Finding gold and gems, he decides to return to civilisation with his newfound wealth, quickly establishing himself a reputation as a violent warrior. Many years later, Thrud the Barbarian becomes Thrud the King, but finds the mundane duties of kingship tiresome without opportunities to fight. To put a halt to Thrud's constant mutterings of, "Kill! Death! Maim! Mutilate! Destroy!", the wise men of his kingdom collect stories of heroism from around the land and read them to him long into the night. Characterisation Endowed with the strength of a rhinoceros, the speed and agility of a jungle cat and the intelligence of a garden snail, Thrud is a one-dimensional character who engages in mindless slaughter and strikes Frank Frazetta-style poses while remaining ignorant of plot points. Depicted as an barbarian with a hugely exaggerated, muscular physique and a very small head, and dressed in large furry boots and a loincloth, Thrud is a caricature of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan the Barbarian. Thrud is also a heavy drinker, frequenting The Hobbit's Armpit tavern and regularly causing mayhem when he is unable to have his desired flavour of crisps. These and other annoyances often cause Thrud to invoke the author of the Conan the Barbarian books with the battle cry, "By the sacred jockstrap of Robert E. Howard you'll pay for this, Hellspawn!" Supporting characters The Black Currant First appearing in Dead 'Ard and Warrior, The Black Currant returned in a series of White Dwarf Thrud strips titled Thrud the Destroyer. In this story, The Black Currant is the leader of a horde of warriors who attack a small village, looting the homes, burning the women, raping the livestock and eating the babies. The Black Currant returned again in issue 3 of Critchlow's self-published Thrud the Barbarian comic as the leader of a group of bandits laying siege to a small town. The Black Currant is depicted in heavy black armour, wearing a helmet provided with a pair of exceedingly long, horizontally extending horns. Carl Critchlow Critchlow himself appears in a number of Thrud strips, occasionally as a narrator although more often as a drinking companion for Thrud. Critchlow depicts himself with lank hair and a large cap pulled down low over his eyes. Croneman the Cimpletan Croneman claims to be the mightiest barbarian of the northern tribes and honorary chief of the savage bezerkers of Nid. Known also as Amoron, the Wombat,