Thursday, July 14, 2011

John Carter of Mars Teaser Poster

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Due to some unexpected delays, I won't be able to pick up with Dark Horse's John Carter comics just yet, by Barsoom I apologize!

In the meantime, here's the teaser poster for the upcoming John Carter of Mars film, arriving in just nine months!

John Carter, Warlord of Comics will be back very shortly!


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Gullivar Jones vs. John Carter!

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Right around the time DC was starting their John Carter strip in Tarzan, Marvel, obviously smarting over the license going to their Distinguished Competition, had picked up their own Mars-centric character--Gullivar Jones, created by Edwin L. Arnold.

In an editorial that ran in Monsters Unleashed #1 (which you see above), they went a little overboard comparing the two characters:
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...I think time has shown that while Gullivar Jones might be a fine character, its John Carter who still remains the preeminent Mars warrior. Since Marvel could never admit to even their worst comic not being better than DC's best, they of course came down on Gullivar's side. Of course, they changed their mind just a few years later, when all of sudden John Carter was good enough for the House of Ideas!

This little moment of Spy vs. Spy-esque folderal was immortalized by Fred Hembeck in Fantaco's Hembeck #5, The Hembeck File:
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...'nuff said!


Next up for John Carter is his time at Dark Horse, which we'll start looking at one month from now, on July 14th. By Barsoom, be here!



(Special Thanks to Honorary Barsoomian Rob Tullo for providing the scans from MU #1. Thanks Rob!)


Sunday, June 12, 2011

Tarzan Family #66 - Dec. 1976

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"Prisoner of the Tharks" by Marv Wolfman, Murphy Anderson, and Gray Morrow

For John Carter's final DC appearance, they chose to finally give him extra space, by reprinting the second half of Tarzan #207 and the whole story from Tarzan #208:
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At twelve pages, this would be John Carter's longest appearance in Tarzan Family. Too bad it was devoted to a reprint, and his swan song at DC to boot.

Obviously DC got caught unawares that they were going to lose the ERB license, since just one issue previous they talked about all the plans they had for the book. But of course it was not to be--John Carter and the rest of his fellow ERB creations would soon migrate over to Marvel, where the Gentleman from Virginia would have a bit of a longer life...

Even though this is DC's last John Carter comic, we do have one more little DC-related detour to cover, which we'll see in two days!


Friday, June 10, 2011

Tarzan Family #65 - Oct. 1976

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"Arrival" by Marv Wolfman and Murphy Anderson.

This time around, DC decided to reprint Carter's first appearance in Tarzan #207:
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On the final page of this story (truncated to fit the five-page format), DC promises that an adaptation of Princess of Mars "begins next issue." Not quite...


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Tarzan Family #64 - Aug. 1976

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"Lights of Doom" by Robert Kanigher, Noly Zamora, and Vic Catan Jr.

John Carter's final new DC adventure:
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...The End!


While the John Carter strip would continue in Tarzan Family, this would be the last all-new appearance. Poor John Carter, he can't catch a break...


Monday, June 6, 2011

Tarzan Family #63 - June 1976

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"Death Has Three Heads" by Robert Kanigher, Noly Zamora, and Vic Catan Jr.

Another all-too-brief adventure of John Carter, Warlord of Mars:
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I really enjoyed this issue's adventure; the colors in particular are wonderfully vibrant and the action is well-staged.

Again, its all over way too soon--kind of strange considering Tarzan Family was an extra-sized book, its not like there wasn't the room!


Saturday, June 4, 2011

Tarzan Family #62 - April 1976

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"The Girl in the Emerald" by Robert Kanigher, Noly Zamora, and Vic Catan Jr.

After several years of being gone from DC's pages, John Carter returned as a feature in new Tarzan Family anthology book, with an all-new creative team:
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At a scant five pages, this is John Carter's shortest adventure, over before you know it.

The art, by Zamora and Catan, has a Kubert-esque feel to it, which of course isn't a bad thing. Its just all over too soon!


Thursday, June 2, 2011

Weird Worlds #7 - Oct. 1973

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"Reunion!" by Marv Wolfman and Sal Amendola.

John Carter is captive (again!) of the barbarous Black Pirates:
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Carter leaps onto the airship, beheading(!) Kranor. Phaidor spots another pirate warship approaching. But luckily for them, its not not a foe--it's Tars Tarkas!

John is of course happy to see his friend, but even happier to see who else is aboard--Dejah Thoris!
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...The End, for now!


This concludes John Carter's run in Weird Worlds. Carter and co. would resurface in DC's Tarzan Family book a few years later, which we'll look at tomorrow!


Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Weird Worlds #6 - Aug. 1973

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"Beneath the Omean Sea!" by Marv Wolfman and Sal Amendola.

John Carter, Tars Tarkas, and Thuvia are on their way to Helium:
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The airship crashed, Tars Tarkas and Thuvia are stranded miles away from Helium, under the broiling Martian sun.

They begin the arduous trek, only for Thuvia to collapse from exhaustion. Tars picks her up, and keeps going. Luckily, just as Tars begins to falter, a ship on its way to Helium spots them, and picks them up.

Back in Helium, Dejah Thoris worries where John Carter has been all this time. They get word that the "prisoners" found out in the desert are speaking of Carter, amid their delirium. Dejah visits them, only to hear Thuvia say that John Carter is dead!

As Dejah deals with the horrendous news, we see that Carter is, in fact, not dead just yet:
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...to be continued!


This issue looks a little more ragged than last issue--I get the sense there were little artistic touches put in by Amendola that just didn't reproduce very well--but John Carter, as a strip, certainly had a distinctive look, one that would continue through the strip's conclusion in Weird Worlds.



Sunday, May 29, 2011

Weird Worlds #5 - May 1973

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"Death Knell" by Marv Wolfman and Sal Amendola.

This issue of Weird Worlds opens with John Carter, Tars Tarkas, and Thuvia aboard a stolen Black Pirate flying ship:
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When Carter awakes, he finds himself dumped into a deep well, where he must fight The Giant Lizard of Ghasta, as entertainment for Ghron!

Carter manages to kill the beast, only to be dragged off to a second "test", this time to fight a skeleton known as The Khanti. Carter learns almost immediately The Khanti can read minds, and is therefore able to predict how Carter will strike.

Carter quickly adapts, by reciting a nursery rhyme in his head, over and over. While The Khanti is confused by the seeming gibberish, Carter jumps onto The Khanti, smashing it to bits:
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...to be continued!


This issue was drawn, pencils and inks, by Sal Amendola, who I think does a great job. Sure, this story looks very 70s, not at all the classical style employed by Murphy Anderson, but the energy Amendola brings to this segment was, for me, a pleasure to look at.