Long before Frank Frazetta became internationally renowned for his genre-defining -- and redefining -- paintings of Conan, Tarzan and John Carter of Mars and other characters, he created the Snow Man. A scrappy ax-swinging, pipe-smoking statue brought to life, the Snow Man was introduced in 1944 in the first and only issue of Tally-Ho Comics, marking Frazetta's comic book debut. He was 16 years old.

“All I did was one story, I was the kid who created the character," Frazetta later recalled. "I did the pencils, and [Baily Publishing artist John] Giunta did the inking. I was only a kid, I didn't even know how it was done.” However, Frazetta quickly learned, becoming first a comic book artist, drawing Western, fantasy, mystery and funny-animal stories, and then a painter whose influence on sci-fi and fantasy is still felt.

That first Snow Man story, and some of the li'l fighter's other adventurers, have made their way online over the years, but now Dark Horse plans to bring the character back to print in Frank Frazetta's The Adventures of the Snow Man.

Set for release on Sept. 30, the $14.99 book collects "the entire Snow Man story," clocking in at 73 pages, plus additional material. Here's the official description: "Informed by World War II propaganda, Frank Frazetta’s earliest work is still as artistically nuanced and socially complex as it is innocent. Now, for the first time ever, witness the first complete story from a modern master with Frank Frazetta’s The Adventures of the Snow Man!"

Additional details are forthcoming, but in the meantime, check out a preview below.