Korak Son of Tarzan has always a bit of a conundrum for me. I'm put off normally by sidekicks and though he's rarely used this way Korak always felt like a Tarzan sidekick. The novel Son of Tarzan introducing Korak is one of the better ERB novels and the silent movie serial adapting the novel is one of the best movies from the venerable canon. But the Gold Key comic always received little respect from me. But I've changed my mind and the earliest issues of the comic written by Gaylord DuBois and drawn by Russ Manning are a major reason. These are light entertaining yarns set in the jungles of Tarzan but these stories have a whimsical aspect that makes them appealing in fresh ways. All the comics feature Morris Gollub covers.
"Korak Son of Tazan" introduces the character to Gold Key readers and places him in the context of Tarzan and Jane who appear in this debut story. Korak and his steady pal Pahkut the ape snag a ride on a hot air balloon into a new territory where they rescue a small girl from a dangerous tribe. "Safari of No Return" has Korak break up a small squad of gangsters who are turning local tribesmen into slaves to mine for gold. It's worth noting that the villain s in these breezy adventures can come to extreme even mortal harm though that is usually kept off stage.
"Panic on the Beach" has Korak meet up with relatives of Paul D'Arnot and assist them with some pirate trouble. Later he confronts a deadly water buffalo which is terrorizing a village in "The Fury of Go-Zan".
Things get weirder in "Captive of the Vulture" when he and Pahkut help a young man rescue a blonde girl from the clutches of a volcano cult who worship a fearsome and deadly bird. " Warrior's Test" see Korak forced to comply with a cruel queen's tests to measure the value of warriors. He is able to turn the tables on these folks with help of his animal pals.
In "Wizard's Gorge" Korak helps a young doctor and his pretty nurse fend off the attacks of a local witch doctor. "Warrior from the Past" is a heady adventure tale about Neanderthals and other prehistoric creatures living in an isolated valley. It's nifty to see Korak find his own lost worlds.
"The People of the Tree" is a truly weird tale in which Korak and Pahkut encounter bizarre little men who make them slaves and attempt to feed them to a carnivorous plant. "The Earth Shaker" is an odd tale about a tribe that worship and follow a rogue elephant.
"Ordeal by Lightning" is a convoluted tale in which Korak attempts to help a young leader gain power and end the warlike ways of his predecessor who is leading attacks on local farmers. The method of choosing a leader involves being struck by lightning. "Warrior of the Deeps" has Korak help a man threatened by sharks who must find his ship and the mutinous crew that threw him overboard for sunken treasure. In the first story Nikima shows up to help Korak instead of Pahkut and in the latter a dolphin named Smiley assists.
These early Korak stories while light in tone generally offered a nifty place for Manning to hone his take on the Tarzan landscape. The team of DuBois, Manning and Gollub produced five more issues of Korak. I'll give those a looksee next week.
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