KORAK, SON OF TARZAN
Issue #8, May 1965

Steve "Korak" Allsup

Copyright © 2004

Cover: George Wilson
Inside front cover: Wild Animals of Africa #13- Okapi

Story: Lair of the Dragon

Position: 1
Writer: Gaylord Dubois
Artist: Russ Manning
Inker: Russ Manning
Pages: 24
Characters: Korak, Sally Mansur, Walt Sanders, Johnny Prescott, Pahkut, Harun Ben Yahudi, Assad

Synopsis: Korak watches a small plane crash-land and tumble off into a river canyon. Its fall is halted halfway down by a rock outcropping. Korak uses a rope to climb down to help them, and they are mostly unharmed. But some of the apes have followed Korak to the site, and as Pahkut tries to climb down they cause the rope to loosen and fall. Korak manages to catch Pahkut. He then has to lower the rope down to the river, along with a couple of inflatable rafts, and they start off down river. The river flows through a cave in which they are attacked by a gigantic plesiosaur. Their noise of their guns scare it away. They emerge in a large canyon, on one side of which has been built a large city of ancient Arabian design.They land and are taken before the king, where they learn that the inhabitants are a lost civilization of Arabian knights from a thousand years before. Korak agrees to slay the dragon in reward for their hospitality. That night, the vizier explains the story of how their ancestors came to the city. The next morning, Korak rows out into the lake and manages to insert a bomb into the dragon's mouth, but when it explodes, the creature's tail throws the son of Tarzan far into the air. He makes a perfect dive into the water. The king decides to reward them by making Korak his new vizier and making Sally his new bride. Korak makes arrangements with the old vizier to have the party smuggled out onto their rafts, and meanwhile he slips into the king's harem and escapes with Sally. They make it to the boat and escape from pursuit with the aid of the gasoline boat motor. Korak and Pahkut then escort the three young people to the nearest town and airfield.

Remarks: This tale dates this series to the contemporary mid-sixties, as the Peace Corps did not come into existence until 1961. Korak has only his knife in the bulk of this adventure, but just before he rescues Sally from the harem, he asks the vizier for a bow and arrows, which he carries afterward when he leads the Peace Corps youths to the nearest town.

2. Text page: The Peace Corps

3. The Tree of Life

4. Jon of the Kalahari: Medicine Man. 4 pages. Writer: Gaylord Dubois, Artist: Jesse Marsh

5. Lie Detector of Zululand

6. Mabudu Money!

Inside back cover: Wild Animals of Asia #3- Elephant Back Cover: Pin-up of front cover painting