Thursday, March 31, 2011

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #11 - April 1978

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"The Story of Dejah Thoris" by Marv Wolfman, Dave Cockrum, and Rudy Nebres.

As the cover indicates, this issue focuses on Dejah Thoris, and how she and John Carter came to be:
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Not to question John Carter's feelings, but I'm sure many a man has fell instantly in love with a woman as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as Dejah Thoris. But I digress...

Dejah has the guts to question the Chieftan of the Tarks, and even call him a brute! She gets a slap across the face for that, which drives John Carter into a rage, so much so he beats the Jed to death. Far from being thankful, Dejah is simply confused by Carter's actions, since they don't conform to the Martian codes of society she and everyone else lives by.

Some of the other martians take Dejah away, and Carter worries what will happen to her. But, later, Carter learns he is now the eleventh highest member of the martian tribe! He gets another chance to spend some time with Dejah, where thet get to know one another.

They're conversation is interrupted when Carter is told he is to come before the new Martian chief. It isn't for several days until Carter can see Dejah again:
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Up in the stands, Dejah gets into a fight with Sarkoja, who uses this as an opportunity to kill Dejah, while Carter is distracted fighting for his own life! Carter is knocked unconscious when the lifeless body of his foe lands on top of him.

Shortly thereafter, Carter awakens to find Dejah weakened in pain from the attack, which was not fatal. Later still, Dejah awakens believing Carter is dead. She is informed she is not, but still refuses to see him because of his "grave insult."

During a trip across the desert, Carter approaches Dejah, apologizing for his insult, begging her to listen to him so they can escape their captors. He also professes his everlasting, undying love for her, which seems to turn Dejah around (a little abruptly, actually, but...). She agrees to go along with Carter's plan to escape.

Later that night, as the whole group rests, Carter sneaks Dejah away, bringing only Sola with them:
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The end...for now!


This is the first issue of JCWOM not drawn by Gil Kane. And while I love his work, Cockrum does very well here, and his Dejah Thoris is a lovely sight. Retaining inker Rudy Nebres helps give the book some visual consistency despite the change in pencilers.

Like I mentioned above, Dejah Thoris changes her mind a bit quickly, but I guess you can chalk it up to how different Martian society is from our own.


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #10 - March 1978

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"Confrontation!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and The Tribe.

This issue opens with John Carter's best friend, Tars Tarkas, who is tormented with dark and troubling thoughts:
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John Carter and the ape fly for many hours, until they finally land in the desert, at the mouth of a cave. Carter enters, and waiting for him is The Great One (a title Carter dislikes)!

The Great One alleges that he has lived for eons, and his very existence is tied to that of Barsoom. He now believes his mission is to restore their world to its former greatness--but standing in the way of that plan is John Carter!

The Great One's plan involves nothing less than the slaughter of millions of "unworthy" Barsoomians, leaving only those who he deems capable of being the buildings blocks of a new society.

John Carter is unimpressed, and does what he knows best--draws his sword:
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They're brutal fight continues all the way outside of the cave, with John Carter refusing to give in, no matter what. Gil Kane seems like he's really enjoying himself here with this extended battle, leading up to this fantastic full-page shot:
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The Great One gets in a good shot, knocking Carter to the ground. Not wanting to risk his plan further, the giant would-be conqueror climbs into an airship and departs, heading for the Tree of Life, not realizing that Carter has stowed aboard, hanging off the ship's wing.

The Great One begins to feel disoriented, and suddenly finds himself in a lush jungle! As he begins to talk to himself, Carter, watching all this, thinks his foe has gone mad.

Carter sees that the Great One's ship is headed straight for the Atmosphere Factory. He jumps off it just as the ship crashes into the ground, exploding into bits. Carter, having landed in a small lake, stumbles onto land and passes out:

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The end...for now!


Another very unusual issue: the big villain is, at first, your typical world conqueror, but he's not done in by our hero John Carter, at least not directly; no, he simply goes mad and does himself in. Very 1970s!

The art here is kind of all over the map because of the melange of inkers; some pages look better (way better) than others. Too bad Marvel couldn't have found someone like Tom Sutton to do the whole issue--Kane does some really knockout work here, marred only by the inconsistency of the finishes.


Sunday, March 27, 2011

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #9 - Feb. 1978

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"Armageddon...At Last!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Nebres.

In stark contrast to last issue, this time John Carter and Dejah Thoris are together, but this time preparing for battle:
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The Council has a series of laser cannons hidden inside craters of the Martian surface, and begins to use them to blast the Helium ships out of the sky.

One of the ships hit is that piloted by Tars Tarkas, who abandons it once he realizes its going to crash. John Carter swings by, plucking his friend from the sky.

Meanwhile, The Great One--leader of the Council of Five--orders the next line of defense: in this case, the entire structure they are in is lifted into the sky!

Carter and Dejah's ship manages to evade the cannon fire, and they land onto the surface of the structure. Unbeknownst to them, a solider of the Council has the drop on them, and is about to fire. But just as he's aiming, Kantos' ship fires upon him, saving the lives of Carter, Dejah, and Tars.

Kantos and his friend Grogg land as well, fighting mano-a-mano:
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John Carter makes it into the structure, as does Tars Tarkas, who plants bombs. But Tars is interrupted by another green martian, named Karak, who considers Tars a traitor to his people.

Karak pulls a laser on Tars, who retaliates by tossing a bomb into his hands (all of them). The bomb explodes, knocking Karak's lifeless body out of the window. Outside, Kantos is so enraged over what the Council did to his Lyssia that he takes to strangling his opponents with his bare hands.

Someone fires at Kantos from behind, and Kantos blindly lashes out, tossing his dagger in the direction of the sneak attack:
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...to be continued!

This issue features another one of those "Giant Battle Issue" blurbs on the cover, which I guess you could call almost a running joke--as if the other issues were talky bore-a-thons. How much more action can you cram into 17 measly pages?

This Great One character looks a little too Micronauts-y for my taste, but maybe John Carter will dispense with him even faster than he did Stara-Kan. Be back in two days to find out!


Friday, March 25, 2011

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #8 - Jan. 1978

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"...And Stone May Crumble!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Nebres.

John Carter and Dejah Thoris have a rare moment of relaxation:
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...well, that certainly puts a damper on the fun!

Kantos thinks this is all superstitious nonsense (kind of unusual for a resident of Mars), but Tars Tarkas warns him to heed such symbols. Carter agrees with Kantos, and relates a story from his time on Earth, about the time he led an expedition through Africa.

Carter and his party were apprehended by a Voodoo priest, who claimed his dolls had powers over the white men. One of them believed the threats, and ended up being burned at the stake. But when it came for Carter's turn, he refused to fall fo it, and ended up kicking the voodoo priest into his own pyre. This story makes Tars Tarkas...hungry.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, a monstrous being called The Great One (Wayne Gretsky?) is infuriated at the murder of Stara-Kan by John Carter. He lets his displeasure be known by grabbing the head of a Martian and crushing it like a grape.

Back in Helium, John Carter and Dejah settle down for the night, as do Kantos and Lyssia, though they aren't quite as content:
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While Kantos loves Lyssia, he cannot bring himself to quit the service, premonitions or no. While he and John Carter talk, there's a massive explosion outside the city. Springing from the ground is a series of giant serpents, made entirely of stone!

But John Carter is not aware of his, busy as he is questioning one of the hooded assailants. Before the man has a chance to say anything, he is blasted by one of the serpents, now right outside the gates of Helium. The blast turns him into stone!

As Carter and his friends scatter, Kantos notices Lyssia is missing! He braves the creatures by trying to rescue her--climbing atop one of them and cutting into its head with his sword. John Carter does the same, trying to put one of the serpents in the line of fire from another one.

He then runs off, looking for what he believes to be the source of this madness, Stara-Kan's mechanical arm:
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...to be continued!


Another downbeat ending! Say what you will, but Marv Wolfman was certainly willing to pick off the occasional character in this series (even if they weren't any of the regulars). It helps get across what an absurdly dangerous world Mars is!


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #7 - Dec. 1977

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"Dejah Thoris Lives!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Tom Sutton.

John Carter, nearly beaten to death by an angry mob, lies in bed, clinging to life with only one thing on his mind:
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Dejah peppers Gargan with questions about The Council of Five. At first Gargan tries to avoid answering, but he is too charmed by the comely Dejah and begins to provide information about their mission.

The Council wants to destroy the Atmosphere Factory, killing all Barsoomians. Picking a small group deemed worthy of saving, they will be given air breathers until everyone else has died. Only then will the atmosphere be turned back on, leaving only a "worthy" society.

Dejah is shocked at this mad, murderous plan, but plays along when Gargan promises she will be saved because he is enamored of her. Growing suspicious of her constant questions, Gargan slaps her, then forces her into a clinch--big mistake.

As Gargan is busy thinking below the waist, Dejah uses the opportunity to grab his knife, stabbing him in the back! Some members of the Council fire upon Dejah as she escapes, but with the help of a nearby laser she finds a room to hide in.

In the room, though, is Dejah's nemesis Krela. Krela prepares to scream, but at gunpoint Dejah forces her to strip off her clothing. Hotcha!

Moments later, some of the Council on the hunt find Dejah, and open fire, killing her. Unfortunately, they're of the ready-fire-aim type, which means of course they've killed Krela in Dejah's clothing!

Meanwhile, Dejah sneaks out a back exit into a nearby airship:
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...you can see why John Carter likes Dejah so much!

Dejah flies back to Helium, where she finds her father and Tars Tarkas. Overjoyed and morale lifted, the Barsoomians fire upon the Council's ships, trying to stop their assault on the Atmosphere Factory.

But the Council's plan is so far along that everyone can start to feel the air getting thinner already. An oxygen mask pops down in Dejah's ship, and she decides to make a frontal assault on the Council's main chamber, all by herself!

Meanwhile, John Carter wakes up when he hears that Dejah has been found alive. When he is told she is attacking the Council personally, he leaps out of bed into a ship of his own. Within moments, he sees his beloved firing upon some Martians inside the factory, and he leaps out of the ship onto the ground:
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...to be continued!


Nice to see Dejah given a bit of a solo adventure here--it helps makes her a little more of a rounded character getting to see her independent of John Carter. She's such an ass-kicker that you can totally understand why she and Carter are so into each other.

The Kane-Sutton art team here is my favorite combo of the series so far; it really gives the book a loose, scrappy feel--perfect for the blood and guts adventure that is John Carter, Walord of Mars!


Monday, March 21, 2011

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #6 - Nov. 1977

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"Hell in Helium!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Mesina.

Stara-Kan is finally dead, leaving John Carter still wondering where his beloved Dejah Thoris is:
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Also searching for Dejah is her father, Mors Kajak. Some of his men still believe Carter is the one that kidnapped her, but Kajak refuses to believe it...for now.

During their search, the spot Tars Tarkas, nearly dead, crawling through the desert. They stop to rescue him, and after a few moments he is able to tell them all what happened. He is enraged at the very idea that his friend John Carter had anything to do with Dejah's kidnapping, and threatens to "Slay the culprit who spread those filthy lies!"

Nevertheless, the lies about Carter are spreading, and it reaches such a fever pitch that many are openly calling for Carter's execution for his "crimes." John Carter, unaware of all this, returns to Helium to speak to Kajak, only to be swarmed by the angry mob!

Carter once again has to find himself holding back, fighting those he considered his friends, but the crowd is out for blood:
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The thoats break free, and stampede into the crowd. Despite what just happened, Carter turns around and tries to save some of the innocent people from being trampled to death. He jumps onto the back of one of the thoats, and telepathically commands it to stop.

But it doesn't listen, and continue charging through the streets toward the incubation chambers, where the unhatched eggs of Martian women are kept. Carter dismounts, putting himself between the charging animals and the future generation of Mars.

He picks up one of the thoats, tossing it into the rest, but it only stops them for a few moments. Knocking Carter aside, they smash their way into the chamber:
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...to be continued!


Another fairly grim ending for an issue of this series--our hero is nearly beaten to death by an angry mob while holding a baby. And Spider-Man thinks an angry editorial in The Daily Bugle is vexing!

I'm not familiar with the work of Rudy Mesina, but I don't think the results here look as good as when Rudy Nebres was inking Gil Kane's pencils in previous issues. Nevertheless, Kane was still doing excellent work on this series.