Wednesday Worlds of Wonder CARSON OF VENUS "Mars--or Bust!"

Starting this week, we're presenting runs of short-lived series on Wednesdays...

...beginning with one of the very best from two future comic legends!

To Be Continued

Next Wednesday!

When Gold Key lost the license to Edgar Rice Burroughs properties in 1971, DC snapped it up right away!

The then-new Conan the Barbarian title had proven pulp characters had viability as comics and both DC and Marvel were grabbing up pulp properties currently in paperback reprints to adapt.

While Marvel was concentrating on Robert E Howard's characters (and other barbarians) along with Doc Savage, DC got Doc's stablemates The Shadow and The Avenger as well as Burroughs' lineup.

Besides continuing the Tarzan and Korak titles (from their Gold Key numbering), DC decided to re-launch John Carter along with previously-unadapted series Pellucidar and Carson of Venus as back-ups!

Note: While Gold Key's Tarzan had visited Pellucidar in several multi-issue tales, the underground world and it's inhabitants never had stand-alone stories!

There was no shortage of eager creatives to handle the new series!

Writer Len Wein and illustrator Michael Kaluta got the nod for Carson and ran with it, as you can see in this premiere story just dripping with both period mood and pulp-style high adventure from DC's Korak: Son of Tarzan #46 (1972)!

The team adapts ERB's introductory Carson novel Pirates of Venus in a multi-issue arc.

Oddly, they leave out one of the more interesting aspects of the book...a number of references to other Burroughs characters including Tarzan, David Innes, Captain Zuppner, Abner Perry and Jason Gridley!

Whether this was DC's or the Burroughs Estates' decision is unknown, but I find it hard to believe serious fans like Wein and Kaluta would deliberately leave out the references...

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The Complete Ace Books Carson of Venus Series

TIME WARP WEEK "Union in Steel"

Welcome to the finale of Time Warp Week...

...as we conclude our week-long look at DC's short-lived 1979-1980 sci-fi anthology.

Using both established pros and talented newcomers, this oversized anthology (68 pages for $1 when the standard comic was 36 pages for 40¢) presented all-new material, almost all of which (including this story) has never been reprinted!
The penciler on this tale, Don Newton, was one of the best of the fan-turned-pros of the 70s-80s.
Unfortunately, a heart attack cut his career and his life short and he passed in 1984.
BTW, most people don't realize he didn't break into comics until he was 40!
There's a really kool site dedicated to Don HERE.

Mike Kaluta, definitive artist for the comic version of The Shadow, provided pulp-style covers for the entire run.

While they had no relation to any of the stories in the book, they were spectacular!

TIME WARP WEEK "The Most Special of Effects"

Welcome to Time Warp Week...

...as we take a week-long look at DC's short-lived 1979-1980 sci-fi anthology, one issue per day.

Using both established pros and talented newcomers, this oversized anthology (68 pages for $1 when the standard comic was 36 pages for 40¢) presented all-new material, almost all of which (including this story) has never been reprinted!

Mike Kaluta, definitive artist for the comic version of The Shadow, provided pulp-style covers for the entire run.

While they had no relation to any of the stories in the book, they were spectacular!

Be here tomorrow as we sample #5, the final issue!

TIME WARP WEEK "Stranger From the Edge of Tomorrow"

Welcome to Time Warp Week...

...as we take a week-long look at DC's short-lived 1979-1980 sci-fi anthology, one issue per day.

Using both established pros and talented newcomers, this oversized anthology (68 pages for $1 when the standard comic was 36 pages for 40¢) presented all-new material, almost all of which (including this story) has never been reprinted!

Mike Kaluta, definitive artist for the comic version of The Shadow, provided pulp-style covers for the entire run.

While they had no relation to any of the stories in the book, they were spectacular!

Be here tomorrow as we sample issue #4!

YouTube Wednesday: THE SHADOW Movie Adaptation by Michael Kaluta

Currently, the complete, two-issue comic adaptation of The Shadow (1995) by Michael Kaluta is appearing on our brother RetroBlog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™ over the next four days.

Even though the script is fairly close to the movie (with a new framing sequence), visually, it's a totally-different experience!
Judge for yourself...