John Carter of Mars

[white avenger]

Over the last few years I have followed with interest the progress, or lack of same, in a much longed for movie based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' great hero, John Carter, or, as his devotees call him, the Warlord of Mars. Recently, it occurred to me that this personal hero of mine might be totally unknown to this generation, so I just thought I'd take this opportunity to ask.

Is there anyone out there who is familiar with John Carter? Fans of Buffy, with its fantasy hero base would find the stories quite interesting. Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg attribute the work of Burroughs, especially his science fiction/fantasy series as part of their beginning interest in the genre. For those interested, I highly recommend the first three books in the series, a trilogy consisting of A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars. Elements of Highlander, Star Wars, and even a touch of Indiana Jones are very easy to spot.

For those not interested in the above movies, Burroughs' work was praised by his contemporary writers, such men as Robert Heinlein, and by later ones like Lin Carter.

Burroughs is most famous for his character Tarzan, which is a shame, because, as great a character as the REAL Lord of the Jungle, has never graced either the large or small screen.

I fear that I have wandered off of my original subject, mainly, is there anyone out there is familiar with and/or would be interested in spending a little time with me roaming the ocher sward beneath the hurtling moons of old Barsoom? For those familiar with that beloved phrase, join me in pleasant memories. For those new but interested, I promise you action, adventure, and romance, along with beasts and beings who would make even a Slayer quake in her stylish but affordable boots.

 

[nerd4hire]

I'm pretty sure I read them when I was a little kid. One of those beaten up paperbacks in a cardboard box in the basement deals. I read Tarzan the same way. I liked Pellucidar.

I remember liking the John Carter books, but I don't remember what happened in them. They get mixed up with other stuff I've read. Could he jump really high, because of the light gravity, and wasn't there a race of 6 armed green guys, or something like that?

 

[white avenger]

The green Martians (they came in a variety of colors. all but the green ones pretty much humanoid) were about twelve feet tall, and had four arms and two legs. Yes, L C could jump really high due to his "earthly muscles" and was, obviously, far stronger than the average Martian. Carter himself was some sort of anachronism, even on Earth, due to his extreme age and virtual immortality, something similar to the Highlander character.

I had forgotten about Pelucidar, as well as the Land That Time Forgot, probably a defense mechanism against the absolutely AWFUL movie versions from the 70's that Doug Maclure starred in.

As I said, a lot of Burroughs' stuff, especially the later things, were little better than potboilers, sold to publishers for a few cents per word. John Carter and of course, Tarzan, were his best and most famous characters, and the ones he wrote about the most. The literary version of Tarzan is as different from the movie version as could be imagined.