John Carter, Warlord of Mars #21 - Feb. 1979

"The Lady and the Lion!" by Chris Claremont, Ernie Colon, and Frank Springer.

Last issue ended with John Carter having rescued his beloved Dejah Thoris from slavery, but now they are both in even deeper trouble:

Gar Karus rescues Carter and Dejah before they fall to their deaths, saying that what is in store for them is much worse.

Time passes, and Carter and Dejah find themselves in a dank prison cell. Dejah is in tears over what she had to do while under Chan Tomar's thumb, but Carter reassures her that whatever she did, needed to be done, and its nothing she should be ashamed of.

They kiss, only for their tender moment to be interrupted by Chan Tomar. He has the two of them separated, and when they see each other again, its in the middle of a huge coliseum, with Dejah chained to a post:

Uh-oh! To be continued!


After last issue being all-Ernie Colon, I felt like this issue was a step back, art-wise, but the story is still a lot of fun. This whole run taking place in Karanthor has a movie serial-vibe to it, which each issue ending with a doozy of a cliffhanger...how is John Carter going to get out of this one?

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #20 - Jan. 1979

"Battle at the Bottom of the World!" by Chris Claremont and Ernie Colon.

John Carter, still at the lost city of Karanthor trying to rescue his beloved Dejah Thoris, prepares to help his friend Garthon fight off an invading horde (the best kind of horde):

While Gar Karus celebrates John Carter's courage and skill, he continues to dismiss his son Garthon. That night, the whole city celebrates their victory, while Carter is alone, plotting on how to save Dejah and escape.

He hears someone creeping into his room, but gets the drop on him, assuming its an assassin. Turns out its Garthon, who asks Carter point blank about whether he's plotting an escape.

Carter admits he is--but instead of arguing, Garthon suggests an easier way for his friend to leave rather than scaling the immense cliff that the city sits in the shadow of. Garthon says he made the trip once himself, but could not leave his love Hira behind.

But now, he and Hira are ready to leave together, and ask Carter if they can come along. Carter is thrilled, adding only that he's not leaving without Dejah Thoris:

...to be continued!


This is one of my favorite--if not the favorite--issues of this whole series. Having Ernie Colon draw the entire book (the letters page says the art was reproduced directly from Colon's pencils, but this sure doesn't look like it) was a great idea, and I think his style is perfect for John Carter, Warlord of Mars.

Plus, Colon's Dejah Thoris is simply drop-dead, stunningly gorgeous. The man could (can) do gritty action as well as draw sexy women: two major elements of the series!

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #19 - Dec. 1978

"The Valiant Die But Once!" by Chris Claremont, Ernie Colon, and Frank Springer.

With the Tars Tarkas solo adventure now out of the way, the series returned to the main story, which found John Carter in the remote city of Karanthor, and Dejah Thoris but a mere slave!:

Chan Tomar never lets Dejah get too far without reminding her she is his slave/. As he puts his hands on her, Dejah seethes...and plots revenge.

Outside in the garden, John Carter and Garthon talk, where Garthin explains how this city came to be: the original city of Karanthor was destroyed in a massive series of earthquakes (marsquakes?) and fires, leaving a tiny band of survivors to look for a new home.

They made one outside a tiny cave, where they could rest and grow crops. With most of the terrain outside this area now impassable, the men began to grow wings(!), and build a civilization amid the stalactites. Eventually, red-skinned Barsoomians began to arrive, and they were quickly turned into a slave class.

Just then, a slave girl named Hira arrives, carrying a message that Garthon's father wants to see them both. Carter notices the way they act around one another, and deduces they are in love. Garthon admits this, but says he cannot admit to being in love with a lowly slave.

John Carter and Garthon reach the mouth of the cave, where a defense is being prepared:

...to be continued!

Ernie Colon and Frank Springer are a so-so combination, art-wise: Springer (as most inkers did) sanded down some of Colon's rougher edges, which is one of my favorite things about Colon's work! But overall its not too bad, and I'm still really enjoying Colon's work on this series.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #18 - Nov. 1978

"Meanwhile, Back in Helium!" by Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, and Bob McLeod.

Most series at one time or another decide to devote an issue to a side character. It was John Carter, Warlord of Mars' turn, in an issue starring Tars Tarkas:

Tars leaps off his steed, and sneaks amid the shadows of Marahn. He hears a creak, and is attacked by his chieftain, Barak Sol. Tars quickly finds himself a bit outmatched. They both tumble off a nearby ledge, and Tars ends up with a sword in his gut.

Their battle is halted when the ground below them heaves mightily, and under the surface they find...water?!? Yes, water!

Out of the water comes a series of red, groping hands, which catch Sol's legs and begin to drag him down. Despite their battle, Tars immediately leaps to help Sol escape:

The end...for now!


Interesting to see then-newcomer Frank Miller try his hand at this series; under McLeod's inking you don't see much of the gritty looseness that became Miller's trademark; that of course would come soon enough!