KORAK, SON OF TARZAN
Issue #32, December 1969

Cover: George Wilson

Inside front cover: Matchbox cars

1. Korak: The Lamps of Allah-Ed-Din
Writer: Gaylord Dubois
Artist: Dan Spiegle
Inker: Dan Spiegle
Pages: 21
Characters: Korak, Sky Chief, Geoffrey Owen, Carol Owen

Synopsis: Flying on his giant eagle, Korak sees some Toubou raiders on camels shooting down a small plane. He frightens the raiders away and lands, then pulls a girl from the wreck. The explosion of the craft frightens off Sky Chief. The two discover a secret passageway into some ancient ruins projecting from the sands, and descent into a cave complex. It is the secret hideout of the Toubous. Korak confronts two guards and successfully battles them with a sword, but others arrive and take he and Carol prisoner. In the underground palace, the girl is sentenced to become the Kalif's fourth wife, while Korak is to work in the mines. There he meets her brother, Geoffrey, who she was looking for in the airplane. The guards force the two men to carry wine skins to the harem for the wedding celebration. Korak and Geoffrey overcome their two armed guards and break into the palace, coming upon the Kalif ravishing Carol. Again Korak displays his expert swordsmanship and defeats the Kalif. Disguised, they go down to the underground river and construct a crude raft using the inflated wine skins. The swift-flowing river carries them into the darkness, and finally they come to an opening in the ground, high above. Only Korak's incredible skills enable him to climb the sheer wall. A caravan of friendly Touareg merchants agree to carry Carol and Geoffrey to civilization, while Korak finds Sky Chief once more.

Remarks: A superb issue that illustrates Korak's various survival skills. Carol assumes that Korak is an Englishman, not an American, based on his accent. Korak is an excellent swordsman. He easily bends open a barred window. He utters the phrase, "While there is life there is hope." He climbs an impossibly sheer cliff. The centerspread showing NBC's Saturday morning line-up shows that comic books are dated three months in advance (they appear three months before their cover date.)

2. Text page: Splendor of the Past (Non-fiction, reprint from #6)

3. Mabu: Revenge Climbs the Wall. 4 pages. Gaylord Dubois, writer; Dan Spiegle, artist. Mabu wakes Ras the chieftain in time to save him from an assassin's knife.

Back cover: Hot Wheels Super-Charger Race Set