4: Kung Fu Ballet Vampires

Peter Gillis contributed a few early spandex lite stories to the periphery of Marvel, so I'll round them up here.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #28 (1979)

Pencils: Larry Hama
Inks: Ricardo Villamonte

Barring a later annual, this is the last issue of John Carter. So it would seem an odd time for a fill in, unless it was an inventory story they pulled out of a drawer to use up. Gillis would become accustomed to penning final issues over the years. It reads like an old Conan issue, where the heroes discover a hidden city full of deathtraps and savage warriors. After a while it segues into Forbidden Planet, with oversized underground technology and secret knowledge that winds up remaining buried, thanks to the impatience of the titular character. A reasonable early script, albeit largely indistinguishable from most Marvel fantasy issues of the '70's.

Tomb of Dracula magazine #5 (1980)

Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Bob McLeod

Pavane for an Undead Princess is an extremely effective offbeat story, of a ballet dancer who refuses to give up dancing to become Dracula's latest bride. Basically a precursor to Aranofsky's Black Swan, but with added vampires. It's an enjoyably taut 13 pages, with a daring message: her commitment to art in the end outweighs any animalistic impulses. When Peter Gillis thanked John Buscema for his unusually detailed full pencil job, Buscema simply replied "I like ballet." Shame it's with a mismatched inker and smothered in grey tones.

Master of Kung Fu #102 (1981)

Art: Gene Day

Like many, Peter Gillis was a fan of Doug Moench's Shang Chi, a cut above standard Marvel fare at the time. This was Gene Day's first issue as regular penciler, and together they produced a highly lyrical murder mystery in the best Moench & Gulacy vein. It's essentially an overly convoluted film noir, complete with heavies and femme fatale. Shang Chi's brief relationship with said femme is charmingly written, an early indicator of the more sophisticated writing Gillis would become known for. Interestingly this is his first script credit as Peter B. Gillis, rather than just plain old Peter Gillis.

Next, more Gene Day on a couple of largely forgotten creations.