I was watching John Carter and thinking back to the summer I read all of Burroughs' Mars books at the pool. Which sent me on a mental tangent (as I am often wont to do) and I started thinking about prowling for comic books at yard sales with my grandpa when I was younger. One time we scored some old DC comics that reminded me of the Mars books. The main character was an older guy with white hair and a beard. He ran around with a sword and a revolver. In one of the issues he was making out with a green skinned girl in a bubble under the ocean. Grandma did not approve, LOL. So that one disappeared. Another one scared the pants off of me. It was a group of people hiding in a house from these blue tentacled things. At one point one got into the attic and started attacking. Nightmares, that one disappeared also. Anybody recognize either? This was thirty years ago but I have started wondering how well I remember them and how the stories ended. (I cant stand being left hanging. David Gerrold's Cthorr series comes to mind.) Edit - I gotta stop using my Kindle Fire to post, that keyboard stinks.
That first one would happen to be John Carter: Warlord of Mars. It was so different from the novels, that when DC eventually lost the John Carter license, they just retooled it as Warlord, and removed all John Carter references. That one episode of Justice League Unlimited with the other world beneath the Earth's crust is based on the post-John Carter Warlord.
Good call . . . this is the issue I referred to . . . I never realized it was supposed to be the same storyline, that's crazy. Edit - first published in August 1979, wow.
Oops, ok disregard that. I double checked and John Carter: Warlord of Mars was Marvel. DC's The Warlord is it's own thing. My older brother has issues of both that I read when I was younger. I guess I just mixed them together. Sorry about that.
Yeah, I was going to say. Warlord was completely different. But if you liked John Carter: Warlord of Mars, there are a ton of other comic series directly inspired by the Burroughs novels. DC's Adam Strange is an unapologetic straight-up John Carter rip off. Gardner Fox was a huge Burroughs fan. Richard Corben's Den books, originally appearing in Heavy Metal magazine and later under a variety of publishers, most recently Corben's own publishing company, Fantagor. Probably the closest of all of these to being John Carter without actually being John Carter. Also my favorite out of this group. DC's Sword of the Atom mini series and the following Specials. My personal first experience with the basic "John Carter" story, back in 1983. And most recently, Marvel Comics' Planet Hulk. Then there have been a few recent actual adaptations of John Carter, but.... eh. You're better off sticking with the books, imo.
