Jake “Buddy” Saunders (1947-) wrote five Sword & Sorcery comics for Warren’s various magazines between 1970-1972. He had got his start in the fan press working with George R. R. Martin on Dr. Weird. In more recent years he has written fiction with Howard Waldrop as well as Edgar Rice Burroughs pastiches, The Martian Legion (2014) and Tarzan and the Cannibal King (2017).
“Minanker’s Demons” (Creepy #34, August 1970) was drawn by John G. Fantuccio. Classic hero versus wizard plot with Minanker kidnapping Princess Dristara. The knight, Neron of Andradorn is sent to retrieve her. He is armed with a magic weapon, the Sword of the Seventh Atlantean Kingdom and rides his horse, Griminor. Minanker sends monster after monster against the knight, living torches, an Earth Daughter, a tsunami and ethereal demons who steal the sword. Minanker, from his pentagram, summons a final cacodemon, but the super-devil kills the wizard. Neron and Dristara examine the pentagram and find a crack.
Saunder’s Fantasy names and tropes almost feel like a parody here but this was 1970 so I don’t really think that was his goal. The art by Fantuccio reminds me of Ernie Colon.
“The Prisoner in the Pool” (Vampirella #11, May 1971) was illustrated by Dave Cockrum of X-Men fame. Thibron the Dorian finds Quarra, a naked beauty stuck in a pool. She has been cursed to stay in the water because she refused to marry Chranos. Thibron could free her if he got the two mystic keys, one in the possession of Sinis, a giant and the other in the nest of a griffin. Thibron kills both keepers and frees the girl. Only she’s not a girl but a centaur. They race to the Sunium hilltop and Thibron wins. Quarra may run as fast as a horse but Thibron is a child of Hermes, and has winged feet.
“Eye of the Cyclops” (Eerie #34, July 1971) was rendered by James Brocal. Saunders goes after Greek mythology again. Nicanor and his men are on the island of the cyclops. The cyclops has a new pet, a bulgy-eyed monkey that sits on his shoulder. The one-eyed monster captures his crew and eats them. Only Nicanor and Periander are free, though Periander is a quaking coward. The two men are eventually captured and put in a cage. Nicanor bravely cuts at the ropes to make a weapon while Periander dies screaming. Nicanor uses his makeshift spear to take out the monster’s eye. He leads his men to freedom only to find the cyclops is not blind, or not at a disadvantage. As he crushes Nicanor to death the monster explains. He was blinded long ago by Ulysses. The eye was glass. It is the monkey who does his seeing for him.
“The Comet’s Curse” (Eerie #35, September 1971) was drawn by Frank Brunner. Saunders tells the story in two parts. The immortal wizard Sidious is imprisoned but the Romans never seem to get around to executing him. While capturing him, Sidious curses Vallen by the comet that shows in the sky. As Rome falls Vallen frees Sidious thinking he will die along with everybody else. Cut to modern times and Professor Sidonious, our immortal wizard. Chief of Archaeology, he has come to see a new find of Roman origin but when he arrives the grave is empty. The comet appears again at last. Vallen’s skeletal corpse, armed with a sword, ends Sidious’s life.
“The Land of Bones” (Creepy #47, September 1972) was illustrated by Esteban Maroto. Saunders returns to the hero versus wizard quest story. Costan, a warrior who has lost his memory, is on a quest to rescue the beautiful Aruna from the wizard Poxxalt. Costan comes to a village where all the people are moving skeletons. He meets Wikkander, a skeletal wizard. The two agree to join forces. In return for Wikkander’s help, he will receive the magic ring that Poxxalt has. They encounter monsters that guard Poxxalt’s realm, flying bat skeletons, golems, tentacular squidgies, but they defeat them all to get to Poxxalt, whom Costan slays. He sees that Aruna is a long-dead skeleton, then falls down dead and turns into a skeleton himself. Wikkander and Aruna regain their fleshly bodies. Wikkander explains that Costan died long ago, was resurrected, so that he could help Wikkander get both the ring and the girl.
A better version of “Minanker’s Demons”, this version has some nice sardonic black humor and the wonderful art of Esteban Maroto.
Buddy wrote the usual horror tales as well but in that sweet spot of 1971-1973, the horror mags did plenty of S&S. He had an appreciation for Sword & Sorcery and mythology plots. His work doesn’t seem to have been influenced by Tolkien and his hobbits so much as Robert E. Howard. Saunders left Warren in the early 1970s and would eventually own a number of comic shops in Texas. A true fan of the medium.
