John Carter, Warlord of Mars #4 - Sept. 1977

"Raiding Party!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Nebres.

John Carter remains Stara-Kan's prisoner, and Carter is forced to heel to Kan's commands to save the life of his beloved Dejah Thoris:

Carter is haunted by the stares and shocks of betrayal he sees on the faces of the people Stara-Kan loots, for he is now helping plunder the very people who believed Carter was their savior.

Carter is also perplexed as to why Kan insists on these raids, since they take materials of little value. But he must bide his time until he can learn where Dejah Thoris is kept.

Back in Helium, the stories of Carter's betrayal has reached even the rulers of the land. Dejah Thoris' father, knowing of Carter's love for his daughter, refuses to believe the rumors. Meanwhile, the people of Helium being to gather in the streets, demanding to know what's going on and what has happened to their princess.

Dejah's father, Mors Kajak, addresses the crowd, trying to calm them down. But they won't listen: convinced Carter is a traitor, they demand immediate and merciless justice.

As the crowd disperses uneasily, we see that other members of Stara-Kan's Council of Five have been watching. Through these raids, the seeds of unrest have been planted: their plan is working.

As John Carter ponders his and Dejah's fate, their friend Tars Tarkas, believed dead, struggles to stay alive in the scorching Martian desert:

Stara-Kan, John Carter, and the rest enter the city, but find the streets eerily quiet. The only person they see is a woman, who says nothing, even when confronted by Carter. They follow her down a path leading to a huge castle, where they see others gathered.

In the courtyard is a tower, and in front of it is a menacing statue of a giant, lizard-like creature. Hearing a hypnotizing chant, Carter leaps forward into the tower, only to see the zombie-like citizens marching into a pit. Inside the pit is a monstrous creature, sitting atop a massive pile of bones!

Carter is pushed into the pit by the mindless marchers, and the creature tells him that he is next on the menu:

...to be continued!


Whew, what a grim issue, with an even nastier, grimmer ending. I'm betting the Comics Code office didn't even notice the final panel, featuring the formerly-mindless citizens hacking at the corpse of the giant lizard. Fun for all ages!