#Creatures on the Loose

[thebestcomicbookpanels]

Creatures on the Loose #10 by Bernie Wrightson

[chernobog13]

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE (vol. 1) #29 (May, 1974). Cover pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Ernie Chan, and letters by Danny Crespi.

In answer to the question on the cover, "Is this Thongor's Final Battle?", the answer is yes. His short-lived run at Marvel ended with this issue.

[tomoleary]

Gil Kane - Creatures on the Loose #30 (1974) Man-Wolf

Source

“In an unusual move for the time period, the pencils were light-boxed by John Romita to create the inked version of the cover.”

Marvel’s digital version

Source

[comicartarchive]

Creatures on the Loose 31 pg1 by George Tuska

[marvelousmrm]

Creatures on the Loose #36 (Kraft/Perez, July 1975). Kraven’s employer is sort of revealed, and John gets a pardon if he embarks on a dangerous orbital mission.

[kult-of-tol-in-gaurhoth]

"IN THE LEGEND-LADEN DAYS BEFORE THE DAWNING OF THE HYBORIAN AGE..."

PIC(S) INFO: "THE COMING OF -- KING KULL! Spotlight on the introductory page (and remastered cover art) to "Creatures On the Loose!" Vol. 1 #10. March, 1971. Marvel Comics.

"In the time before the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities -- in the legend-laden days before the dawning of the Hyborian Age... the man called Kull rides proudly at the head of his hand-picked guardsmen. But beware, monarch of mighty Valusia... for ahead lies terror! Ahead waits, stark, unfathomable fear! Ahead lurks -- THE SKULL OF SILENCE!"

-- CREATURES ON THE LOOSE Vol. 1 #10

Artwork by Herb Trimpe (✝), Marie Severin (✝), and Morrie Kuramoto (✝). Story artwork by Bernie Wrightson (✝).

Script by Roy Thomas, adapted from the works of writer-creator Robert E. Howard✝.

Source: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Creatures_on_the_Loose_Vol_1_10.

[comicbookbrain]

Creatures On The Loose #21, June 1973

Art by Jim Steranko

[intrapanelreturns]

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE #37 1975, Marvel Comics David Kraft writer, George Perez and Fred Kida art, Dave Hunt letters, Irene Vartanoff colors

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

MACABRE MADNESS IN THE MIGHTY MARVEL MANNER -- HAIL SATAN, MONSTERS, MAYHEM, & MAN-WOLVES!

PIC(S) INFO: Spotlight on assorted Marvel house ads promoting their horror titles and "monster" books of the early seventies, from "The Son of Satan" to "King Kong," c. 1971 to 1973.

Source: https://forum.sanctuary.fr/t/page-s-de-pub/185608/225?page=9.

[eliah]

[craigfernandez]

[thebestcomicbookpanels]

Creatures on the Loose #10 by Jack Kirby

[chernobog13]

Creatures on the Loose #21 (January, 1973).

This wasn’t a great series, but you can’t beat a Jim Steranko cover like this one!  Especially as this was Gullivar Jones’ last appearance in Creatures on the Loose.  He had two final appearances in the black-and-white magazine Monsters Unleashed (issues #4 and 8) before disappearing from Marvel completely.

The series was loosely based on the 1905 novel Lieut. Gullivar Jones: His Vacation by Edwin Lester Arnold.  It told of the aforementioned Lt. Jones of the U.S. Navy being whisked to Mars (on a magic carpet, no less!), where he discovered he had superior strength on the alien world, fell in love with a beautiful princess, and was involved in numerous adventures.

Sound familiar?  That’s probably because Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel, A Princess of Mars (1912) was very much inspired by Arnold’s novel.  The similarities between Gullivar Jones and Burroughs’ protagonist, John Carter, are numerous and strong.

However, there are two very big differences: 1) Jones is a loser, doesn’t defeat his enemies, and doesn’t get the girl; and 2) the novel was poorly received and not successful, leading Arnold to give up writing fiction all together.

Whereas John Carter, on the other hand, was a classic hero who defeated all obstacles placed in front of him, married his princess, and was so successful that Burroughs wrote 10 more books in the series.

I’m sure that Marvel would’ve much rather adapted the more heroic and better known John Carter, but DC Comics had the license to most of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ characters at the time.

Marvel did make Gullivar Jones more heroic and a master of his destiny in their stories.  They also made him a Vietnam War veteran to appeal  more to the comic readers of the time (and make him a bit more distinctive than John Carter).  However, he never caught on, and once the sales figures came in he was booted out of the book, replaced by Thongor, a Conan-wannabe.

[tomoleary]

[otiksimr]

"Redesigned" Totodile

[marvelousmrm]

Creatures on the Loose #35 (Kraft/Perez, May 1975). Okay, and now the Hatemonger and SHIELD are involved.