July 2023
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Michael Eury
PUBLISHER
John Morrow
DESIGNER
Rich Fowlks
COVER ARTIST
John Buscema
(Originally produced as the cover for Ka-Zar #1, Jan. 1974. Original art scan courtesy of Heritage Auctions.)
COVER COLORIST
Glenn Whitmore
COVER DESIGNER
Michael Kronenberg
PROOFREADER
David Baldy
SPECIAL THANKS
Mike Baron
Pat Broderick
Paul Burns
Jarrod Buttery
Gerry Conway
Tom DeFalco
Bill DeSimone
Ron Frenz
Mike Friedrich
Donald F. Glut
Mike Grell
Larry Hama
Heritage Auctions
Douglas R. Kelly
Dave Lemieux
Ed Lute
Marvel Comics
Val Mayerik
David Michelinie
Mike Mignola
Pat Mills
Doug Moench
Rags Morales
Fabian Nicieza
Luigi Novi
Jeremy Radisich
Random House
Jason Shayer
Walter Simonson
Howard Simpson
Bryan D. Stroud
Roy Thomas
Timothy Truman
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Simonson and Mike Mignola’s 1989 one-shot sends Logan to the Savage Land
discuss the 1993 Valiant revival of the classic Gold Key comic
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BACK ISSUE™ issue 144, July 2023 (ISSN 1932-6904) is published monthly (except Jan., March, May, and Nov.) by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Back Issue, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614.
Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 112 Fairmount Way, New Bern, NC 28562. Email: euryman@gmail.com. Eight-issue subscriptions: 97 Economy US, $147 International, $39 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover artwork by John Buscema. Ka-Zar and Zabu TM & © Marvel. All Rights Reserved. All editorial matter © 2023 TwoMorrows and Michael Eury. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING
Mighty Marvel Monarchs
The Lord of the Hidden Jungle and the Lord of Latveria each headlined solo adventures in the split book Astonishing Tales #1 (Aug. 1970). Cover art by Marie Severin and Bill Everett.
TM & © Marvel.
Ka-Zar the Great (left) First issue of the short-lived Ka-Zar pulp magazine from 1936. Cover painting by J. W. Scott. (right) Marvel adapted the pulp hero to comic books in Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939).
Adaptation by Ben Thompson.
Before examining Ka-Zar in the 1970s, it’s polite to acknowledge earlier years.
KA-ZAR THE GREAT (1930s)
It’s well known that the Human Torch and the SubMariner burst onto the scene in Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), but that 64-page issue also contained stories featuring the Angel, the Masked Raider, and Ka-Zar the Great. This Ka-Zar is not the same character that appears in modern Marvel comics. “Ka-Zar the Great” is said to have been created by Bob Byrd in 1936 and originally appeared in three issues of an eponymous pulp magazine.
Interestingly, in his introduction to the Golden Age Marvel Comics Omnibus vol. 1 (2009), comics historian and Squirrel Girl co-creator Will Murray wrote of Ka-Zar the Great: “The jungle hero was the first star in the future Marvel firmament, and his adventures were avidly read by a teenager named Stanley Martin Lieber—later to call himself Stan Lee. No one knows who the nominal author of Ka-Zar really was. The only other Red Circle story bylined Bob Byrd was the work of Thomson Burtis. Launched with an October cover date to coincide with the release of MGM’s Tarzan Escapes, the title lasted only three issues. But Ka-Zar would live again.”
These “Ka-Zar the Great” prose tales were adapted by Ben Thompson into comic form for Marvel Comics #1. Young David Rand (three years old) is flying with his parents over the Belgian Congo when their plane crashes. Unafraid of the jungle or its inhabitants, David grows of age—cautiously watched by the lion,
Zar. David saves Zar from quicksand and “a strange pact of truce was made.” After his mother dies of a fever and his father is shot by emerald poachers, David—now a young man—is “adopted” by the lion as Ka-Zar: brother of Zar the Mighty!
Ka-Zar the Great appeared in almost every subsequent issue, up until Marvel Mystery Comics #27 (Jan. 1942).
THE COMING OF KA-ZAR (1960s)
Never before in the history of comic books had a character name been recycled. Nope, never, not once. But Ka-Zar (“pronounced Kay-Sar,” as the splash page tells us) erupted into the Marvel Universe in Uncanny X-Men #10 (Mar. 1965). It’s important to note that while he is not formally addressed as “the Great,” this Ka-Zar is still pretty awesome. There are many factors involved in a character’s awesomeness, but it can be argued that our new Ka-Zar benefited from two particular ingredients and two definite creators.
Uncanny X-Men #10 was produced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. ’Nuff said. The cover boasted: “Ka-Zar! Unquestionably the most spectacular new character of the year!” Within, the X-Men travel to Antarctica and discover a hidden tunnel beneath the ice. Descending, they stumble upon “a warm, tropical land, buried far beneath the frozen wastes of Antarctica.”
This hidden world is populated by prehistoric flora and fauna: dinosaurs roam alongside early birds, mammals, and primitive warriors. The X-Men are summarily attacked by the Swamp Men—who then
Conway admits, “In my early days, creating names for characters I wasn’t as inventive as I hope I became, so I had a lot of ‘K’-sounding names—like Garokk—and I also had a lot ‘Tah’-sounding names. I don’t know why, but I did. That was me in my very early days of trying to create heroic characters— moving from the kind of stories that I had been doing for DC, which were supernatural-based short stories, little eightpage stories that featured average human-being-type characters—to more superheroic characters like the ones you see in Ka-Zar , and then Daredevil, which I took over shortly after that, where I’m trying to find my way to creating heroic or villainous characters with memorable names.”
In Conway’s final issue—Astonishing Tales #6 (June 1971)—Ka-Zar and Tongah encounter another god-like being named Damon, who aims to raze the Savage Land by deluge. Meanwhile, back in England, a mysterious young (brunette) woman visits Castle Plunder— demanding to see Lord Kevin. Roy Thomas returned for Astonishing Tales #7 (Aug. 1971) wherein the mysterious woman vows to walk the Savage Land!
Astonishing Tales #8 (Oct. 1971) was published when Marvel briefly increased the page count and price of its comics (to an exorbitant 25 cents!). This issue hosted the book’s final Doctor Doom story—which may well be his most famous solo tale: that of his annual attempt to free his mother’s soul from Hell. There was also a standalone police story—by Len Wein and George Tuska—introducing police officer Damian Link. While investigating a break-in at the Futura Research Labs, Damian discovers that one of the perpetrators is his brother, Joshua! During a scuffle, Damian and Joshua fall into a chamber and are bathed in strange experimental rays. The brothers find themselves… yes… linked, and able to call on the other’s speed, strength, and stamina— becoming twice as powerful as an ordinary man (something that will have future ramifications).
But we’re focusing on Ka-Zar, and Astonishing Tales #8 opens with the mysterious young (nowblonde) woman crash-landing in the Savage Land, and getting separated from her fiancé, Paul. Her name is Barbara Morse.
SAVAGE TALES
A few months prior, Marvel released Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), starring Conan, as part of its blackand-white magazine line. In comics form, Marvel had previously released Conan the Barbarian #1 (Oct. 1970), and now Conan was headlining a B&W magazine. Among other stories, Savage Tales #1 also contained the first appearance of Marvel’s Man-Thing and a Ka-Zar story by Stan Lee and John Buscema. (It would be two-and-a-half years before we saw Savage Tales #2, coverdated Oct. 1973.)
“The Night of the Looter!” opens with the line, “Behold, this Savage Land… this Hidden World that time forgot!” so now Stan was also describing Ka-Zar’s jungle as the Savage Land. Investigating stampeding dinosaurs, Ka-Zar (and Zabu) discover an armored tank trundling through the jungle. Explorer Ralph, and his wife Carla—physically resembling a sexier Mary Jane Watson
(which is saying something)—have come to the Savage Land in search of vibranium. Wakandan vibranium had previously been introduced in Wakanda—home of the Black Panther—in Fantastic Four #53 (Aug. 1966). However, Ralph and Carla were searching for Antarctic vibranium—to which we had previously been introduced as Anti-Metal. When Ralph forces Ka-Zar to open Ka-Zar’s hidden vault, the exposed vibranium completely dissolves Ralph’s tank.
Although Anti-Metal was described first—in Daredevil #13 (Feb. 1966), followed by Wakandan vibranium—in Fantastic Four #53 (Aug. 1966), this story in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971) introduced the two substances as isomers.
Wakandan vibranium absorbs vibrations, whereas Antarctic vibranium emits vibrations that dissolve metal.
On a final note regarding this issue: This author finds it mildly amusing that—in issues cover-dated April–May 1971—Ka-Zar appeared in Astonishing Tales, Marvel Tales, and Savage Tales
Hello, Kitty Zabu’s got dinochasing on his mind on this extraordinary John Buscema splash from the black-andwhite magazine Savage Tales #1 (May 1971).
Original art scan courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com).
Ravin’ for Kraven (top) Marvel’s villainous hunter reunited the Lord of the Hidden Jungle and the Wall-Crawler in Amazing Spider-Man #194 (Jan. 1972).
Cover art by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia. (bottom)
An interior page from Astonishing Tales #11 (Apr. 1972), revealing Ka-Zar’s origin.
By Thomas, Kane, and Giacoia.
LORD OF THE HIDDEN JUNGLE
Back to Astonishing Tales: Starting with issue #9 (Dec. 1971), the series becomes a Ka-Zar solo book. “Astonishing Tales” remains on the cover—in greatly reduced font size—and the new logo advertises Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle. Despite the cliff-hanger ending from issue #8, this issue offers a fill-in story by Stan, with gorgeous art by John Buscema, originally planned for Savage Tales #2. Searching a deserted village, KaZar and Zabu are surprised by Iranda, Queen of the Lizard-Men! Speaking of surprises, why wouldn’t a writer promote a lesser-known character in a more famous character’s book? Such an idea might catch on! Indeed, Ka-Zar (again) gueststars in Amazing Spider-Man #103–104 (Dec. 1971–Jan. 1972), by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane. This time, Peter Parker meets Ka-Zar on the Jungle Lord’s home turf—with Gwen Stacy in tow—at the behest of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Newspaper circulation is down because of competition from television, and Jameson hits on the idea of exclusive photos from the Savage Land—and a pretty girl in a bikini wouldn’t hurt either.
Gwen is carried off by a giant, anthropomorphic, lizardlike creature named Gog—who behaves at the bidding of Kraven the Hunter! Kraven monologues about previously being unable to best Ka-Zar in combat. Kraven flew to the Savage Land for a rematch, but found a crashed spaceship. Exploring within, he found a small (clothed) lizard-like alien. Kraven rescued the alien, who quickly grew to gigantic proportions. Now, all Kraven requires for his kingdom is a bride… Luckily no one sees Peter change into his Spider-Man costume, and team up with Ka-Zar to rescue Gwen. The two-parter is affectionately dedicated to the memory of Carl Denham, entrepreneur. [BI generously spares you a Google-search by explaining that Carl Denham is the fictional filmmaker who travelled to Skull Island (with a pretty girl) to obtain footage of King Kong.]
Astonishing Tales #10 (Feb. 1972) returns to previously scheduled programming. Ka-Zar briefly meets Barbara as she is reunited with Paul. The group encounter leftover British (New Britania) and German (New Deutschland) soldiers who are still fighting World War II. Within this storyline, writer Roy Thomas specifically tells us that the Savage Land “…lies so near the South Pole… warmed by a ring of volcanoes, and hidden by ice-white clouds from prying eyes. Because it lies below sea level… because some have reached it through tunnels… they believed it lies beneath the earth—but it does not.”
Thomas presents “The Savage Origin of Ka-Zar and Zabu” in Astonishing Tales #11 (Apr. 1972), lushly illustrated by Gil Kane. Expanding upon the brief details revealed in Daredevil #13, we see the first Lord Plunder as he blunders into the Savage Land, discovers a mysterious ore, and returns to civilization. He gives half a medallion to each of his sons—Kevin and Parnival—but is soon threatened by enemy agents (with Russian-sounding names). Lord Plunder takes Kevin to the Savage Land and reveals the location of the Anti-Metal—immediately before the elder Plunder is killed by Maa-Gor and the Man-Apes.
Maa-Gor is about to kill Kevin, but is interrupted by Zabu: “No child of the civilized world had ever before seen the creature known as sabretooth… yet some flash of instinct seemed to flare within Kevin’s young breast. On an impulse, he leaped onto the beast’s broad back—and in that fleeting instant—a legend was born. The legend of Ka-Zar, he whose name means… Son of the Tiger. No man can truly say just how the mystic bond was forged that day ’twixt boy and beast. Yet,
continued from page 13
Ka-Zar #5 (Sept. 1974) sees Ka-Zar, Zabu, and Bobbi spend most of the issue fighting the resurrected Man-Apes. Man-God re-enters the Mystic Mists and pushes his way towards the core, where he discovers an alien machine pulsating with energy. As he touches the machine, Man-God is split into two beings—one of logic and one of emotion. They immediately clash, and the logical half is killed by the enemy within. The machine senses the imbalance, merges the two halves, and devolves Man-God back into Maa-Gor. The Man-Ape tribe fades away, Bobbi leaves the Savage Land, and El Tigre falls off a cliff. The letters page—“Comments to Ka-Zar (and Zabu)”—notes that Friedrich is moving on to Iron Man and Strange Tales.
Ka-Zar returned to Savage Tales with issue #5 (July 1974), finally publishing in black and white “The Legend of the Lizard Men,” which had been slotted into the color comic Astonishing Tales #8. The magazine also contained an editorial from Roy Thomas, stating: “For several years now, Ka-Zar has been an increasingly popular but ofttimes underrated star in the Marvel firmament. He’s battled both in his own Savage Land and in the filth-bestrewn streets of Fun City—not to mention the Florida Everglades, the British countryside, and maybe another place or two. And always at his side has been his faithful sabretooth Zabu.
“Fact is, we’d always been trying to decide whether Ka-Zar and friend belonged in the Antarctic’s Hidden Jungle or in the concrete canyons of Mammon. The first few issues of his own color comic book, though, convinced us that it was in the Savage Land that Kaz should do most of his cleaving and cavorting. And, beginning next issue, Ka-Zar will be the cover-featured star of the magazine.”
Thomas penned another editorial in Savage Tales #6 (Sept. 1974), writing that, since his modern debut in Uncanny X-Men , “Ka-Zar has been one of Marvel’s potential superstars—till finally the clamor became so great, he first became the lead feature in a color comic book—then he took over the entire title—next he gained his own book—and now he’s finally taken over the starring spot in Savage Tales (which was vacated by the star of Savage Sword of Conan ).”
Indeed, Savage Tales #6 contained the first half of “The Damnation Plague” by Conway, Buscema, and DeZuniga, and a reprint of “The Night of the Looter.” Issue #7 (Nov. 1974) concludes “The Damnation Plague” and contains a second Ka-Zar story where he meets and spends the night with a dancing girl named Myrain—but she is captured and sacrificed by the death-cult of Kandu Ra. Ka-Zar’s vengeance is bloodthirsty and merciless. There is also an editorial from writer—and new editor—Gerry Conway. He posits, “Why do I keep coming back to that blond-haired lord of the jungle? When Roy Thomas offered me the opportunity, why did I leap at it? What do I see in this guy anyway?
“I see me. I see you. I see a man without superpowers fighting for survival in a world so alien to our own it’s almost a nightmare; and I see that man succeeding —rising above his own human abilities to a stature above mere humanity. I see an honest-to-god, bona fide hero, that’s what I see. There’s only Ka-Zar and his tiger-brother, Zabu, and together they have to stand against a world you or I would find mad. That’s what I see in Ka-Zar: man’s struggle to supremacy over his environment.”
BI asked Conway about the more intense content in the magazine: “Yeah, that was intentional. There was a feeling that… well, we hoped… we were addressing a slightly older audience—whether that was the case or not, I don’t actually know—so more intensity went into those stories. It wasn’t an Edgar Rice Burroughs version of superheroics, but more like a Robert E. Howard version of superheroics.”
Conway writes Ka-Zar’s lead story in Savage Tales #8 (Jan. 1975) wherein Bobbi Morse returns to the Savage Land on S.H.I.E.L.D. business, bringing Shanna O’Hara as backup. Bobbi subsequently notices the chemistry between Ka-Zar and Shanna.
Partners in Peril
(top) With Ka-Zar’s new series, Shanna the She-Devil took up residence alongside the Lord of the Hidden Jungle. Ka-Zar #2 cover by Kane and Romita. (bottom) Marvel Team-Up #19 teamed Spidey and Ka-Zar and intro’ed Stegron, the Dinosaur Man (see BI #140 for Stegron’s story).
Feared across the Negative Zone, the tyrannical insectoid known as Annihilus wields the power of the Cosmic Control Rod to rule supreme. Aptly named by his prey as “He Who Annihilates,” Annihilus was created in the late 1960s and has regularly been used as an extradimensional threat and mastermind villain, leveraging minions on Earth to do his bidding. What was there to this antagonist that had writers still using him after over 50 years? Let’s delve into Annihilus’ history and uncover what made him more than your run-of-the-mill bad guy.
THE LIVING DEATH THAT WALKS!
Annihilus stepped onto the stage in the pages of Fantastic Four Annual #6 (Aug. 1968). Our first glimpse of him was on the cover: a striking metallic, insect-like figure menacing the Fantastic Four. His colors were a uniform green, except for his glaring, ruby-red eyes. That dull color scheme was replaced within the issue with an imposing armor of purples and pinks and greens. His impressive figure was framed by scalloped wings, but it was the bright yellow Cosmic Control Rod on his chest that really drew your eye.
Annihilus’ debut scene was one of destruction and warfare, but also hinted at something more to his motivation with his declaration: “Woe to him who comes my way! For, only by destroying life… can Annihilus be forever reborn!” This statement echoed back to Stan Lee’s clever subtitle to the issue, “The Glory of Birth, ’neath the Shadow of Death,” and highlighted the story’s two themes: Susan Richards giving birth and the Fantastic Four confronting an alien threat that symbolized death.
Reed, Ben, and Johnny traveled into the Negative Zone in search of a cosmic-energy source that would save Susan and her unborn child, Franklin. This energy source turned out to be Annihilus’ prized possession, the Cosmic Control Rod. In his monologue, we get more insight into his phobia: “Only by crushing all who live, can I be certain that none will ever threaten my greatest treasure! The treasure whose cosmic power has ever granted me the priceless gift of… immortality!”
Annihilus wasn’t your typical power-driven comic-book menace. He hadn’t conquered for power or greed, but rather to placate his fear of death, or, as the mental disorder is clinically referred to, thanatophobia. “For, only in the elimination of other life can Annihilus find his immortality.” This thanatophobia fed Annihilus’ paranoia, irrationally convincing him that everything that lived wanted his Cosmic Control Rod, the source of his immortality, and therefore everything alive was a threat.
Let There Be—Annihilus!
Fantastic Four Annual #6 (1968) featured the first appearance of our spotlighted supervillain… and Franklin Richards, too! Cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott.
Annihilus underestimated his new foes and the Fantastic Four took the Cosmic Control Rod. He decried the theft: “They have stolen my most priceless possession! Without it, immortality can never be mine! Without it… I die… like any lesser being!” The theft of the Cosmic Control Rod fed his phobia and revealed the root of Annihilus’ psychological disorder. He didn’t want to be a “lesser being” again, one who could die.
FROM THE PRIMORDIAL SOUP
Annihilus continued to plague anyone who would dare cross over into his realm. Rick Jones, who was a regular visitor to the Negative Zone thanks to the Nega-Bands swapping him places with Captain Mar-vell, often faced Annihilus’ wrath. Avengers #97’s (Mar. 1972) splash page by John Buscema and Tom Palmer stands as one of the most iconic Annihilus images ever produced.
Years later (or months later due to the Negative Zone time dilation), in Fantastic Four #140–141 (Nov.–Dec. 1973), by writer Gerry Conway and artist John Buscema, Annihilus sought revenge for his humiliating defeat. He stormed through the Negative Zone portal to Earth and overwhelmed his hated foes, the Fantastic Four. In the aftermath of his short-lived victory, Annihilus revealed his origin story. Scribe Conway leveraged that underlying thanatophobia to build a backstory for this troubled villain.
A thousand years ago, in the early formation of a planet at the core of the Negative Zone, a meager arthropod, who we would come to know as Annihilus, emerged from the primordial soup of creation. His early experiences with predators traumatized him and seeded his deep fear of death. Seeking refuge, he discovered the wreckage of an alien ship and learned the story of his creators, a group of stranded travelers from an advanced planet called Tyanna. When these space travelers realized there was no rescue coming, as their last act they released a spore that seeded this world with life. These bio-engineered spores were the building blocks from which Annihilus was born. It’s an interesting twist that these beneficent beings inadvertently created Annihilus, who would become one of the universe’s biggest threats. Using the advanced Tyannian technology, Annihilus created the Cosmic Control Rod. He initially did this to defend against those predators, but then took it further, becoming a predator himself. With the might of these cosmic energies, Annihilus took over his home world and spread his dominion across the Negative Zone.
ANNIHILATE AND BYRNE
The Negative Zone isn’t a very hospitable place, and it wasn’t long before Annihilus encountered a being as powerful as he was, the warlord Blastaar. (For more on Blastaar, see the sidebar feature.) In Marvel Two-in-One #75 (May 1981), Blastaar allied himself with Annihilus. Of course, both villains had their own agendas. “Blastaar was a warrior who was focused on conquering his world and winning his true love,” issue #75’s writer Tom DeFalco explains. “Annihilus was determined to rule the entire Negative Zone and all its inhabitants. They viewed each other as a necessary evil need to accomplish their individual goals.”
Blastaar struck first and outplayed Annihilus, which cost him his precious Cosmic Control Rod. After this stinging defeat, a desperate Annihilus turned his attention back to the Earth. While the FF breached the Negative Zone for the purposes of exploration, Annihilus tapped into that intrusion and forced his way over into their universe.
Feeling the devastating effects of not having the Cosmic Control Rod, Annihilus had gone insane. Without those energies, Annihilus created an exoskeleton that mimicked his original insect form and kept him alive. His withered form and aged features solidified his fears of death and drove him mad. His warped reasoning had him believing that if he was going
Count on Him to Make a Splash
From the Heritage archives, original artwork to splash pages featuring the menace of Annihilus! (top) From Avengers #97 (Mar. 1972), written by Roy Thomas and illo’ed by John Buscema and Tom Palmer. (bottom) Writer Gerry Conway resurrected the Negative Zoner in Fantastic Four #140 (Nov. 1973). Art by Big John B. and Joe Sinnott.
OTHER NOTABLE VILLAINS FROM THE NEGATIVE ZONE
• Blastaar, “The Living Bomb Burst!”
Blastaar made his inauspicious debut in Fantastic Four #62 (Feb. 1967), bound in an Adhesion Suit and exiled into the Negative Zone’s Debris Zone after a coup by his rebellious subjects. The former king of Baluur quickly made up for this lackluster start by freeing himself and following the Fantastic Four back to Earth, where he would go on to cause problems for a lot of the Earth’s heroes.
Blastaar is a ruthless warlord with the power of his concussive blasts to back up his over-the-top boasting. A biproduct of the war-ravaged home world Baluur, he’s the embodiment of their warrior lifestyle and yet at times, stands as a walking contradiction. His air of superiority always seemed a bit off, as he bragged about an advanced technology but was clearly lacking in any kind of societal norms and civility, perhaps betraying more about his arrogance and bravado that he would be willing to admit.
In Marvel Two-in-One #75 (May 1981), Blastaar allied himself with Annihilus. Of course, both villains had their own motivations. “Blastaar was a warrior who was focused on conquering his world and winning his true love,” writer Tom DeFalco explains. “Annihilus was determined to rule the entire Negative Zone and all its inhabitants. They viewed each other as a necessary evil need to accomplish their individual goals.”
MTIO #75 was a double-sized issue not only in size, but in scope. “Back in the day,” DeFalco tells BACK ISSUE, “we were trained to make sure that every issue of every comic was a complete unit of entertainment—that told a story with a beginning, middle, and end—and we structured our stories accordingly.” Blastaar, up until that point, had been depicted as a straightforward cosmic thug you could drop into an issue when you needed a disposable bad guy. DeFalco invested the time in fleshing out his character:
“I always thought it was a writer’s duty to add some insight, dimension, or power to every character he touched. I wanted the readers to see Blastaar as more than a big-mouthed baddie, and hope I succeeded.” Succeeded he did—not only did he deepen Blastaar’s character, but he also gave us our first look at Baluur.
The story’s climax highlighted Blastaar’s true character as he remained committed to his plot despite the loss of his beloved Nyglar. Blastaar turned on Annihilus first, revealing that he had already regained his throne and had sent Annihilus’ legions into a deadly trap. This clever ruse destroyed Annihilus’ forces and allowed Blastaar to steal Annihilus’ Cosmic Control Rod, securing his domination of the Negative Zone for years to come.
Blastaar continues to be used as a one-shot exotic villain, pulled from the archives every once and awhile.
• Stygorr, Ruler of the Distortion Zone
Stygorr was a single-use villain who first appeared in Fantastic Four #231 (June 1981) as the self-proclaimed ruler of the Distortion Zone. His villainy was short-lived as he didn’t survive the issue, being seemingly destroyed in the story’s climax.
Stygorr would be reborn in 1991 in a series of modules for Marvel’s TSR role-playing game. While not Marvel canon, Stygorr returned as an even more powerful foe that would rival Annihilus, and saw the Cosmic Control Rod as the key to expanding his rule into the Negative Zone and the Earth.
When Kirby Characters Clash
The Thunder God vs. He Who Annihilates, in Thor #405 (July 1989).
Original Ron Frenz/Joe Sinnott cover art courtesy of Heritage.
TM & © Marvel.
noted that in Fantastic Four #48 (Mar. 1966), Maximus had created a “strange, impregnable, dome-shaped barrier” which he used to isolate the Inhumans from the world. That barrier was named the Negative Zone. Byrne conjectured that Lee and Kirby had simply mixed up the terms, which is backed up by the fact that the Inhumans’ dome would later be renamed the Negative Barrier.
Another nomenclature point, the name Negative Zone is a misnomer in that it isn’t a region of space or even a zone, but rather a universe that exists parallel to the primary Marvel (616) Universe. This zone’s name does, however, accurately reflect its deadly nature, as it’s made up of anti-matter that would annihilate any matter it touches.
Between these two realms is a buffer area called the Distortion Zone, seen as a “transitional plane between all realities” ( Fantastic Four #51). This zone converts matter to anti-matter, and vice-versa, avoiding the devastating matter/anti-matter interaction. The flow of time was also disrupted by the Distortion Zone, where minutes on Earth would pass while hours and days would pass in the Negative Zone.
Kirby had a lot of fun with his depiction of the Distortion Zone in Fantastic Four Annual #6. He played with the idea that the human brain couldn’t comprehend what it was seeing and conceptualized this zone with alien, science-fiction landscapes with strange geometrical shapes in an eye-popping, two-page photo montage.
Comics’ Other Invincible Hero
Looks like Marvel’s Iron Man isn’t the only comic hero tough enough to bear the “invincible” moniker. Original cover art painting by George Wilson for Tales of Sword and Sorcery – Dagar the Invincible (henceforth Dagar) #1 (Oct. 1972).
From the archives of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com).
© Random House.
Writer Donald F. Glut (along with artists Jesse Santos and Dan Spiegle ) created some of the best stories published under the Gold Key/Whitman imprints from Western Publishing. While Glut wrote for a variety of genres, this article will focus on his savage stories featuring sword-and-sorcery and prehistoric heroes.
So come along, dear readers, as BACK ISSUE takes a trip into the savage worlds of Don Glut.
First, we will visit the barbaric world of Dagar the Invincible. Then we will brave the prehistoric lands of Tragg, Lorn, and the Sky Gods. Along the way, we are also going to see some fun crossovers that you probably haven’t heard of.
‘TALES OF SWORD AND SORCERY – DAGAR THE INVINCIBLE’
When Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian #1 (Oct. 1970) hit newsstands, it was a breath of fresh air. After a slow start, it became a hit, and many imitators quickly sprung up in the hopes of cashing in on this new sword-and-sorcery trend in comic books.
Gold Key Comics was one of the companies that wanted in. Unlike some of the pale facsimiles from other publishers, Gold Key’s Tales of Sword and Sorcery –Dagar the Invincible (henceforth Dagar the Invincible or simply Dagar ) by writer Don Glut and artist Jesse Santos offered readers a title that stood out from the pack. (See BACK ISSUE #121 for more on Conan the Barbarian and its laundry list of copycats.)
Dagar—and his world, populated by sea serpents, demons, evil sorcerers, and vampires—was introduced in the pages of Mystery Comics Digest before moving into to his own title. Dagar is pronounced “Day-gar: according to Glut, although he initially envisioned it as being pronounced as “dagger” (one of the hero’s weapons of choice).
Many times, when writers or artists create a new comic book, they are fans of the new series’ genre, as writer Roy Thomas was when he first pitched the idea
of Conan to Marvel’s Stan Lee. This wasn’t the case when Glut proposed Dagar to Gold Key. “No, [I wasn’t a fan then] and I’m still not,” Glut discloses to BACK ISSUE . “To me, almost all sword-and-sorcery stories are the same, same format, same characters though with different names, same plots, etc. But ‘sword and sorcery’ was a popular genre at the time, so I thought I’d come up with my own character. At the time, my Gold Key editors had never heard of sword and sorcery, so this ‘new’ concept appealed to them.”
In Dagar the Invincible #1 (Oct. 1972), Dagar’s family and the entire population of the Tulganian people were killed under the orders of the mysterious Scorpio. Dagar’s grandfather Ando was the only other survivor of the massacre. Before dying, he taught his grandson the skills necessary to defeat Scorpio and avenge his people. Dagar vowed to kill Scorpio and become a sword-for-hire to fund his quest.
Dagar encountered many obstacles during his search for Scorpio, including the sorcerer Ostellon and his skeleton army that had kidnapped the beautiful Arranna to make her his bride; Lora-Lei and her brother, Lupof the werewolf; and a visit with King Desmos in the city of vampires. These encounters were all tied to Scorpio; some of the villains were his minions, while others were people who, like Dagar, hated Scorpio for the horrors that he had caused them.
Initially, Dagar traveled alone and only met one-off characters that wouldn’t reappear again during the series’ run. That changed with issue #3 (Apr. 1973), as his love interest Graylin was introduced.
Back, You Horny Devil, Back!
(left) Another George Wilson stunner: the cover to Dagar #2 (Jan. 1973), with Gold Key’s resident sword-wielder rallying to the aid of lovely Lora-Lei.
(right) Original Jesse Santos art to the splash page of Dagar #6 (Jan. 1974).
Dagar’s lady friend du jour is Graylin. Courtesy of Heritage. © Random House.
Astronauts returning home to a radically changed Earth wasn’t a new idea in 1974. Movies like World Without End and Planet of the Apes had started exploring the theme as far back as 1956. The decision makers at Atlas (Seaboard) Comics undoubtedly were familiar with this kind of film as they brainstormed ideas for their new comic-book series, and one decision maker— editor-in-chief Jeff Rovin—was interested in adapting Richard Matheson’s bestselling novel, I Am Legend , which had been published in 1954. The story had been adapted for the big screen in 1964 with the Vincent Price film The Last Man on Earth, but Rovin had his eye on a more recent version of the Matheson story.
In 1971, Warner Bros. released The Omega Man , which starred Charlton Heston as Colonel Robert Neville, an army doctor who is the only survivor of a biological war between the Soviet Union and China that produced a plague that has wiped out the human race, with the exception of a small band of albino mutants. When he’s not fighting off the mutants in his fortress-like penthouse apartment, Neville works to develop a serum for the plague. The film departs from Matheson’s story in at least one key aspect: all of the people in I Am Legend, except the Neville character, have been turned into vampires, and they’re after Neville’s blood.
The Omega Man has no vampires, but the albino mutants are overly sensitive to light (as vampires are sometimes said to be), and they wear hooded robes that make them look like medieval monks. Even accounting for the movie being made in a different era, it’s a clumsily handled treatment of the story, with continuity mistakes and a laughably inappropriate musical score. One of its few positives is the way it shows a devastated and deserted downtown Los Angeles, which was filmed early on a Sunday morning before the city really began to wake up. Even then, there is the occasional pedestrian and moving car visible in the backgrounds of some scenes.
Still, Jeff Rovin wanted a crack at the story. In the December 2001 issue of Comic Book Artist, interviewer Jon B. Cooke asked him about the connection of the novel and the movie to what would become Planet of Vampires Rovin replied, “We had tried to get the rights to I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson but we couldn’t.” Cooke asked if Planet of Vampires would have been an adaptation of The Omega Man , and Rovin said, “It probably would’ve been closer to The Omega Man I think the main thing was who we would end up getting the rights from, whether it would’ve been
They Are Legend
Action aplenty: Pat Broderick and Neal Adams’ terrific cover to Planet of Vampires #1 (Feb. 1975) gets right into it, with the Aries VII crew opening up on the bloodsuckers. Unless otherwise noted, art scans accompanying this article are courtesy of Doug Kelly.
© SP Media Group.
Out for Blood
(top) The crew of the Aries VII heads home at the beginning of issue #1. (bottom left) Galland and company stumble on the mechanized blood extraction lab in the dome. (right) Craig tells the Proctor just what he thinks of the Proctor’s rationale for murdering the so-called “savages” who live outside of the dome. All, from Planet of Vampires #1, by Larry Hama, Pat Broderick, and Frank McLaughlin.
© SP Media Group.
Matheson or whether it would’ve been Warner [Bros.], who we were talking to. If it had been Warner, clearly The Omega Man was the better-known title at the time. So, we probably would’ve gone with that.”
At the time, both DC and Marvel were putting out horror books that were selling in respectable numbers— titles like Tomb of Dracula and House of Secrets being staples on the comic racks. Having failed to obtain the rights to I Am Legend and The Omega Man Rovin and company decided to create a science fiction/horror mashup that resulted in three highly entertaining—if somewhat bizarre—issues of a book they called Planet of Vampires.
A WORLD GONE MAD!
Planet of Vampires #1 (Feb. 1975) featured a cover penciled by Pat Broderick and inked by Neal Adams. Broderick also did the interior pencils, which were inked by Frank McLaughlin. “I was up in the Atlas offices and Jeff Rovin offered me the job, and I gratefully accepted,” says Broderick. “It was the first work I did for Atlas… I also then penciled a ‘Dark Avenger’ backup story [written by John Albano, Phoenix #3, June 1975] and one or two war comics for them.”
Being asked to draw stories about astronauts mixing it up with vampires apparently didn’t faze Broderick. “I was extremely excited about it. It was my first chance at drawing a full-length comic. It was more excitement than
“Why did the dinosaurs become extinct? Find out in… Flesh .”
This was the opening line of creator Pat Mills’ new comic strip, Flesh, serialized in the British science-fiction weekly, 2000AD [a.k.a. 2000 AD and 2000 A.D.—ed.]. Mills, often cited as “the godfather of British comics,” was behind the creation of several seminal children’s adventure comics of the 1970s, including the war title Battle Picture Weekly, and Action
Action continued Battle’s uncompromising violence, adding in a large dose of anti-authoritarianism, and featured among its strips the saga of a bloodthirsty shark: Hook Jaw, who had a giant harpoon stuck through its jaw. This began Mills’ trope of beasts disfigured by humans, seeking revenge. The graphic gore of the strip contributed to Action being pulled from newsagents’ shelves in 1976. Hook Jaw combined environmental issues with the savagery of nature, themes Mills carried over into Flesh
Despite Action’s cancellation, Mills was determined the controversial violence abhorred by the establishment would continue unabated to thrill readers in his new title.
Mills took inspiration from the 1969 film The Valley of Gwangi in creating Flesh. The American fantasy-Western, produced by Charles Sheer and Ray Harryhausen, had the tagline: “Cowboys battle monsters in the lost world of forbidden valley.”
As Mills wrote in the introduction to The Dino Files, the Flesh collected edition: “ Flesh —on one level at least—is a cowboy story with dinosaurs taking the role of the Indians.” Asked why he chose futuristic cowboys as the human characters in Flesh, Mills tells BACK ISSUE: “They had to have a visual theme, and cowboys fit well. In fact, I can’t think— even now—of an alternative.”
The cowboy uniforms and the technology depicted in Flesh drew heavily from the 1973 film Westworld, written and directed by Michael Crichton, that starred Yul Brynner as an android in a futuristic Westernthemed amusement park. The 1993 film Jurassic Park , based on Crichton’s 1989 novel, depicted dinosaurs on the loose, with the humans, on the whole, surviving, a trait not shared in Mills’ story, as he stated in The Dino Files : “We admire raw nature, but it’s made absolutely clear that man will always triumph over it. But not in Flesh —here the dinosaurs ultimately win.”
Cowboy Cuisine
From Flesh’s premiere in 2000AD Prog 1 (#1), released February 26, 1977.
Story by Pat Mills, art by Joan Boix and Rubén Pellejero. All scans accompanying this article are courtesy of Paul Burns.
© 2023 Rebellion.
What’s for Lunch, Toothy?
(top) Flesh makes a cover appearance in 2000AD
Prog 3 (#3), released March 12, 1977. Cover art by Ramon Solá. (bottom) A big spider problem on the Flesh cover for 2000AD Prog 14 (May 28, 1977). Cover art by Barrie Mitchell.
Spanish artist Joan Boix co-created Flesh, and provided early visuals for the strip. “We had very little interaction,” Pat Mills tells BACK ISSUE, “but Boix did a very good professional job.” Another unsung and often uncredited name in the creation of Flesh was art editor Doug Church. “Doug, my art supremo, was a huge visual influence on Flesh, laying out the early pages of the episodes,” cites Mills. Church provided layouts for the first eight chapters, with art finished by Boix and, later, Ramon Solá. “He made monsters come alive!” says Mills of Solá. “Decades later, I tried to bring him back without great success (2000AD #1526, 2007). Primarily because super creative artists like Ramon need time spent on them, something that the comic machine does not really allow for.”
Published in February 1977, Book 1 of Flesh ran from issues— or “progs,” as editor “Tharg the Mighty” [Kelvin Gosnell] called them—#1 to 19 of 2000AD, with Mills writing the first and concluding chapters. In between, several writers contributed to the strip, including Ken Armstrong, Studio Giolitti, and Kelvin Gosnell.
Meat is scarce in the 23rd Century, so the Trans-Time Corporation sends rangers back to the age of dinosaurs to herd them into robotic machines called Fleshdozers, then transport their meat to the future. The head of the rangers, Earl Reagan, is introduced in 2000AD Prog 1. Artists Boix and Solá drew heavily from pop culture for the visuals of the human characters in Flesh. Reagan was somewhere between John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, while the villainous Claw Carver, introduced in 2000AD Prog 3, was based on Lee Marvin. Carver was the owner of a trading post called Carver City, and was named Claw because he had his hand bitten off by a dinosaur (as revealed fully in 2000AD #1526, 2007). He became the archenemy of Reagan.
Mills remembers working with writer and co-founder of 2000AD, Kelvin Gosnell. “Kelvin came up with Claw Carver, and the Carver City sequence was a fusion of Kelvin and probably [illustrator] Kevin O’Neill and I jamming in the office.”
Mills refused to tone down the blood and gore for Flesh. “I knew it had to be done. There was some reaction against the cruelty of the Fleshdozer by the IPC board of directors. But I could always-— rightly—plead it was science fiction.”
The human chomping carnage was brought into focus in 2000AD Prog 2 with the debut of 120-year-old “MHag Tyrannosaur,” Old One Eye. The creature gained her name after Reagan stabbed the beast in the eye, thus setting up the enmity between the two that would last until the end of the first book. Along the way, Reagan and Carver faced several species of dinosaur, along with giant spiders and even furry Tyrannosaurs. Mills was influenced by Bob Bakker, an American paleontologist who was at the forefront of the 1960s’ “dinosaur renaissance” [“Bakker was a proponent of the theory that dinosaurs were warm-blooded, smart, and adaptable”]. As Mills states: “Towards the end of Flesh I may have become aware of the work of Bakker—hence hairy dinosaurs.”
The climax of Book 1 of Flesh has a dinosaur army, led by Old One Eye, attacking Trans-Time base 3. This was dinosaur finally triumphing over man and exacting revenge: “‘Old One Eye’ preferred humans. It was like Christmas Day... like a child with too many Christmas presents—she didn’t know which human to start on first.”
The surviving humans escape into time shuttles, transported back to the 23rd Century. A genetic code blending in the time stream resulted in a short-lived dinosaur with three human heads emerging at the future time-port.
Carver was lost in time, whilst Reagan was arrested for his part in the Trans-Time catastrophe. Meanwhile, in the past, after she led the dinosaur massacre of the humans’ base, Old One Eye succumbed to old age and died of heart failure. As Mills explained in the Dino Files:
Released in 1989, Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure (WJA) features meticulous adherence to prior continuity and coordination by all the various X-Men creators and editors, with far-reaching ramifications on future Wolverine continuity.
Or maybe not.
“Walking through Marvel one day and Bob H(arras) asked me if I wanted to draw the ‘Wolverine Annual’—I asked who was writing it and he told me there was no writer yet. I had (and still have) no interest in Wolverine, but (being a smart ass), rather than say no, I said, ‘If you get Walt to write it, and it’s about Wolverine going to the Savage Land and becoming king of the cavemen, I’ll do it.’ And I walked off and figured that was the last I’d hear of that—and the next day you called me and said something like, ‘So I guess we’re doing a Wolverine book.’ It’s the best story I have about getting a job.”
– Mike Mignola on Walter Simonson’s Facebook page, August 2019
Mignola and Simonson were joined by inker Bob Wiacek, letterer Ken Bruzenak, and colorist Mark Chiarello. Unlike so many of today’s comics, the story itself is a fun, done-in-one “adventure” that doesn’t rely on an encyclopedic knowledge of continuity at the time. In fact, a couple of bits inserted by Simonson in the story could have had major impact on future Wolverine stories, only to end up being ignored. Forget about this story’s place in continuity. Just enjoy the ride, and especially the scenery, the really interesting visual storytelling from Mignola, Wiacek, and Chiarello.
‘I MET YOU ON SOMEBODY’S ISLAND’ (‘Jungle Love,’ The Steve Miller Band, 1977)
Simonson tells the story as the narration of a tribal elder. The events have already happened a while ago, so this is a sort of flashback. Thought balloons were still in use in comics at the time, so somehow the elder knows not only what Wolverine thought at various points in the story, he also knows when Wolverine flashes back to what brought him to the Savage Land, a flashback within a flashback! But this technique pays off at the end.
The story starts with the elder narrating, then picks up when Wolverine arrives in the Savage Land. He finds his lighter, a gift from Nick Fury (small item, but plays a role later), and is challenged by and defeats the chieftain of the tribe, who turns out to be a very large, very capable female, named Gahck, which is good because that’s what Wolverine says when she comes to his cave and throws herself at him. Wolverine then trains the cavemen and women to defend themselves against the dinosaurs stealing their tribesmen, discovers who appears to be behind the abductions, beats him up, blows up his lab, and bails on the Savage Land.
It’s a little more poetic when Simonson does it.
Simonson drops glancing references to Tarzan, Jean Grey, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Turok, Son of Stone (“honkers” for dinosaurs), none of which bog down the narrative but give the reader a chance to say, “Hey, I get that reference!”
SPOILER ALERTS FOR A 30-YEAR-OLD STORY:
It’s not much of a spoiler, as he’s on the cover. The main villain is Apocalypse (REVERSE SPOILER… or is he? You’ll have to read to find out), who at this point had only been an X-Factor adversary. This version of
Apocalypse is converting tribesmen into cyborgs and has an over-thetop demeanor, announcing his plans like a Bond villain. After Wolverine defeats him, we encounter the first of Simonson’s reveals: Wolverine finds a skull in his lab, and, while not naming it as such, we’re led to believe by Wolverine’s reaction that it is adamantium; i.e., Apocalypse may be Wolverine’s daddy.
Now, according to the Internet, which wouldn’t lie, this is allegedly what Chris Claremont had intended, so much so that in Weapon X, Barry Windsor-Smith had the scientists answering to an unnamed authority, which would have been Apocalypse. This was never used in future continuity, and Simonson said on his Facebook page (June 24, 2013), “I don’t remember any specifics… I don’t know if I tossed this stuff in for fun, or if Chris had a particular plot point he wanted made here. I remember it being a mostly fun touch…”
The second point Simonson dropped, and which in turn is dropped from continuity, is on the last page. This is where the device of the elder narrating is critical. As the elder finishes, Mignola swings the point of view around from facing the elder to facing the audience, and in the audience is Gahck holding an infant. The caption reads, “…And he will dwell in the hearts of his people… forever.” The infant isn’t identified as such, and there’s no graphic sex in the pages, but come on, it’s Wolverine’s kid, give us a break.
Well, apparently not because, except for a later mention in a Marvel Handbook, he was never heard from again. Again, Simonson on Facebook: “You know, sometimes, we just tossed in stuff that had a nice allusive quality because it was fun. And you never know, it might turn out to be a story down the road.”
‘I
WANNA TAKE YOU TO MY CAGE LOCK YOU UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY’ (‘Jungle Love,’ Morris Day and the Time, 1984)
In Comic Book Artist #23 (Dec. 2002), Mignola told Jon B. Cooke that this was “the first project where I had significant story input.” On Facebook in March 2020, he wrote, “As I recall, Walt wrote a plot, not full script… it was more common to get full script from writers at DC.”
Responding to a specific comment, Mignola wrote, “Certainly, Walt did not do breakdowns.”
This was a Peak Superheroes phase for Mignola. Prior to this, he had done a variety of superheroes for Marvel and DC, but of them he told Cooke, “Cosmic Odyssey was the turning point, when style starts coming into play…” Cosmic Odyssey, plus Mignola’s Batman: Gotham by Gaslight and Wolverine, came out around the same time and were all commercially successful, after which he did covers and moved towards mystery and horror with the Dracula adaptation and Hellboy
In WJA, his Frazetta and Kirby influences are on full display, starting with the cover. Mignola described his painting to Joe Monks in the Comics Buyers’ Guide (January 10, 1992) as “…a painting or what I do that passes for a painting, which is really an ink drawing with watercolor…” The main image (without the border, logo, or text) was listed on comicartfans.com as an 11x17 watercolor. The woman in the foreground resembles one in Frazetta’s 1974 oil painting Red Planet, and the cavemen in the background could be related to those in his 1973 oil Captive Princess. In several interviews, Mignola explained that while he first looked to Frazetta for subject matter, later, Steranko and especially Rick Bryant encouraged him to add more black and shadows, to give his drawings more weight than thin repetitive lines do. This sent Mignola back to Frazetta’s work, getting past the subject and finding the technique. In this piece, you see both the shadows and spaces that later-Mignola would fill with black. Mignola also told
Who’s Your Daddy?
Logan vs. Apocalypse, on Mike Mignola’s Frazetta-ish cover for 1989’s Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure
A Valiant Comeback
One of Valiant’s salvo of comic hits of the 1990s: Turok, Dinosaur Hunter #1 (July 1993), signed by Turok artist Bart Sears. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions (www.ha.com). Turok is ® and © Random House, Inc.
The First Turok Comic
(above) Dell’s Four Color #596 (Dec. 1954), featuring the first appearances of Turok and Andar.
Painted cover by Robert Susor. After a return engagement in issue #656 (see inset), Turok spun off into his own magazine. (bottom)
The Son of Stone battles a T.rex on the cover of Turok #25 (Sept.–Nov. 1961).
Turok is ® and © Random House, Inc.
At a point in time where media depictions of Native Americans weren’t often done in a positive light, despite notable exceptions such as Lone Ranger sidekick Tonto and Pow Wow Smith, Indian Lawman over at DC Comics, a Native named Turok was a new protagonist who made his debut in Four Color #596 (Dec. 1954) from the Dell imprint of Western Publishing.
Turok was the cover feature and also occupied the first story in the book. He and his companion, Andar, are located in the desert north of the Rio Grande River. They enter a cavern in search of water, ultimately emerging into a completely different world. Once beneath the desert, they discover a place that time forgot, inhabited by prehistoric beasts. In a classic man vs. nature narrative, the two companions deal with this strange environment in an effort to survive.
After a second appearance in issue #656 (Oct. 1955) and having proven to be a popular theme, Turok was soon off to his own self-titled magazine, Turok, Son of Stone, oddly starting with #3 (Mar.–May 1956), possibly to coincide with his third appearance. This series went on under both the Dell and Gold Key imprints from 1956 to 1982, comprising 130 issues over a 26-year period before going on hiatus, but that hiatus would only last about a decade until Turok enjoyed a second act with Acclaim/Valiant comics.
TUROK RETURNS
BACK ISSUE #144
BRONZE AGE SAVAGE LANDS, starring Ka-Zar in the 1970s! Plus: Turok—Dinosaur Hunter, DON GLUT’s Dagar and Tragg, Annihilus and the Negative Zone, Planet of Vampires, Pat Mills’s Flesh (from 2000AD), and WALTER SIMONSON and MIKE MIGNOLA’s Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure. With CONWAY, GULACY, HAMA, NICIEZA, SEARS, THOMAS, and more! JOHN BUSCEMA cover!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1698
After a guest appearance in Magnus Robot Fighter #12 (May 1992), the next glimpse we get of Turok in the ’90s is in the pages of X-O Manowar #14 (Mar. 1993). “The Coming of Turok, Dinosaur Hunter” is scripted by Bob Layton, with plotting by Jon Hartz and art by Bart Sears and Randy Elliott. Turok is seen battling it out with enhanced dinosaurs when suddenly he is sucked into a vortex and lands in Columbia, South America. He immediately goes on the hunt for the villainous Mon-Ark, the deadliest of the intelligenceenhanced “bionisaurs.” These new and more deadly creatures were the result of the efforts of Orb Industries, a corporation within the purview of Aric, the alter ego of X-O Manowar. Aric and Turok meet up and derail the efforts of some locals who have been selling the dinosaur genetic material on the black market. This story is the springboard for the reintroduction of Turok in his own series beginning with Turok #1 (July 1993).
The story begins with a flashback to the origin story of Turok and Andar. Magnus, Robot Fighter arrives to help them in their battle against alien invaders in the Lost Land. Mothergod makes an appearance and Turok and Andar swear their allegiance to her and to her promise to bring unity into the existing chaos. Archer (of Armstrong and Archer) convinces Turok that Mothergod is not the picture of benevolence. Turok joins forces with X-O Manowar, Armstrong and Archer, and others to overthrow the forces of Mothergod.
Later, Turok discovers that Andar and his people have been destroyed by the enhanced dinosaurs led by Mon-Ark. Turok is now the sworn enemy of Mon-Ark and hunts the creature in this new time and place; the jungles of Columbia.
Before the initial three-issue story arc has concluded, Turok has found himself dealing not only with highly intelligent dinosaurs, but drug lords, who wonder what is happening to their product as their couriers are slaughtered and eaten; and the arrival of a professor of paleontology at Bogota University, who bears a resemblance to Lara Croft