Joe Kubert's TOR - Volume Two!

In the second volume of Joe Kubert's Tor we get the final three St. John issues of the classic comic book. The 3-D fad nearly killed off St. John Publishing before the general calamity of the unfortunate early 50's fear-mongering thinned out the comic stands for other reasons. But before they went down, Joe Kubert and Norman Maurer pressed on. In Kubert's case, he came back with a somewhat more restrained product, less gleeful with a slightly more serious approach to the material. The light-hearted "The Wizard of Uggh" by Norman Maurer is gone for the pages of Tor (which is now actually called that) and while "Danny Dreams" continues it is also given a slightly more serious tone as the titular hero becomes trapped in his dreams of prehistoric times. For Tor's part, there seems on Kubert's part a desire to have his hero fight fewer dinosaurs and instead confront conflict with is fellow man more often. The dinosaurs become more of a background in the world in which Tor's evolved moral attitudes struggle to find a place. 

Beneath one of the greatest covers in all of comic book history issue three of Tor in the World of 1,000,000 Years Ago gives the reader three robust Tor adventures. The first has Tor venture onto the "Isle of Fire" where he finds a tribe of people much put upon by pale-skinned giants who seem to come from under the Earth. All that a volcano too. The second Tor tale is a two-page text yarn in which Tor battles for control of men eager to get away from a dangerous mountain snowfall. Every issue of Tor also has a nifty one-page visit with Joe Kubert and Norman Maurer who talk in this issue about theories of evolution and what inspires the tales in Tor. The third Tor story begins with a new gimmick dubbed "Panelrama" which merely means a two-page splash. In this story Tor protects a child from sacrifice and discovers a tribe of all women. He even battles a sabre-tooth tiger in this one. We get two more pages with infor on dinosurs before the book closes with another installment of "Danny Dreams", this one drawn by Alex Toth. In this story Danny again falls asleep and finds himself in prehistoric times, but when he seeks to wake up he discovers to his dread that he cannot. 

The pentultimate issue has a nifty cover too, but not a match for the previous one in dramatic effect. Tor's little ally Chee-Chee does get some good attention though. Tor finds a tribe suffering from extreme drought and a gang of men who are trading water for control and slaves. The heavens open in time to save them those who deserve it. Joe and Norman are back and this time the subject is how mankind faces up to extreme danger with is creativity even in times like the present filled with atomic threats. Tor makes an ally in the second story when he finds common ground with a mercenary named Barta in a struggle against some deadly '"Lizard Men" in the depths of a cavern. After a stunning panelrama splash Tor must fight for his life against a pack of wolves on the frosty peaks of rough and tough mountains. Always he must also struggle against people who are afraid and unreliable as well. The text piece this issue is about the bounty of the sea. Two more dinosaur pages before we get another "Danny Dreams" story, with Danny still in prehistoric past and this time he creates what we know today as the "Piltdown Man". Kubert has taken the artistic reins on this feature as well as the Tor stories. 

The final St. John Tor comic sports an energetic cover with Tor face to fang with a mighty sabre-tooth. The first Tor story has him come up against a mystery of meteors which seem to fall in only one valley on regular basis. He must seek that mystery and stop the medicine man who is using it to spread fear and keep power. Tor also meets and saves two boys named "Tik" and "Tok".Joe and Norman are back for a single page and this time the subject is what parents can expect from comic books and that they should use reason to find good ones. More treachery is afoot when Tor uncovers a plot by a devious couple to take power over a tribe but then these prove to be unfaithful. In a story which has the strongest Tarzan feel so far, Tor battles against a powerful tribe of apes. The "Panelrama" splash for this is mighty indeed. "Avenging Waters" is the text story this time and in it of all places we find Tor rescuing some of the same people who exiled him. They forgive him and welcome him back but Tor decides he's found his mission in life. It's a nice way to tie up the story since it will be come time before we see Tor again. After two more dinosaur pages we get the last "Danny Dreams" story and this time Danny finds a tribe of pygmies who also are quite sensitive to sound. He uses that knowledge to battle a giant and by the story's end Danny has awakened and is in the modern world again. 

This volume also sports an introduction by Kubert as well as another essay by Roy Thomas with background on the comics inside and more. Not to be missed is an extensive section with art by Kubert produced for Alter Ego and other fanzines as well as cartoons and elsewhere featuring his powerful caveman Tor. There is one more volume and in this one we leave the 50's and jet into the 70's and beyond. 

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