Marvel's Cosmic Comics: Star Wars, John Carter, ROM, Micronauts, and Beyond!: Recent Episodes
Ben Avery
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986.
Ben returns to the world of LOGAN’S RUN with a comic story that is TOTALLY NOT Logan’s Run, but TOTALLY IS Logan’s Run. What do you do when you have a Logan’s Run comic book issue, but don’t have the Logan’s Run license? You strip it of every specific detail …
“Wait. What?” ~ Ben’s exact words when he was looking at comic book soliciations for last month.
But The Human Fly is back! It’s a new series! A new continuity! A new creative team! A new publisher! A new millennium!
But the same concept: he’s the wildest superhero every . . . because he’s real!
And he’s starting with two new stories in a #0 issue.
So, what does Ben think about it? Find out here!
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986.
It’s the end of an era. Ben reads the final two issues of John Carter, Warlord of Mars from Marvel Comics, wrapping up another of Marvel’s Cosmic Comic Series.
John Carter, the Marvel comic title, began before Star Wars and surely gained a slight boost because of Star Wars, but it did not last nearly as long as the Star Wars comic series did. Like The Human Fly, 2001, Man from Atlantis, and many other licensed titles, John Carter was canceled and faded into obscurity.
But Star Wars DID give it some new life . . . in 1981. And Ben ALSO picks up two Star Wars comics from 1981 that connect to the John Carter comic series.
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986.
For this episode, Ben reads the FINAL three chapters in the 12-issue epic “Master Assassin of Mars” from JOHN CARTER issues 25-27, cover dated July 1979, August 1979, and September 1979!
Coincidentally, there was a hiatus between issues 24 and 25 . . . just like there was a hiatus between the episodes covering those issues! For Marvel, it was like two months. For Ben . . . much longer.
NOTE: For Marvel’s Cosmic Comics, Ben is choosing a BOLD NEW way of doing things that he’s going to try out with John Carter. Multiple issues per episode, and not month by month. This means he might jump around a bit between series and not go chronologically through the calendar, month by month.
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986.
For this episode, Ben reads the next three chapters in the 12 issue epic “Master Assassin of Mars” from JOHN CARTER issues 21-23, December 1978, January 1979, and February 1979!
John Carter? That’s not what was SUPPOSED to show up here! Ben is choosing a BOLD NEW way of doing things that he’s going to try out with John Carter. Multiple issues per episode, and not month by month.
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. Ben returns to 1979 to read the toy-line tie-in SHOGUN WARRIORS! Last issue introduced three pilots and one robot . . . but this issue brings two more robots …
(We have moved our websites to a new server, and as a result we lost this post, meaning I had to re-upload it. Please accept our apologies if you had this show up in your feed twice. Thank you!) Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on …
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. And we’re beginning the journey to find a lonely plant . . . known as . . . EARTH! So excited! Battlestar Galactica was absolutely the product of a …
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. Star Wars continues! Luke faces Vader . . . in a hallucination! Han Solo faces Chewy . . . in a zero-G arena! Leia faces stormtroopers . . . …
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. The Master Assassin of Mars continues . . . with gladiatorial combat in an arena against a very big lion with a large number of legs. And teeth. But …
The Micronauts move from inner space to yard space as they take on one of the great dangers of the back yard - a lawn mower!
The Human Fly travels to his next stunt location and find some real world issues that need to be taken care of, REAL-LIFE SUPERHERO STYLE!
Godzilla, now man-sized, sneaks through the city . . . until he comes to a face-off with Dum Dum Dugan. A face-off that finally allows Dum Dum and Big-G to come face to face and go mano-a-mano!
Shogun Warriors, a Doug Moench and Herb Trimpe work based on the Mattel toyline that merged a number of Japanese properties into one, gets its origin in this "1st ISSUE COLLECTOR'S ITEM"! And the license seems to be in good hands!
"Deathgame" continues Archie Goodwin's original Star Wars tale taking place on The Wheel, a space casino that puts everyone in danger! And the stakes just keep on rising! In a world where Empire Strikes Back was still only in script form, the Star Wars universe grew here!
The coverage of Marvel’s licensed books from January 1979 ends here as we take a peek at the ads and company promo items from this month and then take a look at the treasury sized edition of Marvel’s adaptation of Battlestar Galactica in Marvel Super Special #8!
The fifth chapter in Chris Claremont's "Master Assassin of Mars" continues here as John Carter fights a war for the very people who are making it so he cannot leave their underground world. But he plans to leave and he's taking Dejah Thoris with him...if only he can rescue her!
Godzilla is shrunk down to the size of a house cat but he's still the king of the monsters! King of the TINY monsters, but king none-the-less.
Bill Mantlo's classic run begins here! A toy line with no story is transformed into an inner-space opera epic starting with this issue: The Micronauts #1!
The theft of a little girl's camera reveals an attempt to sabotage the Human Fly's newest stunt! But what reason do the criminals have to do this? And why is the Fly going through with it? More important: is the story any good?
The death wheel in the sky keeps on turning and our team doesn't know where they'll be tomorrow! Today, however, they know they're in danger from both the Empire and the people of the space station they found themselves on, which was supposed to be a safe haven!
Taking a look at some of the extra things going on when the comics cover dated December of 1978 were on the stands . . . like the final issues of Devil Dinosaur and Machine Man. And the FIRST issue of a new series that will be covered in our next round of Marvel's Cosmic Comics!
Trapped in a strange land, John Carter and Dejah Thoris find their bonds of love tested and perhaps found lacking! John carter and a new friend also find their battle skills put to the test in a seemingly endless wave of savages!
"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." they go and make a sequel!
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. The team has a plan and does their plan and their plan is solid enough to launch us into the Genuine Godzilla Shenanigans next issue! But for this …
The Human Fly takes on greedy businessmen and really, really careless, incompetent reporters. At Niagara Falls. And none of it is as good as it sounds.
The empire strikes! But it's not striking BACK...not yet, anyway. (And do they really strike in THIS issue? We'll talk about it.)
To celebrate 100 episodes of both the Marvel’s Cosmic Comics sub-feed AND the main feed, we cover John Carter’s 2nd annual AND John Carter’s big screen appearance! First, The Headmen of Mars, a fantastic story of horror and weirdness! Then, my review of John Carter, the movie, from a 2012 episode of …
With news of Carrie Fisher’s passing, plans changed and Ben take a look back at the comic book mini-series that pays a fitting tribute to the character that Carrie Fisher brought to life: Princess Leia. Rebel leader, princess, and icon, Princess Leia turned the concept of “save the princess” on …
Taking a look at what else is happening at Marvel with the cover date November, 1978. Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur take on other dino riders, while Machine Man deals with evil scientists, and some advertisements cause some excitement for what's coming to Marvel's Cosmic Comics in the near future!
The Human Fly grapples with two Vietnam vets who have turned to terrorism to get the word out about the shoddy care wounded veterans are receiving.
In part two of what could be called the "Godzilla Goes West" story arc, Godzilla proves himself to be one tough dude.
This month's Star Wars is a fill in issue, meant to fill in the gap for scheduling purposes as the regular team worked on the series, but also meant to fill in the gap on some of Luke Skywalker's past!
Ben takes a peek at the ads and editorial material in the Marvel comics cover dated October, 1978 and also takes a look at two comics related to Jack Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey: Machine Man #7 and Devil Dinosaur #7.
The "Claremont era" of John Carter: Warlord of Mars continues with part 2 The Assassins of Mars! How does it stack up to Wolfman's first half?
NEW EPISODE! It's Spider-Man in one of his most outlandish team-ups: the cast of Saturday Night Live? It all makes sense, in a comic book sort of way...although the question remains: how in the world did this happen? Guest starring: Stan Lee!
NEW EPISODE! Go west, young kaiju! It's cowboys vs. kaiju and one side is WAY outmatched. (Spoiler: it's not the kaiju!)
NEW EPISODE! Balloons! Tight ropes! Mute orphans! This one has it all... All except suspense, logical plots, and character decisions that make sense.
NEW EPISODE! A delightful "birthday" surprise for Ben, as new characters are introduced and old characters are revisited and MOVIE characters are almost forgotten! Almost. Bounty hunters and droid hatred abound in "The Hunter"!
Ben wraps up his coverage of September 1978's cover dated comics by taking a look at Machine Man and Devil Dinosaur #6 and the ads and copy found in this month's comics.
The beginning of a new era: Chris Claremont is the new writer; Ernie Colon is the new artist; and a master assassin is the new antagonist! But who is the assassin?
It's Godzilla vs. three giant sized kaiju from another world...and the fate of the earth hangs in the balance. Fortunately, the Big G isn't alone...Dum dum Dugan and Gabe Jones are there! But are they enough?
There's a stunt! Something goes wrong! Human Fly has to rescue people! So bad it's good? So bad it's bad? Or so mediocre it's mediocre? There's a LOT of comics in the world...and this is one of them.
It's a duel of the scoundrels as Han Solo faces off with the pirate Crimson Jack to wrap up the remaining plot threads from issue #7!
Taking a look at Machine Man #5 and Devil Dinosaur #5, Ben also looks at the ads and editorial copy of Marvel's August 1978 cover dated books!
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. It’s the final issue of Man from Atlantis! Ben wraps up his coverage of the comic and the TV show with an issue of the comic that goes from …
This issue: it's John Carter: Warlord of Earth? It's the power of SCIENCE vs the power of love as John Carter finds himself home...sort of.
As two alien races war using giant monsters, earth and Godzilla are pulled into the conflict!
Flashback...to that time when Human Fly's PR guy was a down on his luck out of work reporter and got his current job by jumping out of a plane to save Human Fly's life!
The water planet story arc ends here as Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie and the droids help when a war breaks out between the inhabitants of the planet!
Taking a look at Machine Man #4 and Devil Dinosaur #4, both featuring invading aliens and big battles! Also, looking at the ads and editorial copy of Marvel's July 1978 cover dated books!
The walking dead are marching on Helium and the plot marches off the rails! Lots of cool stuff happens, strung together by a story that struggles to make sense of its plot. But is it still awesome?
It's a lost world, complete with dinosaurs and ancient civilizations and treasure! Mark Harris faces danger and discovery unlike anything he;s ever seen...because most of what he has seen was done on a TV budget.
What happened on the day Human Fly tried to jump twenty-six buses in 1977? What happened after he failed? Find out here, as the comic book and real life meet in tragedy...and triumph?
The Big-G vs. the Beta Beast, with two worlds hanging in the balance! With aliens, monsters, and kaiju battles, is this the most movie like of the Godzilla comics?
It's space opera fantasy adventure fun as the back story of the water world society is revealed and war is engaged!
The old new adventures of the Star Wars universe continue!
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. June 1978 brought aliens from the other side of the universe and a giant with a triceratops skull for a helmet — from the head and hand of Jack …
Marv Wolfman continues his fantastic run on the pulp-tastic sci-fantasy all new adventures of John Carter!
It's the comic book adaptation of Stephen Spielberg's sci-fi classic, Close Encounters of the Third Kind! How does it hold up compared to other adaptations? How does it hold up compared to the movie? And what compliment does Ben pay to it? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed!
Part one of a three part story has a troubling female character and a final page that transcends the rest of the issue. Cliches abound, some of them bad, but not all of them!
Human Fly does a stunt! Human Fly helps some people! All in a day's work for Human Fly! But is it GOOD? Well, maybe...
It's Godzilla vs. Yetrigar vs. Red Ronin in a three-way Kaiju slugfest, with the lives of four random, thrill seeking white water rafters in the balance!
Luke was looking for a new rebel base, and now he's caught by pirates on a water world...
...while Han, Chewie, and Leia were looking for Luke, and now they're caught by pirates on a captured star destroyer, heading to that same water world!
The new adventures continue!
It’s a new series! A new publisher! And a new canon! Ben explores the ongoing Star Wars series as it dives into new stories taking place directly after the first Star Wars movie!
Marvel has re-colored it’s classic adaptations of the Star Wars original trilogy. Does it work? Is it worth buying? Is it just a cash grab, or does it make sense for them to create these “special editions”? And what other extras did they dig up to include within these hardcovers? Ben …
We take a look inside the covers of the May 1978 books -- the ads, the copy-pages, a Twinkie ad -- and then open the pages of Jack Kirby's two 2001 successors: Machine Man and Devil Dinosaur!
In a Gothic, bio-horror tale, John Carter and Tars Tarkis enter a fortress made of bones and skulls and face evil warriors also made of bones and skulls! (Or, I guess you could call them skeletons...)
"...And Daredevil Makes Three" is a GREAT example...of a terrible team up. Take three heroes who have nothing to do with each other and then don't let them interact and this is what you get.
Using Star Wars as a guideline, we’re exploring comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published from 1977 to 1986. It’s Godzilla vs. Bigfoot! (A really, really BIG Bigfoot…but don’t let the name “Yetrigar” fool you…he’s Bigfoot!)
The continuing adventures, well, continue in "Star Search"! What is the fate of Luke from his ill-fated mission? What became of Princess Leia's rescue mission? And will Han Solo and Chewie join the gang soon?
Ben takes a look at three comics that were not licensed but that were related to their licensed books: a comic capitalizing on Star Wars' success; a continuation of 2001's Mr. Machine story; and a return to prehistory in the vein of Kirby's early 2001 stories.
Inventory issue time! We get the backstory of John and Dejah's romance! And Ben gives a "good, bad, and ugly" breakdown!
Godzilla goes to Vegas! And Ben finds himself reading a comic book Twilight Zone featuring giant "force of nature" dino-lizard-monsters!
Real life stunt man Human Fly meets made up superhero White Tiger and minor super villain Copperhead. Also, he skateboards.
Bill Mantlo's adventures of the TV super swimmer Mark Harris continue as last issue's cliffhanger gets resolved. The results are surprising.
Roy Thomas brought Star Wars to Marvel, but this is the issue George Lucas removed Roy Thomas from Star Wars. Wrapping up the first "expanded universe" storyline of original Star Wars, this storyline is historic, but is it good?
Marv Wolfman wraps up his final chapter in the Air Pirates of Mars saga! It's the final showdown between John Carter and the Great One! Is it a satisfying conclusion?
Red Ronin has been a slow reveal, from the initial thoughts of a weapon that could take on Big G to seeing the plans to activating it but now, the big test: a battle between Red Ronin and Godzilla!
Who is Mr. Schubert? Well, if you watched the TV show you'd know he's sort of a big deal. Or he's something of a deal on the show. Now? Thirty years later? He's a poorly introduced villain that makes this comic feel more James Bond than Aquaman. And he's Mark Harris' Big Bad...
As Star Wars continues with its expanded universe, is Roy Thomas able to break from just putting sci-fi paint on a classic story-telling rope, or is this new story just going to be paint by numbers?
John Carter's battle with the "Air Pirates of Mars" continues as Marv Wolfman continues an original tale not adapted from any book.
Marvel's Classics Comics series featured a number of great works of literature, and in issue #31 they take on a foundational sci-fi work of space travel and alien life forms, The First Men in the Moon!
Another new series! This time, Marvel is bringing the prime time action series Man from Atlantis to life in a giant sized special #1 issue!
The Human Fly is still flying with "Fear in the Funhouse", the sixth issue in the exploits of the real life stunt man in the fictional Marvel universe.
The first new Star Wars story line after the movie adaptation continues with a rip off, er, homage to, The Magnificent Seven.
John Carter and Dejah Thoris take a well deserved skiing double date (?). But Martian double dates can't end well. And this one doesn't.
The Human Fly goes to great heights to help some children in this over the top tale. Does the book rise above the previous issues? Or does it fall once more?
A brand new story, "beyond the movie," as they say, takes us into one of the earliest expanded universe stories of Star Wars' history!
Another month ends with another issue of John Carter: Warlord of Mars and Marv Wolfman's original story, "Air Pirates of Mars".
Last issue of the adventures of real life stunt man Human Fly in the not so real life Marvel universe had Ben hooked with a cliffhanger...did it deliver?
As the movie adaptation ends, the movie PARODY makes its appearance in Crazy Magazine, Marvel's answer to Mad Magazine.
Cover date December of '77 begins with the FINAL installment of Marvel's adaptation of the first movie!
Rounding out our coverage of cover date November 1977 is John Carter #6, continuing the excellent original story "Air Pirates of Mars"!
Peter Benchley, mastermind behind the novel Jaws, rode a wave of popularity that caused studios to go after more from him. In their deep dive for blockbuster treasure, they made The Deep, based on his novel of the same name, and Marvel comics was right there to help them promote the movie with a comic book adaptation!
For the third issue, does The Human Fly get better? Or is it a nose dive off a cliff riding a mechanical bird?
As part of our coverage of John Carter: Warlord of Mars Annual #1, we interview Marv Wolfman!
The comic book adaptation of the movie adaptation of the book. H.G. Wells meets '70's cinema in comic form!
Godzilla? Check! S.H.E.I.L.D.? Check! Hercules? Check! Black Widow? Check! Godzilla vs. The Champions...who will be the all time champion? And who will have a helicarrier crash into the San Francisco bay?
It's another brand new series, this one based not on a book, movie, or toy...but on a REAL PERSON! But it's still set in the Marvel universe!
Marv Wolfman continues his original John Carter story, "Air Pirates of Mars" as John Carter continues his own quest and we continue our exploration of this fantastic series!
The journey began with Jack Kirby's 2001. Now, his 2001: A Space Odyssey comic ends with issue #10.
Our journey through the Star Wars movie adaptation continues as we start a new month: cover date September 1977!
Godzilla stomps on the scene as Marvel develops a new series based on the Toho's king of all monsters and the Marvel universe must cope, sending in some of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s best and brightest!
Jack Kirby continues his bonkers run on 2001: A Space Odyssey, continuing to distance himself from the source material, and also continuing to grow Ben's appreciation of him.
Beginning a new cover date month to cover, we jump back into the Star Wars action with Star Wars issue #2!
Wrapping up coverage of July 1977, Ben takes a look at some of the extra materials found in the comics, like ads and publishing notices.
John Carter continues its run with part two of its long running "Air Pirates of Mars" original story!
2001: A Space Odyssey may not seem like a natal match for a comic series by Jack Kirby, but Kirby takes it and makes it his own, expanding on his own ideas of the mythology the source material never intended!
In this episode, it's the FINAL issue of Marvel's Logan's Run series, and it ends on a cliffhanger! With no resolution. Ever. Cue the sad trombone.
Finally! We get to talk about Star Wars, issue #1, the first part in the SIX PART adaptation of the first Star Wars movie!!!
As we lead up to the Star Wars series, we look at John Carter: Warlord of Mars, a sci-fi series that inspired Star Wars!
A close look at Logan's Run, the comic series that adapted the movie and then started out on it's own path with some new stories.
Before we dive into the Star Wars era, we look at some comics leading up to the Star Wars series, beginning with jack Kirby's 2001: A Space Odyssey, from the adaptation of the movie to the first seven issues of the comic series!
The beginning of a comic podcasting experiment: using Star Wars as a guideline, we're going through almost all of the comic books based on licensed properties that Marvel Comics published while they were publishing Star Wars, from 1977 to 1986.