Killraven Amazing Adventures No. 39

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 39

(November 1976)

This is it ! 

It’s early Fall 1976 and the final issue of the 22-issue ‘War of the Worlds’ series, starring Killraven, is out and in the pages of ‘Amazing Adventures’ (November 1976).

The cover tells us it’s ‘The Final Glory’….is this the final battle, the ultimate showdown with the Martians ? Will Killraven and his crew engage in one last desperate struggle to overthrow Earth’s conquerors and make the planet free again ?

Nope…! 

In fact, this last installment of the original Killraven saga is one of the lamest conclusions in the history of modern comics !

‘Mourning Prey’ has nothing to do with the Martian at all. Not only are there no Martians in this issue, but it’s pretty plain that Stan Lee and Archie Goodwin had no intention of commissioning a special concluding story arc. Killraven’s sales were bad, the series was being canceled, so they simply ran whatever story writer Don McGregor had in the queue.

‘Mourning Prey’ is McGregor’s writing at its worst: clumsy flashbacks, poetic, purple language, empty phrases designed to communicate Something Profound. Toss in the fact that the main adversary is a Butterfly Woman (?!) who’s mad at Killraven for slaughtering some purple caterpillars (?!), and you have the makings of a real underwhelming story………

As always, artist Craig Russell’s work is of good quality and struggles to express itself under McGregor’s verbiage.

So here it is in its entirety, the last issue of the ‘Killraven / War of the Worlds’ series from the mid-70s:

Killraven Amazing Adventures No. 38

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 38

(September 1976)

‘Amazing Adventures: Featuring War of the Worlds’ No. 28 appeared in early Summer 1976 (its publication date is September 1976). The writing duties for this issue were handled by Bill Mantlo, and the artwork by Keith Giffen.

In a seeming last-ditch effort to garner increased sales (this is the second-to-last issue of the Killraven / WotW saga) the cover depicts a slew of Marvel heroes clustered around a bewildered Killraven. How does the writer explain a meeting between Killraven and the Marvel heroes ? It’s all a dream, of course…

In the opening pages Killraven chances upon a strange exhibit hall among the ruins of Miami:

Soon he is caught up in the hallucinatory ditherings of an android residing in the building’s interior; in an utterly contrived plot device, this particular android tends to dream of as many Marvel heroes as this comic can cram into its 17 pages. We first get Iron Man, then the Swamp Thing, and then, in the last six pages, not only a cavalcade of heroes, but mention as well of Howard Cosell (?!) and President Gerald Ford (?!).

Just one issue left with which to put Killraven out of his misery…

Killraven Amazing Adventures No. 37

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 37

(July 1976)

‘Amazing Adventures featuring War of the Worlds’ issue No. 37 (July 1976) shows a franchise running out of steam. This episode, written by Don McGregor and illustrated by Craig Russell, is titled ‘Arena Kill’, and reveals the story of Killraven’s faithful companion Old Skull. Old Skull had a troubled childhood (needless to say) and wound up a gladiator in the Arena, fighting for the amusement of the Martian overlords. He and Killraven are teamed up to battle ‘Warr’, who employs a group of mutant spiders to aid him in his Arena contests.

Russell’s artwork is, as ever, quite capable in depicting the battle, but McGregor can’t resist overlaying too many panels with dialogue….and ending a life-or-death combat with a cutesy interlude involving a drunken raccoon....?! Even in the more innocent days of the mid-70s Marvel titles, the cheese is a little too much.

With only two more installments remaining, the Killraven franchise was on its way out the door; the only question was, how great of a sendoff it would receive……. 

Killraven Amazing Adventures No. 36

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 36

(May 1976)

The May, 1976 issue of 'Amazing Adventures: Featuring War of the Worlds' (No. 36) is the beginning of the end of the 'War of the Worlds' incarnation of the title. There were only three more installments (i.e., up to issue 39) remaining. The Letters column in this issue indicates that WotW has been on the verge of cancellation for some time, so the writing is on the wall. 

Unfortunately, 'Red Dust Legacy', the story for this issue, must not have done all that much to attract new readers; it's easily one of the more incoherent episodes in the Killraven franchise. 

Don McGregor's plot opens with one of Killraven's ESP hallucinations (which I have excerpted below), before shifting to a veiled introduction of our hero's brother 'Deathraven', followed by  confusing segments involving inter-generational Martian angst; a Martian 'hatchery'; and conflict between Killraven and his follower Carmilla Frost.

As always, the art - layouts by Craig Russell and art by Sonny Trinidad - is very good, but in this issue in particular it's overwhelmed with McGregor's overwrought script. 

In order to accommodate McGregor's plot machinations within the confines of just 17 comic pages, the artists are forced to use too many small panels too crowded with narrative text and speech balloons. It has an overall effect of making the book a chore to read and understand. 

Killraven Amazing Adventures No. 35

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 35

(March 1976)

'Amazing Adventures featuring War of the Worlds' from March 1976 was actually on the stands in January / February 1976. This issue relates the tale of 'The 24-Hour Man', written by Don McGregor, with layouts by Craig Russell, and art by Keith Giffin and Jack Abel.

'24-Hour Man' starts with Killraven and his team approaching the outskirts of Atlanta, where they come upon a distraught woman and a monster named 'G'Rath'. This plot only gets stranger as the story goes on, and I can't make up my mind if it has an innate cornball brilliance, or is just a half-hearted effort by McGregor to get something out the door  Such was the nature of many Marvel comics from the mid-70s. 

 .

This issue contains one of the more bizarre marketing ploys yet delivered by Stan Lee: a record album titled 'Reflections of a Rock Super Hero' (!?). 

This ad lists some truly cheesy song titles, all dealing with various aspects of Spider-Man's life and loves.

 

I have never listened to any of these songs, but a remastered version of the album is available as a CD and is reviewed at amazon.com. There are sample clips from each track available there was well, for those adventurous souls who are truly earnest about exploring the most wretched of 70s excesses...

Killraven Amazing Adventures No. 34

Killraven: 'Amazing Adventures' No. 34

(January 1976)

Throughout the 70s (and even, arguably, today) Marvel routinely used the 'death' of a main or supporting character to jazz up the covers of titles that needed a boost in their circulation. And so it was that for 'Amazing Adventures' No. 34 (January 1976) some of the supporting cast of Killraven's 'Freemen' were deemed expendable.

This issue features a script by Don McGregor and art by Craig Russell. Unfortunately, as was the case with many issues of the comic around this time, Russell's artwork is smothered by McGregor's overwrought prose. But enough of the art peeks through the verbiage to make this 18-page issue one of the better ones of the mid-70s. 

The Martian's top assassin, Skar, catches Killraven and his crew unawares and quickly deals some major injuries to Old Skull before our hero can react. As the series of pages I've posted below indicates, the ensuing battle is well-choreographed and has the kind of flair reminiscent of European SF comics of the 70s. 

While I won't spoil things by revealing who eventually survives, I will say that the body count is real and there is a downbeat ending to this episode that (hopefully) revived the Killraven franchise in the minds of the comic-buying public as 1975 drew to a close....