Monday, December 19, 2011

Ka-zar The Savage Gallery!

Jack Kirby & Chic Stone

Ka-zar the Savage debuted in X-Men #10.


This was perhaps Marvel's stealthiest revival.


It's hardly ever mentioned in connection with the revivals of the Torch, Cap, Subby, and other Golden Age greats, but it was a Marvel Age revision of a classic Timely character, shifted from deepest darkest Africa to the underworld Savage Land.


This was itself an adaptation of the pulp character also published under the Marvel auspices. For more see this link.

Jack Kirby & Chic Stone

Kirby had a few goes at the cover for the debut of Ka-zar, and this un-used classic image finally was published over a decade ago. Beautiful!


Jack Kirby & John Romita

Ka-zar then began a long period of guest-starring in various titles, notably alongside Daredevil for a few years.

Gene Colan & Frank Giacoia

John Romita

Then he tangled with Spidey.


Herb Trimpe & John Severin

And ran up against the Hulk.

Barry Smith & Herb Trimpe

Marvel tried him out in a one-shot story in Marvel Super-Heroes.

Neal Adams & Tom Palmer


Gil Kane & Frank Giacoia

After which he continued to show up here and there. Marvel even tried to promote Ka-zar with a unique trio of reprints of his early adventures.


Check out the infamous curse word on Zabu's back in the first Marie Severin cover.


Compare this revised reprint cover by Marie to the DD original. It has Zabu and lots more action.

Marie Severin

This was published intermittently while his first ongoing series was debuted in Astonishing Tales, which he shared with Doc Doom.

Marie Severin & Bill Everett

John Buscema

Marie Severin & Friends



John Buscema

Herb Trimpe

Marie Severin

Eventually Ka-zar took over the whole of Astonishing Tales and ran there successfully for a few years.



Gil Kane

Rich Buckler


Gil Kane

Jim Starlin

John Buscema

Dan Adkins



John Romita

At about this same time, Ka-zar was also starring in Savage Tales, after Conan shifted into his own black and white title. It was a proper shift because Ka-zar was in the very first issue of Savage Tales.


Neal Adams

Boris Vallejo

Gil Kane & Stephen Fabian

Mike Kaluta & John Romita

Boris Vallejo

Michael Whelan

Ken Barr

Finally though the powers that be gave Ka-zar his own on-going title, and it performed reasonably well for the time.

John Buscema

Later still he was given a direct-sales only title which got some distinctive critical attention, and off and on over the years we've seen several Ka-zar comics and series.

Brent Anderson

He's proven to be one of Marvel's most durable heroes.

Andy Kubert

There is no doubt that Ka-zar's early adventures from the broad landscape of the Marvel Universe are the ones most in dire need of a good Essentials volume, to gather them all under one or two covers for the first time.

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