First Appearance: Ka-Zar & Zabu; Savage Land (not yet named); The Swamp Men; Maa-Gor, the Killer

Villain: The Swamp Men; Maa-Gor, the Killer

Letters Page: Page One • Page Two

The professor calms them, telling them he is not a mutant, otherwise Cerebro would have located his powers, but that if the X-Men want to eagerly pursue his location, they have earned the right through their hard work. He allows them to take off to Antarctica to solve the mystery of this man and his tiger!

The X-Men, sans Prof. X, land in Antarctica and set off in an armored vehicle, treading through the snow of the tundra. They head to the location of the news bulletin, and find an impossibly deep crevasse which the mystery man and his feline friend were last seen. Cyclops fires his optic beam down into the hole, which stirs up a huge explosion of snow that uncovers a hidden tunnel. They follow the icy tunnel for "what seems like hours of descending," when they feel the sensation of warmth and the Angel flies ahead to scout their destination.

The Angel is immediately attacked by pterodactyls, but he is able to ever-so-carefully elude them with his inimitable flying powers. The team chases the flying dinosaurs away, and they begin to realize the wonderment of their surroundings. They wander through this strange land underneath the Arctic tundra, a tropical wilderness full of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures! Before they have a chance to come to grips with their surroundings, they are attacked by primitive warriors riding on the backs of large birds slinging gas bombs which land at the feet of the X-Men, putting them all to sleep except for the Beast. Hank does his best to fight off the pack of wildmen, but they manage to fell with Marvel Girl as their hostage.

What caused them to flee was the bellowing cry of the man of mystery the mutants were after. He and his sabretooth tiger come upon the scene, and he greets the X-Men, saying "I am Ka-Zar!" They thank him for their help, and in a curious move the Beast feels up Ka-Zar's amazing biceps, which causes his tiger, Zabu, to attack! An awkward melee begins, which is interrupted by the entrance of Maa-Gor, The Killer, last of the Man-Ape tribe. Ka_zar gives Maa-Gor his total attention, and the X-Men stand back to witness his dominance over the Man-Ape foe. Eventually, Maa-Gor gives up and runs away, with the mutants covering their ears to the piercing screams of the victorious Ka-Zar and Zabu. The X-Men sway Ka-Zar to help them locate their kidnapped comrade, Jean Grey, and Ka-Zar readily agrees to fight with them against his enemies the Swamp Men.

The team plows ahead behind Ka-Zar and Zabu, and the Angel flies in recon when he is captured by a net. He is now a hostage of the Swamp Men and is carried to a walled-in village where he reunited as a captive along with Jean Grey. They are led up to the top of a pyramid where they are to be sacrificed. Their hands are bound with rope, which Jean is unable to rend free since they are gummed up with pitch. Then, from a hidden recess, comes a Tyrannousaurus Rex, which is to eat them as sacrifices of the Swamp Men! Warren yells at Jean to undo his bonds, which aren't gummed up, but she is frozen in fear.

Racing to the rescue are Ka-Zar and the X-Men, and they finally make it to the Swamp Men compound. Angel and Jean are trying to ward off the approach of the T. Rex. Jean righted herself and threw large boulders at the dino, and undercut its balance with her mind control. With precious moments gained, she turns her attention to Warren's bonds and manages to release him, and he carries her away from danger in flight. He isn't able to gain enough altitude, however, and is snatched from the sky by a Swamp Man.

The Beast races up the side of the compound to gain entry, and gets into a scrum with the sentries guarding the heights. Cyclops blasts a hole in the front door and Ka-Zar takes the chance to roar a command to a herd of mastodons, who come tromping through the swamp and crash through the compound. Ka-Zar and Iceman corral several Swamp Men as Zabu chases many others away from Jean and Angel. Cyclops notices the two, but seems to show the most concern for Jean...and she notices! And so does Warren, who wonders aloud "I'm okay, too, Cyke. Or hadn't you noticed?"

The X-Men begin to take their leave from this subterranean land, and Cyclops extends the hand of friendship to Ka-Zar. The Lord of the Jungle shakes hands with Cyclops, but is happy to see the mutants leave, telling them they belong above and he belongs below! They hurry out to the Antarctic, and a herd of mastodons pushes boulders down into the tunnel, seemingly blocking the entrance forevermore.

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu