Sunday Of Stone -Turok Volume Four!

Turok Son of Stone has settled into a regular pattern of solid sales for Dell Comics with a quarterly schedule in 1961. The writing of Paul S. Newman remains rock solid as the personalities of both Turok and Andar are continually refined and sharpened. When the duo entered the "Lost Valley", they were both considered "youths", but as the series progressed Turok matured into a man of age and experience and a mentor to a much younger Andar. Often a story hinges on Andar failing to follow Turok's direction or advice and in his defense that advice can be somewhat inconsistent. At times Turok seems to seek the comradeship of the more primitive tribes who inhabit the territory and at others he seems quite reluctant to deal with them. 

In the nineteenth issue we start with the story "The Way Out of the Valley" in which the pair find a way out but are frustrated because they don't want to lead the savage cave men to their homeland. It is a dilemma. "The Mystery of the Rock" explains how a rock with the impressions of dinosaurs came to be and uses the tracks to tell a tale. "The Spirit Cat" is a text piece where we meet Umar who has killed a Sabre-Tooth and is stalked by another who a Medicine Man claims is a ghost. "The Return of the Giants" is just what it says and showcases the giant men who had shown up in an earlier Turok tale. This time they come in greater force and Turok must use his wits to turn back these powerful foes. Rex Maxon is the artist on all the stories. Mo Gollub supplies the dramatic cover. 

"The Eruption" leads off the next issue and Turok and Andar are battling for their very survival when a volcano threatens them and the tribes around them. The threats are many including frightened tribesmen, noxious fumes and boiling lava, and also frightened "Honkers". "Back to the Water" is the "Young Earth" tale of how a fish-lizard came to be on the land and returned to the waters. "The Buffalo Robe" is a text story about Gorun who shows his fellows how to use disguise to hunt the great beasts. "The Night People" is a creepy tale in which weird cavemen emerge at night to steal resources from other tribes but end up stealing from Turok and Andar and even capturing the latter. Turok must save his young ally from these glowing men. Again Newman is the writer and Maxon the artist. George Wilson supplies the cover art. 

Under another dandy Mo Gollub cover, Newman and artist Bob Fujitani give us the story of "The Water Seekers". In this one Turok and Andar are trying to forestall a battle between two tribes over water access by building a small canal to supply everyone. The meet quite a bit of resistance. "The Armored Ones" drawn by Rex Maxon tells of the special adaptations made by dinosaurs like Stegosaurus, the Ankylosaurus, among others. "Forbidden River" is the text story about Utur who tries to get his father Gorr to see that ingenuity can get them to the other side of the river where resources are plentiful. "The Sand Wastes" by Fujitani has Turok and Andar captured and set out on a barren desert waste and left to die. They do survive but it's a near thing. 

Mo Gollub does the cover, Paul S. Newman does the script and Rex Maxon is back on the interior art in the twenty-second issue. "The Outsiders" has Turok and Andar deal with some treacherous Cave folk as well as some particular viscous "Honkers". For the most part the dinosaurs don't give Turok much trouble unless he is undermined in some way. "The Triumph of the Egg" is the "Young Earth" story and details how eggs became more and more resilient as they came to land. "The Stone Builders" sees our heroes become slaves for a tribe who are adept at constructing with large slabs of rock. The duo must use all their wits when the thrown into a great pit with a deadly "Honker". Even then Turok is able to down it with a bolo weapon and his knife. The comic closes with a one-page piece on "The Wooly Mammoth".

The same creative team of Gollub, Newman and Maxon is on hand for the next issue. "The Cave of Fear" is the first story and Turok and Andar run into deadly trouble when they try to help a young girl condemned to death by her tribe. They are trapped in a cave containing dinosaurs and a deadly secret. "The Death of the Dinosaurs" tells how the majestic beasts came to their grisly end, giving the credit to climate change. No asteroid is mentioned in this version. "Youngling" is the text piece about Krog who uses his wits and dance to slay a deadly cat. "The Burial Grounds" has Turok and Andar forced by Cave men to seek out the legendary location of the dinosaur burial ground. They do find an answer, but it is not mystical. "The Styracosurus" is a one-pager that closes out the comics. 

The twenty-fourth issue of Turok Son of Stone is a singularly important one in that it features the debut of artists Giovanni Ticci and Alberto Giolitti on the strip. With the arrival of this artistic team from Italy Turok enters a fully mature phase. Previous artists have served well but this new team bring a power and drama to the book mostly missing to this point. The rendering of Turok in particular is impressive as he is presented as a mature man and Andar if anything is made a bit younger. "The Cliff Men" has Andar suffering delusions from drinking foul water. Turok must carry his young ally on his back and fight many "Honkers" and the people of a tribe who live on high cliffs where a cure can be found. "The Strangers" is the text piece about Havar and Rakk, two men from two different tribes who learn to work together to save themselves despite the enmity of their tribes. "The Vanished Animals" introduces several impressive mammals who have disappeared over the long ages. "Lair of Death has Turok and Andar battling deadly dinosaurs to retrieve a symbolic war club. I can find no credit for the cover but I'd guess Gollub, and it's one of my favorites. 

More prehistoric heroics next week as Ticci and Giolitti continue with some few interruptions and Turok Son of Stone is published under the Gold Key brand for the first time. 

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