Tarzan - The Russ Manning Years Volume One!

Gold Key was a great place to work in comics at the time as they not only supplied a salary and health insurance to many of their talents, but also had a royalty program. Russ Manning was the kind of artist who did well in such a program. After many years in the trenches at Dell and Gold Key Comics, Russ Manning had made his reputation within the company as an artist of immense style who was able to hit the deadlines. He'd shown his potential on Brothers of the Spear and later proven his worth on Korak Son of Tarzan, so it was only logical that he would take on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes. When he did it was with a renewed cohesion to the original ERB stories. Dell had recognized the books but had designed the series around the movie franchise, but Gold Key went back to basics and offered up legit adaptations of the novels. It all began with Tarzan of the Apes. 

Compressed to a mere twenty-four pages the original ERB novel Tarzan of the Apes is adapted only in part by writer Gaylord Dubois and artists Russ Manning with assists by Mike Royer in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes #55. The common element to the Gold Key adaptations is the keep Tarzan in the jungle as much as possible and focus on those elements of ERB's novels. Here we meet his parents, follow their plight briefly and then see Tarzan grow up among the apes, eventually becoming their king. We then meet Jane and the cadre of castaways who Tarzan helps in several ways. He rescues Jane but as the story ends and she sails away she still doesn't know that "Tarzan" and the man who saved her are one and the same. George Wilson supplied the action filled cover for this issue based on a Manning drawing. Wilson will be the cover artist for all the issues in this run.

I would like to note that I first ran across this story when it was reprinted by Gold Key in 1968. It was among my first encounters with Tarzan and my first experience enjoying the sleek artwork of Russ Manning. 

The very next issue adapts The Return of Tarzan but again begins just before Tarzan returns to the jungle. We do get a brief synopsis of what happened after the end of the previous adventure, so we know that Tarzan went after Jane and then to spare her denied his identity. (I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get some more of his Paris adventure as Tarzan kicking ass among civilized folk is some of my favorite stuff.) We follow him as he once again asserts himself in the jungle and then finds himself seeking out the lost city of Opar for the first time and we see how he discovers the wealth that will make his future life as both Tarzan and Lord Greystoke possible. Later we follow him when goes to rescue Jane when she is captured by the bestial men of that land. We encounter La for the first time and see how her passions for Tarzan are quickened. This time the story ends much like the novel with Tarzan and Jane being married. 

The Beasts of Tarzan is adapted in the next issue and once again the story is condensed in such as way as to keep the jungle adventures front and center. This novel is an especially convoluted one and the adaptation by Dubois and Manning does its best to keep things trim and coherent. Jane is at the center of much of the action in this adventure as she is forced by circumstances to defend herself and for a time the baby she thinks is her own. There is considerable death in this story, something Gold Key might've been reluctant about but it was necessary to remain true to ERB's yarn. Manning does a great job of showcasing Tarzan's gang of animals who help him save his beloved. 

It's a challenge for Dubois and Manning to get as much of ERB's The Son of Tarzan as they do into the spare twenty-four page limit. But they do a pretty good job and we meet Tarzan's progeny who rescues Tarzan's old friend Akut and helps to get him back to the jungle and freedom. There he becomes Korak and meets the love of his life Meriem, a slave he rescues. They are happy for many years, but things get convoluted when Tarzan rescues Meriem but has no knowledge of his son's whereabouts. By the end though we get a happy ending. 

With the next adaptation of an original Tarzan novel, Dubois and Manning get the nod to expand beyond the constraints of a single twenty-four page comic. This is a mixed blessing actually as the novel Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar is one of ERB's most elaborate plots with lots of coincidences to keep it humming. Those twists and turns are evident here as Jane is kidnapped by Arab raiders while Tarzan and the Waziri go to Opar to get another batch of gold. Tarzan finds some splendid jewels just before he is hit on the head and loses his memory. Thus begins a wild succession of events which see Tarzan find and lose his jewels time and again as they pass among many hands. For much of the adventure and all of the second part Tarzan is not himself. I hate to say it, but two issues would've been ideal for this story and allowed the team to eliminate some of the needless complications before arriving at its rather clever ending. 

Tarzan the Untamed is next. Dubois and Manning simplify the plot somewhat and focus on Tarzan's efforts to assist his British countrymen in their WWI era battles in Africa against the Germans. He is a ferocious warrior but after a time seeks to return home. (In the novel Jane is kidnapped and Tarzan thinks she is dead for a time. That detail is missing here but will be picked up later.) Tarzan becomes involved with a woman he believes to be a German spy and a British flyer as the trio have to try and survive the wild population of Xjua. The Xujans worship lions and might be a bit mad though Dubois does little with the ERB concept. After considerable derring-do all three escape the city and Tarzan learns the truth about his colleagues. 

Tarzan the Terrible was originally a sequel to the previous tale. As it opens Tarzan is now looking for Jane for two months. No mention is made of when and how she was captured by the Germans. In his search he arrives in the land of Pal-Ul-Don for the first time. It's a land of dinosaurs and warring tribes of primitive peoples who are distinguished by the facts they are furry and have tales. Tarzan stands out needless to say but his bravery in battle soon earns him the title of "Tarzan-Jad-Guru" which translates to "Tarzan the Terrible".  Once again in these two issues we have a very convoluted tale which eventually reunites Tarzan with Jane just in time for both of them to be captured and put on a sacrificial altar. Only the timely arrival of Korak (who had been fighting in the Argonne) saves the day. The family is finally reunited as the story closes. 

This wraps up this first volume of Tarzan comics by Russ Manning. Manning was not alone in drawing Tarzan at this time. Doug Wildey also drew the Ape Man as well as Alberto Giolitti. But Manning did adapt three more Tarzan novels in partnership with Dubois. 

Sadly Dark Horse did not publish a second volume which would've included Manning's adaptations of Tarzan and the Golden Lion, Tarzan and the Ant Men, and Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle. In retrospect it's a glaring omission given that they'd worked to get all of his Brothers of the Spear and Korak Son of Tarzan material into print. The need for the remaining Tarzan stories seems all too evident. But it was not to be. Russ Manning left the Tarzan comic to go full time on reviving the comic strip which had lost some traction over the years. His work there has been reported on here already and I will wrap it up this week. Manning's Tarzan is one of the great achievements in comics by one of the fields greatest practitioners. 

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Korak - Son Of Tarzan Volume Two!

In the second volume of Dark Horse's archival Korak Son of Tarzan which collects the final issues drawn by Russ Manning we find a sprawling range of different adventures. There are magical dragons and deadly dinosaurs as well actual space-spanning aliens. These are brisk easy-to-read yarns that entertain with aplomb. There is also an incredibly detailed essay up front by Stephen R. Bissetted but leave off reading this until after you've enjoyed the stories as there are some few spoilers. 

 

From the seventh issue we get the book-length adventure "Challenge of the Avengers" which has Korak assist a stalwart Tuareg youth who is searching for his sister who has been has been kidnapped by another tribe. This fellow uses a strange mace to attack and defend and Korak helps him discover how to use the weapon with wisdom. There are many different threats in this story from soldiers to lions to the threat of dying from thirst. 

"Lair of the Dragon" from the eighth issue is another feature-length tale, this one having Korak assist some Peace Corp workers who have crashed in strange territories. They discover an Arabian Knights-like society which is plagued by a water behemoth and a ruler who is surprisingly selfish when he seeks to make on the Peace Corp workers a new member of his harem. As it turns out slaying the dragon was only the beginning of their troubles. 

"Men from the Underground" in the next issue is a truly weird story about a society hidden beneath the sands. Discovered when Korak led a group seeking new oil reserves this society does not cotton to strangers as hiding is their best defense. It's all Korak and his allies can do to escape from these frightened men who hide from the world. 

"When the Rhino Charged" is the first story which begins with Korak's stalwart companion Akut getting shot. He is tended to by a brave woman who has set up a hospital of sorts in a remote city of strange stones. Later she and her charges are put upon by invaders who are turned away when films of animals charging are used in quite creative ways. "The Pit" is the second story and has Korak rescue a young woman from a pit used to store potential slaves. Before the story is done Korak has turned the tables on these slavers with the help of the local ape clan. 

The eleventh issue of Korak is Manning last from his initial run on the series which will struggle to find a replacement until the arrival of Dan Spiegle. "Invasion from Pal-Ul-Don" is a story about exactly what it says, when after a terrific flood the denizens of the prehistoric lost land find their way into the modern jungles. The highlight for me was the terrific fight between a T-Rex and a Triceratops. "The White Pygmies Strike Back" is a bizarre story of Opar in which La and a gang of the Terrible Men try to enter the city now run by a pygmy tribe. Korak enters Opar for the first time and meets La for the first time. He saves her but she and her cadre are driven away. This story seems at odds with the Opar that I know from the ERB stories. 

Russ Manning returned to draw issue twenty-one of Korak Son of Tarzan and he illustrates Korak's strangest adventure yet. Korak and Akut are abducted by aliens and transported to a distant planet where true to form Korak finds a damsel in distress and assists her and her people in throwing off the menace of the aliens. All this while trying to dodge deadly giant ants. Korak is able to steal a spaceship and return home where he and Akut leave it in the swamp. More like a classic Korak tale was "The Lost Apeling" in which Korak rescues an albino ape from captivity. 

The volume closes out with a three-part Manning illustrated saga starring Korak titled "The Deadly Motion Picture". It's actually a reformatted tale from the comic strip series in which Korak assists a film crew and especially its beautiful but reckless star. These appeared in three issues of DC's Korak series and by accounts Manning was not happy at all at this use of his work. (I'll discuss the original briefly tomorrow). 

And that's a wrap on Manning's tenure on Korak Son of Tarzan. He left the series for the best of all possible reasons. He was about to take over the main show -- Tarzan of the Apes for Gold Key. More on that next week. 

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Korak- Son Of Tarzan Volume One!

Korak Son of Tarzan has always a bit of a conundrum for me. I'm put off normally by sidekicks and though he's rarely used this way Korak always felt like a Tarzan sidekick. The novel Son of Tarzan introducing Korak is one of the better ERB novels and the silent movie serial adapting the novel is one of the best movies from the venerable canon. But the Gold Key comic always received little respect from me. But I've changed my mind and the earliest issues of the comic written by Gaylord DuBois and drawn by Russ Manning are a major reason. These are light entertaining yarns set in the jungles of Tarzan but these stories have a whimsical aspect that makes them appealing in fresh ways. All the comics feature Morris Gollub covers. 

 

"Korak Son of Tazan" introduces the character to Gold Key readers and places him in the context of Tarzan and Jane who appear in this debut story. Korak and his steady pal Pahkut the ape snag a ride on a hot air balloon into a new territory where they rescue a small girl from a dangerous tribe. "Safari of No Return" has Korak break up a small squad of gangsters who are turning local tribesmen into slaves to mine for gold. It's worth noting that the villain s in these breezy adventures can come to extreme even mortal harm though that is usually kept off stage. 

"Panic on the Beach" has Korak meet up with relatives of Paul D'Arnot and assist them with some pirate trouble. Later he confronts a deadly water buffalo which is terrorizing a village in "The Fury of Go-Zan". 

Things get weirder in "Captive of the Vulture" when he and Pahkut help a young man rescue a blonde girl from the clutches of a volcano cult who worship a fearsome and deadly bird. " Warrior's Test" see Korak forced to comply with a cruel queen's tests to measure the value of warriors. He is able to turn the tables on these folks with help of his animal pals. 

In "Wizard's Gorge" Korak helps a young doctor and his pretty nurse fend off the attacks of a local witch doctor. "Warrior from the Past" is a heady adventure tale about Neanderthals and other prehistoric creatures living in an isolated valley. It's nifty to see Korak find his own lost worlds. 

"The People of the Tree" is a truly weird tale in which Korak and Pahkut encounter bizarre little men who make them slaves and attempt to feed them to a carnivorous plant. "The Earth Shaker" is an odd tale about a tribe that worship and follow a rogue elephant. 

"Ordeal by Lightning" is a convoluted tale in which Korak attempts to help a young leader gain power and end the warlike ways of his predecessor who is leading attacks on local farmers. The method of choosing a leader involves being struck by lightning. "Warrior of the Deeps" has Korak help a man threatened by sharks who must find his ship and the mutinous crew that threw him overboard for sunken treasure. In the first story Nikima shows up to help Korak instead of Pahkut and in the latter a dolphin named Smiley assists. 

These early Korak stories while light in tone generally offered a nifty place for Manning to hone his take on the Tarzan landscape. The team of DuBois, Manning and Gollub produced five more issues of Korak. I'll give those a looksee next week. 

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Brothers Of The Spear Volume Three!

The Brothers of the Spear was something of a landmark comic series for its enlightened treatment of black characters, but it's best remembered today as the launching pad for one of comic's greatest talents -- Russ Manning. When I encountered Mannng's work for the first time in the late 60's he was a mature artist with a style that was the epitomy of modern style and was ideal for rendering the future as was amply demonstrated in his brainchild Magnus, Robot Hunter. In this third volume we see the modern Russ Manning appear in full form. He'd leave the series when he was released from the back-up pages into the lead spot on Korak, Son of Tarzan. He then moved over to the mainstay Tarzan comic and reimagined many of the great ERB stories in pristine comic book form. As for the Brothers of the Spear they ended their ongoing saga in 1966 but made a brief return in 1972 under the artistic hands of Manning's assistant Mike Royer. This was the swan song for the feature as a back-up. 

Tarzan - February 1959

Tarzan - October 1966

Also as the series rumbled along in the back of Tarzan, the page count dwindled from a hearty six pages to five then down to four. In four pages it proved taxing to get a story with two heroes set up and told, but they did it. And to make it more difficult, Dubois thought it smart to add characters to the roster. In addition to King Dan-El and his Queen Tavane we had King Natongo and his Queen Zulena. But before the saga closes Tavane will give birth to a son named Mutandwa, who like his father and grandfather bore the distinctive key birthmark. A young girl named Shala had also been added to the pages and she became a worthy caretaker for the young prince since she had some gifts for prophecy and was a clever fighter as well. 

There's no denying that the saga has at its center Dan-El and his wife Tavane. It is the kingdom of Aba-Zulu which is at the heart of the series, first in discovering and then in protecting it from an endless array of enemies from without and within. Manning's stunning skill at rendering beautiful women is on full display in his ravishing depictions of Tavane. It is notable that Tavane is never show pregnant in the comic. We are just suddenly told she's had a child. I am curious is showing a pregnant woman was seen as bad taste by some, though of course that's ludicrous. 

Likewise, Zulena is a gorgeous woman and doughty queen. She and Natongo face an existential crisis in the kingdom of Tungelu when their city is destroyed but the series really strengthens its core theme of harmony when the people of Tungelu are welcomed into Aba-Zula, lands being set aside for their benefit. There seems little or no strife about this immigration and instead there's a great graciousness and hospitality which again demonstrates human nature at its finest. These are traits modern nations would be better for noticing and employing in the face of modern forced migrations from war-torn territories. 

Dan-El and Natongo become not only Brothers of the Spear but come to share the kingdom of Aba-Zulu and defend it side by side as they have always done throughout their long history together tucked away in the back pages of Tarzan. 

The Brothers of the Spear never make a cover appearance to my knowledge before these tiny images on two Golden Digests featuring ERB's characters as interpreted by the folks at Gold Key. I had the first in my collection and still do as far as I know, though I'd be hard-pressed to put hand to it today. 

After decades of faithful service on the characters, Western lost the rights to the ERB material when they folks of that license decided to make their own comics. That enterprise fell through swiftly and then the rights were awarded to DC Comics. For Tarzan that was a grand moment because it allowed Joe Kubert to bring his talents to Jungle Lord. But for the Brothers of the Spear which were not ERB characters it proved to be an opportunity. 

The Brothers of the Spear were awarded their own comic book in 1972. At first the stories were written by Dubois as usual but the artwork was handed off to the dynamic Jesse Santos. He was a rising start at Gold Key in these years. Eventually Santos handed the artistic reins over to the ultra-reliable Dan Spiegle who drew the remaining adventures. The series ran an impressive eighteen issues until 1976 with the final one dropping out of the blue in 1982 after a near six-year hiatus. 

Here are the covers, most the handiwork of George Wilson. 

This material needs a collection to make the saga a complete one for modern readers. It's unfortunate that Dark Horse did not see fit to finish the saga, but I am happy they did what they did. It brought the enlightened story of these two "Brothers" to an audience which would benefit mightily by seeing men of two races working so well together to overcome the shared woes of this world. 

To begin reading the Brothers of the Spear online at ERBZine check out this link.

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