It had been like two years since the last issue, except not really.

I haven't blogged one of these in a bit, so we'll jump in with both feet into this one: from 1976, Kull the Destroyer #16, "The Tiger in the Moon" Written by Roy Thomas and Doug Moench, art by ed Hannigan, inks by Yong Montano. 

With numbering how it is now, it's easy to forget there were some books that the numbering was always jacked up on. Case in point: this was the sixteenth issue of Kull the Destroyer, but it was continuing the story from three black-and-white magazine issues of Kull and the Barbarians. I don't think Marvel did any new Kull stuff when they had the Conan license last, but they did do a nice trade last year, which seems like the way to read this story, honestly. There's a text page from Roy explaining his publishing history at Marvel, which seemed plagued by stops and starts, like it would get cancelled, then they would realize it was selling well, and un-cancel or relaunch it, which I would guess probably took some of the momentum away. This series would last until #29, which I'm positive I have around here somewhere, and am not sure why it hasn't been in "The End," since we saw the much later Kull #10.

So, while the splash page proclaims "Beginning a new era of excitement" it was catching up with the story already in progress: Kull had been deposed as king of Valusia, and his old friend Om-Ra, the king of Kull's old homeland Atlantis, offers him a spot as second-in-command of the Atlantean army. (This was long before Atlantis sunk, so they weren't blue guys, Marvel fans!) Kull isn't sure that's the job he wants, which gives the head general Khor-nah an excuse to distrust him: he tries to have Kull restrained, but Kull rages free, seemingly manifesting the spirit of a tiger...? Om-Ra and Khor-nah convince themselves nah, they didn't really see that...did they? Kull takes his leave, with his only remaining subject, the bard Ridondo; while the girl Kareesha watches Kull go, seemingly promising to herself to get him later, but in what sense?

Kull then muses through his backstory: raised by tigers, forced to leave Atlantis after a mercy kill to save a girl from burning at the stake, then slavery, piracy, gladiatorial combat, the throne of Valusia, overthrown by the skull-faced sorceror Thulsa Doom, freed by his loyal friend Brule, and now uncertain what step to take next. Perhaps a consult, with his patron, the Woman of the Moon? Kull acted like he didn't really believe in her, and it's left slightly open if he actually sees this or not, but it seems real enough. The Woman allows Kull to see his future: a final battle with Thulsa Doom, where Kull seems to have him on the ropes, until a sudden flash, and then--dead, at Doom's hands, while Valusia cheers! Will that be his fate? The Woman tells him, he'll know when the time comes; but in the meantime don't deny her existence, will ya? 

Ugh, really need to dig up that last issue now. Perhaps appropriately, I've been listening to MF Doom while typing this one up...