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Arrived today at Castel Crivens, TARZAN Weekly #1 from 1977, a comic I originally bought back when I was yet a teenager, though I remember little about it apart from the cover. (The colour, as you can see, is out of register on the replacement, but it's nice to have again anyway.) It was published by BYBLOS PRODUCTIONS and lasted for 20 issues as a weekly, before becoming a monthly for 5 numbered issues, followed by 11 un-numbered Specials, the last of which appeared in 1981.
Byblos also produced 3 KORAK, Son Of TARZAN Specials between '80 & '81, followed by another 6 issues of TARZAN Monthly starting in March of that year. (I've garnered this info from various sources, but any inaccuracies are no doubt my own.)
But back to the weekly - and what's this? A free super survival kit bag? Sounds great, doesn't it, until you see that it's only a small, empty, clear polythene bag. Okay, not quite empty - it contains a sheet of paper telling you what you can put in it. As a free gift, it's even worse that the paper bag (pretending to be a mask) given away in SMCW #1, which you pulled over your head to pretend you were SPIDER-MAN.
Anyway, I can no longer recall just how long I continued to buy this title, but I doubt I ever saw past issue #3. Cop a gander at some of the internal pages and say whether this is a comic you'd have bought - or even did buy - back in the day. The comments section awaits your valued input.
This comic had such poor distribution I don’t recall even seeing it ever . But if they included a knife I would deffo have bought it just saying ...
ReplyDeleteThe 12p price wouldn't have helped, PS - it was quite expensive for a 32 page comic with full colour only on the front and back covers and spot colour on 6 pages. Probably had to be dear though, to cover the cost of licensing Tarzan from the ERB estate.
ReplyDeleteI actually remember seeing this comic at the time but I never bought it as I've never been a big fan of Tarzan in comics for some reason. Wasn't there was a regular monthly Tarzan comic in UK eforee this similar in size to Alan Class comics but in colour, think it was published by Western ( they did titles like Kaurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello etc) The Manni g splash page is amazing (2nd one you showed) but that free gift has to be one of the worst ever
ReplyDeleteI don't remember a UK Tarzan comic before this one, McS, but Gold Key did a colour Tarzan comic that was on sale here. Funny thing is, I've never particularly been a Tarzan fan, though I bought the first few issues by DC when they took over from Gold Key (or Dell or whoever). I must've just bought this one because it was a new comic. I did enjoy the Johnny Weissmuller films though.
ReplyDeleteNever saw these before. And I never heard of Akut the ape having a solo feature, although I remember him as Korak's sidekick in some of the 1960s comics.
ReplyDeleteWestern produced a lot of comics with licensed properties (Tarzan, Disney characters, Looney Tunes characters) from the 1940s until 1962. Then they split from Dell and published the comics under their own Gold Key label.
"My" Tarzan and Korak were the Gold Key issues with painted covers, and interior art by Russ Manning. (Some Tarzan issues had photo covers with Ron Ely.) Sometime around 1968-69, Doug Wildey and Dan Spiegel took over as artists on Tarzan and Korak, respectively.
ERB Inc. wanted the comics' frequency increased, and wanted comics based on other Burroughs series. Gold Key could not increase quantity without sacrificing quality, so the ERB co. sold the rights to DC in 1972. DC published Tarzan (with art by Joe Kubert), Korak, and Weird Worlds (strips based on ERB's science fiction/space fantasy stories).
Marvel acquired the rights in 1977 and published a Tarzan comic and a John Carter Warlord of Mars comic for a few years.
The last I heard, Dark Horse had the license to publish Tarzan comics.
I'd bought at least one issue of Gold Key's Tarzan around '71-'72, bought the first three DC Issues around '73, first issue of DC's Korak when it first came out - and that was about it. Replaced the first ish of DC's Tarzan nearly 40 years ago with issues 2-4 following over a few years. So nowadays, I've got Tarzan #s 1-4, Korak #1, and Weird Worlds #1-8 (or whatever the last issue was) - plus a handful of Marvel Tarzan comics. I've also got a handful of early issues of the Dark Horse series, which came out sometime in the '90s I think.
ReplyDeleteI'd never even heard of it till today but the Tarzan logo looks identical to the logo on Marvel's Tarzan comic (which lasted for 28 issues but I only bought the penultimate one).
ReplyDeleteIt's basically the same logo on the Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse comics, CJ, with a few mild tweaks, so it seems likely that the ERB Estate were responsible for it.
ReplyDeleteAnd there you go - you've learned something new (UK Tarzan comic) on Crivens yet again.
It was the Top Sellers Tarzan book I was thinking off. It was a fortnightly comic around 1970 to 75. They also did a Korak comic as well and a few others.Wierd Worlds was a good if inconsistent comic.
ReplyDeleteAh, right. I don't think I recall it, McS, though I'll know for sure when I track down an image. I'm off to search for one now.
ReplyDeleteUpdate: Found a few. I'm now wondering if I was mistaking the Gold Key comic for the Top Sellers one. Or perhaps I had one or two issues of both? I think it was the Gold Key one I had though.
ReplyDeleteI have just purchased and largely read volume 4 of IDW's collection of Russ Manning's Tarzan Sunday strips, from 1974 to 1978. It's really good stuff, and much better than any of the Tarzan comic books from any of the various publishers who have done Tarzan comic books, even those by Manning himself, or Kubert. For me the jewel in the crown of DC's production of the Tarzan licence was Carson of Venus, adapted beautifully by Kaluta and Len Wein. Otherwise who else noticed that Marvel dropped the Ka-Zar comic (mid story) once they started doing Tarzan? A pity because Moench and Mayerik were producing a really good comic there.
ReplyDeleteSpirit of 64
Do you know if the Ka-Zar story was ever finished elsewhere? That's what Marvel usually did when they cancelled a magazine. I liked DC's John Carter Of Mars, but I preferred Murphy Anderson's take on it as opposed to Gray Morrow's. I must confess that Russ Manning's Tarzan art is very nice - I liked 'The Glorious' strip in this issue.
ReplyDeleteNo never properly concluded. Ka_Zar's next appearance was in the Claremont/ Byrne X-Men, where he briefly (and casually) mentions that he had dealt with an inter dimensional Alien invasion...as one does....
ReplyDeleteI am sure that there are still some Marvel storylines out there still waiting for a modern Roy Thomas to come in and finish off..but I rather doubt anyone truely cares about continuity any more. Creators these days ( and I am assuming this, as I don't read the modern stuff) seem more interested in breaking the toys, rather than expanding the horizons.
Spirit of 64
So true, S64 - and it's not just comics. The whole Bond reboot thing that started with Daniel Craig's debut as 007 also flung continuity to the winds and was completely unnecessary. If only Marvel and DC could press a reset button and restore the heroes we knew. Of course, that would cause headaches for more modern readers so there's no easy fix at the end of the day. Sad really.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know who the artist on the Akut story was? Looks very familiar but can't place it.
ReplyDeleteGerry Taloac or Jesse Santos perhaps?
Not sure, MD, but given the layout and the lettering, plus the lack of credits, I did wonder if it might be a UK originated strip specially for the comic.
ReplyDeleteIt's Alex Nino...he is listed as an artist for the series as well as Mike Ploog & others aside from Manning
ReplyDeleteSeems a little unpolished next to the other strips, and the logo could do with a tart-up, I'd say. Doesn't really grab me.
ReplyDeleteMike D, the Akut art is by Ramon Sola, according to the signature on a later page. You can see the entire first issue at http://bronzeageofblogs.blogspot.com/2017/03/tarzan-weekly.html
ReplyDeleteWow...thank you.
DeleteI have the comic...I will scour it more thoroughly
Ta much for the info, DS. Of course, I don't need the link 'cos I've already got the full issue, but I should've looked for a signature, shouldn't I?
ReplyDeleteI did...but couldn't see it...no patience and bad eyes causes trouble ;)
DeleteI haven't looked yet, MD, but I'll get around to it eventually.
ReplyDeleteNah, couldn't wait so took a look. It's in the first panel of the fourth (Akult) page. It looks like an ornate clasp on the witch doctor's cloak.
ReplyDelete