Creatures on the Loose Vol 1 24

Part of the Thongor and the Wizard of Lemuria arc
Creatures on the Loose #24
Previous Issue	Creatures on the Loose #23
Next Issue	Creatures on the Loose #25
Art by: John Romita, Ernie Chan and Morrie Kuramoto
Release Date	April 24, 1973
Cover Date	July, 1973
Issue Details
Editor-in-Chief	Roy Thomas

1. "Red Swords, Black Wings!"
Appearances · Synopsis
Story is an adaptation of the original material by Lin Carter
Writer(s)	George Alec Effinger
Penciler(s)	Val Mayerik
Inker(s)	Vince Colletta
Colorist(s)	Glynis Wein
Letterer(s)	John Costanza
Editor(s)	Roy Thomas
2. "The Lighthouse from Nowhere!"
Appearances · Synopsis
Reprint of the 3rd story from Strange Tales #87 (original credits are italicized)
Writer(s)	Stan Lee
Penciler(s)	Steve Ditko
Inker(s)	Steve Ditko
Colorist(s)	Stan Goldberg
Letterer(s)	Artie Simek
Editor(s)	Stan Lee

Sarkozan, sword of my fathers!

—Thongor

Appearing in "Red Swords, Black Wings!"

Featured Characters:

• Thongor (Main story and recap)

Supporting Characters:

• Ald Thurmis (Main story and recap)

Antagonists:

• Otar (Captain) Jeled Malkh, a prince of Thurdis (First appearance; dies)
• Thurdan Guards (First appearance)
  • Unnamed Jailer (First appearance)
  • Numerous unnamed guards
• a Grakk (First appearance)
• a Dwark (First appearance)

Other Characters:

• Black Hawk Tribe (Mentioned)
• Athmar Phong (Mentioned)
• Demon of Zangabal (Only in recap)
• Blue Nomads of the Far Western Plains (Mentioned)
• Phondath the Firstborn (Mentioned)

Deities and Invocations:

• Nineteen Gods (Invoked)
  • Father Gorm (Mentioned)
• Seven Gods of Zangabal (Invoked)
• War Maids (Mentioned)

Races and Species:

• Humans
• Pigs (Mentioned)
• Apes (Mentioned)
• Vampire-Flowers / Vampire Plants (Mentioned)
• Demons (Only in recap)
• Zamphs (First appearance)
• Dragons (Mentioned)
• Grakks (First appearance)
• Dwarks (First appearance)

Locations:

• Earth
  • Lemuria
    • Thurdis, the Dragon City (First appearance)
    • Ptartha
      • Zangabal (Only in recap)
        • Dungeon of Athmar Phong (Only in recap)
      • Patanga, the City of Fire (Mentioned)
      • Kathool (Mentioned)
    • Valkarth (Mentioned)
    • Far Western Plains (Mentioned)
      • Nemedis (Mentioned)
    • Chush (First appearance)
  • Pacific (Mentioned)

Items:

• Sarkozan (Thongor's Sword) (Sword's name first revealed)
• Urlium

Vehicles:

• Floater (First appearance) (Flying Ship)

Events and Eras:

• Age of Men (Pleistocene, about almost half a million years ago)

Synopsis for "Red Swords, Black Wings!"

Thongor gets into an altercation with a captain of the Thurdan guards, after slaying him Thongor is ambushed and brought to a jail cell to be used as food for the vampire flowers. Thongor is rescued by his ally Ald Thurmis, after Ald knocks out the jailer and frees Thongor from his chains. The two part ways soon after. Thongor attempts to make it out of Thurdis but is spotted by guards on his way which causes him to have to fight his way through the city. During the ordeal Thongor spots a flying craft called a Floater and makes his way towards it continuing his onslaught of the Thurdan guards. Upon making it to the craft he takes a moment to learn its controls that are marked easily enough and steers the ship away. On the ship he finds a bow and takes it. Thongor then plots the ship to Kathool and rests his eyes.

When Thongor awakens he finds that the ship has been blown off course and that he was now in the dangerous jungles of Chush and is being preyed upon by a Grakk. Using the bow Thongor and the creature fight it out until the Grakk tips the floater over causing Thongor to be thrown from the ship, luckily Thongor was tied to the ship but unluckily he smacks into its metallic siding knocking him out. The Grakk sitting upon the upside down floater causes it to slowly descend to the earth with Thongor dangling almost face level in front of a new creature approaching...

Appearing in "The Lighthouse from Nowhere!"

Reprint of the 3rd story from
Strange Tales #87

Featured Characters:

• School Teacher (Unnamed)

Supporting Characters:

• Fishermen

Antagonists:

• Aliens

Races and Species:

• Humans
• Unidentified alien species

Locations:

• Sol
  • Earth
    • Scotland
      • Village (Unnamed)

Items:

• Invasion Beacon

Vehicles:

• Alien Spacecraft

Synopsis for "The Lighthouse from Nowhere!"

Reprint of the 3rd story from
Strange Tales #87

Hostile aliens plant a beacon to indicate the attack site for an invasion force and the local villagers mistake it for a lighthouse. The local school teacher has strong feelings that the people should build their own lighthouse, and so he rows out to the beacon with a bundle of dynamite and blows it up, unknowingly canceling the alien's invasion plans.

Notes

• Red Swords, Black Wings! is based on the Thongor and the Wizard of Lemuria novel by Lin Carter.

Trivia

• This issue takes place 8 months after the previous one

See Also

• 3 image(s) from Creatures on the Loose Vol 1 24