The Spider And Scavengers Of The Slaughtered Sacrifices!

The Spider - Scavengers of the Slaughtered Sacrifices is a weird and wild ride courtesy of writer Don McGregor and artist Gene Colan. Produced for both Vanguard and Argosy publishing this is a ninety-one-page graphic novel starring the pulp hero The Spider as he attempts to stop a nasty serial killer who is taking his inspiration for his crimes from popular television shows. 

This same year of 2002 Gene Colan also produced a strange wordless Spider story which I talked about in a post a few days ago. Now we get the full unleashed Colan using multiple panels to tell the story of this murderer who seems intent on sending a message about the violence in media by practicing that violence in real life. The Spider is also contending with two strident advocates of morality who are using the murders to provoke legislation which will chill First Amendment rights in the country. Their names are "Sammy Teton" and "Ripper Law". I cannot suss the first one, but I guess the second is a reference to Tipper Gore who infamously led a moral outrage campaign in the 80's and 90's. 

During the course of his investigation, the Spider also meets "Eric Joss" who is a stand in for Joss Whedon to some extent. The fake names of TV shows is funny and we get Xonic the Barbarian Queen, North by Northwest Park, and The Why Files. (I'll let you guess which shows are referenced there.) Whedon's own Buffy is a major part and is replaced by Tiffany the Werewolf Whacker. The story's villain is a grotesque individual named "Slaughter-House Skeleton". He's a powerful foe and seems to know that Richard Wentworth is The Spider, though that is not really all that well explained. 

The Spider with the help of Nita Van Sloan must rescue a gaggle of folks from an exploding building and later lead the charge to keep the Statue of Liberty from being vandalized. There is also a story about a young mother who has been sexually assaulted and is a heroin addict. All in all, some pretty grim stuff. And truth told all these elements don't hang together as well as they ought to. 

Don McGregor is infamous for being wordy and his talent for verbosity is fully on display in this effort. Sometimes his stylish descriptions add potency to an image, but just as often his word salad plays against the momentum of the story's plot. I cannot really recommend this one, save for Spider completists or fans of Gene Colan's artwork, which is the main reason I bought it. 

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The Year Of The Sabre!

Let's look at one of the most important publications in comic book history, and one which just happens by the way to feature a compelling "blaxploitation" character and takes it to a new level in a new format, and as it turns out into a new marketplace as well. Comic books were dying off in the Bronze Age as newsstands quit carrying them as profitability became harder and harder to achieve. New ways to meet and engage the dwindling numbers of the comic book consumer were needed and the direct market was fashioned to give publishers new life and to give the fan new comics, and as it turned out comics unlike anything ever seen before. 

The "graphic novel" was just being born and early examples are Contract with God by Will Eisner and Red Tide by Jim Steranko among others. But the one which cracked the code in the new marketplace was a "graphic album" or "comic novel" from a brand-new company named Eclipse. It featured a brand-new hero, one fashioned by two creators at the top of their games. Don McGregor had made his bones on "Panther's Rage" in Jungle Action for Marvel Comics and likewise Paul Gulacy had dazzled one and all with beautiful issues of Master of Kung-Fu. These two talents combined forces and so was born Sabre.

(Regular comic reprinting the first half.)

Sabre was the star of a story titled "Slow Fade of an Endangered Species" and it was a tale of the future. That future was ironically enough February 2020 and now we are at long last finally there and more to see how well this narrative's predictions hold up in the light of brutal reality. The answer is frighteningly well and not so good too.

(Regular comic reprinting the second half.)

The America of this 2020 is one that has suffered from famines leading to epidemics in the shadow of massive radiation leaks creating uninhabitable wastelands and leading to a nation under defacto martial law. (The prediction is pretty dire, and most of it hasn't happened, but we had Trump, so it's a bit of a wash.) In this world is born the first test-tube child, the fatherless and motherless Melissa Siren who is the romantic interest of our black rebel hero known just as Sabre, a man filled with a need for liberty and to fight for that liberty with the aplomb of a vintage Errol Flynn character. 

(10th Anniversary Reprint)

Sabre and Siren are seeking to rescue some villagers who have been taken by deadly mercenaries and are held hostage in some abandoned amusement park against Sabre's arrival and presumed execution. But to say much more would be to ruin a darn good story. Suffice it to say Sabre fights the good fight against baroque villains such as the robotic tiger-faced "Grouse", the black-patched "Blackstar" and most of all the top villain named "Overseer" who hides his gruesome visage, made so by the fact he wants to live in a decaying body made possible by future science. Weird with a cherry on top.

McGregor's story moves at the pace he dictates quite literally with his verbose style leading the reader leisurely through this new world. Once in a while he wears me out, but in this story is seems to work better than usual. (Annette Kawecki, the letterer sure earns her drachmas in this one.) Paul Gulacy's debt to the great Steranko is evident, as he crafts pages which sometimes look like lost parts of a Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD story. But in the end, it all comes together, the whole greater than the sum of the parts and we have if not a masterpiece, a virtuoso performance of the higher order.  

Note: This post originally appeared at Rip Jagger's Other Dojo. 

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Burn Panther Burn!

The issues of Jungle Action which are subtitled "Panther Vs. The Klan" arrive immediately after the incredible epic of "Panther's Rage". Sadly, these final issues are nowhere near as compelling despite a change of setting and a most visceral enemy despite some handsome art by Billy Graham and Bob McLeod.

The reason is simply because Don McGregor's overripe writing was ideal for the mysterious otherworldly yarn of "Panther's Rage" which showcased the many weird landscapes and peoples of Wakanda, giving that story an almost Shakespearean heft. The same McGregor tricks work much less well in Georgia and are not helped by an almost incomprehensible plot.

As far as I can tell the Panther and Monica Lynne have come down to Georgia to visit her parents and check into the seeming suicide of her sister. We quickly meet a sheriff and a reporter who seem both too good to be true, and we meet Monica's parents, each dealing with loss in his or her own way.

The Klan though is not so much in evidence as the title might suggest, sharing villain capacity alongside another gang of ignorant mopes dubbed "The Dragon Circle". They are like the Klan in look, save they like purple and they apparently welcome villains from the African-American community into their ranks. Why they are in this story bewilders me, unless the powers just weren't ready to lay murder onto the backs of a real-world terrorist organization and preferred a fictional one. Seems an unusually light touch for such miscreants.

It wouldn't matter much as the Panther battles the enigmatic Wind Eagle, an agent of the Dragon Circle in the last issue of Jungle Action and then the book is cancelled.

It was cancelled to make way for Jack Kirby's rendition of the character, and it is the only time I can remember when I was sad to see "The King of Comics" step in and take over a character. What Don McGregor and Billy Graham had created in the Panther series early on was clearly going to be a comic book classic for years to come.

There is a connection between the Klan and the Dragon Circle more explicitly developed when the story line was picked up many years later by other talents and brought to some conclusion in the pages of Marvel Premiere. Better late than never I suppose, but it would've been grand to have seen what might've been.

Note: This post originally appeared at Rip Jagger's Other Dojo. 

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Warrior Of The Worlds!

One of the truly outstanding ideas of Marvel's Bronze Age was when Roy Thomas decided to follow up on H.G.Wells and co-created the Killraven series, called throughout most of its run War of the Worlds. Essentially the notion is that after the Martians lost the first time, they returned a hundred years later and succeeded. Then in 2017 (no longer the distant future) they have established their rule on Earth, one populated with people and other things who work for and against the Martian masters. 

One of the greatest foes is Killraven, a trained gladiator who escaped in Sparticus fashion and leads others in a guerrilla war against the invaders. The notion comes from the novel itself when an Infantryman describes life under the Martian masters and how a few humans could wage an uprising. 

The debut issue which is the eighteenth issue of Amazing Adventures (which earlier hosted The Inhumans, Black Widow, and The Beast) is plotted by Thomas and scripted by Gerry Conway and the first part is drawn by superstar Neal Adams who does a bang-up job. With some polished inking by Frank Charamonte, the pages positively glow with energy and verve. Take a look.

But apparently, Adams couldn't get it finished on time and up-and-comer Howard Chaykin stepped in to finish the story in order for it to see publication.

As you can see, in the story Killraven confronts the "Keeper" who kidnapped him and killed his mother so many years before and learns the history of the Martians and also that he might have some mysterious gifts which will help to defeat them.

In the second installment, written by Gerry Conway with Chaykin returning on pencils. Frank McLaughlin steps in to offer up some sleek and exceedingly good inks. In this one Killraven and his "Freemen" M'Shulla, Hawk, and Arrow confront Martain-mutated women called Sirens who like their mythical namesakes can control men. Killraven is taken back to the gladiatorial ring but fights his way out, and even manages to bring down a Martian walking machine with the Staten Island Ferry during the hair-raising escape.

Set in the environs of New York City in the initial chapters, the saga offers up the usual post-doomsday scenery of a sunken Statue of Liberty and other broken icons of 20th Century existence. The scenario painted is a grim one with the Martian masters firmly in control of a shattered Earth and some people all too willing to work alongside their conquerors who we all know have a special taste for humans.

But this initial burst is a brief one. The series will stumble during its early days and by the next issue Conway and Chaykin are gone, and Killraven even gets a costume change thanks to writer Marv Wolfman and artist Herb Trime, though the design looks like the work of John Romita to me.

Arguably the most important change in the series came with the next issue in which writer Don McGregor arrives. His ornate writing gave the Killraven yarns a flavor all their own, a deep introspection which would only flourish as the series continued. This issue not only gave Killraven's ally M'Shulla a distinctive character but introduced Carmilla Frost, a scientist and new ally. She brought with her the lab-spawned creation "Grok" as well. Old Skull is another member of Killraven's Freemen and his addled mind and great strength are standout details of the series in its early days. 

The setting shifts when Killraven and his allies the Freemen leave NYC and head to Washington DC. One of the things which is great fun about post-apocalyptic stories is the way recognizable icons an locations can be used to enhance a story. So it is with the villain Abraxas selling slaves at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial. We also meet a black warrior henchman who wields a mean sword in the cause of the Martians by the name of "Sabre", not something McGregor would soon forget. 

McGregor's penchant for wacky but memorable names is on display in this issue which showcases the girl with green skin Mint Julep. We also see Killraven stand up his fears as he is assaulted by rats. There's an echo of Orwell's 1984 in this ploy by the Martians. 

In the May issue Killraven and his Freemen come up against the High Overlord, a Martian who uses an anthropomorphic armor to move around. It's a new year and this establishes a conceit in the series of attempting to use real time. By the end Killraven and his mob have demolished the slavery ring at the Lincoln Memorial and get on the Martian's most wanted list. This is artist Herb Trimpe's last regular issue. 

The artistic reins go to Rich Buckler in a story set at the Indianapolis Speedway. It introduces an important villain to the series by the name of Skar who is adept at using the Martian tripods in weird races. Truth told this a very hard comic to read and understand because of Buckler's innovative but sometimes incoherent page design. His pages seem weighed down by McGregor's heavy script which is likely a problem as well and I'd bet the timeframe was short to produce the story. 

Still casting about for a regular artist, this issue features Gene "The Dean" Colan and he pushes out a decent issue though it shows signs of hurry as well. The Freemen go to Battle Creek Michigan where they discover a group of oddly dedicated men defending a mysterious treasure, one that goes snap, crackle and pop. 

At long last with the twenty-seventh issue of Amazing Adventures and the tenth installment of War of the Worlds the artist most associated with the series appears -- P. Craig Russell. Under a dramatic Jim Starlin cover, Russell begins to give us the look that will define the strip. McGregor too seems to have found a partner he cottons to, and his script seems to get even more ponderous as we begin an extended storyline about the Martian outpost in Chicago which is set up to produce humans as livestock. 

This comic is one of the most beautiful that Russell ever drew and it features Volcana Ash who had been introduced in the previous issue. She is one of two sisters and while she was the subject of experimentation to give her the strange powers of heat and fire her sibling was to become of the many Eves who gave birth to children for the benefit of the appetites of the Martians. The Freeman break into the Death-Birth complex its master Atalon the Fear Master and the chief surgeon The Sacrificer. 

In the next issue the Freemen are able to free the captive Adams and Eves and destroy he heinous complex. But Atalon's men pursue them. It's another marvelous looking comic and I only wish Russell had been able to produce all of the issues with this level of quality, though the inker Dan Green gets some credit. With this issue a title change of sorts hits the top of the cover. Although the series has always been Amazing Adventures the feature becomes  known as Killraven Warrior of The Worlds. 

But the stresses of producing the book are too much and the thirtieth issue is a reprint of some of Herb Trimpe's best work blending issues #23 and#24 together with a framing sequence which focuses on the high Overlord. It's to be remembered that the Overlord has dispatched Skar to find the Freemen. Great cover though. 

We get the finale of the Death Breeders saga as both Atalon and the Sacrificer catch up to our heroes under a famous golden arch. There is a singularly ugly monster that some locals worship but in the end Killraven and his associates kill the monster and put down both Atalon and his ally. 

Killraven and his Freemen (made up still of M'Shulla, Hawk, Old Skull, Carmilla Frost, and an injured Grok) have to confront a complex in Nashville which is able to tap into the mind of folks and confront them with their greatest desires. Among the illusions is McGregor's spoof of Sherlock Holmes, namely one Hodiah Twist and his ally Conrad Jeavons. This is yet another beautiful issue to look at though the storytelling is a bit rugged in spots.

Bill Mantlo and Herb Trimpe step in to give us another fill-in issue, this time a new one. In a deep cavern Killraven is separated from his allies and discovers a segregated society of black men and women who had hidden away safely from the Martians. But theri haven is not safe and they leave for the surface world to see what that holds for them. This is my least favorite of the series. 

In a story titled "A Death in the Family" we do indeed lose some of our Freemen as Skar finally catches up to the rebels around Chattanooga. We learn that Grok is indeed the "Clonal Man" as he is a clone of Carmilla's dead father. The battle against Skar is brutal and the resultant deaths are impactful in an era when such things were exceedingly uncommon. One death was somewhat predictable, but the other was a bit of surprise to me, even now on this re-reading of the series. 

We get another Bill Mantlo story but this time it's in the pages of Marvel Team-Up and features a time-traveling Spider-Man as he drops into the dark era of the Martian invasion. Drawn by Sal  Buscema and Mike Esposito this story doesn't really have much to add to our understanding of the of the Killraven series though I'm sure it did its work as an advertisement for the run. 

"The 24-Hour Man" is set in Atlanta and offers up the strange person of Emmanuel who is as far as I can gather a hybrid offspring of human and some odd green creature and like a Mayfly lives out his entire existence in a mere matter of hours and must breed before that time and Carmilla is his chosen. There's some real horror in this bizarre tale. The War of the Worlds logo returns with this issue and will remain until the finale. 

To be honest I had to read "Red Dust Legacy" a few times to figure out what was happening. As far as I can tell Killraven is able to use his talent to enter the mind of a young Martian who has lived its full life on Earth and yearns for the understanding of its home world shared by its elders. Killraven and gang destroy a nursery full of Martian young (the bud off their parent asexually and are collected and put into incubators). It's possible this action of attempted genocide cost Killraven a chance at understanding with the young Martian. 

In the thirty-seventh issue the Freemen reach the Okefenokee Swamp and meet another group who have found safety in the swamp. They take the time to rest, and we learn by stories around the campfire how Old Skull met Killraven and more. McGregor has a bit to say about how the retarded children ae treated in our society. We learn that Old Skull lost his dad on the very first day of the second invasion and was swept up into the gladitorial program of the Martians when his ability to defend himself was noted. 

Bill Mantlo returns with another fill-in issue this one drawn by Keith Giffen and it's a doozy. Killraven enters a strange dome in which he becomes enmeshed in the dreams of a stranded man. Those dreams involve many famous visages from the Marvel Universe. Even President Gerald Ford makes an appearance. This one is really entertaining. 

The thirty-ninth issue is the final issue of Amazing Adventures and the last War of the Worlds story by McGregor and Russel for some time. The go out with a beautiful issue about yet another weird mutant creature called Mourning Prey who is beautiful like a butterfly but deadly nonetheless they think. It's a  nifty little story told in flashbacks that is rather eloquent and ties a bow on the series even if it doesn't really resolve anything. 

The final Killraven story was wrapped in 1976 and it would be seven years later that McGregor and Russell world attempt a true finish to the saga. The format was Marvel's popular Graphic Novels of the decade. The story picks up where it left off in Florida just outside of what was once Cape Canaveral. The Freemen meet a lady named Jenette Miller who was an astronaut in the 1990's before the second Martian invasion. She has stayed hidden from the Martians all this time and gives the Freemen some essential information about the world before the Martians. Carmilla has some news for M'Shulla of a bouncing baby type. We then meet Joshua, Killraven's long-lost brother. But all is not what it seems since Joshua has been prepared by the High Overlord and his minions to be Deathraven a technologically produced werewolf. He poses a lethal threat to the Freemen until Killraven uses his abilities to their maximum for the first time and not enters the mind of a Martian but controls that Martian to kill his own brother. They then proceed to blow up the High Overlord's installation and presumably him with it before the saunter off into the Florida horizon to heal and live life. 

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