SATURDAY, 22 MARCH 2014
Creatures on the Loose #17 - Gullivar Jones on Mars, Part 2.
This week, it's time to see what progress he makes now he's got there.
And it has to be said, he doesn't make a lot.Roy Thomas tries to mixmaster elements of Arnold,Burroughs and Howard-Robert E.Howard-not Clint Howard.
Having been dumped, unconscious, on a funeral barge as it makes its way down a Martian river, Gullivar recovers just in time to fight some giant caterpillars and then get captured by some spider-bat-men who then proceed to offer him and a captive pterodactyl man up as a snack for their giant god Phra.
Pha is Roys tribute to another Edwin Lester Arnold book-Pha the Phoneacian.Another book,people Eddie Burroughs read,because it's an ageless guy like John Carter.
According to Wikipedia, the reason Gullivar Jones never caught on like John Carter did was because, in the original book, he was a bit of a failure, losing fights, left, right and centre while getting pushed around by events rather then pushing them around.
And you can certainly see signs of it here. He starts off unconscious,thinks he see's Heru-the Princess of this Mars,but transforms into a big bug- then gets bitten by a giant caterpillar then loses consciousness.Ok,John Carter might do,but he'd make by kicking ass later on.Gullivar Jones then loses a fight with the spider-bat-men and then finishes off by being offered up as a takeaway to Pha-the regular monster type,you see in Creatures on the Loose
According to Wikipedia, the reason Gullivar Jones never caught on like John Carter did was because, in the original book, he was a bit of a failure, losing fights, left, right and centre while getting pushed around by events rather then pushing them around.
And you can certainly see signs of it here. He starts off unconscious,thinks he see's Heru-the Princess of this Mars,but transforms into a big bug- then gets bitten by a giant caterpillar then loses consciousness.Ok,John Carter might do,but he'd make by kicking ass later on.Gullivar Jones then loses a fight with the spider-bat-men and then finishes off by being offered up as a takeaway to Pha-the regular monster type,you see in Creatures on the Loose
. He might have super-strength while he's on Mars and have combat training but he does come across as a man in severe need of a good rescuing.See,maybe Gullivar Jones should had Lu Pov join him.I want Gullivar Jones-I really do,but he more of big boob,than hero.And when Peter Parker screws up,Spider-Man often triumphs.If Conan screws up,it's to let triumph later on.Remember Ralph Hinkley?In the Greatest American Hero,he never got the hang of flying and then lost the manual to the suite.You have a hero screw up,but sometime,you have to let win a few battles,other the audiance,go forget him-I'll switch over the other guy.Luke Skywalker screws up allot in Star Wars-gets his ass kicked in a bar fight,but he win the bigger space battles.He loses a hand to Darth Vader,but thats only to see wise up understand his father was bigger screw up- and time to do right thing-listen to Yoda and Obi-Wan for the big event next-knocking out Jabba,rescueing Han Solo and the take out the Empire-something his pop Anakin Skywalker caused to come about so Vader can do what should done twenty some years before-throw that old Pervert Empiror out a window.Gullivar Jones-then to do something similar.
On the plus side, it's all non-stop drama and, as before, Gil Kane's art is excellent, making the strip memorable and worth reading for that alone. We also get a suitably cliff-hanging ending with what looks like the sort of monster Marvel loved to throw at us at every opportunity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. So, at least it seems we have reason to look forward to next issue.
On the plus side, it's all non-stop drama and, as before, Gil Kane's art is excellent, making the strip memorable and worth reading for that alone. We also get a suitably cliff-hanging ending with what looks like the sort of monster Marvel loved to throw at us at every opportunity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. So, at least it seems we have reason to look forward to next issue.
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