John Carter, Warlord of Mars Annual #1 - 1977

"When Walk The Ancient Dead!" by Marv Wolfman, Sal Buscema, and Ernie Chan.

Apparently the John Carter, Warlord of Mars book was so popular Marvel commissioned an Annual, even though the book was barely half a year old!

As you might expect, since writer/editor Marv Wolfman was in the middle of an ongoing storyline in the main book, he wrote a tale (in what has to be the longest John Carter comics story ever done) that works as a stand-alone adventure. It opens with John Carter flying alone in his airship:

John Carter helps the underdog fight off the Warhoons, killing most of them. The remaining two jump on their horses and take off, but Carter manages to catch up and kill them both, after the frenzied prompting of the blond young man.

That grim task now over, Carter asks why it was so essential they not be allowed to escape:

...what kind of madness is this?!?

Pan Dan Chee says he will plead Carter's case to their leader, but the rest of them believe it will do no good.

Passing down a hall lined with statues honoring Horz's ruling ancestors (including the beautiful Princess S-Lara, whom Pan Dan Chee seems more than a little obsessed with), the group comes before Ho Ran Kim, who hears Carter's case, but refuses to stay the execution. As you might guess, John Carter is less than thrilled with this decision.

The Jeddak explains the history of Horz, and how centuries ago it was decimated by Green Martians. It was decided that the only way the city could survive is if they completely cut themselves off from the rest of the planet, becoming self-sufficient--which means not allowing any strangers ever to leave.

Carter tries to explain that Mars has changed, and that the people of Helium could help protect Horz. But Kim is having none of it, even after Pan Dan Chee offers an alternative: not killing Carter, but keeping him in Horz permanently. Kim considers this, and says he will make a decision the next day.

Until then, they are both taken to the Pit of the Ancestors, where Pan Dan Chee shows Carter the dessicated corpse of Princess S-Lara (ewww!). As Chee moons over her, Carter is at turns shocked and annoyed--all he wants is to find a way out.

Before he can look for an exit, he and Chee are attacked by a pack of Ulsios, giant rat-like creatures:

Carter discovers a door buried inside the wall of one of the tunnels, and smashes his way in. Inside he and Chee are shocked to find an old man, living in a sort of pre-fab apartment, filled with coffins and statues of the ancestors.

The old man looks crazy, but seems harmless enough. And friendly--he offers Carter and Chee some water, which they gulp down. That turns out to be a big mistake, for the water is drugged, and within moments they are unconscious.

Moments later, we see the old man having placed Carter and Chee in their own coffins, as he prepares them to be embalmed! Carter wakes up in time, slapping the old man into a wall. He helps Chee get up, and then discover even more shocking: the once dead are now rising!

Standing now before them are Hor Kai Lan, one of Horz' rulers from eons ago, as well as some others fro the ruling class...including Princess S-Lara!:

As Chee prepares for what seems like a Barsoomian version of Penthouse Forum John Carter battles with Kan and his men, while simultaneously trying to figure out what the hell is going on. He leaps onto a nearby rooftop, with his foes giving chase. Carter leaps onto a deserted sailing ship, only to see it suddenly filled with armed, angry pirates at the command of Kan!

Meanwhile, Chee professes his love for S-Lara, which seems to be the right thing to say: we leave them just as they share a passionate kiss.

While Chee is, er, busy, John Carter is trying to stay alive. Fighting off some of the pirates, he climbs up the ship's mast--or at least what he thinks is the ship's mast:

...whew! Dejah Thoris is never going to believe this!


A solid tale, well told--and after so many issues where the story is a scant 16 pages, its nice to see a John Carter adventure that has a little room to breathe. Under the pencils of a Buscema, this reads a lot like the type of story Conan the Barbarian would have starred in, which is fine by me! This Annual also features a pin-up by Rudy Nebres, a nice little extra. All in all, a lot of fun.

One question, though: why is the "John Carter" part of the title removed from this issue's cover?

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #5 - Oct. 1977

"...And One Shall Die!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Nebres.

In Helium, the debate on whether John Carter is a traitor or not rages:

As Jadak's men undergo training, John Carter is once again forced to participate in another "meaningless raid." Carter does his best to fell his opponents without killing them, but on Mars most fights are to the death.

Carter then turns his attention to his goal: stealing an ancient statue called The Issus Stone. Carter grabs a hold of it, barely escaping the laser blasts that follow him as he departs.

Carter boards Stara-Kan's airship, but Kan is not there. Carter hands the Issus Stone to one of Kan's flunkies, and takes the opportunity to do some spying: he finds Kan's logbook, and sees a specific coordinate as the most recent entry. Believing this is where Kan is keeping Dejah Thoris, Carter takes off for the destination!

He finds himself at a volcano, and hidden inside a nearby crevice is a vast complex:

Having escaped the giant spider (yeesh!), Carter telepathically scans the nearby buildings until he detects some people nearby. Its not Dejah Thoris, but it is Stara-Kan and his fellow Council of Five.

Carter overhears Kan mention that now that Dejah Thoris of no further use to them, she should be killed. This of course drives Carter to break into the room, swords swinging and fists flying.

Carter and Stara-Kan face off again, with Kan's robot arm proving to be equally matched with Carter's enhanced strength. Even so, Kan resorts to cheating a little, using the "obedience collar" he slapped onto his foe when he had the chance. But even the searing pain will not stop John Carter, Warlord of Mars:

...to be continued!


I love this issue's cover blurb: "Giant Battle Issue!"--as if the first four issues of this series were My Dinner With Andre.

I'm glad Stara-Kan is killed off here; in comics there's always the motivation to create a singular, ongoing villain, which makes sense--every comic book hero needs a Lex Luthor. But since John Carter wasn't strictly a Marvel comic--not set in the Marvel Universe at least--you could try some different things. So killing off your main bad guy was a nice way to distinguish this book from the rest of the pack.

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!

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #3 - Aug. 1977

"Requiem For A Warlord!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Nebres.

Last issue ended with John Carter having been knocked unconscious and taken prisoner by the villainous Stara-Kan:

Stara-Kan mocks Carter by belittling him through the bars of his cell, and promising that if Carter does not cooperate, his beloved Dejah "will feel greater pain than the back of my human hand across her beautiful face."

Left alone, this drives Carter into an enraged frenzy, and after a mighty struggle, he manages to rip the chain keeping him to the wall in half. Spent, Carter collapses into a heap.

Days later, Carter awakes. But before he can try to escape, a door slides open, and enters a Banth, a Martian lion. Taking no pride in the kill, Carter strangles it with his chains, and declares he is coming for Stara-Kan.

Escaping from his cell, Carter makes his way to the royal chamber, where Stara-Kan sits atop his throne, as if waiting for his foe to arrive. Carter promises he now kill him, to which Kan replies:

When Kan makes a jest that he will hand Dejah Thoris over to the brutish Warhoons, Carter leaps into the air at him. Kan backhands Carter using his robotic arm, delivering blow after blow. But Carter will not fall!

Kan tries blasting Carter using his telepathic powers, demanding Carter relent:

...to be continued!


Many heroes--most, actually--have their #1 lady love, whether it be Lois Lane, Mary Jane Watson, Jane, etc. But I have to say none of them show the devotion-to-the-point-of-madness fervor that John Carter shows for Dejah Thoris. In some ways, bad guys use that against them--all they have to do is make some snide comment about harming her and Carter goes ballistic, as he does here.

This issue also features a one-page "Barsoomian Portfolio" by Alex Nino, an unusual little extra for a Marvel color comic:

Obviously, by this early stage Marvel already considered John Carter, Warlord of Mars a sales success, since on the letters page a John Carter Annual is announced to be on sale in just a few months, before the book was even a year old!

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #2 - July 1977

"From The Shadows...Stara-Kan!" by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Rudy Nebres.

This issue starts with John Carter, Dejah Thoris, and their friend Tars Tarkas investigating the ruins of the once-great city Zodanga:

Back at Helium, Dejah Thoris wonders why she was taken captive and tortured for information about how to enter the Atmosphere Factory, when everyone knows only two people on Mars are privy to that information.

John Carter tries to reassure Dejah he doesn't know, but he does know the trouble is over. But inside he knows that its just beginning.

Tars Tarkas tries to get information out of their captive, but he won't speak. The prisoner is put on trial, threatened with the penalty of death for his treason. But still, he won't speak.

John Carter asks to be allowed to question the prisoner--alone. The judge allows this, but in the meantime the prisoner is locked into a cell:

The next day, John Carter is awakened with bad news--the prisoner has escaped! He and Dejah Thoris grab Tars and they prepare to search: that is, until Carter insists Dejah stay behind, that way he doesn't have to worry about his beloved bing kidnapped again. Fuming, Dejah agrees.

Carter and Tars investigate the Atmosphere Factory (the structure that keeps Mars alive by maintaining its air supply), and they are dismayed to find its front door open and unguarded. They enter the building, and are attacked by a gang of White Apes!

Carter, knowing he is physically outmatched, hacks and slashes his way free, and escapes their clutches, only to find himself chased by another pack of them. As he struggles to fight them off, an airship arrives, piloted by Dejah!

Crashing her ship into a glass tower, she distracts the White Apes long enough for John Carter to take a breath. When one of the apes grabs Dejah, though, he springs back into action:

...to be continued!



Man, if there ever was a book that perfectly encapsulated the Marvel style of the 1970s, I think it would be John Carter, Warlord of Mars--its all action, action, action!

And I don't mean that as a knock--not at all. Writer/editor Marv Wolfman wisely realized that to try and adapt ERB's stories as they appeared in the books wouldn't work as comics, since there was so much set-up with only tiny bursts of action in between. Here, he has Carter provide the prose via narration while giving his artist (the incomparable Gil Kane) lots of opportunities to draw fun stuff: aliens, spaceships, swordplay, etc.

This book was also published during the era when the story/ad ratio in comic books was nearly 50:50--these stories are just 17 pages out of a 32 page book, which means there isn't a lot of room for quiet reflection.