Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Ten!

With its tenth volume Dark Horse ceased its reprinting of Turok Son of Stone. It's a shame they didn't complete the run but truth told the quality of the reprints in the final three volumes is somewhat suspect with bindings that are not all that reliable. Not something one wants to find in an "archive" item. The stories in this collection take Turok and Andar nearly into the 70's and as the series closes out the 60's it is a mature comic with a settled format. Underneath solid George Wilson painted covers we get stories by Paul S. Newman that offer clever alterations of the vintage scenario. Turok and Andar are not full characters but are not just stereotypes either. Both demonstrate degrees of wisdom and bravery which benefits the other and while it falls most often to the younger Andar to play the naive partner it is not always the case. The art buy Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti is rock solid if and for me a major lure in the days when I collected the comic off the stands. 

 

Issue sixty offers up "Scourge of the Sea Serpents" in which Turok and Andar attempt a deadly water crossing amongst a multitude of water-going Honkers. "The Lost Key" is a text item discussing a strange, wooden tablets which give clues to ancient lost languages. The "Young Earth" story "The Giant Conquerors" describes how ancient man battled against even more bestial tribes for dominance in the world. "Guardian of the Pit" finds Turok forced to explore a deadly cavern to save Andar from a murderous tribe. 

"Survive --Alone" is a powerful story in which Andar thinks that Turok has actually been killed and he spends much of the tale relying on himself and the things Turok taught him. Eventually of course he learns that Turok is still alive, but that's not a great surprise. "Eskimo City" is the text item discussing a settlement of Eskimos who lived in a larger village contrary to the norm. "Young Earth" features the "The Reindeer Hunters" who have to develop spear throwing technology to succeed in the hunt. "Dinosauria: Styracosaurus" initiates this vintage series showcasing various dinosaurs. "Prisoner" is a tale in which both Turok and Andar are captured by a tribe of Vine Men who want the pair to burn down a grove next to their enemies the Hill Men. But the rub is the poison berry patch which the duo rely on to slay the deadly Honkers is in that very grove. 

Issue sixty-two dated July 1968 gives the reader a strange two-part tale in which Turok and Andar encounter a strange drug which might show them the way out of Lost Valley. The tale told in two parts is titled "Terrors of the Dream". The first half titled "The Dangerous Temptation" has the pair encounter a tribe in which a medicine man claims his drug gives him the ability to see into the future among other things. Andar is anxious to try this drug. He does in "Andar's Nightmare World" and he is at the mercy of his altered state when he encounters many deadly Honkers who are changed into even more deadly beasts in his vision. "Prehistoric Voyagers" is a text item about how Japanese islanders might have been the first to find the New World. "Young Earth" tells the story of the Elasmosuar, a dominant aquatic dinosaur. "Dinosauria: Iquanodon" continues this feature. 

A rare treat is found in the sixty-third issue, a non-painted cover by the Giolitti studio. That's the good news, the bad is that the price per issue jumps to fifteen cents, at the time a twenty-five percent increase. In "Honker Alive--Or Andar Dead" Turok is forced by yet another hostile tribe to find a strange dinosaur to help guard their swampy territory after he and Andar kill the original. Andar is held hostage by these Swamp Men. "The Desert Conquerors" is a text item about Indians who likely migrated from Mexico and brought great skills with them. "Young Earth" describes "The Coming of the Reptiles" when the Earth became too dry for amphibians. "Dinosauria: Proteceratops" describes this ancient creature. "The Peak of Peril" is the second Turok and Andar adventure and has the pair in search of water. They follow an old man they rescue who claims to know where some can be found but it's a dangerous journey up steep cliffs and Andar disagrees with Turok about the reliability of their guide. 

"The Lost City" is a different kind of Turok adventure which finds our two heroes discovering a strange, abandoned city which is well beyond the capacities of any of the primitive tribes they've  so far encountered in Lost Valley. In part one title "The Silent Menace" they come across a strange Honker statue and then the city itself. Andar sees a place they can stay a while to recuperate but Turok remains steadfast that they should keep looking for an escape from the valley. Later while they explore Andar becomes locked in a room. "The Maze of Death" is part two of this different adventure and finds Andar in a strange thorny maze confronted by Honkers. Turok does find him eventually but the mystery of the city remains. "Prehistoric Sports" examines long-lost games sometimes deadly one in a text item. "Young Earth" presents "The Natural Trap" and shows how Neanderthals might've learned to trap the elusive Ibex. "Dinosauria: Ankylosaurus" closes out the issue. 

The sixty-fifth issue gives us "The Burial Ground". In part one titled "Turn Back or Die!" Turok and Andar strike upon the notion that they've seen relatively few dinosaur bones in Lost Valley and speculate that there might be a dinosaur burial ground. They follow a wounded dinosaur for a time but are attacked by a cave tribe which worships the area. "The Secret of the Sacred Place" is part two of this adventure and Turok and Andar find the misty region they are seeking but alas it is not what they expected which turns out to be a good thing for Turok. The text item is "The Neanderthal Funeral" which speculates how these ancient peoples might've had regard for their dead. "Young Earth" tells the long story of glaciers and how multiple Ice Ages impacted life on the planet. 

In "The Trap of Flames" Turok and Andar must confront not only the menace of two battling tribes but the arrival of a volcano which threatens the lives of everyone. In the first part titled "The Trap Closes" the duo find themselves caught between two battling clans, but the eruption of a volcano changes the scenario and everyone looks to Turok for salvation. "Death by Spear or by Fire" the second part sees Turok and Andar helping both tribes to save themselves from lava but then the untrustworthy primitives try to bend the pair by making them leaders so as to use their technology. The text item "Prehistoric Americans" examines some of the different ways ancient peoples lived in the New World. The "Young Earth" features "The Vanished Ones" and focuses on strange mammals which thrived then disappeared before the advent of man. "Prehistoria: Neanderthal Man" closes out the issue. 

The sixty-seventh issue of Turok Son of Stone dated October of 1969 is the final issue in this final archive edition and ironically it's also the very first issue of this venerable series that I bought off the stands for myself. It's a standout installment which presents our Native American duo a unique challenge. "Two Kinds of Terror" tells the story of what happens when Turok and Andar are made small in Lost Valley. The first part of the tale titled "Andar the Hostage" sees our duo after they've entered a remote canyon by crawling through a small opening. They soon encounter pint-size Honkers and later pint-size people. After drinking from tubs from the tribe both Turok and Andar shrink to fit this strange new canyon. In the second part title "The Magic Weapon" Turok uses his wits to make use of his bow to bring down a threatening Honker. Soon after the pair escape the canyon but run into more trouble when their small size makes them vulnerable to other cave men. It takes some clever thinking for the two to get back their weapons. Eventually of course they regain their normal size. "Prehistoric Americans" is the text piece that talks about various early peoples of the land. And the "Young Earth" revealed that animals in prehistoric times often found greater safety in herds. 

And that's a wrap my fellow Turok fans -- almost.

Turok Son of Stone rumbled along throughout the 1970's and last into the 1980's until its one hundred and thirtieth issue dated April, 1982. Turok even outlasted Gold Key itself  when Western Publishing dropped the noble brand and went with Whitman for its final comics. 

Then in the 90's along came Jim Shooter who got the licenses to the then defunct Gold Key heroes and used them as the core of the launch of Valiant Comics. I was great admirer of what Shooter and his team tried to do with Valiant, seeing it at the time as a smarter version of the disruptive Image Comics. Marvel and DC were on their heels and the direct sales market was ripe for the taking and Valiant was a heavy hitter in the incursion. After the revival of Magnus Robot Fighter and Solar Man of the Atom it eventually was Turok Son of Stone's turn for a revival in the pages of Magnus Robot Fighter number twelve. The lost Valley was reimagined as another dimension and became the hub for the Valiant "Unity" event. Turok and Andar showed up to take part. 

Later Turok Dinosaur Hunter became a "hot" number one issue and featured Turok in our modern world, a savage warrior who was more than capable of dealing with strange smart Honkers which had invaded our dimension. The series lasted around fifty issues or so with a bunch of special editions as well under both the Valiant and the later Acclaim brands. Turok captured the imagination of a new generation and had success as a video game and even popped up as animated movie. 

Now the "Turok" in some of these venues is not the Turok I know, but the name still has power. It did for me when I first stumbled across it on the newsstands and saw two small Native American braves trying to launch a giant arrow at a threatening dinosaur. Great stuff indeed. 

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Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Nine!

Turok Son of Stone Volume Nine from Dark Horse reprinting those fascinating Gold Key comics from the 1960's is perhaps the strangest collection of Turok stories yet. The concept of two Amerindians lost in a vast Lost Valley filled with cavemen primitives and dinosaurs is one that has proven to have legs, but Paul S. Newman seems to be straining at this point, a little over a decade after the debut of the comic, to find fresh ways to present this fundamentally strong dilemma without simple repetition. The key is to make the threats to Turok and Andar increasingly offbeat and at times downright weird. The previous volume saw Monkey Men, Spider Men, and an especially enormous "Honker" lost in time. The weirdness only picks up from there and delivers what I think is the strangest Turok tale that Gold Key ever told. 

 

The fifty-first issue begins with "Captives of the Beaver Men" in which we see artist Rex Maxon step in to fill in for the regular art team of Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti. Turok and Andar try to cross a river only to be snatched by the Beaver Men who live in strange homes in the river. The two try many things to escape but are only able to do so when in the second part titled "The Red Scourge" Turok and Andar find a way to stem a deadly tide of ravenous fish. The text piece discusses "Stone-Age Music" and the "Young Earth" feature tells the tell of early flightless birds and how eventually they came to lift off into the sky. 

The regular team of Newman, Ticci, and Giolitti are back in the next issue which sees our two heroes trying a desperate gambit by climbing a sheer cliff to enter the nests of deadly flying honkers that shred the flesh from the bones of any creature they chance upon. They hope to find a cave through to the world they left behind so long ago. They are lucky to escape with their lives in a two-part tale titled "The Savage Shadow". The text item is about "The Mystery Men of Hudson Bay" a tribe of strange primitives. The "Young Earth" relates the discovery of the ancient ancestors on the island of Java and how those prehistoric folks might have lived. 

The search for water is paramount in the story "Drought". Turok and Andar cannot find water and fear the worst when suddenly they are waylaid by desperate primitives who think they can find water when no one else can. Even the Honkers are desperate for drink, making them even more deadly. Two one- page stories tell of "A Living Link" about the Coelocanth, and "Australopithecinae" about an early variation of man. The text tale is about "Prehistoric Ancestors" who turn out to be possible Japanese sailors who might've been the first to discover South America. The comic closes with "The Secret of the Black Water" in which Turok and Andar have to face a weird tribe who smear themselves with an odd oily water and live among pools of oil. They do not yet know its flammable nature. 

The fifty-fourth issue of Turok Son of Stone is a reprint of issue twenty-five from 1961. It features one of George Wilson's most dramatic cover scenes. You can find my review here. 

In issue fifty-five Turok and Andar confront many bizarre "Monsters of Legend". In the first part titled "Into the Cavern of Danger" they follow a possibly deranged caveman into a deep cave inhabited by many strange threats, but which might lead to a way out of Lost Valley. While they do find danger they also find the caveman has exaggerated the monsters. In the second half of th story titled "Journey Without End" they have to fight their way out of a the dangerous cavern which seems filled with different kinds of Honkers. There is a one-pager on the dinosaur the "Hesperonis" and a text piece titled "The Stone Age Museum" about a particularly rich discovery. The "Young Earth" piece is "The River Crossing" and shows how primitive man might have learned to ford great rivers to find good hunting. 

"The Monster Master" begins with Turok and Andar low on poison arrows when they encounter seemingly tame Honkers commanded by a caveman who uses a strangle flute to keep control. How he is able to do this is never explained but eventually the duo escape his clutches through trickery. "Prehistoric Apartment Dwellers" is a text item about a bizarre discovery of an area in which many ancient people lived together in relative harmony for many ages. "Young Earth" is about how early man learned to hunt the mighty Mammoth in "The Easy Prey". 

Issue fifty-seven is a reprint of issue seventeen from 1959 when the title was a Dell production. You can read my review of that issue here. 

The fifty-eighth issue of Turok Son of Stone might well be the most bizarre single yarn in the comic book's long history. Turok and Andar encounter aliens.  "Things from the Sky: Strange Visitors" finds Turok and Andar asleep when their camp is attacked by a deadly Honker, a Honker who quickly ends up as a pile of ash due to a strange beam from the sky. Later they encounter primitives who talk of sky people and then they see it, a flying saucer. It lands and they meet some incredibly friendly aliens who are returning to Earth after a long absence to check up on its progress. There are two one-pagers about the "Iquanadon" and the "Heidelberg Man", a text item about some bizarre balls found by archeologists titled "The Secret of the Spheres" and a "Young Earth" story about a small but highly successful dinosaur called Coeleopterous.  "Things from the Sky: The Incredible Sight" has the friendly aliens see their spaceship damaged but still workable enough to fly Andar out of Lost Valley where he sees his people. But they go back for Turok and things go very badly for our heroes and for the friendly aliens. 

Issue fifty-nine has Turok and Andar snagged by a particularly deadly predator which seems equal parts dinosaur and spider in "The Web of Danger". The text piece is "The Kanapol Hominid" about one of our early ancestors and the "Young Earth" story "The Loner" describes what life might have been like for a Neanderthal who breaks away from his tribe. "The Monster's Lair" sees Turok and Andar battling glowing water Honker when they try to find out why modern fish turn up in a stream. Sadly as we already know the trail is a frustrating one. As 1967 nears its end our two Indian heroes are still trapped in a world they never made. More next time when we take a gander at the tenth and final Dark Horse collection. 

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Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Eight!

In volume eight of Dark Horse's Turok Son of Stone, the vintage Gold Key adventures of out two Native American heroes get even stranger. They've been stranded in a Lost Valley full of savage primitives and deadly dinosaurs called "Honkers" but that's not enough as writer Paul S. Newman and artists Alberto Giolitti and Giovanni Ticci kick up the strangeness. Gold Key for its part is filling the extra pages of Turok's comic with lots of one-page features on a host of topics relevant to the prehistoric setting. The long-standing "Young Earth" feature written by Newman is still illustrated as far as I can tell by Rex Maxon. The art on other features is harder to identify. 

 

Turok Son of Stone #44 from March 1965 kicks off with "Escape to Nowhere". A meteor strikes and causes havoc among the Honkers but also creates a break in the vast walls that enclose Lost Valley. Turok and Andar think they might have a way out but are blocked by assembled primitives who seek the spot out as worship. This one brings together many of the old tribes Turok has battled in previous issues such as the Spider Men, the Monkey Men, and the last remaining giant. In the second half of the story titled "Escape to Nowhere" Turok and Andar do get out of Lost Valley at long last but when dinosaurs also appear to have escaped, they return to keep the deadly beasts from overrunning their world. The way is later blocked. This issue had three one-pagers "Prehistoric Tombs" and "Bone Tools" and "Extinct Cave Animals". "Clothes of Ancient Man" is a text piece speculating how animal hides were crucial to early man's survival. The "Young Earth" feature is titled "Guardian of the Flame" and tells how primitive peoples might have acquired and mastered fire. 

In "The Land of the Plant People" Turok and Andar find a strange section of Lost Valley in which strange plants seem to dominate the landscape and they find the equally strange tribe which has developed a symbiotic relationship with the bizarre plants. The story is divided into two parts titled "The Deadly Maze" in which Turok and Andar are trapped in a maze of strange plants and "The Secret of the Savage Plants" in which the two are able finally to escape the murderous tribe and the deadly plants. There are many one-pagers in this issue such as "Prehistoric Americans". "Fossils", "Dinosaur Bones", and "Weapons and Warfare". "Stone-Age Rembrandts" is a text item about early cave art such as that which was discovered in France in the early 40's. The "Young Earth" feature is "The Animal Trainer" and shows how early man was able to domesticate cattle for his benefit. 

One of the most bizarre Turok tales to date is "The Hidden Monster". The strange creature seen in George Wilson's cover above turns out to a representation of the mythical "Honker" who a tribe keeps at bay behind a vast stone wall. When that wall is breached the real dinosaur appears and while not quite as strange is nonetheless quite formidable despite not having four arms nor breathing fire. We meet the creature in "The Legend of Karlak" and Turok and Andar are finally able to end his threat in "The Indestructible Beast". One note is that Karlak is a very strange Honker indeed with weirdly large eyes and fur. The one-pagers in this issue are "The Seed Gatherers" and "The Babylonians". The text item is "The Bear-Worshippers" which talks about the discovery of Neanderthal man. The "Young Earth" piece is titled "The Fort Home" and shows how some tribes deprived of the security of a cave might have built secure lodgings on the water and later reinforced those against attack. 

"Outcasts of the Flood" show Turok and Andar weary from incessant attacks in the jungle seeking to build a refuge of sorts in a sturdy high tree. The rig up several security features and even take on a pet -- a tiny Honker named "Reenky". But a massive storm creates a flood and the two survive but are then attacked by primitives who are caught in the torrential waters. Finally, our heroes must give up their sanctuary and find themselves floating in the river. Poor Reenky gives his life to save them. "The Valley of Bones" is a text feature that discusses the Olduvai Gorge and the discovery of Zinjanthropus by George and Mary Leakey. "Young Earth" showcases the arrival of "The Cro-Magnon Man" and explores how this more refined human type lead to civilization. "Place of No Return" picks up the Turok and Andar story soon after they are dumped into the river and finds our heroes in big trouble when they land only to find strange Mud Men seeking to kill them immediately. This strange tribe drives them into a desert territory where the two see monstrous mirages but are to wise to fall for the trick of the mind. They find water and we realize the story of Turok and  Andar will continue. 

Turok and Andar head to "The Top of the World" in this adventure which sees our Native America duo climbing a large snowy peak to hopefully find a way out of Lost Valley. They encounter strange Yeti-like creatures who pursue them as they and a guide named Dorad try to survive the rigorous climb. They learn alas that there is not escape from the valley to be seen from their vantage point in the second part titled "Danger on Mystery Mountain". "Prehistoric Surgery" is the text piece looking at primitive attempts to deal with maladies by cracking open the skull. The "Young Earth" item is "The Hunter's Strange Quarry" and details many oddball animals such as the "Hairy Mammoth" and the "Wooly Rhinoceros". 

In "Flight into Fear" Turok hatches a particularly strange scheme to steal the egg of a flying Honker and raise it in captivity so that he and Andar can use its flying powers to get into the air and hopefully out of Lost Valley. Despite Andar's many protests the plan works almost but ends up dropping our heroes into an even more dangerous part of the isolated valley in which they lose most of their poisonous arrows. They do survive but it's a narrow escape. One-page pieces include "The Daily Life of the Aztec", "Peruvian Farmers" and "The Land Bridge". The text item is "The Giant Effigies" which describe the enormous sculptures in the Earth on the Nazca plain. "Young Earth" features "The Hunter's Tricks" and shows primitive man trying to take some elusive prey. 

The volume closes with "The Monster from the Past" for Turok Son of Stone #50. Turok and Andar are still without poison arrows when they witness the rebirth of an especially large giant Honker from the distant past from its icy tomb. They fight furiously against great odds to keep this overwhelming predator from hatching eggs. The two parts of this desperate struggle are titled "Return from the Dead" and "Turok's Capture". The one-page items are "The Aztecs", "Rock Shelter Art", "Diplodicus", and "The Misfits" about strange creatures of the past. "Young Earth" features "The Bitter Winter" and details how Neanderthals had to fight for survival in the harshest times. The text piece is titled "The 20th Century Stone-Age Man" and tells the tale of the final survivor of an oppressed tribe named Ishi. 

The action in this eighth volume which takes the series into 1966 was wild as Turok and Andar seemed to be seeking more and more desperate ways to escape their fates in Lost Valley. Despite some stunning setbacks these two remain relentless in their quest and that more than anything is the real message of Turok Son of Stone. 

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Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Seven!

Turok Son of Stone entered its mature period when artists Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti took over the series in the early 60's. The Turok they drew was a mature man and the Andar was clearly a youngster. In point of fact one story sets their ages at twenty-five for Turok (seems young for the way he's drawn) and fifteen for Andar. Paul S. Newman is the writer for all the Turok comics below as well as the "Young Earth" features which are drawn by Rex Maxon. All the covers are by George Wilson. 

Issue thirty-eight offers up two Turok tales. "Frozen Fear" is the story featured on the cover and it explores what happens when a sudden and startling snowfall drops into the Lost Valley. The "Honkers" are very confused by these events and with the demise of some regular foods become very aggressive. Not any less aggressive are cavemen who harass Turok and Andar out of a safe cave and force them to try and survive outside for a time. "The Lake Dwellers" is the "Young Earth" feature and tells how early man might have taken to living on lakes where there was both resources and security. "The Origin of Man - The Search for the Missing Link" is the text item this issue and talks about Eugene DuBois an acolyte of Darwin's who discovered Pithecanthropus who lived nearly a million years before modern man. "The Stain of the Savage Killers" is a strange tale in which Turok and Andar find themselves attacked by unusually aggressive "Honkers" and find that some weird berries are the problem, but not before Andar eats a sample. 

"Mortal Combat" is the issue long adventure for Turok and Andar this time. It has our two Indian braves captured by opposing tribes and forced to battle one another in a gladiatorial contest of sorts to decide territorial conflicts between them. One tribe live underground and are called the "Spider-Men" and the other live in the trees and are dubbed the "Monkey-Men". Turok and Andar are able to finally escape their clutches. "The Origin of Man - The Fire-Bringers" talks Professor David Black and his discovery of the Peking Man who it seems was able to control fire. "Young Earth" features "The Warrior" and shows how a rock-throwing tribe and a spear-throwing tribe are able to work together to take down a Mammoth. The issue closes with a "Wild Animals of North America" one-pager about the Wild Boar. 

"The Arrow of Fear" is a different kind of Turok tale which has our duo pondering the appearance of a strange arrow of the kind they are familiar with. They hope it and the tribe that worship it will lead them to a way out of the valley but alas they are disappointed as you likely already suspect. "Young Earth" showcases "The Daring Cave Painter" and tells how the primitive artists were spiritual guides for the hunters in a tribe. "Peril of the Boiling Mists" has Turok and Andar hanging out in an area full of geysers. Andar goes missing and Turok searches for him and finds him captive of a strange tribe who think the two are working for their enemies. It's all Turok and Andar can do to survive and escape from this land of boiling waters that strike without warning. 

The forty-first issue of the comic kicks off with the oddball "The Phantom Honker". Turok and Andar chance upon a tribe of primitives who offer up meat to a strange and smallish glowing Honker. I won't spoil this one much but suffice it to say the solution to this mystery is found in a strange cave and that Scooby-Doo and his compatriots would have been proud of the work that Turok and Andar do here. "Man's Early Habitations: The Lake Dwelling" discuses just that and how such homes impacted the development of culture. "Young Earth" features "The Adventurer" about an atypical caveman who uses his imagination and wits to search for food where other fear to tread and in doing so finds new lands for his people. "The River Raiders" has Turok and Andar once again tied up with warring tribes who seek to use the two Native Americans to win the longstanding feud. 

Things get pretty desperate when Turok and Andar throw themselves into the clutches of flying Honkers rather than face "The Destroyers". The duo are puzzled when they find a swath of absolute desolation but discover the cause are large ants on the march. This one is a wee bit different in that some of Turok's choices seem questionable and not as prudent as he usually is. "Man's Early Habitations: The Tent" describes how ancient peoples moved away from the caves thanks to primitive tents made from hides. "Young Earth" presents "The Weapon Maker" which features another precocious cave man who discovers how to make an edged weapon to confront both bears and sabre-tooth tigers. "A Vision of Home" finds Turok and Andar suffering under mirages when they try to cross a pretty desolate desert. The find what they think are pueblos but as always their chance to find a way out of the valley is frustrated. The comic closes with a one-piece feature on "The Shrew". 

The forty-third issue of Turok Son of Stone is dated January 1965. It features one longer tale of Turok and Andar titled "The Hidden Enemy". The story begins when their weapons disappear when they asleep and in searching for them find a gang of primitives digging away in deep tunnels with the goal of defeating a tribe of river dwellers. The duo find their weapons but are shocked to see one Caveman come back from one of the tunnels holding a rabbit. "The Mud Hut" a text piece describes the theoretical devlopment of just that. A new feature pops up titled "Turok Son of Stone - A Tree-Climbing Dinosaur" and showcases the Hypsilophodon which can do just that or so scientists believed at the time. "Young Earth" shows us how dogs became "Man's Best Friend" helping primitive people to hunt more effectively. "Wild Animals of Asia" is all about the Tiger. "The Hidden Enemy" continues with a second chapter dubbed "The Battle Below". Seeing the possibility for a way out of Hidden Valley Turok and Andar barter with the cavemen for the return of one of their bows. But their plans to escape are nullified with the cavemen flood the caves as it turns out their plan worked a bit too well. Turok and Andar are frustrated in their quest yet again. "The Elasmosaurus" is a one-pager on that aquatic dinosaur. "Bridges and Man" show how such engineering feats such as the suspension bridge have helped humans down through many long years. 

And that's a wrap for this tome. You can feel Newman stretching his muscles a bit and reaching for more and more unusual threats for our duo. But things will get stranger still. 

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Have No Fear! Doc Savage Is Here!

I'll be honest with you all. This month began all about Tarzan of the Apes and before I was finished planning it out it was clear it was going to be all about Doc Savage. And since that turned out to be the case, I thought now is as good a time as any to dedicate this month's posts to James Bama. Bama was the man who made Savage popular all over again in the 1960's. His covers for the Bantam reprints of the vintage pulp adventures of Street and Smith's "Man of Bronze" functioned much like Frank Frazetta's cover work for Tarzan of the Apes and Conan the Barbarian. It took what might've been presented to a new audience as some fussy relics and instead transformed them into intoxicating images of high adventure and super science. James Bama took a man perfectly designed by pulp smiths of the 1930's and super-charged him with a post-modern physique and head like nothing seen before or since. Sometimes I had a hard time reconciling the Doc of the covers with the Doc in the stories, but it didn't make me enjoy those covers any less. 

The detour down Clark Savage lane came about when I got fascinated all over again with the Philip Farmer's Wold-Newton family line. In his robust imagination, Tarzan and  Doc Savage and countless other breathtaking heroes and heroines were all part of a shared universe and in many cases related by blood. And to top it all off Farmer demanded that we understand that these seemingly fictional creations were really versions of dynamic men and women who actually lived. albiet under other names. I want to take another gander at works like Tarzan Alive - A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke and Doc Savage - His Apocalyptic Life again and other works as well such as the Secrets of the Nine series which recently was turned from a trilogy to a tetralogy thanks to Win Scott Eckert. 

That doesn't mean there won't be some Tarzan adventures such as those Dark Horse tales which were given the stamp of approval by Farmer himself in which the Lord of the Jungle matches muscles and wits with the Phantom of the Opera, Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein's Creature. 

But the majority of the weekly posts will be some revised and updated reviews of Marvel's delightful and timely runs of Doc Savage from the 1970's. These comics were my first introduction to Doc save for a few random paperbacks and it's been over a decade since I took a good look at them. DC was kind enough a decade ago to bring out the Marvel stories in some handsome and handy paperback volumes which saves wear and tear on my originals. 

And just as a counter to all this Doc Savage focus I want to wrap up my reviews of Dark Horse's reprints of the venerable Turok Son of Stone. So expect to see installments of "Sundays of Stone" return all through this month. 

 

All that and maybe a bit more even. Hold onto your hat, it's going to get exciting! Thanks you for all the thrills Mr. Bama! 

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Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Six!

In this sixth volume of Turok Son of Stone from Dark Horse's Archive series we find a refinement of the characters and the world which was created a decade before. Turok is now clearly the parent in the relationship between himself and Andar with Andar increasingly behaving like a teenager, full of more energy than wisdom. Turok is the somber voice that promotes safety and caution which Andar wants to explore and seems intent on finding connections in the Lost Valley. All of the stories in the collection were written by Paul S. Newman and the artwork for all but one issue was created by Giovanni Ticci and Alberto  Giolitti. George Wilson paints all the covers. The "Young Earth" series continues but after a few small tales the text pieces switch to a more purely informational format as do the one-page items which seem more generic to serve all of Gold Key's comic line. 

"Valley of Dreams" in Turok Son of Stone issue thirty-one is one of the more famous or perhaps infamous stories in the series. Andar and Turok find an unknown kind of fruit which is enjoyed by a primitive tribe who tell tales of multi-headed "Honkers". When Turok and Andar innocently eat the fruit they too begin to have hallucinations. The recover and move on but the tribe seems addicted to their delusions. "Young Earth" brings us "Creatures of the Grasslands" and describes the interactions of mammals of the Miocene Era. "Prey of the Cave Monster" has unlucky Andar knocked out on a raft and drifting into a vast cave in which Cavemen say a monster lurks. Turok must go into the cave to save his young friend, despite the threats of the Cavemen. The inside covers of the comic have two installments of "Wild Animals of Africa" -- one focusing on Baboons and the other on Elephants. 

The next issue begins with "The Fire-Stealers" and shows that the primitive tribes are quite aware of the powers of Turok and Andar with their skills to create fire. They want to steal this secret and kidnap Turok but when Andar is about to share the secret to save his friend a lightning bolt strikes giving the Cavemen the gift of fire they seek. They use this new power to attempt to drive another tribe out of a nice comfy cave. Turok and Andar are barely able to survive when the stupid Cavemen nearly burn down the jungle. "The Captive" tells how a wise chief adopts the child of enemies pointing the way to a more peaceful future. "Young Earth" is "The Terror of Temperature" and details how both hot and cold climates have impacted life on Earth over time. "Guardian of the Cave" has both Turok and Andar eager to find a way out of Lost Valley when Andar has a dream which might show the way. They do find a cave which seems to lead to another land but unfortunately a deadly Honker causes a cave in which blocks the possible exit. The inside front cover had a one-page piece about "Seagoing Vessels". 

"Terror of the Bog" has Turok and Andar in a deadly marsh which is inhabited by strange green primitives who are after our heroes. "Creatures of the Cave" is the "Young Earth" piece and shows how different creatures battle for control of comfy cave with bears winning out until man arrives. "Man's Earliest Weapon" talks about how early man used different kinds of stones to protect themselves and to hunt. "Dangerous Friends" showcases yet again young Andar's desire for companionship of someone his own age. He seeks friends in a primitive tribe, and they are good friends but their parents want to take from Andar the secrets he and Turok possess. Andar learns a tough lesson about survival. 

"The Ghostly Terror" have the boys accosted in the night by freakish pale people. They follow them down into the underground lair where they find many pale Honkers who have never seen the light. The tribe brought themselves down for safety and only venture out at night. Turok and Andar must use the bright light of fire to save themselves. "The Dinosaur's Day" is the "Young Earth" feature and shows one dangerous day in the life of a lowly Protoceratops. "Early Weapons: The Stick" talks about the early development of spears and throwing sticks such as boomerangs. "Andar's Perilous Pet" has our young hero want to adopt a turtle as a pet but finds that very dangerous. The turtle has a whole other agenda unknown to the young Native American. The main Turok story artwork in this issue was supplied by Rex Maxon who has also been doing all the artwork on the "Young Earth" features. 

"Dream of Escape" has Turok find Andar unconscious after drinking some dodgy water. While he sits with his young friend, he reflects on how he and Andar came to be in Lost Valley. When Andar wakes he claims to have had a dream which showed him the way out of Lost Valley but when they seek the spot the two are disappointed that it all seemed to be merely a dream. "Man's Early Weapons: The Rope and The Thong" tell how early man used these things to his advantage. "Pursuit" has our duo chasing a Caveman who steals Andars bow and quiver of arrows. Not only do they want the weapons back they don't want the cavemen developing this technology. The chase is hard and dangerous one but finally they succeed and escape when the cavemen cannot walk on the hot sands during the day. A one-page feature on "Fish" closes out the issue. 

The thirty-sixth issue of Turok Son of Stone is a reprint of issue fourteen from the olden Dell days. It is not of course included in this collection a second time. 

Turok Son of Stone thirty-seven is dated January 1964 marking a full decade since the debut of the feature in Four Color. "Prey of the Flying Monsters" has an over-eager Andar want to penetrate a mist to sail a river and climb a cliff in the vague hope that they find a way out. They find instead the nesting ground for deadly flying Honkers. "The Young Earth" feature is "The Hunter" and describes how mankind came to dominate the world with his hunting skills. Man's Early Weapons: The Bow and Arrow" gives details about the development of this most deadly weapon. "Scavenger of the Storm" is a different kind of story with Turok remembering how he'd been forced to tie an unconscious Andar to a stout tree when some cavemen force the duo to endure deadly cave winds. While Turok fights deadly Cavemen to get back to his friend Andar wakes up to find a Honker very close by. 

These issues read a bit more maturely than previous issues by and large. The duo are often focused on getting out of  Lost Valley with Andar obsessed with it. It creates more of tension between the two than we'd seen in earlier issues. Also Turok's distrust of the primitive tribes is heightened. He'd been helpful to the tribes when the two first entered Lost Valley but increasingly he's become fearful of who the primitives would exploit the powers that only he and Andar possess. It's a bit edgier than early issues and adds some realistic luster to the series. 

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