Man from Atlantis #2
First Published March 1978
Published by Marvel Comics Group
Unlike the giant-size premiere issue (read my review here), the second issue of Marvel’s comic book adaptation of NBC’s Man from Atlantis contained just one story. Titled “Into the Bermuda Triangle,” the story opened with Dr. Elizabeth Merrill asking Dr. Miller Simon to call Mark Harris from the exercise-pool, declaring “We may have a mission!” And they do indeed have a mission.
While conducting training exercises in the vicinity of the Bermuda Triangle, a strange white mist enveloped a large group of Navy ships. Some 1,000 men disappeared when the ships emerged from the mist. The Navy wants Mark to investigate. He agrees (over Dr. Merrill’s objections) and before long the two are aboard the Cetacean preparing for Mark to dive. Once in the water he sheds the diving gear he was wearing (to protect the secret of his biology) and swims off. He is soon overtaken by the same strange mist.
Man from Atlantis #2 Front – Copyright 1978 Marvel Comics Group
Mark is shocked to materialize in front of Mr. Schubert who should, given the events in the first pilot telefilm of the series, be dead. But Schubert is far from dead and he has plenty of men and women under his control, using the same hypnotic bracelets from the first pilot. That doesn’t work but for some reason Mark stupidly agrees to tour Schubert’s underwater complex. He spots Drs. Merrill and Miller, their minds under Schubert’s control, and is then suddenly attacked.
He’s able to take care of the attackers but is then shot in the back by Dr. Merrill and collapses. When he awakens, he’s strapped to an operating table, weak from being away from the water, and Dr. Merrill is standing over him with a scalpel. She’s preparing to dissect him in order to uncover the secrets of his biology. The comic ends on a cliffhanger that teases “The SECRET of the MIST!” (but will Mark live to discover it?).
Like the first issue, the artwork here is barely passable. Mark has disturbingly large muscles, Dr. Merrill looks more like a creepy doll than a woman and Schubert has the strangest sideburns. And for some reason, in some panels various characters are missing any color in their eyes.
Nah, Schubert didn’t die. I just rewatched the first tv movie, and not only did he not die, he didn’t even seem remotely concerned about his own safety as his base was blowing up around his ears. He was shouting off dialog like “This is just a setback” and “You haven’t seen the last of me.” He went on to turn up EIGHT more times in the series! Each time, his lair explodes, and each time his last words are “I’ll be back.”
I love Victor Buono, man, he was great.
He’s quite a bit more imposing in the cover art you showed than he is on the show. Also, I’m assuming the blonde girl is Dr. Elizabeth Merril. If so, she’s quite a bit more fetching than she is on the show.