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.


Friday, May 27, 2011

Weird Worlds #4 - March 1973

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"Thuvia" by Marv Wolfman, Sal Amendola, and Joe Orlando.

John Carter finds himself face-to-face with a comely Martian warrior named Thuvia:
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While John Carter wonders about his beloved Dejah Thoris, we catch up with her, as she and Sola are about to be attacked by a giant winged beast!

But before the beast can strike, it is reigned in by its master, a man named Dotan. Dotan tells Dejah and Sola to leave, but they say they cannot because their airship is damaged.

Dejah doesn't believe when Dotan says he lives in this desolate spot, but they are stunned when Dotan takes them through a mystical portal to his home, a lush city known as Sorkan. Sadly, Dotan is the lone survivor of the city, it having suffered under numerous attacks by outsiders.

Dotan asks Dejah to stay (wow, that was fast), but she says they cannot. Dotan then offers his winged beast as transport for Dejah back to Helium.

Meanwhile:
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Carter and Tarkas jump into battle (of course they do). After some heated fighting, a large bomb goes off, knocking Thuvia out, and one of the pirates grabs her unconscious body and retreats. Carter follows:
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...to be continued!


This is the first new artist on the "John Carter" strip since it began in Tarzan, and while some of the anatomy is a little wonky, penciler Sal Amendola brings a nice energy to it, which I think fits well with such an action-heavy story.


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Weird Worlds #3 - Jan. 1973

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"Into The Valley of Death" by Marv Wolfman and Murphy Anderson.

John Carter and Tars Tarkas, having crashed into the ocean, make their way to a nearby island:
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Carter fires his gun, shooting an explosive pellet into some nearby brush, setting it on fire. The conflagration scares off their one-eyed attackers, giving them the chance to escape into a nearby cave.

While Carter and Tarkas catch their breath, we see that Dejah Thoris is fairing no better: her airship never made it to Helium, landing instead in a barren stretch of desert because it was carrying too much weight. Within moments they find themselves under threat!

The next day, Carter and Tarkas emerge from the cave:
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Carter and Tarkas fight off the Banths, and just as they kill the last one a disembodied voice warns the two of them not to come any further--or they will die!

Carter, of course, ignores this, jumping into a small, dark tunnel from which one of the Banths has emerged:
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...to be continued!


Monday, May 23, 2011

Weird Worlds #2 - Nov. 1972

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"Escape" by Marv Wolfman and Murphy Anderson.

Lorquas Ptomel is less than pleased at the news John Carter plans to escape from Barsoom:
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Carter manages to fight through his attackers and he, Dejah, and Sola make their way to an airship. Unfortunately, the ships only carry two people each, so Carter puts Dejah and Sola into it, telling her to take off while he stays behind.

Another group of Tharks approaches, and Carter fights them off long enough to get into another airship--not knowing how to fly it!

Luckily(?) for him, Tars Tarkas has climbed aboard, who gives Carter another, more pressing problem to deal with: fighting him off!

As the airship flies wildly through the sky, Carter duels with Tars. Carter knocks Tars' sword out of his hand, but when the ship suddenly lists to one side, Tars takes that moment to lunge at his opponent:
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...to be continued!


Those are some truly disturbing aliens, courtesy Murphy Anderson!


Saturday, May 21, 2011

Weird Worlds #1 - Sept. 1972

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"Trial of Fear" by Marv Wolfman and Murphy Anderson.

Picking up where "John Carter" left off in Tarzan, we get this nifty, poster-like splash page and a brief recap of Carter's origins:
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We now join Carter and the always-scantily-dressed Dejah Thoris getting to know one another:

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Carter is thrown into the pool hip-deep, forced to battle a small army of Tharks to prove to Lorquas that he is worthy of them. After initially getting overwhelmed, Carter manages to fight them all off, leaving everyone impressed.

Lorquas declares Carter to be a chieftan, but warns him that if Carter "abuses his welcome", he will be suffer a fate worse than death. Carter refuses to be intimidated, stating that if any harm comes to Dejah Thoris, it is Lorquas who will suffer revenge at Carter's hands--even if he only has the two!

That night, Carter confides to Sola that he plans to escape Barsoom, who tells them her secret: she is Tars Tarkas' daughter. Another Thark, named Sarkoja, overhears this and alerts Lorquas, who is less than pleased at the news:
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...to be continued!


Weird Worlds made for a solid series right from the get-go--in addition to John Carter, there was another ERB character, David Innes, in a strip here called "Pellucidar" by Len Wein and Alan Weiss, making for a smashing double feature!


Thursday, May 19, 2011

Tarzan #209 - June 1972

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Untitled by Marv Wolfman and Murphy Anderson.

This third installment of "John Carter, Warlord of Mars" opens with John Carter getting used to his new surroundings:
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One of the Tharks hits an attacking airship, bringing it crashing to the ground. The Tharks approach the ship, looking for any survivors--a fate worse than death, one of the Tharks assures John Carter.

A survivor is discovered, and Carter sees who the prisoner is:
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Sola does just that, explaining to Carter how their society works: every five years, eggs are hatched. Those who show the ability to emerge on their own are immediately taught to become warriors, thereby keeping their race healthy and strong.

Carter spies one of the Tharks pushing Dejah Thoris around, and steps in when they are about to gang up on her. The Tharks, naturally, don't like this and turn on him:
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To be continued...in Weird Worlds!


Yes, after just three short issues, "John Carter" was moved over to DC's new book, Weird Worlds, where his stay would be a bit longer in duration than here.

Murphy Anderson was back this time around--and while I mean no disrespect, I really wish Gray Morrow had done this third installment: Morrow was superb at rendering women, and I would have loved to have seen him tackle Dejah Thoris' introduction to the story.