KORAK, SON OF TARZAN
Issue #24, August 1968

Cover: George Wilson

1. Korak: The Forbidden Land
Writer: Gaylord Dubois
Artist: Dan Spiegle
Inker: Dan Spiegle
Pages: 21
Characters: Korak, Om-at, Pan-at-lee

Synopsis: While exploring Pal-Ul-Don, Korak is suddenly attacked by his old friend Om-at. Somehow Korak manages to subdue him, and Pan-at-lee arrives to explain that Om-at has a case of amnesia resulting from a battle injury. Om-at comes to and runs off, climbing the cliffs to the "forbidden land" from whence no Waz-don has ever returned. They track him onto the forbidden plateau just in time to save him from a band of cavemen. The blow of a club restores Om-at memory. The trio immediately return the way they came but darkness falls as they reach the summit of the cliffs so they stay the night in the trees. A band of white apes steal silently off with Pan-at-lee, but a slip of the paw over her mouth enables her to voice one scream for help, awakening the two males, who track the apes.The apes take her into a cliff-locked valley to a beautifully carved cliff-city of humans. Korak and Om-at watch from the cliffs as priests with jato-masks take her into a temple. Climbing precariously down the carvings on the temple columns after dark, the two explore the deserted building. In a large interior chamber, they come upon a gathering that is about to watch the sacrifice of Pan-at-lee into a furnace shaped like a giant jato-head. Slipping around behind, Om-at just catches her as she slides into the fire, and the three disappear into secret passageways behind the altar, pursued by the outraged citizens. The passage leads them out onto the cliff front of the temple, where they can climb up, too high for the javelins that are launched at them from below. As they reach the top of the cliff surrounding the small valley, a large jato attacks them. Korak locks with the cat and they fall from the cliff, but Om-at catches Korak by the foot just in time. The three return at once to Kor-ul-ja.

Remarks: This issue marks the beginning of the long reign of Dan Spiegle, who many fans consider the definitive Korak artist. Whether by coincidence or not, from this point the stories begin to move more closely towards the books of Burroughs. Both Om-at and Pan-at-lee are actual characters from TARZAN THE TERRIBLE. The Waz-don are shown as carrying short, studded clubs as standard weapons.

2. Text page: The Rogue Elephant (fiction)

3. Mabu: The Danger Trail. 4 pages. Dubois, writer; Spiegle, artist. After Mabu has helped save him from a lion, a traveller shows the child the twin peaks that guard the Valley of the Kings.

Full page ad for Gold Key's double size adaptation of KING KONG.