Korak Reviews: February 2022

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/23/1971-8/28/1971)

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.

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/23/1971)

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/24/1971)

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/25/1971)

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/26/1971)

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/27/1971)

Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/28/1971)

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 Daily Tarzan strips in 1967. 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 Daily Tarzan strips, Korak tended to suffer from more frequent comparisons to his legendary father.

Previous to this week's adventures, Korak agrees to help protect a film crew shoot an action movie in the jungle, at the insistence of the pretty young star. However, the director's objections escalate into a fight. Korak prevails against the director's fists but seems to encounter problems dealing with the star's flirting.

This week, the pretty young star continues to flirt with Korak, showing the jungle boy what her little, rubber motorboat can do.

Korak continues his hero role this week. The son of Tarzan's youthful inexperience shows as he becomes increasingly impressed by the star's flirtations.

Manning's artwork is wonderful. However, as the young star shows Korak what her little, rubber motorboat can do, the youthful, handsome son of Tarzan is primarily shown this week in wide shots.

Favorite scene: 8/26/1971, panel b

Previous blog: Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/16/1971-8/21/1971)

Next blog: Korak in Daily Tarzan (8/30/1971-9/4/1971)

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:

https://www.erbzine.com/mag29/2900.html

This week's adventures can also be found at the following link(s):

https://www.erbzine.com/mag29/2931.html

https://www.erbzine.com/mag29/2932.html

Robin in Piece of the Action (3/1/1967) & Batman's Satisfaction (3/2/1967)

Robin the Boy Wonder is the eager, youthful sidekick of Batman, the Caped Crusader, the vigilante crime-fighting alias of millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Introduced in 1940 as orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson in the DC comic book series Batman, Robin was played by Burt Ward in the 1966 television series on ABC.

As played by Burt Ward, Robin has a cute, boyish face, clean-cut, brown hair, and a compact, athletic physique which fits perfectly with his character's acrobatic background. His colorful outfit, with his dark green mask, gloves, and booties, his bright, red shirt, his shiny, yellow cape, his tight, green panties, and his form-fitting, flesh-color leggings, certainly catches the audience's attention.

Due to his youth, inexperience, and smaller size, the Boy Wonder is clearly the weak link in the Dynamic Duo, which their opponents often seek to exploit. Robin is also cocky, enthusiastic, and overly eager to prove his independent crime-fighting abilities, especially to Batman. He is often in trouble and in need of rescue.

This week's villain is Colonel Gumm.

In the first episode, Robin is overpowered and stuck to a wall of glue, allowing Gumm and his henchmen to focus upon and defeat Batman. Then, the Dynamic Duo are stuck to the wall of glue, waiting until it is their turn to be placed into a stamp-making machine.

In the next episode, Batman and Robin escape when Gumm dissolves the glue in the wall in order to place them into the stamp-making machine.

Favorite shots:

In the first episode, Gumm's henchman punches Robin into some cardboard boxes and then he and another minion of the Colonel carry the frequently dazed Boy Wonder towards the wall of glue. Batman stops them, but some more henchmen overpower the Boy Wonder and force Robin's back into the glue in the wall. Fighting by himself again, Batman is overpowered by Gumm's henchmen and placed against the wall next to Robin.

In the second episode, during a fight, the Green Hornet's chauffeur Kato gets in some good shots against the Boy Wonder, at one point forcing Batman to catch the falling Robin, but the duel ends in a stalemate.

This blog is intended to promote the appreciation of Burt Ward's portrayal of Robin in the 1966 television series "Batman". You may purchase both episodes at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Diddle-Riddle/dp/B00OLZVMY8/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=batman+1966&qid=1620375265&sr=8-3

Previous blog:

Robin in Catwoman Goes to College (2/22/1967) & Batman Displays His Knowledge (2/23/1966)

Next blog: Robin in King Tut's Coup (3/8/1967) & Batman's Waterloo (3/9/1967)

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Dorno in Mindbender (11/21/1981)

Dorno is the son of Zandor, leader of the Herculoids, and his wife Tara, a family of three humans and their five very powerful pet creatures defending their jungle planet. The Herculoids were the subjects of an American animated television series, which debuted in 1967 and was revived in 1981 on CBS and produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions.

Dorno has a cute, boyish face, long, blond hair, and a slender, athletic physique. His shirtless Herculoids outfit consists of a pair of brown boots, a light, blue skirt and neck collar, and a gold belt and wrist bands. At his age, he is growing taller and more attractive and gaining better muscle definition and athletic ability. He is also developing more self-esteem and self-confidence and taking more risks.

Due to his youth and his lack of special powers, Dorno is certainly one of the most vulnerable members of the Herculoids and is frequently a weak link which their opponents seek to target.

In this episode, Dorno, Gloop, and Gleep uncover a capsule containing a Mindbender in suspended animation. Reunited with his amulet, the Mindbender gains tremendous powers, drops the Herculoid boy into a deep hole, and entraps Gloop and Gleep in a transparent cube. In search of his brothers, the Mindbender encounters Zandor, Tara, and the remaining Herculoids and defeats them. Meanwhile, Gloop and Gleep break out of the transparent cube and free Dorno from the hole.

Dorno jumps on the Mindbender's back in an attempt to steal the amulet but fails. The Mindbender threatens to destroy Dorno, but an energy rock from Zandor distracts the evil being and allows the young Herculoid to escape.

The Herculoids prevail by tricking the Mindbender into returning to suspended animation.

Action shots: