Wednesday Worlds of Wonder PANIC! "Mars Man Chase"

Did screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan or director Steven Spielberg read this in 1955?

Both of them would've been the right age to have read this never-reprinted short (obviously inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom tales) from by writer/artist Don Orehek from Panic Publications' Panic #2 (1958), which might have inspired this legendary bit of high adventure cinema history...

Did it?

We'll never know!

Monday Mars Madness STORY OF OTHER WORLDS "Amazon of Barsoom"

Concluding our re-telling of long-unseen Barsoom (Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars) stories...

...here's the final never-reprinted Barsoom tale that ran in DC Comics' Tarzan Family in 1976!

This story from DC's Tarzan Family #60 (1975) was written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by Noly Zamora.

The Heliumites in this tale are blue-skinned, not red (as in all other Barsoom stories), and these red "demon apes" who carry spears and talk have never appeared in any other Barsoom tale!

As we mentioned earlier, this story and the Secret Diaries of John Carter mini-series have never been reprinted since their publication in 1976, even in the recent Dark Horse trade paperback that presented all the other Barsoom-based stories that appeared in DC Comics!
(It's rumored that dissatisfaction with them was the reason ERB Inc pulled the license from DC!)

Next Week:

It's Christmas...on Mars!

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Monday Mars Madness JOHN CARTER OF MARS "Lights of Doom"

When Last We Left the First EarthMan on Mars...

...well that pretty much covers it, so let's rejoin Carter as he faces imminent peril!

This all-new tale from DC's Tarzan Family #64 (1976) was written by Bob Kanigher, penciled by Noly Zamora and inked by Vic Catan with several panels modifed/redrawn by editor Joe Kubert.

Unfortunately, the story ends on a cliffhanger as the remaining two issues of Tarzan Family featured reprints of Carter's first DC Comics appearances from Tarzan #207-208!
DC then cancelled both of their Burroughs-related titles as ERB.Inc announced plans to publish their own line of comic books which, unfortunately didn't work out, as seen HERE.

In 1977, Marvel Comics was granted the license for ERB characters, doing both Tarzan and John Carter as stand-alone titles ignoring any storylines DC had produced (including adaptations).

When those titles were cancelled in 1979, unused artwork for both of them was adapted (ironically) into other licensed-property titles!

The unused Tarzan story became, with rescripting and additional art, a two-part BattleStar Galactica tale!

John Carter's unpiublished tale was modified into a two-part Star Wars story (#53-54) with Carter becoming Aron Peacebringer, Dejah Thoris relabeled Alisande, and Tars Tarkas losing his extra arms, becoming orange, and renamed Keral Longknife!

As we mentioned earlier, the "Secret Diaries" mini-series has never been reprinted since it's publication in 1976, even in the recent Dark Horse trade paperback that presented all the other John Carter stories that appeared in DC Comics!
There is one more never-reprinted Barsoom tale (without John Carter or any established characters) from DC which you'll see next week!

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Monday Mars Madness JOHN CARTER OF MARS "Death has Three Heads"

Continuing the Secret Diaries of John Carter...

...her's the second chapter of the never-reprinted "Secret Diaries" mini-series that ran in DC Comics' Tarzan Family in 1976!

The Adventure Concludes...Next Monday!

Of course, it goes without saying that since these are the "secret diaries" of John Carter, that he must have survived in order to write them...

This all-new tale from DC's Tarzan Family #63 (1976) was written by Bob Kanigher, penciled by Noly Zamora and inked by Vic Catan..with several panels redrawn by editor (and comics legend) Joe Kubert!

As we mentioned earlier, this mini-series has never been reprinted since it's publication in 1976, even in the Dark Horse trade paperback that presented all the other John Carter stories that appeared in Tarzan and Weird Worlds!

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Monday Mars Madness JOHN CARTER OF MARS "Secret Diaries of John Carter"

As we mentioned earlier, there are John Carter of Mars tales that have never been reprinted...

 ...and now we're re-presenting them...the "Secret Diaries" series that ran in DC Comics' Tarzan Family in 1976!

 The adventure continues...
next Monday!

There are a couple of inconsistencies with the established John Carter/Burroughs Universe canon.

The Myposans are actually a Venusian race from Burroughs' Carson of Venus series!

The girl should be red-skinned or pale white, not Caucasian-flesh colored.

It's not clearly-stated when this story takes place, but because Carter is still wearing his Earth-produced pants, it's implied that it's shortly after he arrives on Mars.

(The Comics Code didn't allow him to show up stark naked on Barsoom!)

This all-new tale from Tarzan Family #62 (1976) was written by Bob Kanigher, penciled by Noly Zamora and inked by Vicatan.

As we mentioned earlier, this series has never been reprinted since it's publication in 1976, even in the recent Dark Horse trade paperback that presented all the other John Carter stories that appeared in Tarzan and Weird Worlds!

BARSOOM! (You call it "Mars")

He's 110 years old, but not only was he the basis for a recent big-budget sci-fi / fantasy film, his multi-volume high-adventure saga is the inspiration for almost every major space opera in print or on-screen since his debut in 1911*!
He's John Carter!

The first pulp adventure/scientific romance series created by Edgar Rice Burroughs (predating Tarzan by several months). the six-part serial "Under the Moons of Mars" detailed how soldier-of-fortune John Carter, mortally-wounded by Indians while prospecting for gold in 1870s Arizona, somehow projects his consciousness to Mars, where it is reincarnated in a body identical to his Earthbound form.

BTW, Burroughs suggests that Carter (on Earth) was immortal.
In the opening pages of "Under the Moons of Mars", the author reveals that Carter can't remember his childhood, having always been a man of about thirty years old.
Generations referred to him as "Uncle Jack," but he always lived to see all the members of the families grow old and die, while he remained young.

In Mars' lesser gravity, Carter's normal-human strength is, literally, superhuman!

He can lift over a ton, and can leap over a quarter of a mile!

And, yes, he can breathe, because the Barsoomians operate atmosphere-generating facilities bringing the oxygen content of the air to near-Earth levels.

He rescues and falls in love with the beautiful princess of the city/state Helium, Dejah Thoris, and joins with her in battling tyrannical enemies in a world filled with hidden cities, exotic creatures, and advanced technology (sometimes disguised as "magic").

It's the prototypical "high adventure" series, and its' concepts and tropes can be found in most later sf/fantasy from Flash Gordon to Captain Future to Star Wars.

Probably because of heavy special-effects requirements, there were no film or tv adaptations of John Carter stories until 2009, when a low-budget direct-to-video version of A Princess of Mars was released.

Legendary animator Bob Clampett attempted to produce an animated version in 1936, going so far as to produce an illustrated bible and test footage. But no studio wanted to bankroll the project, believing "realistic" animation wouldn't sell. Several years later, the Fleischer Studio produced the classic Superman cartoons, proving them wrong.

Kerry Conran had just finished the first all-CGI movie, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and wanted John Carter of Mars to be his next project!

You can read about the regrettable fate of Clampett and Conran's attempts HERE!

With public interest in Mars peaking over the past year, Atomic Kommie Comics™ feels it's the right time to re-present some of the best art of past versions of Barsoom and John Carter and offer our fans the chance to acquire collectibles in our Martians! Martians! Martians!™  collection including mugs, t-shirts, and an Art of Barsoom 2022 12-Month Calendar!featuring comic book and pulp magazine art!

With Christmas coming, any of our collectibles combined with one of the books, comics, or dvd/blu-ray as a gift set would make a great Christmas present for the pop-culture/high adventure/sci-fi fan in your life!
(Hey, everybody else is already promoting Christmas gifts!)
For the remainder of November, we'll be presenting never-reprinted John Carter/Barsoom comic stories!
Don't miss them!

*Though The All-Story magazine the first chapter of "Under the Moons of Mars" appeared in is cover-dated February, 1912, the magazine was actually on sale in November-December 1911. 

Cover-dating fiction magazines (including pulps and comic books) 3-4 months ahead of the actual release date was standard practice until the 1990s.

Monday Mars Madness Presents "The Lost Cinematic Worlds of Barsoom" (We Call it Mars)

You may remember 2012's John Carter of Mars movie...

...bud did you know about the two movie versions that went as far as having test reels produced?
Or the low-budget Z-movie (not even good enough to be a B-movie) that went direct to cable TV?

In 1931, legendary animator Bob Clampett worked with John Coleman Burroughs (Edgar Rice's son) to create the following piece...

No movie studio was interested in backing the project.
Most told Clampett that their audiences has no interest in "realistic" animation!
(The Fleischer Brothers proved them wrong with Superman several years later...)

In 2004, Kerry Conran pitched a John Carter movie done in almost total CGI...

...like the movie he just completed, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!
If Sky Captain had done better at the box office, Kerry undoubtedly would have been given the green light.
But, it didn't, and he wasn't.

There was a low-budget "updated to the present day" version, Princess of Mars, which went direct-to-video/cable/satellite TV just before the big budget flick opened!

It was so low-budget the Tharks didn't even have four arms, and were the same height as John Carter!
(Plus, Dejah Thoris was an ex-porn star!)

The mega-budget film that finally was produced after years of delays, rewrites, and changes in writers, directors, and cast, did poorly, though it was, in fact, damned good...

Because of its' poor performance at the box office, we're unlikely to see another attempt to bring Barsoom to life anytime soon...

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Best of Reading Room: GULLIVAR JONES "Martian Genesis"

Concluding our re-presentation of the never-reprinted adventures of the first EarthMan on Mars...

...as we present, from the b/w magazine Monsters Unleashed #8 (1974), the final strip, produced by a team which included a newcomer to Marvel who would become one of the biggest names in the field (read the name in the credits below)...

Yes, this was George Perez's first assignment after breaking into the business as Rich Buckler's art assistant!

Oddly enough, this story isn't listed on George's own website!

And, there's uncredited inking by neophites Bob Layton and John Byrne, who helped inker Duffy Vohland meet the deadline!

Wonder whatever happened to Byrne and Layton?  ;-)

Despite the promise printed above, Gullivar Jones and company never graced another Marvel comic or magazine.
(Monsters Unleashed was cancelled with #10, two issues before Gullivar would have reappeared.)
Note there's no splash page for this story.
Actually, there is!
It was rejected, and a replacement was used for Page 1!
Here's the unpublished splash page...

Think of it!

George Perez's very first page...rejected!

Good thing he didn't give up, eh?