Paladin
Paladin was a fictional superhero who lived in Birmingham created by Lee Walser, who was also the Paladin's alter ego.
History
The character who became known as Paladin started as Walser's character, then known as Blue Dragon, in a superhero role-playing game. The character evolved through many gaming sessions to become Paladin. He was then published as a comic strip in the Birmingham Times. Walser became dissatisfied with this arrangement, however, because he felt the publishers were only using the strip as a filler when lacking other content and didn't publish the strips in the correct order.
As a result, Walser decided to self-publish Paladin as a miniature comic book through the various comic book shops in the Greater Birmingham area under the Pencil Comics label. The first issue was released in 1989 as a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" (one-fourth of a standard 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of paper), 32-page, black and white comic selling for 15¢. With the third issue, the price went up to 25¢.
All issues featured ads for local stores and organizations, many of which also distributed the Paladin comic, such as Curious George's, B. J.'s Book Stop, the Christian Life Center on Red Mill Road, Homewood Toy & Hobby, Lion & Unicorn, Wuxtry, and the Jackson Manufacturing Company's Rocky the Wonder Boy flying toy. In a few cases, where the advertiser didn't have a print-ready ad, Walser appears to have drawn the ad for them.
Walser's friend, Sean McDonald, acted as editor and letterer, although Gerald Blackwell took over as letterer with issue three. Starting with the second issue, McDonald began writing a backup story about a superhero character named the Aesthete, who's alter ego happened to be McDonald as a student at Mountain Brook High School.
It is uncertain exactly how many issues of the comic were produced. It lasted for at least three issues and the third mentioned the possibility of the fourth being the last.
In 1993, Walser attempted a second Paladin launch. Still in black and white, the cover now read, The Mighy Paladin, and was published under the Pencil Comics label. The size was upgraded to 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" with 36 pages and the price was raised to $1. The story was not a continuation of the previous comic, but a new interpretation, starting over from the beginning.
Once again, distribution was through local comic book stores. This time, however, the advertising was more diverse, including a Kwik Kopy Printing on West Valley Avenue, Broadway's Barbeque, local Starfleet chapter the USS Hephaestus, local Jun Fan and Jeet Kune Do instructor Sifu Lamar M. Davis II, W. W.'s Auto Detail, The Circuit, Miguel's Caribbean Cookhouse, and Charlemagne Records.
It's uncertain whether the new comic lasted beyond two issues. Walser's editor/letterer this time was Bernadette Herring.
Abilities
Paladin's primary powers were super human strength and regeneration (healing). He was also said to have super human speed and agility, although these abilities were not well defined. Paladin's primary weapon was nunchaku. Paladin lived in the Woodlawn area.
References
- McDonald, Sean. (1989). "Paladin Palaver." Paladin #1.