of Sinners, Fisherfolk Point, the Pool of Tears, and Perilous Isle.

Usual means of access: Presumably magic

Dominant Life Form: Bigfins, Dragons, Dwarves, Elves, Gargoyles, Glowfish, Gnomes, Goblins, Gods, Humans, Night-Fangers, Ravens, giant Spiders, Swamp Serpents, Were-Men

Significant Inhabitants: Darklens, Grithstane, Lianissa, Lord Raven, Mud-Butt, Murkandor, Nightgaunt, Nironus, Red Soryll, Shreekar, Tyndall, Velanna, Wulfbuck, Zarthon

First Appearance: Marvel Super Action I#1 (January, 1976)

History: (Marvel Super Special#13 (fb)) - In the distant past, the wicked god Darklens clashed with his fellow gods and lost; as a result of their duel, the planet of Weirdworld was created, and Darklens was stranded upon its surface. Determined to reclaim his worthiness among his fellow gods, Darklens suspended an island of earth into the air. From the Region of Shadow beneath the island he conjured forth monsters and other dark entities. However, before Darklens could complete his scheme a white comet (sent by the god known only as "the white wolf") smashed through the floating island and crushed Darklens. The floating island, now with a hole in its center, became known as Klarn.

(Epic Illustrated#12 (fb) - BTS) - According to legend, the Crooked Spines mountain are the grave of a giant who was slain by "a hammer which came down from the heavens."

(Marvel Super Special#13 (fb)) - Eons after Darklens' death, the five Dark Riders gathered five shards from the comet which slew Darklens and from them made the Darklens gems. They transported Darklens' body to the Tomb of Limbo and began prepartions to one day resurrect him.

(Epic Illustrated#12 (fb)) - The sorceress Lianissa designed the sword Glorywand, placing most of her energy into its forging. She gave it to Wulfbuck to slay the sorcerer Nightgaunt, but Nightgaunt bested him and broke the blade from the hilt. Nightgaunt turned Wulfbuck into a monstrous-looking man, and gave the hilt to his ally Lord Raven.

(Marvel Super Action I#1/3) - The amnesiac elf Tyndall of Klarn was sent by a dwarf village into the Region of Shadow to slay the "Heart of Evil" which supposedly was leading the Night-Fangers into their village. Instead, Tyndall found that the "heart of evil" was an egg containing the elf Velanna.

(Marvel Premiere#38) - Tyndall and Velanna were captured by the wizard Grithstane, who wanted to become young by bathing in the blood of a dragon. He sent Tyndall to Klarn to slay a dragon and bring its blood to him, but Grithstane was ultimately devoured by a Swamp Serpent.

(Marvel Fanfare I#24) - Tyndall and Velanna came to the dwarf village of Nanty Glo. At the Pine Cone Inn, they encountered the dwarf Mud-Butt, and helped him out in a barroom brawl. They shared a few drinks with Mud-Butt and described their adventure against Grithstane to him. When it grew dark, Mud-Butt became afraid, quickly explaining that he was being pursued by the Were-Men of Lord Raven. Tyndall and Velanna helped him escape the creatures when they invaded Nanty Glo, and rode with Mud-Butt into the Great Marsh. They managed to evade all of the Were-Men, but Mud-Butt accidentally led them directly to the castle of Lord Raven.

(Marvel Fanfare I#25) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt clashed with Lord Raven within his castle, while a band of human barbarians set toward the castle, seeking the mystical sword Glorywand.

(Marvel Fanfare I#26) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt confronted Lord Raven, and Velanna used Glorywand to blast him through the castle wall. They escaped the castle with three of the dwarf women who had been made to serve Lord Raven. Tyndall and Velanna decided to set out in search of Glorywand's missing blade so that they could rid Weirdworld of all evil.

(Marvel Super Special#13 (fb) - BTS) - The Savage Elves who had dedicated themselves to battling Darklens' evil stole the Darklens gems from the Dark Riders and gave them to one of their number, sending him to find help from the wizard Zarthon.

(Marvel Super Special#11) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt encountered the Savage Elf in the Great Marsh, but he evaded them, determined to carry out his mission. Five Night-Fangers went in pursuit of the elf. Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt visited the City of Seven Dark Delights at Mud-Butt's urging, but the city was soon invaded by the Dark Riders.

(Marvel Super Special#12) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt found that the Dark Riders were after the Savage Elf they had met; they tried to help him, but he was slain by the Dark Riders. Dying, the elf gave the Darklens gems he had been guarded to the trio, who were then pursued by the Night-Fangers. The three were able to obtain refuge at an inn run by the white wolf in mortal form. They brought the gems to the sorcerer Zarthon, who identified their name and purpose.

(Marvel Super Special#13) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt learned from Zarthon that Darklens' body lay in the Tomb of Limbo, and he fashioned for them the Key of Illumination so that they could access Darklens' body and destroy it. The Savage Elves helped lead the trio to the tomb, but when they had opened it and begun the ceremony to destroy Darklens' bones, Zarthon burst in, claiming the gems and absorbing Darklens' evil. As Zarthon/Darklens clashed with the Dark Riders, the "White Wolf" came to Weirdworld's aid, revealing himself as the god who slew Darklens, but that after he aided Weirdworld this time, he would have to leave them to fend for themselves. The White Wolf slew the Night-Fangers and Zarthon/Darklens, and Weirdworld was made safe.

(Marvel Super Special#13 - "Encounter at Halfway Earth-Weird" feature) - Marvel comics writer Doug Moench once traveled to a point somewhere between Earth and Weirdworld where he met Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt. Moench confused the trio by referring to himself as their creator, and they held a brief discussion about the nature of Weirdworld's existence. When all four were suddenly returned to their own worlds, Moench found that he had retained a recording he had made of their conversation.

(Epic Illustrated#11/6 (fb)) - Tyndall and Velanna moved to the dwarf village of Treehaven.

(Epic Illustrated#9/5) - A year later, as the gods of Weirdworld engaged each other in a cosmic game of chess, the sorcerer Nightgaunt employed his minion Murkandor to darken the soul of Velanna and release the Sleep Crystal of Klarn which kept the dragons of Klarn asleep. Just as Mud-Butt came to Treehaven to warn Tyndall and Velanna of a believed coming catastrophe, the dragons of Klarn attacked Treehaven. Tyndall was able to briefly hold sway over the dragons, and sent them off to Weirdworld's third moon. Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt set out to find the wizard of Skyhook Mountain, who Mud-Butt believed could aid them.

(Epic Illustrated#11/6) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt continued in their journey to Skyhook Mountain, and Velanna became more corrupt with time. Their rocky path was torn apart in a quake, knocking them into the sea. Arriving back on dry ground, they were attacked by the goblins of Shreekar and soon found that goblins were preparing to siege Skyhook Mountain. At the last moment, a passageway into the mountain appeared, and a stone road was lowered to allow them access. After Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt reached the top of the bridge, it crumbled apart, destroying the goblins who had been pursuing them. Entering Skyhook Mountain, they met the wizard - Lianissa.

(Epic Illustrated#12) - Tyndall, Velanna and Mud-Butt learned the origins of Glorywand and Wulfbuck from Lianissa, and she alerted them to the danger of Nightgaunt and the cosmic game played by the gods of Weirdworld. Seeing that Mud-Butt had the hilt of Glorywand, Lianissa helped them get out of Skyhook Mountain without being caught by the goblins, then teleported them to Wulfbuck, where they convinced him to reclaim Glorywand. Wulfbuck brought them to the Crystal Caverns where the blade had been embedded, and Red Soryll released the blade with his fiery breath; Red Soryll also alerted Tyndall to Nightgaunt's presence at the Land of the Dead, and offered the aid of his fellow dragons in pursuing him.

(Epic Illustrated#13) - Tyndall, Velanna, Mud-Butt, Wulfbuck and the dragons flew to the Land of the Dead, where Nightgaunt had raised his own goblin followers into an army. As they clashed, Lianissa died from the Red Mist of Death, and Murkandor made Velanna turn on Tyndall, dying while fighting him. The deaths of Lianissa and Velanna only spurred Wulfbuck and Tyndall on, and Nightgaunt was ultimately removed from the field of battle by the gods, ending their game. Tyndall and Wulfbuck used the strength of their love to restore Velanna and Lianissa back to life.

(X-Men: First Class II#8) - A distortion brought one of the Swamp Serpents of Weirdworld into the Florida Everglades swamp of the Man-Thing, where it briefly clashed with the X-Men before being sent back to its home reality.

Comments: Created by Doug Moench and Mike Ploog.

The Lord Raven story that was printed in Marvel Fanfare was originally written before the Warriors of the Shadow Realm saga, but was not published until years later. In Marvel Fanfare I#24, Mud-Butt was depicted with a different visual than was used in Warriors of the Shadow Realm-- a visual that was ultimately rejected.

My puny scanner can't do the visuals of Weirdworld justice; seek them out for yourself, with special attention to the Warriors of the Shadow Realm saga.

In Thor I#292, Thor fought Odin's Eye in another dimension, where it was attacking a village of "Dwarflings." The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#14's Appendix: Other Dimensions entry for Weirdworld suggested that this dimension may have been Weirdworld, but there is nothing conclusive.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Weirdworld should not be confused with:

• Weird Sisters, another name of the Norns, @ Journey Into Mystery I#102
• Weird Sisters, Truth, Charm and Beauty, lovers of Maelstrom, @ Quasar#20
• Weirdstone, another name of the Godstone, @ Creatures on the Loose#36