To The Moon Maid And Back!

That's a lovely pair of Moons don't you think. (That Frankie Frazetta was a scamp.) As it turns out the Dojo is going to the Moon. Specifically, we are visiting the fictional Moon of the savage "Va-Gas" and the brutal "Kalkars" as imagined by Edgar Rice Burroughs for a trio of yarns that reveal a tragic and terrifying invasion in Earth's future. This saga of the Moon Maid is not only wild science fiction and bizarre adventure but really a striking political commentary as well. 

The main focus will be on ERB's most famous creation --Tarzan of the Apes. In particular on Saturdays this month the Dojo will feature those Tarzan stores drawn by Tom Yeates. Yeates has been illustrating Tarzan stories for decades and every outing offers an inviting fresh take on the classic Ape Man. Tarzan as rendered by Yeates feels more like a real man than a noble hero, though he's that too. 

And speaking of noble heroes, I will wrap up my look at Burne Hogarth's Tarzan of the Apes work on the comics strips as well as the stunning work he did in the 70's for graphic albums intended primarily for overseas markets. Look for these glimpses of some great art on Sundays. 

During the weekdays, I will be dusting off and revising some vintage reviews of the Tarzan movies from the 1930's. In addition to the famous Johnny Weissmuller take on ERB's classic hero in the MGM classics, look for Tarzan as interpreted by other actors such as Herman Brix, Glenn Morris and Buster Crabbe. The world was never quite so rich in Tarzan goodness as it was during the Great Depression years when escaping into the wilds of darkest Africa might've seemed even more appealing. 

I'm also reading Tarzan adventures as drawn by Jesse Marsh. Marsh was the artist who first rendered the Ape Man on Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan for Dell Comics back in the late 40's. He was considered the definitive comic book Tarzan artist until the arrival of a chap named Manning a few decades later. Not everyone cottons to Marsh's take on the character, but I like it just fine. 

And there might be other jungle surprises along the way as we slowly wend our way to Summer. 

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