I feel kind of sheepish about this because in retrospect it seems pretty obvious, but Adam Strange, the archaeologist who travels between Earth and Rann, via Zeta Beams and has adventures there, is a pretty blatant ripoff of John Carter, who mysteriously travels between Earth and Mars, and has adventures there. I had always thought of Adam Strange as a pretty bland character (as a lot of characters created in the late 1950s were), and one who never developed into something greater. (BTW, why did DC believe being an archaeologist was a profession that led members of that profession to become super heroes -- Dr. Fate, Hawkman, Adam Strange?) I'm not sure what Adam Strange's current status is, given various reboots, but is there a possibility at looking more deeply at his Burroughs roots and making him something better? Or is he destined to be a Z-level hero.
I am currently reading a book on Edgar Rice Burroughs's work, and was wondering if Cave Carson has the same link with David Innes of Burrough's Pellucidar books that Strange has with John Carter. I have never read the Pellucidar books so I am not sure, but from what I've read in Lupoff's Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, there seem to be some parallels. At any rate, the Young Animal line seems to have raised Cave Carson from another bland character to something unique.
Sandy Hausler