This issue opens with Kamandi and Sultin taking a look inside a museum which includes, among other things, several statues of US Presidents (including the ruins of the Lincoln Memorial apparently just excavated). Oddly the museum also has a lot of large statues of the humanoid lions of Kamandi’s era, those presumably of much more recent vintage. The two-page spread of the museum is one of the Kirby classics from this series.

Unfortunately the sight of humans in captivity acting like animals is too much for Kamandi, so he rebels, and Sultin has to escape with him out to the wild.

There Kamandi runs into some bears, who despite their increased intelligence are still godless killing machines. Fortunately, Kamandi displays that knack for running into people he knows at random places in the big world and is found by radioactive mutants (but human) Ben Boxer and Renzi, much to his delight. They escape to the waiting balloon where the third member of their team, Steve, is waiting and Kamandi decides to stick around on their return to their point of origin, Tracking Site.

A lot of this issue is based on Kamandi’s reactions to the world he finds himself thrust in, his frustration at how far humans have fallen, how alone he is, his joy at re-discovering people at least somewhat like him. Kirby does a good job of portraying that in the dialogue and body language, and in showing how Kamandi’s friends like Sultin and Ben empathize with him.

Mike Royer inks the 20 page story and cover.

Published 1973