GOLD KEY

Tarzan of the Apes

Issue 158, June 1966

Cover: ?
Inside front cover: Tarzan: Fly or Die

Story: The Son of Tarzan
Position: 1
Writer: Gaylord Dubois
Artist: Russ Manning
Inker: Russ Manning
Pages: 24
Characters: Jack Clayton, Jane, Moore, Tarzan, Akut, Meriem, Kovudoo, Morrison, Muviro

Synopsis: At their English estate, Jack is driving his mother crazy with his antics, and she fears somehow he has inherited his father's savagery. She forbids him to go to an exhibition that features a large ape, but he hogties his tutor and escapes out his window. At the hall, the ape recognizes Tarzan's scent on Jack and befriends him. The ape turns on his owner but Tarzan, who has followed his son, arrives in time to save the man from the ape, who is actually Akut from BEASTS OF TARZAN. On the drive home, Tarzan finally tells his son of his incredible life in the jungle. Inspired, Jack skips school one day and rescues Akut from his owner. Jack disguises Akut as his veiled grandmother, and they take passage aboard a steamer bound for Africa. When the reach the coast of West Africa, Jack intends to set Akut free and then return to England the next day. But during the night, a thief enters their hotel room and is killed by Akut. In a panic, the pair climb out the window and disappear into the jungle. Four years later, and a hundred miles into the jungle, Jack has developed into Korak the Killer, muscular and naked but for a leopard loincloth. While raiding a village, Korak rescues a small white girl, along with her doll Geeka, from abuse by an Arab slaver. He and Akut carry her far into the jungle. Over the next five years, she also grows into a full fledged denizen of the forest, learning to fly through the trees and speak ape language. One day a party of blacks come upon the idyllic pair, and attack. Korak is seriously wounded, but the timely arrival of the ape tribe saves his life. However, they fleeing blacks manage to carry Meriem off, but she is later rescued by Tarzan, dressed in jodhpurs and pith helmet, and his Waziri warriors. Tarzan takes her to his African estate, where he and Jane have moved to keep trying to locate Jack. They adopt her as though she were a daughter, but she cannot explain to them who Korak is because she cannot speak English. A year later, while raiding an Arab camp, Korak catches Meriem's scent. He rescues her and Morrison from a tent, but is captured while delaying the Arabs so they can escape on horses into the night. Meriem nows explains to Tarzan who Korak is, and he hopes he has finally found his son. He tears off his safari outfit and launches into the trees, naked but for a loincloth, to rescue Korak. Meanwhile, tantor crashes into the village at Korak's call, and saves him from being burned at the stake. Tantor carries korak, still tied securely to the stake, far into the woods. Meriem, who has beaten Tarzan to the scene, is attacked by the wild elephant, but Tarzan then arrives and quiets the beast. Meriem is surprised to discover that Korak is Tarzan's own long lost son.

Remarks: Dubois and Manning do an interesting job of adapting this novel in one issue. Though highly condensed, they touch base with the book by including the most visually memorable scenes from the novel. It would have been interesting to see how they might have handled this story an issue later when they started doing the novels in two or three issues each. But what we have is a remarkably beautiful and faithful comic book. This issue is the only time that the complete origin of Korak has been told in the comics, though DC did a brief version later in an issue of Korak.

2. Know By The Nose

3. Text page: Mabu- Of Baboons and an Adder

4. Brothers of the Spear: Tembo! Tembo! 4 pages. Gaylord Dubois, writer; Russ Manning, artist.

Inside back cover: World Wonders