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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2019 15:23:52 GMT -5
 Killraven. Still one of the most under-rated series from 70s Marvel and one that really should be turned into a movie or tv series. It has everything you could want: a sequel to HG Wells, a dystopian future, a gladiator-turned-freedom fighter (I am Spartacus!), creepy tentacle-y Martians, scary death-Breeders, inter-racial kissing, subliminally gay characters, hot babes and equally hot men, and the proving ground for one of the most iconic of comic book artists, with a capital A for Art, P Craig Russell. What started out as a riff on the War of the Worlds, with the Martians returning, with cold medicine, soon became a metaphor for all kinds of things, once Don McGregor took over and stabilized things. There was a lot of turnover in creative teams, at the start and young writer McGregor slid into the driver's seat and got them pointed down the road. Then, he was joined by Russell and they turned this into something both truly beautiful and nightmarish, at the same time. So, let's dive into John Raven and his fight to free Earth. It will be longer than you think, though it kind of didn't get its conclusion. We'll also look at some Killraven crossovers, the Joe Linsner one-shot and the Alan Davis reboot mini. So, let's kick it off. Amazing Adventures #18 Cover by Romita, with what appears to be a pro wrestler in thigh boots and armed. Kinky! Creative Team: Roy Thomas-plot & editing, Neal Adams-plot & pencils (pgs 1-11), Gerry Conway-script, Howard Chaykin-pencils (12-20), Frank Chiaromonte-inks, John Costanza-letters, Petra Goldberg-colors Roy Thomas conceived the idea, though neal was heavily involved in the early stages of development. he saw Killraven as the son of a Doc Savage type of hero, who was working to rebuild civilization, after a Martian re-invasion. he also only wanted to work with Roy, which had been a caveat on his Avengers run, after Roy didn't script an X-Men story and Neal was disappointed. He felt more in tune with Roy. So, when Roy turned the script over to Gerry Conway (probably due to workload), Neal bowed out, which brought in Howard Chaykin. So, the beginning of this is going to feel rather confused and it continues for an issue or two. Synopsis: Our wrestler is battling goons on derelict streets. he slashes his way to Scrapper, leader of the men and takes him out, on his way to confront the Keeper.  He fights through mutants and skewers the Keeper himself, who thanks him, as he is now free of Martian control. he then recounts how the Martians conquered the earth. The Martians came as Wells told and conquered Britain. However, they finally fell dead, victims of viruses and bacteria in our environemnt. man moved on, then developed the H-Bomb. The Martians noticed and returned, destroying nuclear arsenals. Then, man tried biological warfare, with disastrous results...  We then see later, as Maureen Raven and her son Jonathan flee the Martians, gaining the help of Dr Ann Carver. They apepar to be saved by two humans, who kill Maureen and Ann, then take Jonathan as a prisoner. he is dumped into a Martian training camp, to become a gladiator. He excels at killing; but, rebels and escapes, living in the wilds of what was once Queens.  We learn of bands of freemen, some fighting to survive, others preying on the weak. Killraven takes over a ferry and learns of the Keeper and leads us to where we are now. In the end, he learns he was chosen by the Martian keepers for a reason, that there is something special to him. The man dies and another mutant attacks. Killraven slays it, then comes face to face with a trio of sirens, Martian experiments who can alter minds. Thoughts: Roy later elaborated on his concept. He was inspired by the chapter of War of the Worlds, "The Man on Putney Hill," which speaks of people under Martian domination, fighting for survival, some turning to base instincts. An artilleryman talks of going underground to build a society of the strongest, to fight off the Martians. Roy was further inspired by Hunt Bowman, a character from The Lost World, in Planet Comics. It fit with neal's ideas of the Doc Savage scavenger. However, Roy and Neal were at odds about Martian technology, which, in part, led to the split. Conway took over as scripter and Howard Chaykin starts on art with the arrival of Maureen and Jonathan raven, in the story. He's well into his Kane and Adams phase; so, it's not too jarring. However, you can tell it is no longer Neal, as the shots are a bit tamer, the art rougher. A lot gets thrown at you, in this section, with Killraven training as a gladiator, escape, dealings with other freemen, the concept of the Sirens, martian servants and more. Probably a bit too much, if you ask me. There is a lot crammed in her. These days, this one issue would make for at least the first trade collection, with more time spent on John Raven's training, evolution into Killraven, and escape. Things are pretty chaotic, at this point, with no real purpose for Killraven, except to fight Martians, as we explore this nightmare future. Within it, you can see things like the future Thundarr the Barbarian concept (escaped gladiators fighting wizards for the freedom of humans), though this has all been done before, in the pulps and sci-fi novels. Things will progress like this for a few issues, before Don McGregor brings focus to the plots, building upon ideas. One weird not to all of this. Marvel UK would rework this material as Apeslayer, in Planet of the Apes Weekly.. Yep, apes were added to turn this into a POTA story. Um....Martian apes. We still haven't seen the Martians yet; so, I don't know if they look like this guy...  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Apr 4, 2019 16:11:31 GMT -5
I reviewed this full run a long while back, but I suspect I was the wrong guy for the job as I generally really didn't enjoy it, P. Craig Russell's art aside. Here's the link for anyone who'd like to relive my pain and suffering. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 4, 2019 16:30:28 GMT -5
I thought I saw something before; but, I didn't pull it up with the search function.
I'm a fan (once McGregor is writing and, especially, once Russell is drawing); so, maybe a different perspective.
I do recall being a bit dismayed when I first saw the Killraven graphic novel, in a bookstore. He looked a little thin and the short haircut didn't work as well. Then again, it had been a while since I saw Russell art and hadn't seen how he had evolved. One thing you do get in his art is beautiful men as well as women, especially when he moved beyond the superhero bodytype. Even when he was doing the standard proportions, his men had softer features; more Paul Newman than John Wayne. It's a touch that helps set Killraven apart, from other heroes of the era.
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Post by Rob Allen on Apr 4, 2019 18:32:39 GMT -5
The scene with Killraven attacking the robot reminds me of Magnus Robot Fighter, which I'd never seen when this came out. Magnus' robots went "squeee" when their heads were chopped off; this one goes "skreeee".
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Post by chaykinstevens on Apr 5, 2019 15:12:07 GMT -5
So, let's dive into John Raven and his fight to free Earth. Was KR referred to as John as well as Jonathan? Roy Thomas conceived the idea, though neal was heavily involved in the early stages of development. he saw Killraven as the son of a Doc Savage type of hero, who was working to rebuild civilization, after a Martian re-invasion. he also only wanted to work with Roy, which had been a caveat on his Avengers run, after Roy didn't script an X-Men story and Neal was disappointed. He felt more in tune with Roy. So, when Roy turned the script over to Gerry Conway (probably due to workload), Neal bowed out, which brought in Howard Chaykin. So, the beginning of this is going to feel rather confused and it continues for an issue or two. I think Adams intended the hero to be called the Junkman, and Conway changed the name to Killraven. The Apeslayer link doesn't work - it just took me back to the top of this thread. |
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Post by kirby101 on Apr 5, 2019 15:40:25 GMT -5
I was a big fan. loved it from the first issue. Then as Russell's work grew into something spectacular.
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Post by brutalis on Apr 5, 2019 16:36:37 GMT -5
Could never get a full run until later in college in the mid 80's and rummaging through the LCS back issues for cheap copies. From the spinner rack I had a COVERLESS copy of #18 from my uncles' barber shop that had a few pages missing, then #20, another coverless (thanks unc') #21, 23, 24, 26 (mmm Gene Colan), then a jump to #29, 31, 35 and 38. Problem was with it being bi-monthly it was always difficult to find at my 2 Korean stores in my neighborhood. Monthly comics of the big name sellers like Spider-Man, Captain America, Avengers, Justice League, Superman were a bit easier to find but the anthology series and the lower end bi-monthly comics were sporadic at best. And usually it was every 4-6 months to finding any issue!
But this was right up my wheelhouse! Science-Fiction fantasy and I had seen the movie War of the Worlds on television and read the book many times. So any comic derived from that premise I was going to try and get whenever I could find it on the spinner racks! And Killraven himself was a strong selling point as his visual re-design in a more futuristic gladiatorial outfit with the arm bands and flowing red locks made him a standout hero!
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Post by badwolf on Apr 5, 2019 19:55:13 GMT -5
I have only read the Alan Davis mini, which I bought because of Alan Davis.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 5, 2019 20:40:56 GMT -5
So, let's dive into John Raven and his fight to free Earth. Was KR referred to as John as well as Jonathan? Roy Thomas conceived the idea, though neal was heavily involved in the early stages of development. he saw Killraven as the son of a Doc Savage type of hero, who was working to rebuild civilization, after a Martian re-invasion. he also only wanted to work with Roy, which had been a caveat on his Avengers run, after Roy didn't script an X-Men story and Neal was disappointed. He felt more in tune with Roy. So, when Roy turned the script over to Gerry Conway (probably due to workload), Neal bowed out, which brought in Howard Chaykin. So, the beginning of this is going to feel rather confused and it continues for an issue or two. I think Adams intended the hero to be called the Junkman, and Conway changed the name to Killraven. The Apeslayer link doesn't work - it just took me back to the top of this thread. He is referred to as Jonathan Raven, before his mother is killed; but, I don't recall (we will see as I revisit) anyone else using it, always calling him Killraven or Red. I typed John because it was quicker. The link is fixed. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 5, 2019 21:28:36 GMT -5
Amazing Adventures #19 Cover is kind of sketchy. GCD credits Herb trimpe & Mike Esposito, with John Romita alterations. It doesn't quite as pop out as well as last issue did. Creative Team: Gerry Conway-script, Howard Chaykin-pencils, Frank McLaughlin-inks, John Costanza-letters, Petra Goldberg-colors, Roy Thomas-edits. Same scripter, same artist (half the story), new inker. Synopsis: When we left Killraven, head run up against 3 Sirens, who were going to love him up and turn him into a horny toad. He better R-U-N-N-O-F-T!  The Sirens try to seduce him and he laughs in their general direction, as it has no effect. He opines that it is due to whatever also keeps him off robot scanners (though maybe he is gay and their spell only affects heterosexual males). However, they brought friends and KR is attacked by mutants, from behind. He's slashing and hacking; but, faces big numbers, when two of his freemen, Hawk and M'Shulla turn up and even the odds. They are doing great, until a Martian tripod shows up and everything turns all blasty and fiery. They hotfoot it out of there and find their horse. Faster than you can say, "Ariel! Ookla! Ride!" they are galloping away. They don't get too far before running into the mutant descendent of a sewer alligator. Killraven goads it on, right into the tripod and there is a pile up on the 405. They meet up with another freeman, Arrow (he has the abs for the name, too), who alerts them to some slavers. Killraven leads an attack and takes over the ferry that is bringing them to the Martians. A tripod pops out of the water and Killraven orders "all reverse" and the ferry slams into the tripod, toppling it (though it isn't that easy or quick to throw a ship's engines into full reverse). Killraven explains about the Martians and we cut to some other men, with a bit of tech. They are monitoring the tripods and see the second one taken out. One goes to report to their Martian master and we get our first glimpse at Marvin...  Handsome fellow, ain't he? K-9 (you know, the Martian dog that followed Marvin around) gets the order to send out a scout and a plane flies out to do some recon. Next thing you know, another Siren is sent out and has the freemen under her sway, except KR. She is Skarlet, Queen of the Sirens. She distracts KR long enough for a tentacled robot to snatch him and hold him prisoner. he is taken back to the Palisades base, where he comes to and sees he faces a mutant, in a gladiatorial arena, while Marvin looks on. Killraven bursts his bonds and uses them as weapons, strangling the big mutant, then escaping, after freeing Hawk, M'Shulla, Arrow and the others. he then starts spechifying and such, announcing that the will win the War of the Worlds. Thoughts: Pretty disjointed. The initial Siren appearance proves useless, so I don't know what the point of them was, except to show Killraven is a mutant of some kind, with special abilities that prevents their manipulating him and the Martians from tracking him. Skarlet later controls his men, making him easy to get to, though you'd think that he would have thought of that. Anyway, there are some real gaps in logic here. Chaykin's art is far from his best and there are some real wonky panels. At this point, Killraven's basic look is "pro wrestler with weapons." He wears a singlet, as an amateur wrestler does, then cavalry kneeboots, his backpack, and swords. The swords are more akin to machetes, then the sword he will eventually gain. In this issue, he shows that the stars on his singlet are actually throwing stars (shurkien) and he uses them on the giant alligator to get it toturn into the tripod. This rather reminds me of Gold Key's Mighty Samson comic, about a scantily clad fantasy hero who fights evil men and monsters in a dystopian future "N'Yark." We meet Hawk (he of the Chaykin muttonchops) and M'Shulla, two of Killraven's freemen, who will be regulars in the cast. M'Shulla will prove to be Killraven's closest friend and will have important moments in this series. Arrow doesn't stick around. We later see an older guy, who might be Old Skull, though he isn't bald, here. We learn that the Martians use human agents, as well as their experimental mutants, and that some scientists aided them, to gain access to technology and knowledge, for their research. It sets up a rather cliched view of scientists that kind of falls into a right-wing viewpoint, if you ask me. We also get our first look at an actual martian, who looks like a potato, with tentacles. Chaykin isn't able to make him as scary as Russell will. Slight issue, without much of substance, other than suggesting Killraven has abilities beyond his combat skills.
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Post by brianf on Apr 6, 2019 16:47:53 GMT -5
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Post by rberman on Apr 6, 2019 17:56:28 GMT -5
I dare say we both know what the purpose of the sirens was.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 6, 2019 18:58:15 GMT -5
I daresay that was probably an influence on Adams design, though amateur wrestling gear is a factor...  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 6, 2019 19:45:28 GMT -5
Amazing Adventures #20 Herb Trimpe is here and damned if he didn't liven up this cover! Per GCD, John Romita left this one alone (and no Esposito inks) Creative Team: Marv Wolfman-writer, Herb Trimpe-pencils, Frank Giacoia-inks, John Costanza-letters, Glynis Wein-colors, Roy Thomas-edits Synopsis: Last year (2018), Killraven and M'Shulla are fighting some grunts of a keeper. Their ray guns run out of energy, while their enemies still have theirs; so, they take refuge inside a museum. There, Killraven finds some new duds and weapons...  Outside, they find an abandoned Army truck, whose engine actually turns over. The drive off, headed for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and are crossing when a tripod shows up and lasers it, send ing them into the water. They find an I-beam down there and topple the tripod, destroying it. Meanwhile, the fight is observed by the Warlord (not Travis morgan), who swears vengeance on Killraven, for severing his arm and costing him an eye. Killraven and his freemen follow the trail to Laguardia, where they find a Martian armory, only it is a trap set by Warlord. He and Killraven trade punches and such, with the tank-like Warlord using brute force and the sleeker Killraven using speed and agility. However, he gets tagged and knocked for six. The Warlord holds up his trophy and says he will face a bunch of mutants, in the arena. Tickets on sale at the box office of call 555-2313. Thoughts: Well, Marv is a step up from Conway's thinner scripts and herb Trimpe jazzes up the art. Killraven gets new duds, trading the singlet for a pair of pants; a decent pair of pants (or trunks & tights)! He looks at a scale male shirt, then comes out in a a chain mail shoulder thing. Not sure if it is supposed to be the same garment; but, Trimpe draws the scale mail shirt different from the final chain mail top; so, I tend to think they are two different items. The final product is the standard technique for drawing chain mail, going back to Foster's Prince Valiant. He also gets a new broadsword (which he holds in his right hand, yet wears the scabbard on his right hip, which makes drawing the sword rather tricky) and some armbands, which look more like archers' forearm guards, turned the other way. The mail shirt thing suggest a gladiator's manica, which was an arm protection...  Possibly inspired by Kirk Douglas' gear, in the arena scene, in Spartacus...  So, this is the debut of Killraven's regular gear and weapons. We see more of the brotherly relationship with M'Shula, and some lighter banter, and more tripods. The tripods are still one of the best images within the series, until we get P Craig Russell and the Death Breeders. We get all kinds of gnarly stuff, then. Herb's Killraven is a bit bulkier than the Adams/Chaykin version, looking a bit more like a linebacker than a wrestler (well, pre-steroid wrestler). Russell will put him on a diet, down the road. Starting to show more promise than last issue and some further exploration of this devastated world. I had forgotten that it was set in 2018, thinking it was the 90s, like Deathlok, since it was 20 years ahead.
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Post by rberman on Apr 6, 2019 20:01:56 GMT -5
I thought I saw something before; but, I didn't pull it up with the search function. Off topic but... is there room at the top of the forum for a pinned post indexing the series that have already been reviewed? I know there was talk of splitting off review threads into their own subforum. Whether or not that's done, an index would help. |
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