The Classics - Weird Worlds #3

It occurs to me from time to time that if I really wanted to build big traffic numbers here at Chuck's Comic of the Day, I'd do regular posts about the sexiest women in comics, or do a "Babe of the week" feature or something along those lines. (Which is really not such a bad idea, now that I think of it...)

After all, sex sells - and I see the proof of that every time I check the reader numbers for this site.

The single entry that gets the most readers on this site is the review of DC's Weird Worlds #1, which featured two of Edgar Rice Burrough's most famous heroes (next to Tarzan, of course): John Carter of Mars and David Innes in Pellucidar.

To be honest, I'm not sure why that post gets big numbers - perhaps it's the ERB connection, or the mention of John Carter (who's starring in an upcoming movie).

But I suspect it has more to do with the mention of Dejah Thoris, one of the sexiest women to appear in comics up to that point, thanks in no small part to the incredible art by Murphy Anderson.

I even included an interior panel of art showing off the Princess of Mars, and pointed out that she didn't have a belly button - after all, she was hatched from an egg.

For whatever reason, that review was hugely popular, so I thought, "I should review the second issue of this comic." I looked it over, and there were only a couple of tiny drawings of Dejah.

The third issue would be my last chance, because it was Anderson's last issue as artist - thankfully, as you can see here, he doesn't disappoint, although Dejah seems to have sudden gained a belly button and her outfit is slightly more modest (which looks like a late addition by the editors at DC).

What about the comic, you ask? Well, the Marv Wolfman-written story continues the adventures of John Carter as he becomes friends with the four-armed green giant, Tars Tarkas.

They fight their way through the Barsoom (Martian) equivalent of the underworld, only to land in even more trouble.

The second half of the comic features some surprisingly horrible scenes, as David Innes learns more about the horrible masters of Pellucidar, which is the prehistoric world at the center of the Earth.

It's a great story by Len Wein and great art by the criminally-underrated Alan Weiss.

In other words, it's another terrific issue (cover dated December 1972 - January 1973) loaded with the usual break-neck action and adventure - and a dash of sex.

Now I can't wait to see if this post gets numbers like before. If so, I might have to make this a regular feature.

Grade: A-

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-