THE REVENGE OF MARTIN: LOW KARATE (HANDS OF THE DRAGON)

Just like horror comics became a fad in the early 70's, so were kung-fu and martial arts comics. Bouyed by the runaway popularity of Bruce Lee here in the States just before his death, we had an influx of titles emulating the style of Hong Kong cinema.

There was one problem, though. Almost to a one, these comics were written by white writers who leaned on martial arts cliches. Marvel even revived the deeply racist yellow peril character Fu Manchu as the father of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu and evoked the white savior trope in Iron Fist. DC didn't do much better with Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter and Karate Kid. So it stood to reason that Atlas Seaboard wanted their own representative of kung-fu cinema. And to create their very own martial arts hero, they turned to Ed Fedory and Jim Craig.

I know what you're thinking...Ed who?

Ed Fedory (1949-2018) wrote a smattering of horror stories for Warren and Skywald--which was sort of the bargain basement Warren--before writing this singular story. According to the Grand Comics Database, he worked briefly at DC after Atlas Seaboard went out of business, but the other comic-related resources that manage to list him doesn't mention this. Fedory's big claim to fame was his career as a amateur historian and relic hunter which led him to write a number of books and a regular column for Treasure magazine. He seems to have been one of those people who dabbled in comics rather than a comic writer per se.

Given that he worked for Warren and had that rep as a historian, it makes sense for Jeff Rovin, who was poached by Martin from Warren, to reach out to him to write a martial arts comic. And pairing him with Jim Craig, who goes on to do, among other things, the first issue of What If and a number of later issues of Master of Kung Fu for Marvel Comics, seems like a good idea.

So what went so very, very wrong?

In this singular issue, two infant brothers are exposed to an exploding USAF bomb while being transported to China. One is scarred while the other remains handsome. So it stands to reason that as the brothers are raised by monks, the scarred kid becomes mean and cruel and evil, while the unharmed one becomes virtuous and handsome and apparently irresistible to his...partner? Secretary? Love Interest?...Nicky. When the good brother notices the presence of both his evil brother, now dubbed The Cobra, and a tattooed mastermind named Dr. Nhu in photos of the prime minister of a non-specified Asian country, our hero dons a blue and red costume complete with groovy chain and ventures out into the night of an unspecified city I think is meant to be San Francisco to stop an assassination attempt.

You know, so far all of the Atlas Seaboard titles I've reviewed have been varying degrees of Not Good (save maybe for Demon Hunter), but all of them have had some things for me to point at as positives. But this thing...Ye Gods, is this dire. There's nothing here I can say isn't stinky. The story is rancid, the characterization is non-existent, the art is average at best, the Asian mystic stereotypes are rampant and the pacing is so rocky it feels like riding a bicycle with two flat tires. There's also simple mistakes in the narrative, the most egregious of which is our being told the Dragon got a job as an anchorman but then ordering Nicky to 'work a layout' for some photos she took as if he was...editing a newspapaer? This was a painful book to get through, and I can't see anything to redeem it. I'm sure there will be worse books I'll be reading in this project--wait until we get to the Cannibal Super-Hero Trinity of Michael Fleischer--but Hands of The Dragon establishes a low bar indeed. When the final panel promises 'Dragonkill' next issue, I could not wait fast enough for that to happen.

Except, of course, it didn't. This book came out during the last month of Atlas' four month publication lifespan along with previous covered titles Demon Hunter and Fright and no amount of hyperbole by Larry Leiber was going to make that second issue emerge. And in this case, it was for the better. There is no way I can recommend this.

Next time we finally reach one of the very few titles to reach four issues, and arguably the character that became the face for Atlas Seaboard as a whole. Come with me to a barbaric land that may be more dystopian future than distant past and meet Ironjaw!

Until then, remember...Revenge is a Dish Best Served In Four Colors

THE REVENGE OF MARTIN: UNFORTUNATE SON (FRIGHT)

The loosening of the Comics Code led to a not-quite-so-brief horror comic fad. In the case of Marvel, which was the bane of Martin Goodman's existence during Atlas Seaboard's run, it meant a parade of comics starring versions of classic monsters. So Atlas Seaboard was intent on doing their own family of titles with horrifying monsters.

The most popular of these Marvel titles--a book that was considered a veritable classic back then and is still thought of in high regard--was Tomb of Dracula. So what does Atlas proudly presents as the central for its horror comic Fright?

Ladies and gentlemen...may I present Adam Lucard, The Son of Dracula.

To be fair, this singular issue does have something of a pedigree. The writer is Gary Friedrich, who came straight from Marvel after some disagreements over his co-creation Ghost Rider. Friedrich did know his way around a horror comic, and I have to assume he came here through some combination of the higher rates, creative freedom and a chance to stick it to Marvel. The pencils are by Frank Thorne who doesn't have the biggest body of work, but is a legit legend, having created the visual look of Red Sonja. Why these two professionals chose to do such a baldfaced imitation instead of coming up with something that would bring joy to both of them is beyond me. Maybe the fact that David Anthony Kraft, in the editorial postscript, claims to have a part in its creation has something to do with it.

And don't get me wrong--this is a derivative, uninteresting story. The beginning, however, shows promise. We see Dracula saving a woman from being burnt as a witch and the woman, understandably not wishing to trade in death by fire for death by vampire, makes Drac an offer--if he doesn't kill her, she will bear him a son. When she does give birth, the woman hides the kid away in the Appalachian mountains with very specific instructions for his new caretaker.

Okay, so far, so good. Even though there is a similar 'Dracula Must Spawn' subplot going on over in Tomb of Dracula, the more overtly monstrous Dracula and the implied emphasis more on a son unaware of his heritage being pursued by his horrific patriarch makes it distinct. And then there's the gorgeous Thorne art, which is distinct from the film noirish pencils of Gene Colon over at Tomb while also being incredibly appropriate for the gothic horror of the story. This version of Dracula is somewhere between Hammer Horror and Grindhouse.

But then we jump ahead to the modern day. Adam is now teaching a class at Columbia University in 'The Occult: Fact or Fiction,' as well as being a crush object by hot blonde Debbie Porter. Porter and her buddy break into apartments to loot for tuition, and Adam is fully aware of his vampiric heritage and is insistent on sleeping with an ornate crucifix lest he become just like daddy. Debbie breaks in to seduce Adam, removes the crucifix and...well I think you can figure it all out. Adam becomes a vampire, Debbie becomes his first meal, he also chows down on her partner and wakes up to regret it all.

This second half is hella disappointing because it's so by the numbers. Thorne's art tries to do the heavy lifting--there are some shots of Debbie that are outright gorgeous in a 60's throwback way--but there's a laziness to this part that can't be overcome. It feels unoriginal...and that's partially because it is. And because we can only judge the one issue that came out, there's no way of knowing if Freidrich had something else in mind for the series that would be revealed, we'll never know.

...actually, as we'll see when we examine some of the longer-lived series, we still might not. But that's for a later essay.

Fright is a good set-up with exceptional art dragged down by an awful back end that promises nothing. Back in the day, when Atlas books were commonly found in quarter bins (I recovered loads of them in the 90's by searching there), I'd maybe suggest seeking it out solely for Thorne's linework. Nowadays, when they're netting upwards of $30 on ebay, I just can't.

Next time, we switch from the fad that was 70's horror comics to the fad that was kung-fu comics. Join me, Jim Craig and Ed Fedory (Who?) for the sole issue of Hands of The Dragon!

Until then, remember...Revenge is a Dish Best Served In Four Colors