Korak is the Honorable Jack Clayton, son of English Lord John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke, also known as Tarzan, lord of the jungle. He is the hero of a 1915/6 magazine serial and 1917 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and a 1920 silent movie serial, as well as a character in several other Tarzan stories from 1914 to 1924. He experienced a revival in 1964 as the star of his own comic book series and as a major character in various Tarzan comic books, pages, and strips from 1966 to 1978.
As depicted in the comic books, pages, and strips, Korak has a lean, athletic physique, broad shoulders and thin waist, almost no clothing, a cute, boyish face, and full, thick hair. He is also an intelligent, enthusiastic teen-aged boy with excellent natural instincts and a good heart.
Korak strives to emulate his legendary father but lacks his strength, maturity and experience. Therefore, he is both more likely to enter into dangerous situations and more vulnerable to being defeated.
As the star of his own comic book series in 1964, Korak is a capable, young hero. His adventures were somewhat similar to those of his father Tarzan, but independent from them.
In 1966, ABC released the TV series Batman, featuring the frequently imperiled youthful sidekick Robin the Boy Wonder. As a fan of seeing cute, young sidekicks in trouble, I watched every episode.
Russ Manning took over the Sunday Tarzan pages in 1968. His Korak tended to have a tall, lean, swimmer's build. While the son of Tarzan continued to have somewhat autonomous adventures, the slender, handsome youth seemed to be getting into trouble more frequently and more easily. Moreover, in the Sunday Tarzan pages, Korak tended to suffer from more frequent comparisons to his legendary father.
In 1966, ABC released the TV series Batman, featuring the frequently imperiled youthful sidekick Robin the Boy Wonder. As a fan of seeing cute, young sidekicks in trouble, I watched every episode.
Russ Manning took over the Sunday Tarzan pages in 1968. His Korak tended to have a tall, lean, swimmer's build. While the son of Tarzan continued to have somewhat autonomous adventures, the slender, handsome youth seemed to be getting into trouble more frequently and more easily. Moreover, in the Sunday Tarzan pages, Korak tended to suffer from more frequent comparisons to his legendary father.
Previous to this week's adventures, while searching for his father at the edge of the jungle, Korak follows a herd of elephants into a hidden cleft where he discovers a mystery involving a glowing, red wig. Later, after encountering a tribe of ivory poachers and a trapped elephant, the son of Tarzan rescues the animal despite being badly outnumbered. However, the glowing, red wig reappears and disappears, and our distracted young hero is ambushed and knocked unconscious by the poachers. Korak is tied and taken to the ivory poacher's camp, where he is interrogated. Then, a beautiful woman with red hair appears.
Korak is bound and helpless in the ivory poacher's camp, where he is blamed for interfering with their expedition and threatened with a beating. However, a beautiful woman with red hair appears to have an alternate agenda.
Korak continues his hero role this week. In his boyish curiosity to discover the mystery of the glowing red wig, our young hero is ambushed and knocked unconscious by ivory poachers whose prize he helped to escape. At the poachers' camp, Korak is bound and helpless before an angry elephant hunter who wants answers from the defiant son of Tarzan. However, a beautiful woman with red hair uses a different tactic, using her charms and beauty on the half-naked teenage jungle boy to pursue an alternate agenda.
Fortunately, Manning's wonderful artwork contains several great shots of Korak in bondage. This week, our young hero's lean, athletic, shirtless body is beautifully on display again as he is helpless and vulnerable before both an angry elephant hunter and the beautiful woman with red hair. Once again, despite some tough talk from the poacher, the viewer is sadly spared the sight of the shirtless, muscled, young son of Tarzan receiving a beating. However, offering the boy some food and drink, the lady softly rests her hand on Korak's smooth, bare chest.
Favorite scene: Panel B
Previous page: Korak in Sunday Tarzan (2/23/1969)
Next page: Korak in Sunday Tarzan (3/9/1969)
This blog is intended to raise interest in and appreciation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character Korak. To see this story in context, you may find it in Hillman's ERBzine at the following link:
This week's adventures can also be found at the following link(s):
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