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BERNARD KLOSS

Real Name: Bernard Kloss

Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United Kingdom

Occupation: Paleontologist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Ka-Zar (Kevin Plunder), Karl Lykos, Khonsah, Kronak, Seesha, Tandy Snow, Tongah, Zabu

Enemies: Gordon Greig, Klaw (Ulysses Klaw), Kramen, Kirk Marston, Sheenarians (Draumann, Narnia, Saxtur, Shartram, Traikar, Quann, Quanset and others)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Old man" (nickname used by Ka-Zar)

Base of Operations: Savage Land;
    formerly United States

First Appearance: Savage Tales I#11/2 (July, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: Bernard Kloss possesses no known superhuman abilities. An expert paleontologist with decades of experience in his chosen field, Kloss is remarkably vibrant and adventurous for a man his age. Though he is dedicated and scholarly, Kloss is easily distracted and can lose himself in his research. Kloss speaks with a stammer that becomes more pronounced during stressful situations.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'7")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 150 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: White

History:

(Savage Tales I#11/2 (fb) - BTS) - After spending decades unearthing and studying fossils, British paleontologist Bernard Kloss heard of the Savage Land where dinosaurs were still rumored to exist. He decided to venture to the lost valley to study them and secured the services of big game hunter Gordon Greig to serve as his guide.

(Savage Tales I#11/2 (fb) - BTS -  Kloss and Greig discovered the entrance to the Savage Land by accident when they got lost in a blizzard. Once there, Kloss soon realized Greig was untrustworthy when he began to make plans to capture as many of the indigenous lifeforms as he could to display them in a New York zoo. He kidnapped Seesha of the Fall People and forced her to help him find his way out of the Savage Land. When Kloss tried to resist him, Greig overpowered the old man and left him tied to a tree in the jungle, figuring he would be easy prey for the local wildlife.

(Savage Tales I#11/2) - Kloss was soon attacked by a carnivorous bearlike creature. His cries for help were overheard by Ka-Zar, Zabu and Tongah who were out looking for Seesha. As soon as Kloss was freed, he excitedly began to analyze Zabu, Ka-Zar and the small unicorn he was riding. He was so lost in thought that it took considerable doing for Kloss to tell the men about Greig and his plans. Ka-Zar decided it wasn't a good idea for the overemotional, reckless Tongah to accompany him so he knocked the chieftain out. Ka-Zar ordered Kloss to stay and guard Tongah until he returned, telling him to use the chieftain's spear should any beast approach. Watching Ka-Zar and Zabu go, Kloss yelled out a final warning about Greig and his metal hand.

(Savage Tales I#11/2) - Ka-Zar caught up with Greig and Seesha. After a fierce battle, he managed to kill the merciless mercenary.

(Savage Tales I#11/2) - Kloss and the revived Tongah welcomed Ka-Zar and Zabu when they returned with Seesha. Ka-Zar offered to guide Kloss out of the Savage Land, but the paleontologist flat out refused. Going home would be "turning my back on new life to return to old death!" With Ka-Zar and Tongah's blessing, Kloss intended to set up shop in a comfortable cave near the Fall People's settlement. Kloss, Tongah and Seesha watched Ka-Zar ride off into the sunset on his unicorn.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Kloss spent months in the Savage Land. Because of his unexplained absence, the paleontologist was presumed dead. British journalist Tandy Snow reported on this mysterious disappearance.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#14) - When Tongah unexpectedly went crazy during a foraging trip near the Savage Land's northern boundary, Ka-Zar was forced to knock his friend out. He took Tongah to Kloss' cave where the paleontologist was hard at work studying dinosaurs and their remains. Kloss had no explanation for Tongah's sudden bout of madness, but he speculated that the large deposit of anti-metal might be the cause. He strongly urged Ka-Zar to venture to the outside world to consult with a geologist or a radiologist.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#14 - BTS) - Ka-Zar took Kloss' advice and left the Savage Land the following day, although Tongah had already recovered by then.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#15 (fb) - BTS) - Several days later Ka-Zar returned to the Savage Land with reporter Tandy Snow and secret intelligence agent Kirk Marston who had come to test his theory that Tongah's temporary dementia was caused by sonic radiation emanating from the vibranium mound. Unaware to everyone, the vibrational madness was caused by the outerdimensional Sheenarian invasion force who were using sonics to breach the barrier. They managed to break through on a massive scale when they enlisted the aid of Klaw who used his sonic horn to blast the barrier wide open.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#15 - BTS) - The arrival of the Sheenarian invasion forces was witnessed by Tongah and his fellow tribesman Khonsah. Tongah ordered Khonsah to warn the Fall People while he himself planned to go to Kloss' cave to wait for Ka-Zar. However, when Tongah told Bernard of the invading aliens, the rational paleontologist believed the chieftain had slipped into madness again and calmly continued his research.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#15) - After arriving in the Savage Land, Ka-Zar took Marston and Snow to Bernard's cave where they found Tongah waiting for them. Snow was amazed to learn Kloss really was still alive. Tongah had no patience for this: he came to warn Ka-Zar of the invasion, which led Kloss to repeat his beliefs that his friend had once again been stricken with dementia. Kloss was shocked when Ka-Zar calmly told him Tongah's "implausible story of an invasion by weird men" was true. Before Kloss could question Plunder's sanity, Khonsah returned to tell everyone the Fall People had been all but slaughtered by the invaders. He was then incinerated by an energy beam fired from a Sheenarian skyskimmer. A second craft carrying Traikar, commander of the Sheenarian conquest, arrived. He beamed down to inform everyone they would be spared if they surrendered peacefully. Kloss watched the furious Tongah kill Traikar by throwing his spear at him. The victory was short-lived, for moments later more Sheenarian forces arrived led by commander Saxtur who announced they would make an example out of Tongah.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#16) - Kloss watched Ka-Zar, Zabu, Marston and Snow take on the Sheenarians, but the battle ended when Klaw joined in and forced their surrender by threatening to shatter their skulls with a single soundblast. Ka-Zar used a brief argument between Klaw and commander Saxtur to escape, leaving Bernard and the others behind as their prisoners. They were taken to Kloss' cave where the Sheenarian subordinate Draumann examined the paleontologist's collection of dinosaur bones. Kloss was shocked when Draumann insinuated that some of the species of dinosaurs living in the Savage Land were actually native to his home dimension.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#16) - After several hours, Ka-Zar and Zabu staged a successful rescue attempt and wound up capturing both Klaw and commander Saxtur who told them the Sheenarians would soon be able to enter their dimension at will. Figuring they needed to destroy the dimensional machinery on the Sheenarian side, Ka-Zar and his allies forced Klaw and Saxtur to open a portal. Bernard insisted he accompanied the expeditionary force to investigate Drauman's claims.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#17) - Seconds after arriving on Quard, Kloss and the others found themselves under attack by Sheenarian troops. They only survived because the Sheenarians themselves were suddenly besieged by Quarlian forces riding in on skysharks. Kloss kept out of the fighting but stuck around, unlike Kirk Marston who fled into the jungle afraid for his life. During the fight, the Sheenarian's dimensional piercing device was destroyed, leading Kloss to fearfully conclude they were now trapped. Kloss watched Ka-Zar and Tandy fly off on one of the Qwardian skysharks to look for help. Ka-Zar told Kloss, Tongah and Zabu he would return to them five days. In the meantime, they were to explore the area to try and find Marston

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#18 (fb) - BTS) - The cowardly Marston came across the city of the life draining Kramen. Fearing for his life and showing a treacherous streak, Marston bargained for his life. If they spared him, he'd lead others to their city. The suspicious Kramen were reluctant to agree, but allowed Marston to proceed.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#17) - Kloss, Tongah and Zabu were exploring Quarl, with Bernard especially fascinated by the local flora. His examination of a particularly interesting flower was cut short by Zabu who had picked up Marston's scent. They soon found Kirk and though they admonished him for running off, they fell for his claims that he had found a group of friendly, peaceful people that offered shelter. They agreed to led him lead them to the Kramen. After traveling on foot for several hours they arrived at the Kramen settlement which blew Kloss away. When he met the locals, he did wonder why everyone was extremely aged and why there were no children around.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#18) - Kloss shared his concerns about the Kamen and their city with Tongah who also sensed "a mystery amidst these dead stones". The two men could do nothing more but wait around for Ka-Zar to return in five days time. They remained in Kramen where they noticed the ancient population kept staring at them.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#18 - BTS) - The Kramen leader honored his agreement with Marston. Kirk was allowed to touch their powerstone which rendered him immune to the feeding that was about to occur.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#19) - Later that night the Kramen gathered near their powerstone and began a ritual that slowly drained Kloss, Tongah and Zabu of their life energy. The began to feel weak, weary and disoriented. Kloss suggested they sent for a doctor, but they were soon too weak to respond..

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#20 - BTS) - The Kramen used the life-force they drained from Kloss, Tongah and Zabu to restore their own lost youth. Now back in fighting form, they prepared to move out and take on the Sheenarians who were responsible for stealing their life force in the first place.

(Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#20) - Kloss and Tongah, now near death and barely able to stand, were mocked by the Kramen forces on their way out to fight the Sheenarians. They left the two ancient men to their fate inside the dead city.

(Uncanny X-Men I#115 (fb) - BTS) - Ka-Zar eventually located Kloss, Tongah and Zabu and made sure they were nursed back to health. Everyone was returned to the Savage Land when the newly resurrected Garokk (using Kirk Marston's body as his vessel) ended the Sheenarian invasion singehandedly by banishing them to their native realm.

Comments: Created by Doug Moench, Steve Gan, Rico Rival.

Bernard Kloss is a typical Doug Moench supporting character in the same vein as Moon Knight's vagrant informant Bertrand Crawley: colorful, quirky gentlemen of a certain age who can add both levity and depth to the story when needed.

Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle got cancelled right in the middle of Kloss' first proper adventure. He was briefly seen in a flashback in Uncanny X-Men a few years later, but his final fate remains unrevealed. Did he leave the Savage Land after he was restored to health? Did he stay and perish during one of the many catastrophes that befell Pangea? Or is he still living in his cave and spending his days marveling at real, live dinosaurs?

Kloss' nationality is not confirmed on panel, but given the fact British reporter Tandy Snow did a report on the disappearance of this anything but world renowned paleontologist leads me to conclude he's from the United Kingdom.

Having Kloss appear clean shaven in his first appearance and then show him slowly growing a beard during his stay in the Savage Land was a nice, subtle touch. Also, just how was the life-force of one aged paleontologist, one sabre-toothed cat and a chieftain enough to restore dozens of Kramen warriors to full youth and vitality? That's a remarkably efficient powerstone!

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Bernard Kloss should not be confused with

Images: (without ads)
Savage Tales I#11, p26, pan3 (main image)
Savage Tales I#11, p26, pan6 (meets Ka-Zar)
Savage Tales I#11, p43, pan7 (wants to remain)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#15, p18, pan4 (in front his his cave)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#20, p8, pan3 (aged by the Kramen)

Appearances:
Savage Tales I#11 (July, 1975) - Doug Moench (writer), Steve Gan (pencils), Rico Rival (inks), Archie Goodwin, Len Wein, Roy Thomas, John Warner (editors)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#14 (February, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Larry Hama (pencils), Jack Abel & Mike Esposito (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#15 (April, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils & inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#16 (June, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils & inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#17 (August, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils & inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#18 (October, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils & inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#19 (December, 1976) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils & inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ka-Zar: Lord of the Hidden Jungle I#20 (February, 1977) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#115 (November, 1978) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Byrne (writer, pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Roger Stern (editor)

First Posted: 07/24/2024
Last Updated: 07/24/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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