Beowulf, a character introduced by DC Comics in 1975, was based on the hero from the similarly titled epic poem, written in England around the turn of the 11th century. As in the original myth, DC's Beowulf is a presented as warrior on the trail of an evil monster named Grendel. However, the comic follows its own unique storyline, with Beowulf encountering a hodgepodge of other fantastical beings including Dracula, Atlanteans, the Minotaur, Aliens, and Satan.

The short-lived comic series "Beowulf Dragon Slayer" ran for six issues in 1975. Written by Michael Uslan, with art by Ricardo Villamonte, the book followed in the mode of Marvel's popular "Conan the Barbarian" series, itself based on the "sword and sorcery" pulp fiction of author Robert E. Howard. Uslan is best known for being an executive producer on all the films featuring the popular DC superhero "Batman" since 1989, as well as for teaching academic courses on the history of comic books. Ricardo Villamonte is a South American born artist and inker who worked for several publishers, primarily in the 1970s.