Sunday Of Stone - Turok Volume Three!

Turok Son of Stone had become a regular hit for Dell Comics and this third Dark Horse Archive volume sees the series enter the 1960's. Our heroes Turok and Andar have been stranded in the lost valley for quite some time and they seem much less interested in escape in these issues and much more focused on finding a way to live peaceably among the primitive tribes they find constantly and to live safely from the wide range of dinosaurs that roam the territory in large numbers. While the Grand Comic Database leaves many stories as having an unknown writer the only writer listed in the volume by Dark Horse is Paul S. Newman. So I assume he wrote most of the main Turok material though perhaps not all of the support pieces. As has been the case throughout the young series life, a number of artists step in to draw the adventures. 

Beneath a cover by Mo Gollub, this comic starts with a one-pager on armored dinosaurs. The first Turok story is drawn by Ray Bailey and deals with a mysterious tribe who are hide on an island and slink into other camps to steal supplies at night. Andar ignores Turok's advice the stay away from a lake shore and is captured and Turok must rescue him. This sets up a common theme in this collection of Andar disagreeing with Turok's advice and striking out on his own, usually to his detriment. What follows is a one-page text piece in which a caveman invents the bow and arrow thought his friends don't at first see its value. The "Young Earth" feature is in every issue in this collection and this first one by Newman and Rex Maxon tells the story of a cave, from its creation out of the earth by weather and of the many creatures who come to dwell in it for safety right down to the modern day. Ray Bailey returns for the final Turok story in which Turok and Andar come to see a brontosaurus egg hatch and Andar wants to make a pet and mount of it. He regrets his decision and Turok helps him solve the problem. 

Mo Gollub supplies a very dramatic cover once again. The Turok stories are again drawn by Ray Bailey and presumably written by Paul S. Newman. Newman and Rex Maxon provide another "Young Earth" feature as well. The first Turok tale has Turok and Andar help a tribe who have lived on a volcano for generations but when the territory begins to erupt around them, they must leave. The text story tells how two cavemen come to realize that working together is more effective against the threats of their time. "The Young Earth" feature is quite clever and shows how radiation from the heavens has presumably triggered evolutionary change in the ancestors of the Elephant such as the wooly Mammoth on the Earth with its myriad climate alterations. Turok and Andar kill a threatening Pterandon but some nearby primitives worship the creature and force the duo to get a replacement and so they must steal eggs. The last one-pager tells of ultra primitive lifeforms in the Cambrian Seas. 

We have another grand Mo Gollub cover for the fifteenth issue. Beneath it are stories drawn once again by Ray Bailey and presumably written by Paul S. Newman though the GCD is mum on that aspect. Andar doesn't follow Turok's advice and is kidnapped by a tribe of smaller people who protect themselvses by living beneath a pool and in a hidden cave. Turok must swim to find Andar to rescue him and of course must battle some ferocious dinosaurs. He and Andar show the people how to live more safely among the many dangers. "The Young Earth" feature shows how the meek mammals survived and changed to inherit the Earth from the dinosaurs. The text story shows how the wisdom of age must be cherished as a new chief ignores tradition and insists his predecessor live and continue to help the tribe. Turok and Andar face their greatest challenge yet when the duo choose different sides in a dispute between leaders in a primitive tribe. The first time Andar willfully disagrees with Turok and acts on those beliefs. It seems to be a story about how different generations see solutions to the world's problems and creates an ending that validates both attitudes. 

George Wilson supplies the dramatic cover for the sixteenth issue of Turok Son of Stone and it shows our heroes battling a giant caveman. The story beneath this cover by Paul S. Newman is drawn wonderfully by Bob Fujitani and the boys find a giant grave and later discover a tribe who have been threatened by two giants, one of which they killed. The second one shows up and wants his revenge but Turok and Andar win the day but wonder where more of these giants might be. "The Young Earth" is drawn by Rex Maxon and shows how birds developed from the Archaeopteryx, the first feathered serpent of sorts. The text story tells how a young man impresses his father by using his wits and the new weapon of a bolas to slay a deadly sabre-tooth cat. The second Turok story, also drawn by Fujitani shows Andar injured when against Turok's advice he tries to kill a deadly horned honker. Turok knows of herbs that will help heal Andar but a tribe prevent him from getting them until he kills the aforementioned honker for them, and all the while Andar gets sicker and sicker. The comic closes with a one-page effort about the wooly rhinoceros and we get a bonus inside-cover feature which is an ad for a Dell comic called Ingenue. 

The same creative team of George Wilson on cover art, Paul S. Newman on script and Bob Fujitani on interior art is responsible for the next issue. Wilson's cover shows Andar captured by pygmies in a Gullivar fashion. This is a nifty contrast to the previous issue's cover. The inside cover one-pager talks about an enormous ancestor of the rhino called the Baluchiterium. In the first story by Newman and Fujitani Turok and Andar find little dinosaurs and follow them into a cave when a storm strikes. While Turok sleeps Andar carelessly wanders off and gets captured by the little people, one of who wants to use the giant to enhance his own power among his people. When Turok comes to the rescue the little people try the same gambit with less success and Turok frees Andar and they are able to get away from the tiny menaces. "The Young Earth" drawn by talents unknown (probably Rex Maxon) showcases the land bridge which once existed between Asia and North America. The text story has some primitive people learn the value of trade as opposed to constant warfare. In the second Turok story he and Andar are saved from a deadly dinosaur by a brave caveman who dies in the effort and asks the duo to return his son who will be chief to his people. They of course agree but are soon lost when a flood takes them to a weird desert and far from their goal. They eventually must traverse a weird cave surrounded by honkers who are held at bay by fire before they can complete their quest. 

Mo Gollub is back on cover art for this action-filled issue. Paul S. Newman is still presumably the writer but it takes a combination of Bob Fujitani and Ray Bailey to deliver the interior artwork. The first story deals with a cunning caveman who saves the duo of Turok and Andar and demands the secret of fire in return. Reluctantly Turok gives it to him but regrets it almost immediately when the caveman uses this arcane knowledge to wield powe over his people. The caveman named Gan eventually sees Turok as a threat and wants him dead but his scheme backfires. "Young Earth" showcases how prehistoric creatures have come down to the modern day in cave after and fossils as well as living examples like the Coelacanth and the Tuatara. Once again the new weapon of the bow and arrow figure prominently in the text story about a tribe coming to grips with the new technology. Once again Andar ignores Turok's cautions and the result is that he is once again captured by primitives who live in an isolated area in homes on stilts, and who hold him hostage against Turok killing a deadly sea monster for them. They come to regret that decision. 

And that's a wrap on another tasty handful of Turok Son of Stone comics. Reading these issues, you can feel the concept maturing and finding a balance between personal drama and the struggles against the world in which they find themselves. The friction between Andar and Turok shows that they are changing and that Turok's relative maturity is something Andar sometimes feels the need to confront in his boyish enthusiasm. They remain loyal to one another but that loyalty is not untested in these stories. More next time when the series finally finds the artistic team it's been searching for. 

Note: The "Sunday Of Stone" feature will return after the holidays. 

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