Ookla is a battle companion of Thundarr the barbarian and sorceress Princess Ariel in 3994 AD. Ookla belongs to the Mok race, an anthropomorphized lion species. Like Thundarr, Ookla was enslaved by the sorcerer Sabian (Princess Ariel’s stepfather) as a gladiator.
Creation
Ookla was inspired by Chewbacca, Han Solo‘s Wookiee companion from the Star Wars franchise, according to writer Steve Gerber, he and his friend and fellow writer Martin Pasko had not decided on the character’s name, as they passed through a University of California, Los Angeles campus (known as UCLA), Pasko quipped, “Why not call him Oo-clah?”.
Homege
In Fairlady #3 – The Case of the Barbarian’s Secret by Brian Schirmer and Claudia Balboni: Kothan, Ari and Oosk are inspired by the three protagonists of the series.
