The Classics - Weird Worlds #1

In the early '70s DC was trying lots of different books in an attempt to take on Marvel, and one of those titles was Tarzan.

They did something really clever with that book - they put it in the hands of the incredibly talented writer / artist / editor Joe Kubert, and he turned out some fantastic work.

It was apparently a hit with the fans, too, because not long after a companion book was created to house the Edgar Rice Burroughs-created heroes who were appearing in backup features in Tarzan and Korak, Son of Tarzan.

The comic, which was cover-dated August - September 1972, was called Weird Worlds. It featured the adventures of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and David Innes At the Earth's Core!

Like Tarzan's comic, the editors didn't scrimp on the talent (although with one exception the creators at work here were relatively new to the game).

Behind a Kubert cover was an 11-page David Innes story, written by Len Wein and drawn by Alan Weiss. Wein does his usual top-notch job, and Weiss gets to have a lot of fun with apes and other monsters. Vastly underappreciated, Weiss' style owed a lot to Neal Adams, but he had a more organic feel to his art. He also (like Adams) had the knack for drawing beautiful, sexy women.

Speaking of which... the second feature in the book was written by Marv Wolfman, doing an excellent job on a feature he would also write later at Marvel, and the art was supplied by the veteran of the issue, the outstanding Murphy Anderson, who seemed to be having the time of his life, tackling Carter, the giant four-armed Tharks, assorted monsters, and the incredibly beautiful Dejah Thoris, who was wearing the skimpiest bikini I'd seen in a comic (at least up to that point).

The story was loaded with swordplay, brutal battles and even tenderness - though I have to admit I would have picked the comic up just for the drawings of Dejah. (As proof, here's a clip of the interior art.)

Notice that she doesn't have a belly button. That's not because of prudishness - she was born from an egg, like all Martians.

Anderson has always been one of my favorite artists, and he turned in some great work on his short run on this title.

Sadly, the Weird Worlds comic had a limited run, lasting only 10 issues, though it included some classic work, including both ERB characters and an original creation - Ironwolf - by Howard Chaykin.

But it was great while it lasted!

Grade: A-