KORAK, SON OF TARZAN
Issue #20, December 1967

Cover: George Wilson

1. Korak: Demon of the River
Writer: Gaylord Dubois
Artist: Warren Tufts
Inker: Mike Royer
Pages: 17
Characters: Korak, Chief Dahoto, Kara, Ungok

Synopsis: While wandering through Pal-Ul-Don, Korak is ambushed by carnivorous white apes and knocked out. He is carried to their caves where the apes begin fighting among themselves over the "meat." Waking, Korak slips through a crack in the back of the cave and emerges into another valley. There a beautiful blond Cro-Magnon girl is defending herself atop a rock from a gang of Neanderthals. Korak rushes to her aid and battles with her until her tribe arrives to save them. He makes friends and returns with them to their cave cliffs. Along the way, he shows them how to hunt with a bow and arrow. That night they gladly accept him into their tribe, except for the objections of a surly brute who has eyes for Kara. Korak is drawn into a duel with the fellow, and Korak makes short work of him in spite of Ungok's use of a forbidden knife. The next day he sees Korak giving Kara archery lessons and his jealously grows even more. That next night Ungok steals Korak's bow and arrows from his side in the caves, and runs away into the dark. Korak trails him and Kara follows. Ungok tries to ambush Korak with the bow and succeeds in wounding him in the shoulder. Before he has time to draw another arrow, Korak chases after him, and Ungok falls on the arrow. Carrying the body of Ungok back, they return to the tribe. But Kara's father Chief Dahoto does not believe the story and assumes that Korak murdered Ungok. The tribe tie Korak down and leave him beside the river for the giant croc who lives there. As the moon goes behind a cloud, Kara slips up and cuts his bonds, enabling the son of Tarzan to battle the monster. After pulling the drowning girl from the river, he tells her to return to the caves under cover of darkness. She really wishes to accompany him into the jungle, but he refuses her offer.

Remarks: In what is surely the record for an ERB hero learning an indigenous language, Korak learns the language of Kara's people in the time it takes to walk back to their cliff dwellings, perhaps a few hours. Kara wears a leopard skin garment that exactly matches Korak's loincloth.

2. Text page: The Lotukas and the Termites

3. Mabu: Mabu and the Black Bull. 4 pages. Gaylord Dubois, writer; Dan Spiegel, artist. Mabu takes an orphaned calf to an island and plans to return for him when he is a bull.

4. Korak: Sheeta's Prey
Writer: Gaylord Dubois
Artist: Mike Royer
Inker: Mike Royer
Pages: 4
Characters: Korak, Nkima

Synopsis: As Korak naps in a homemade hammock, Nkima slips his hunting knife out of his quiver and steals it. Korak starts to take off after him but meets sheeta, who is up in the trees hunting for monkeys. Without his knife, he has a hard time but manages to lasso the cat. He leaves it dangling from the tree while he renews his chase of the monkey. Nkima climbs to the highest branch and a large eagle swoops down and carries him away. Korak fires a lucky bowshot and brings down the bird, catching the falling monkey in his arms. Nkima insists that he kill the leopard, but Korak frees it by cutting the rope and letting it drop hard to the ground.

Remarks: Whether Nkima learned anything from this episode is debatable. This story is a good example of art by Mike Royer.

Inside back cover: Jungle Tales of Tarzan (The friendship between Tarzan and Tantor is examined.)