Savage Tales #2 - Marvel

Oct. 1973 - I had a pile of magazines sitting on my desk, and while I was deciding which one to talk about next, I got a bunch of scans from Marvel's Savage Tales #2 sent to me by Robby Reed of Dial "B" For Blog, and that very issue just happened to be in the pile! So thanks Robby and here we go!

After a two-year hiatus between issues, Marvel brought Savage Tales back to give the whole b/w magazine thing another go. Behind the tough-as-nails cover (drawn and painted by John Buscema!) is the lead feature--Conan of course--written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Barry Smith:

All Conan fans are familiar with this story by now, where Conan is chasing after the beautiful but savage Valeria, but she makes it pretty clear she's not interested. Crom!

After their horses get eaten(!) by a giant dragon, they escape for higher ground. With no way to escape, they decide to try and wait the dragon out. Of course, with nothing else to do, Conan gets amorous:

After fighting off the dragon, they wander to a mysteriously-quiet city, where they discover even more strange goings-on, like a skeleton that has come to life, introduced in this very creepy sequence:

...Conan disappears while searching the city, and Valeria, given the chance to leave, chooses to stay behind and make sure Conan leaves with her. Aw, she is sweet on the Cimmerian!

Next is an article on The Hyborian Age by Thomas and featuring spot illustrations by Al Williamson, and then another about Robert E. Howard:

...this article features illustrations by Frank Brunner, full of guys fighting a genie, a giant octopus, plus this piece:

Mitra, I love the way Frank Brunner draws women.

Anyway, next is a sword and sorcery/sci-fi tale called "Dark Tomorrow" by Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow:

...I find all of Morrow's work to be exceptional, but this story is especially nice. He uses a lot of heavy darks which gives the visuals a real sense of heft. Plus he draws beautiful women, too.

Next is "Cimmeria", a prose piece adapted by Barry Smith:

Each b/w Marvel mag usually had at least one reprint, and this issue is no exception. In this case, the story is "The Crusader", drawn by Joe Maneely and written by Stan Lee:

Reprinted from Black Knight #1 (1955), its the story of Sir John O'Dare, who was part of King Richard's Crusades. Maneely does a really nice job on the art.

Another text piece follows on Conan's history, assembling the original Howard tales into some sort of chronology, and even features reprints of some pulp covers. Neat.

Last is King Kull in "The Skull of Silence", which originally ran in Creatures on the Loose #10:

...sure, its reprinting a story that ran less than two years ago in a color comic, but when you've got Berni Wrightson doing the art, who cares?

This issue is lots of fun, of course--soon after Marvel would turn Savage Tales over to Ka-Zar, give Conan his own magazine, and then not too long after cancel Savage Tales altogether.

Savage Tales #10 - Marvel

Quite the savage cover, this time from Boris Vallejo! I like how Ka-Zar is popping out in front of the logo.

The Ka-Zar story is "Requiem For a Haunted Man!" by Gerry Conway, Russ Heath, and the Crusty Bunkers. Ka-Zar is battling a crocodile when suddenly another man saves him using a bow and arrow, then silently retreats. ?

Ka-Zar then gets in the middle of two warring tribes, one of whom has captured the other's women and is holding hem hostage. While in the middle of the fight, the mysterious archer shows up again and we then find out who he is, where he came from--he's a man running from his past in the regular world. No longer fearing death, he has come to the Savage Land and has found a new reason for existence--the love of a woman.

Next is a text fiction piece by John Jakes called "The Running of the Ladyhound", featuring some spot illustrations by Michael Whelan and Rick Bryant, all the more unusual in that they feature some nudity, a strict no-no I thought in Marvel mags.

Last is Sheena in "Blood Purge!" by Carla Conway, Ross "Andry"(methinks someone didn't proofread this issue too carefully), and Vince Colletta(ah, they were behind on this one!). In a slightly similar story, Shanna finds herself in the middle of a civil war between two factions on the slope of the Himalayas. How in the heck does Shanna not freeze to death in that outfit running around a snowy mountaintop??

Not a bad issue, and the Crusty Bunkers inking on the Ka-Zar story is especially nice.

Savage Tales #9 - Marvel

We return to the Savage Land with everyone's favorite ersatz Tarzan, Ka-Zar!

Actually, for being such a rip-off--er, homage--of another character, Ka-Zar had some pretty good creators chronicling his adventures. The covers of this series were frequently by Neal Adams(though this one is by Mike Kaluta), and the inside stories tended to be a lot better than you'd expect. Heck, even Ka-Zar's early 80s series was by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson, so I'm not sure exactly why I started this post knocking the character at all. Let's forget it and move on...

After an inside cover pin-up by Mike Zeck, the story by Gerry Conway and Steve Gan is called "Dark Island of Doom!", about Ka-Zar coming across a lost city named Palandor, deep in the heart of the Savage Land.

He meets a beautiful woman outside it, who tells him she is its Queen, and has been the victim of a violent coup and thrown out of the city. She asks Ka-Zar for help to return and reclaim the throne, and he agrees, but not before a little Savage Land Lovin', something that doesn't sit wel with Ka-Zar's trusy ally, Zabu. He smells trouble!

Ka-Zar and the Queen make it back in, where once she does reassume power, she turns on Ka-Zar! He learns from the Queen's brother that she was a mad tyrant--wasting Palandor's fortune while letting the people starve. The Queen starts dolling out punishments, like throwing a helpless woman into a giant pool, which is the home of a murderous sea monster.

Ka-Zar and her brother are put in jail and scheduled for execution at dawn, but luckily Zabu breaks in(!) and helps rescue them. They go after the Queen who tries to kill them by unleashing said sea monster, but Ka-Zar of course defeats it. In the course of doing so the temple is smashed and the Queen is deposed. As the prince prepares to take over, Ka-Zar warns him being the ruler of anything will not be easy. Wise man, that Ka-Zar.

There's a second story, starring Shanna the She-Devil, imaginatively titled "The Golden Blood-Beasts of Daka-Jur!", by Carla and Gerry Conway, with art credited to "The Tribe." I could describe the story--involving Shanna fighting Kali, Goddes of Death and a series of jungle beasts--but I think the title tells you all you need to now. Pure, escapist fun(as is the whole issue), full of adventure and, courtesy Shanna, a little T&A.

Savage Tales #6 - Marvel

I'm still in a savage mood, so I thought we'd continue with Marvel's other savage magazine, Savage Tales! Garrrr!!

First off--beauty of a cover by Neal Adams(gee, how many times have I typed that?)--exciting, drawn within an inch of its life, and brilliantly composed. It took me, like, a full minute after looking at this to discover the wooly mammoth about to stomp on our buxom damsel in distress! (women's shirts on Marvel b/w covers never seem to have much structural integrity)

After an uncredited pin-up on the inside cover(on first blush, I'd say it looks like John Romita inked by Marie Severin; since they were both Marvel staffers I imagine they needed to throw a page together quickly, and who better than the legendart Romita and Severin to do it?), we open with the lead Ka-Zar story, "The Damnation Plague!" by Gerry Conway, John Buscema, and Tony DeZuniga.

The story involves a plague(duh) that infects Ka-Zar's Savage Land home, and he races to find the people infected and contain it. We also get a re-cap of Ka-Zar's origin, all wonderfully executed by Buscema and DeZuniga. The only problem is--the story stops mid-stream. Why? Well, according to an editorial at the bottom of the final page, a kidney infection sidelined DeZuniga, and he couldn't complete inking the rest of the story!

So Marvel was forced to slot a reprint in place of the second half of the Ka-Zar story, putting the lie to the "All-New Adventures" blurb on the cover, which Marvel cops to.

After this unusual sequence of events, we get an editorial about Ka-Zar courtesy Roy Thomas, a history of Marvel's newest feature, Brak the Barbarian, and then "Fangs of the Black Orchid!" by unknown, Al Wiliamson, and Ralph Mayo, reprinted from Jann of the Jungle #16(1957). While I would've preferred to see the second half of Ka-Zar, you do get some nice Williamson art and a guy almost eaten by a giant plant, so that should count for something.

Next is "Dragonseed" starring Marok the Merciless, by Len Wein and Steve Gan. Mark demands an old wizard use his powers to give him an army to plunder with, but he finds that you sometimes don't want what you think you do. It ends with a sort of EC-esque "gag" ending which I found fairly funny, since it has an ironic quality not seen in most of these "savage adventure" type stories.

Ka-Zar is back in the next story, "The Night of the Looter!" by Stan Lee and Buscema, reprinted from Savage Tales #1(boy, that "all-new adventures" is really taking a beating.) A man and a woman invade the Savage Land in a tank(!) looking for treasure, convincing a group of ape-like savage men that they are gods and they must do their bidding. When Ka-Zar attempts to stop them, the woman tries to seduce Ka-Zar(getting almost nude in the process, Buscema drawing one of his most sultry villainesses), but he doesn't fall for it, and rejects her.

They try again, but the treasure that is Vibranium melts their tank(!!) and the ape-men suddenly realize these two are not "gods", and drag the woman away. Now this is where things get grim, as the woman, Carla, is dragged away, the husband goes after her, realizing his folly.

When he and Ka-Zar find her, she is facing down in a pool of water, dead, and naked. Now, she wasn't naked when she was kidnapped, so....yeesh! Stan Lee wrote this? A solid adventure/morality tale, but also a fine example that Marvel was willing to push the envelope with the b/w magazines in a way they never could've gotten away with in the regular color line.

Savage Tales #4 - Marvel

Still being in a macho magazine mood (say that five times fast), I went looking into my b/w collection for the most macho mag I could find. I think I did a pretty good job with this--Savage Tales #4, with a cover by Neal Adams of Conan the Barbarian about to behead a bad guy, simultaneously saving a comely wench! As the cover tag says--"More Savage Than Ever!"

The first story is "Night of the Dark God" by Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, Neal Adams, the oddly-named "Diverse Hands", and Pablo Marcos! Conan sails to a a faraway land to save the beautiful Mala, daughter of Hafgar of the Hillmen, who has been kidnapped by the villainous Thorfel, who wants her as his bride.

Before Conan can arrive, Mala, who would rather be dead than be fouled by Thorfel, takes her own life. This happens just as Conan arrives, which of course sends him into a Cimmerian rage, hacking and slashing at every member of Thorfel's band. I'd be hard pressed to come up with a better storytelling team thank Kane and Adams to convey the savagery with which Conan goes after these guys. Even though the violence is gruesome, under the touch of Kane and Adams it approaches a thing of beauty.

After a two-piece article about the magazine by Roy Thomas is a photo article about Jason and the Argonauts. Why? I have no idea, but I'm not complaining since JATA is one of my favorite movies!

Next is an uncredited reprint tale "The Crusader" about King Richard. I don't recognize the art style, but it's a soldily-drawn little tale. At five pages, its over before you know it.

There's another text article about Conan by Thomas, and then a second Conan tale, "Dweller in the Dark" by Thomas and Barry Smith, where he takes on a giant monster (of course, this being Conan). This is the story that features the semi-famous sequence of the-nude-woman-in-a-bath-who-comes-on-to-Conan, and a few panels had to be touched up to meet with Comics Code approval. This story is reprinted from the color Conan the Barbarian comic (#12, to be exact), so I'm a little surprised Marvel didn't go back in and re-retouch the art to be reprinted here, since Marvel could get away with more in the b/w magazines--which was of course the whole point of these things!

In addition to all this, there's a both inside-covers Conan pin-up by P.Craig Russell! Gil Kane, Neal Adams, Barry Smith, and P.Craig Russell--by Crom, what a deal for 75 cents!

Almost Black & White For 75 Cents...

Dynamite Entertainment now publishes Red Sonja comics and apparently their approach to the character--sex + violence + some more sex--seems to be working, since they've announced a spin-off Sonja title, Savage Tales.

As any old comic fan will tell you, Savage Tales is the name of two separate Marvel magazines from the 70s and 80s that did occasionally feature Conan, Sonja, and others. Apparently the copyright on the name has lapsed so Dynamite can now use it.

When I first saw this cover--aside from feeling a bit uneasy for ogling a woman who is standing on top of a bunch of corpses--I got so excited thinking Dynamite was bringing ST back as black-and-white magazine, since the logo and title are clearly meant to remind you of that classic publication.

As you can guess, they're not. Savage Tales will be a regular full-color comic, not a magazine. I know that part of the raison d'etre of the black-and-white comic-magazine is now gone (the chance to do more adult-themed material, which can now be found in nearly any regular comic), but I still get excited at the prospect of different formats for comic-books, and to get so close...

*sigh*

Savage Tales (Vol.2) #1 - Marvel

Ok, well, Thanksgiving's over--we've eaten--twice (we spend half the day at Trace's sister's house, then finish it off at my parents, eating way more than we should at each)--and we're all sitting home now, too bloated to move, waiting for ER to come on. So why not post again? At least my fingers have remained somewhere near their original, pre-Thanksgiving shape.

This is Savage Tales, volume 2, #1. Marvel had tried a series called Savage Tales back in the early 70s, but we'll cover that later. This is the second go-round, started in 1985 under the editorial hand of Marvel mainstay Larry Hama.

I remember finding this magazine at a newsstand in August of '85, back when my parents and I still went to the Poconos for vacation, like we had every year since before I was born. I normally perused the spinner racks and left the magazines shelves alone, but this (plus Savage Sword of Conan, another title we'll get to later) was placed near the spinners, so I picked it up.

I immediately knew that this was probably not the kind of comic magazine my parents would want me to read--one look at the gun-totin' pneumatic babes on the front cover told me that--so of course I bought it immediately.

Behind the gorgeous Michael Golden cover, there's an editorial by Hama explaining the magazine's phliosophy--"Here it is, the first issue ever of Savage Tales. Hope you like it and if you don't, 'xin-loi' to you and the cat that dragged you in." Oh yeah, am I glad I bought this.

Next there's some brief bios of the creators, and then it starts off with a vietnam story, "The 5th to 1st" (pre-saging Marvel's The 'Nam comic), by Doug Murray and Michael Golden. It's an excellent story, tersely written and superbly illustrated. I'm no war comics expert, but I'd say it's one of the best war-comics-stories I've ever read.

Next is "Sky Warriors: Marla", written and drawn by Herb Trimpe. It features lots of bi-planes, a hobby Trimpe enjoys in real life. While it's not the knockout that preceeded it, Trimpe's love of subject comes across.

Then there's "Avenger" by Archie Goodwin and John Severin (him again!), which is one of the best short stories I've read in a comic, period, war story or no. A grim, no-kidding tale of revenge. Man, that Goodwin could really write.

Fourth is "Blood & Guts: A Pizza", a humorish, post-apocalyptic story featuring a main badass named Blood fighting off zombies en route to get a pizza. It was written and drawn by Will Jungkuntz, whose name I had never seen before or since, until I had learned he had died very young when Frank Miller dedicated the first issue of The Dark Knight Returns to him a year later. The story is so-so, but the art and storytelling is fluid and attractive. It's shame Mr.Jungkuntz didn't get to live longer and develop his obvious talents.

Last is "Across the Rio Grande" by Don Kraar and the legendary Gray Morrow. A solid story of bravery and revenge, a nice way to wrap the issue up.

Like Thrilling Adventure Stories #2 posted below, it's amazing the roster of talent these anthologies could put together. This mag was only a $1.50, yet it had art by Golden, Trimpe, Severin, and Morrow, and some great stories to boot. Can't be beat.

Alas, at the age I read it--fourteen--I think I was a tad too young to appreciate all the grim, terse, adult goings-on on display here. I don't remember searching for issue #2, and I think this series only lasted about ten issues total. Yet I hung on to this issue all these years, and as I got older I got to appreciate the stories more. I don't know how well Savage Tales mk.2 held on to the momentum from this first issue, but I can say overall I think it's a shame the magazine didn't find more of an audience. Any magazine that can put together this roster of talent deserves to be around for a while.

And if you don't agree--'xin-loi' to you and the cat that dragged you in!