Retro Comics: John Carter, Warlord of Mars #14

OK folks we're back to Barsoom as "Tonight is the Night...Helium Dies!"

When we last left John Carter, he was stuck in a wall literally as the forces of dark wizard Zhuvan D'ark marches on Helium in retribution. With the great city breached and people falling D'ark reveals his ultimate goal: to resurrect his love Adanna and use Carter and Dejah Thoris' bodies as new hosts! With only Kantos Kan, Grogg and a revived Tars Tarkas to battle on things look grim for our heroes...

Wrapping up this story line, Marv Wolfman and company throw in melting flesh, walking skeletons, Ninth Ray revivals and a good sword throw by Kantos in the mix to provide a rousing, if somewhat grisly finale. The grisly part comes from seeing several skeletons take human form and leave their victims a bag of bones that brings to mind old horror comics of the 1950s. The story itself still seems left over from Conan the Barbarian or Red Sonja but for an off the beaten track story it does present a good read.

Handling art duties is the combined work of Carmine Infantino and Rudy Nebres and again they bring a nice hand to the action, walking corpses and battling princesses. The final fight between Kantos, Grogg and Tars and Zhuvan D'Ark is particularly handled well with enough bold strokes to catch the reader's eye.

Next time brings "The History Horrors!" so come back and we'll see how John Carter navigates his next comic adventure.