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!)


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