The Valiant Comic universe began in 1991, an amalgamation of new entities with two old properties from Gold Key Comics: Magnus: Robot Fighter and Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom, tweaking their old formulas to fit their new shared universe, but otherwise adapting them and expanding on what the original comics established.
Turok: Son of Stone was no exception, with the titular hero's Lost Valley changed from merely an uncanny biome to a Lost Land disconnected from temporal normality, accessed by gates across time and space, serving as a means for characters from different eras to interact.
Turok's initial appearances portrayed him as a bitter, gritty figure with violent vengeance rained down upon his new adversaries, the bionisaurs, having found themselves in present day America. As a man out of time, he would serve as a guide to the past for anthropology student Regan Howell, a kindred spirit for fellow time-displaced hero X-O Manowar, and a mentor for Andy, the wayward grandson of his late partner Andar.
Written and illustrated by a veritable crowd of talent, the series found its identity under writer Tim Truman and artist Rags Morales, infusing the character and his world with warmth and nuance, evoking greater ties to the themes of the original Gold Key comics, and exploring his identity as a man with no home to call his own.
reading order
This is my recommended reading order, one that respects the mainline numbering and release dates, while slotting in crossovers and side-stories where they organically fit, while attempting to find a logical path for Turok's pinballing across the USA... hopefully! The side-stories don't cover much that isn't eventually addressed in the mainline series, don't feel you need to adhere to it.
* The Yearbook definitely takes place after #9, possibly #11. Seems an ideal break point before #13 when Turok properly reunites with Andy and Regan.
† These four side-stories were published months after issue #16, but seem the only logical place to put them. Having to squeeze them in between Lost Land arcs does result in some downright bonkers location-hopping for Turok -- first an unspecified coastal city in #15, Texas in #16, Brooklyn in Geomancer #5~6, then Manhattan to meet up with X-O Manowar, and a stop in New Mexico before bouncing back to Wyoming in #17. Phew! They're not even that important!
‡ Turok destroys the bow he was gifted from Mothergod at the end of issue #0. He last used it in #30, and aside from colouring errors and a possible oversight in #33, he uses a regular wooden bow for the rest of the series.
** Non-canon guff included just because that's where it sat in the blog numbering.
links & resources
Turok Dot Com: The Origins of Turok
The second part in a look back at Turok's past incarnations circa 1998, via the official Acclaim website.
Comics Scene Volume 2 issue 41
Dated April 1994, Darcy Sullian interviews writer Tim Truman. Transcribed here.
ValiantFans: Valiant Comics Timeline
A chronological assembly of the entire Valiant universe by Joshua Eves, even including events from the Lost Land. Plays merry hell with the reading order I assembled, but whaddaya gonna do.
ComicBooked.com: Valiant Efforts
A three-part retrospective by David Vandervliet on the history of Valiant comics and its eventual absorption into Acclaim.
ValiantFans: The Valiant That Never Was
By Günter Bouwer, reprints the solicitations for the cancelled Turok/Shaman's Tears crossover.