Guest Review - The Classics - Ka-Zar #12

   My pal Lyle Tucker is back with another guest review! This time he looks at the adventure's of Marvel's version of the jungle hero - Ka-Zar!

KA-ZAR #12, cover date November 1975

“Wizard of Forgotten Flesh” by Doug Moench and Russ Heath.

   This issue's cover sports a team effort by J.K. and J.R. - Jack Kirby and John Romita. And I don't think either man's strengths really comes through. Romita's inks just don't work that well on The King, and the poses Ka-zar and Zabu strike are pretty generic. I could just about swear I've seen this cover somewhere else.

   The story is nothing to write home about, either – a pair of black and white zebra-men from the Swamp Tribe enlist the aid of Ka-Zar and his companion, Tongah, to overthrow the evil shaman, Zuriah, who has divided the village into two warring factions. Along the way to aid the Swamp Tribe, Ka-zar and Tongah tame a triceratops and battle lizard-men. Once at the village the two have to contend with Zuriah and his evil concubine, Sheesa. The issue ends with the two baddies conjuring up an army of earthen zombies to be battled in the next installment.

 The real beauty of the comic lies with Russ Heath's interior artwork. It's a real shame Heath couldn't have inhabited the role of this title's main artist for a good spell, as he does a wonderful job of it. Heath is an artist who has always had a clean line and a sharp compositional sense that I would think had a clear influence on Brian Bolland's development. Known primarily for the war comics he drew at DC during the '60s, Heath has been in the business since 1948 and like many journeyman from his era has drawn practically every type of comic you could name.

   Heath also worked on Playboy's seminal sexy cartoon strip, Little Anny Fannie. Mark Evanier recounts an amusing anecdote concerning Heath:

   “One time when deadlines were nearing meltdown, Harvey Kurtzman called Heath in to assist in a marathon work session at the Playboy Mansion in Chicago. Russ flew in and was given a room there, and spent many days aiding Kurtzman and artist Will Elder in getting one installment done of the strip. When it was completed, Kurtzman and Elder left... but Heath just stayed. And stayed. And stayed some more. He had a free room as well as free meals whenever he wanted them from Hef's 24-hour kitchen. He also had access to whatever young ladies were lounging about... so he thought, 'Why leave?' He decided to live there until someone told him to get out... and for months, no one did. Everyone just kind of assumed he belonged there. It took quite a while before someone realized he didn't and threw him and his drawing table out.”

   The character of Ka-Zar first appeared as a Tarzan clone in a Martin Goodman pulp, Ka-Zar #1, in 1936. He only lasted in the pulps for three issues, but showed up again in Martin Goodman's first try at comics, Marvel Comics #1, in 1939. The more modern Ka-Zar that we're familiar with debuted in X-Men #10, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Grade: Story B-  ;  Artwork: A

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The Classics - Savage Tales #1

I always smile when I look at this comic magazine.

Savage Tales was Marvel's first attempt at the black-and-white "adult" magazine format that Warren Publishing had mastered.

It was published in 1971, and from the grisly John Buscema cover (who knew he could paint?) to the more adult content, it was obvious this was something different.

It makes me smile because I so clearly remember the day I found the issue at the newsstand. I wanted to buy it, but I was nervous.

I was only 15 years old, and there on the cover was a huge warning that the magazine was "Rated M for the Mature Reader!"

At the time, stores were strict about such things. Kids couldn't buy pornographic materials (which were available behind the "adults only" curtain), we couldn't get into "R" rated movies - and I was certain the little old lady behind the counter was going to refuse to sell the magazine to me.

I finally worked up the courage to give it a try, hoping no one I knew happened by as I took my purchase up to the counter. I stacked several comics on top of the magazine, covering the giant "M" while leaving the price (50 cents) clearly visible.

The clerk picked up each comic, ringing up the cost, and finished by placing this magazine on top of the stack, with that huge "M" blaring away. She told me the total, took my money, placed the magazines in a bag and I walked out, amazed I had "gotten away with it."

What I had was a pretty amazing book, including: a Conan story ("The Frost Giant's Daughter") by Roy Thomas and Barry Smith; a Femizons story by Stan Lee and John Romita; the first Man-Thing story by Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas and Gray Morrow; a "Black Brother" story by Sergius O'Shaghnessy (Dennis O'Neil) and Gene Colan; and a Ka-Zar story by Stan and John Buscema.

The artists went all-out on this effort, turning in some of their best work to date. Morrow's work on Man-Thing may be the best work of his career - simply stunning. Smith was really starting to bloom as an artist, Romita seemed to relish the opportunities of working in black and white, and Colan and Buscema also seemed to enjoy the new format.

The stories aren't quite as impressive, mostly because of the limited page count. The Conan story is the only standout, although the Man-Thing story is a solid bit of work, and Stan has some fun with the Ka-Zar and the Femizons story. The "Black Brother" story is the only one that doesn't really fit - it's more of a sleazy political tale, here for its mature story and surprising twists, but it feels like an accident - a story that was intended for a different magazine.

Of course, the magazine was only "adult" by comparison to the regular comics - there was no nudity and most of the violence happened off-camera.

Savage Tales led the way for Marvel's magazine line, which included the long-running Savage Sword of Conan, Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, Doc Savage and assorted monster mags.

Some were a great success (those Doc Savage mags are vastly underrated), and some were just OK, but they were a (mostly) welcome addition to the Marvel lineup.

And thank goodness, the later issues didn't carry a rating, so I never had to worry about having to deal with a puritanical clerk!

Grade: B+

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The Classics - Ka-Zar #14

One of the great unsung writers whose comics career got started in the '70s is Doug Moench.

An amazingly prolific writer, he turned out a vast number of scripts, especially during his early days at Marvel - and while every script might not be a classic, he had a very high batting average.

One of his tactics was to take each comic he wrote into new and unexpected directions, and a great example of that can be found on his run on Ka-Zar. His first issue is #14, which is cover dated February 1976.

The character is Marvel's version of Tarzan, right down to the fact that he's a wealthy English Lord in the civilized world and a brutal barbarian in the jungle.

Thee are a few differences - Ka-Zar is friends with Zabu, a sabretooth tiger, and he lives in the Savage Land, a jungle that somehow flourishes in Antarctica and is home to countless dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures.

After 13 issues featuring the usual battles with dinosaurs and savage creatures, the comic was turned over to Moench, and he immediately turned the series on its head.

He loaded it with all kinds of fantastic menaces and unusual settings. He brought in Klaw, the master of sound, to be a powerful opponent for our hero. Moench took Ka-Zar out of the Savage Land - first bringing him to civilization, and eventually to another dimension, complete with flying sharks, barbarians and super science all duking it out for supremacy.

This first issue teams Moench with Larry Hama, who is a darned good artist (these days he focuses largely on writing). He turns in solid work here, although the thin inking style doesn't go well with Hama's strong pencils.

After this issue, Val Mayerik would take over, and his unique, organic style was a good match for Ka-Zar.

I wish I could say that this series was a big hit, but actually it only ran up to issue #20, and then the series was canceled in mid-story. Perhaps the story was too weird (and it was odd), or maybe it was just too much of a change for most readers - but for whatever reason, the story was shut down and ends on a cliffhanger!

I don't remember if it was ever properly wrapped up - I seem to recall a quick recap being posted in a comic somewhere, but I don't remember where.

It was a shame, because the series was lots of fun and unlike anything being published - Moench, Mayerik and Hama were really kicking out the stops on this series.

That's the danger of swinging for the fences - sometimes you hit a homer, and sometimes you strike out. This series may have been cut off before its time, but it was certainly a fun, glorious and entertaining failure.

Grade: B+

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