The fifth issue of Primus from Charlton offers up a change in direction for the book. It features a blended cover image, made up of a photo of Robert Brown and for the first time artwork featuring both Primus and Charlie Whitman. I can't identify the artist, but it doesn't seem to be Joe Staton. This issue once again features scripts by the ubiquitous Joe Gill and artwork by Joe Staton who seems much more himself this time out. The new guy on the book is George Wildman who takes over as editor of this book and the Charlton line as a whole.
Whether by design or coincidence, the first story is a real departure for Primus. It's titled "The Fire People" and Part I begins with Carter Primus and Charlie flying over a volcano in a small nameless country. It seems there's a debate about putting a new hydro-electric plant at the site and there's a debate about the ecological impact. We meet Ambassador Bascombe and the guy who wants the plant named Mr.Wexford. Bascombe has sent for Primus and his team to do what we call an "ecological impact study" these days. His report will decide the issue. Primus heads out underwater and finds a warm lava tube that seems to lead elsewhere when someone slides a rock on him. Toni rescues him and then they hear that Bascombe is missing. On the second dive they go together but separate after find huge statues indicating a submerged culture. Almost immediately Primus is attacked and captured and taken inside the volcano where a city is hidden on the interior rim. He finds Bascombe and meets King Nikan and his daughter named Yula tells Primus about their culture and how they choose to live apart from the modern world.
In Part II titled "The Test" Primus is to be judged in classic trial-by-combat style and he is pitted against a giant of a another race that lives alongside Nikan's people who have become more attuned to living in the sea. After a long battle Primus defeats his opponent and later they make their pitch for the dam to the King and his daughter. Meanwhile Charlie and Toni look for Primus using a plane and Charlie finds the hidden city and parachutes into the volcano. The people of the city have been getting increasingly angry and the danger is real for Primus and Bascombe, but then Charlie appears and with Yula's help they find their scuba gear and escape. Over dinner Primus tells Yula that they can move the dam to another location and she gives him a kiss.
The Human Fish story this time is titled "Screams of Salvation" and it finds the man with both lungs and gills, Professor John Wilmore asked to find a solution to dolphins getting caught in tuna nets. He does some research with sharks, records their sounds and uses those recordings to keep the dolphins clear of the danger. In this story Wilmore seems to actually communicate with fish telepathically. In earlier stories he's seemed to understand them, but this might the first time he's communicated with them.
The second Primus story is titled "The Crown of Minos" and it finds Primus and Toni diving in the Agean Sea in the sunken palace of King Minos. They find other divers and trouble when they turn out to be pirates. They meet a man named Pierre LaPerche, the leader of the gang and he holds Toni hostage so that Primus will bring him the Crown of Minos. Charlie aboard the Orca tries to help but is driven away by gunfire. Primus agrees to the deal and dives finding many threats such as an octopus and more deadly still Moray eels. Primus finds the crown but uses to eels to trip up LaPerche's men and heads to the surface to save Toni. But she needs no saving as she's already knocked out LaPerche and has radioed the Coast Guard to come take the pirates away. They turn the crown over to the government but Toni is unimpressed by the still dingy and muck-encrusted treasure.
All in all a rich and engaging issue all the way through. The adventures seem more wide ranging and the fantasy elements are driven up a bit. I can only assume this is the editorial hand of Wildman expressing itself.
More next time.
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