This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero blog post takes a look at the early issues of Marvel Comics’ adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1911 literary creation John Carter of Mars.
JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS Vol 1 #1 (June 1977)
Title: Air-Pirates of Mars, Chapter One
Villains: The Air-Pirates of Mars
Comment: For my fellow geeks for Burroughs’ John Carter novels, let me point out that this entire Marvel series was set during the 9-year gap between John Carter marrying Dejah Thoris and the malfunctioning of the Atmosphere Plant in the final part of the first book, A Princess of Mars.
When John’s wife Dejah gets abducted by the Air-Pirates of Mars, he sets out to find her and free her from their clutches. Unfortunately, he falls into the hands of the adversarial Warhoon tribe of Green Martians. Naturally, Marvel kept all the swords, aircraft and radium pistols from the novels. Continue reading
DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #437 (November 1973) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga. 
Christine travels to Nepal to investigate this new Manhunter’s recent actions which saved the life of a wealthy philanthropist. Via flashbacks from her informant, she learns that the new Manhunter has been battling an organization which made several clones of Paul Kirk and has been using them to carry out the assassinations that Manhunter is blamed for because the clones wear blue costumes like his red one. 
This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at some of the early stories during the time when Daredevil and the Black Widow were a team, like 
DAREDEVIL & THE BLACK WIDOW Vol 1 #92 (October 1972) 
FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL Vol 1 #12 (March 1976) 
POWER MAN Vol 1 #48 (December 1977) 
Shades (at right) and Comanche, escaped cons who served time at Seagate Prison with Luke Cage back when he went by his real name Carl Lucas, were sent by Bushmaster to abduct Power Man’s girlfriend Dr. Claire Temple and her colleague Dr. Noah Burstein. They have done so and, per Bushmaster’s orders, they give Luke Cage/ Carl Lucas their boss’s ultimatum. 
They make it clear to Power Man that to gain the release of those two doctors he has been close to for years, he must capture and deliver to Bushmaster one of his foes, private investigator Misty Knight. The villain doesn’t just send Shades and Comanche (at left) to abduct her because Misty’s associates, her investigative partner Colleen Wing and the superhero Iron Fist, stand beside her. 
ADVENTURE COMICS Vol 1 #461 (February 1979) 
Synopsis: Bill Jensen, a corrupt former D.A. just released from prison, has been gifted with superpowers like the ability to shoot mystic energy blasts, conjure up unearthly fire, walk up walls, produce a force field and more. He refuses to reveal how he has gained these powers. 
FANTASTIC FOUR Vol 1 #44 (November 1965) 
Through a comic book coincidence, the Human Torch gets caught in the middle of a fight between the super villainess called Medusa and her fellow Inhuman called Gorgon. 
ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #70 (February 1978) 
Those villains are helmeted criminals known by numbers instead of names and led by the mysterious Number 1. Strike Force has over a score of members, and they wield high-tech weaponry and equipment. 
SGT. FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS Vol 1 #1 (May 1963) 
ALL STAR COMICS Vol 1 #64 (February 1977) 
Balladeer's Blog 