John Carter Warlord of Mars 17 page 31

Page is inks on vellum pasted on board. I am happy to get this page as Warlord of Mars pages are hard to find. I loved this series back in the day and was sad when it was cancelled.
Update:
I asked Bob about why it was on vellum and this was his reply:
I wrote this for Ernie's memorial at Valiant:

Very early in my comic career, I was struggling to make a living, picking up any random inking jobs I could. The pay was terrible... but the hours were long and the work was arduous. During my “salad days” of 1978, I was fortunate to land an assignment inking Ernie Colón, a name that was revered and respected. The book was John Carter: Warlord of Mars #17 (October, 1978). I was so excited to begin the job for two reasons: Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote it, and I had the opportunity to work with a master illustrator such as Ernie Colón. I wish the story ended there, but truth be told, Ernie sent me to a place best described as “Inker’s Hell.” For some unknown reason, Ernie penciled that entire issue on vellum paper! To the uninitiated, vellum is used for a variety of purposes—including tracing, technical drawings, plans, and blueprints—but never, before or since, have I ever seen an entire comic book drawn on that slick, plastic material. It took hours for my ink to dry! Inking that book was the most painstaking experience of my entire 45-year career. If you’re wondering why I’m busting Ernie’s spheres 41 years after the fact, it IS for a good reason: A decade and a half later, once I became a principal editor at a new startup company called Valiant Comics, who comes knocking on my door, portfolio in hand, but the handsome and affable Ernie Colón. Ernie joined our Valiant family and made a powerful statement during his impressive run on our flagship book, Magnus: Robot Fighter. He was always a joy to work with and a wonderful influence on the younger artists of “Knob Row.” Still, not a single day went by without me giving Ernie some kind of grief over that damned John Carter story, penciled on freakin’ vellum! All he ever did in response was shoot me that award-winning smile. In the end, I never found out why he penciled that story on that uncooperative paper.