Blood Angels Captain Leonatos of Bloodquest is here to complete our retro 40k quest down memory lane in today’s 40k Flashback.
Today we’re talking about Leonatos, who was featured in a comic strip series called Bloodquest that spanned the late 1990s to early 2000s. This was a really cool series that introduced a lot of new characters and fluff for the Blood Angels and Warhammer 40k.
The basic premise is that Captain Leonatos lost The Glaive Encarmine to a bunch of Chaos tainted Orks who then brought it to the Eye of Terror. Of course, then Leonatos has to fulfill a Bloodquest now and gathers up his Honor Guard to go get it back.
Warhammer Monthly featured this strip, amongst other ones that stretched this story out over years. Then they wrapped it all up into this trade paperback. It was a bit hard to find for the past 20 years or so, but now Black Library is re-releasing this epic adventure in FULL COLOR and volume one is already out.
Warhammer Monthly was pretty much the springboard for the Black Library we know today. The art was decent, it told a good story, and it was one of my favorites from “back in the day”.
Limited Edition Captain Leonatos
So, I don’t have the limited figure that you could mail in for, but I do have the certificate of ownership so I did own him at some point in the past (just don’t ask me what I did with it lol).
He was cool because in 3rd Edition 40k you could only have one relic so you could bring the glaive. He had a couple of different rules, like an Iron halo, and his sword even ignored all armor saves!
In the 4th edition 40k rulebook, they show his honor guard, which someone converted up to be their kill team. While they didn’t use the limited edition Leonatos, it still shows you the Kill-Team which is pretty cool.
The Rise of Vallejo Paints
Bobby Wong won the Golden Daemon slayer sword with his version of Leonatos in 2002 (above and below). Coincidentally that was a huge springboard for Vallejo Paints because then everyone was like, “oh my God what paints did you use? Those pigments are so fresh!”
Everyone literally lost their minds. All we had back then were Citadel and Apple Barrel paints. It’s so weird how everything seems to be so interconnected at some point in this hobby…
Well, that wraps up this 40k Hobby flashback, for the full story, all mental meanderings, and a couple of predictions on the future watch the video!
Bloodquest & Captain Leonatos 40k Flashback RETRO
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
