On Earth (comic story)
On Earth was the second The Magician from Mars comic story. Written and pencilled by John Giunta, it was inked by Mike Mirando. It has fallen into the public domain like its protagonist, who would go on to be integrated into the Jenny Everywhere mythos. The story did not have a title upon original release; comics historian Jacques Garin gave it the French-language title of Sur Terre, meaning On Earth.
Plot
After taking a tour of Europe and Asia, the newly-minted Magician from Mars is returning to New York City. As the boat she's on passes the Manhattan Bridge, Jane hears a gasp from her cabin; rushing out, she sees that a man has just thrown himself off the bridge. Using her magic, she freezes him in mid-air a foot before hitting the water. Soon, police boats arrive and try to “gaff him in” out of the air. After thinking over her options for a few seconds, the Magician leaps off the boat, and, flying, picks the man up.
After they land in Manhattan, they call an air-taxi, and, as they are in flight, the man tells his saviour his story. He is a builder, who has recently invested his life's saving into trying to create a building of his own. However, a crooked politician, his contractor, had apparently snuck a clause in the fine print of his contract giving him full ownership of the building for free unless it can be completed by tonight, a wholly unreasonable deadline.
They direct the air-taxi to the building area, where, after getting one look at the blueprints, the Magician is able to use her powers to complete it within instants. As it so happens, the crook was just coming round the corner to gloat; he is astounded and outraged, and, when he starts insulting the Magician, she smacks him around, to unconsciousness. As she leaves, the man she saved observes naively that she “must have been put here on Earth for a special mission”.
Later that evening, taking a stroll, the Magician decides on a whim to attend a rodeo show. Partway through the show, three bulls get loose in the arena; while most of the performers can ride to safety, one cowboy is thrown by his horse, and, on the ground, is at the mercy of one of the bulls until the Magician jumps in, landing on the bull's back. She manages to calm it down, but when another bull rushes at her from the back, the cowboy saves her life in turn, shooting the creature.
The Magician's very public feat makes the headlines, as she is hailed as a “national hero”. Reading through the paper back in her hotel room, Jane dismisses the stories about herself and is more interested in a side-column about some air train sabotages. Deciding to investigate, she witnesses a green air-ship taking fire at the magnetic induction coils just as an air-train is approaching; she engages the ship in battle aboard her own air-ship, managing to down them, before flying out by herself and managing to right the train's course before it completely flies off the “rails”, saving the day.
On her way back home, she notices a thin, hungry-looking man with a hand in his pocket who seems to be loitering by the bank. Walking decisively towards him, she goads him into pulling out his gun; but even as, panicking, the would-be robber threatens her with it, the Magician changes the weapon into a wad of cash. Rounding off the day, she walks into the hotel lobby to find an arrogant guest harassing the employee at the front desk over the pen not having enough ink. Deciding to give them their due, a mischievous Magician fills the hotel lobby with ink up to the loudmouth's shoulders. Later, back in her room, she reflects on the events of the day and tells herself that the builder really was right — the world needs “the Magician from Mars”.
Worldbuilding
Magician from Mars
- The Magician's real name is given as “Jane Q-X3”.
- It is suggested that her powers (described as “akin to magic”) come from the fact that, due to her exposure to the cathode rays as a baby, she uses all of her brain, whereas ordinary humans us only one-fourth thereof.
- The Magician can will herself to stop aging, remaining “young and beautiful” forever.
Universes
- This story takes place all in one universe.
Other
- The Solar System contains nine planets, of which Earth is the third and Mars the third. Mars is significantly smaller than the Earth and has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, whose names are stated to mean “Flight” and “Fear” respectively.
- Cathode rays have no effect on normal Martians.
Continuity
- The introductory page summarises the origin of Jane's powers, as seen in COMIC: Magician From Mars….
Behind the scenes
Read online
Being in the public domain in the U.S., the comic is available for free on the Digital Comics Museum website.
