Showing posts with label Edgar Rice Burroughs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edgar Rice Burroughs. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder GRAPHIC SHOWCASE "Eyes of Mars" Part 3

When Last We Left an Earthman (not named John Carter) on Mars...

...well, now that you know what's going on...jump in!
Sadly, there was no fourth installment!
Happily, writer-artist Michael Kaluta went on to become a full-time comics/sci-fi illustrator, becoming the definitive comic artist for The Shadow...
...as well as working on actual Edgar Rice Burroughs interplanatary fantasy, but not John Carter of Mars...

...but Carson of Venus which you can read by clicking HERE!
Next Wednesday...a new World of Wonder!

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Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder GRAPHIC SHOWCASE "Eyes of Mars" Part 2

We Have Already Seen...

...disturbed that, due to the development of warp drive, Earth's scientists are bypassing the planets of the Solar System as uninhabitable, Lt Cezer Leason, a pilot in the Space Patrol, steals his scout craft and heads to Mars!
His ship damaged by a meteor storm, Leason crashes on the surface of the Red Planet and discovers it is, in fact, inhabited!
Rescued by two rebel warriors, he and his new-found friends are captured and brought before the beautiful Queen of Mars...
To Be Continued...Next Wednesday
As we explained previously; the Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired creator of this story from CCCS's Graphic Showcase #2 (1967) is none other than Mike (The Shadow) Kaluta!
The strip was probably intended as weekly installments in a high-school/college paper, but was repurposed for use in the fanzine.

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Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Wednesday Worlds of Wonder GRAPHIC SHOWCASE "Eyes of Mars" Part 1

 In the pre-Internet days...

...comic creator wanna-bes had to print samples of their work in "fanzines", then sell them at comic conventions and through mailing lists.
Here's the very first published efforts of a wanna-be who made good...
The Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired creator of this story from CCCS's Graphic Showcase #1 (1967) is none other than Mike (The Shadow) Kaluta!
The strip was probably intended as weekly installments in a high-school/college paper, but was repurposed for use in the fanzine.
Graphic Showcase ran three issues, with "Eyes of Mars" appearing in all three.
You'll see them over the next two weeks...
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Volume 1
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Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Best of Wednesday Worlds of Wonder CARSON OF VENUS

For September, we're presenting compilations of previous series you may have missed!

...starting with the never-reprinted DC adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "scientific romance" (as they called it back then) Carson of Venus by Len Wein & Michael J Kaluta!
Click on the Links to Enjoy!
Sadly, the series ends on a cliffhanger...

Monday, November 29, 2021

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, November 22, 2021

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

...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, November 15, 2021

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, November 8, 2021

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!

Monday, November 1, 2021

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.