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.
The British Tarzan weekly started in 1977. This week's artist is the wonderful Dan Spiegle.
Korak continues to have a lean, athletic physique, broad shoulders and thin waist, almost no clothing except for a leather loincloth over his mid-section, a cute, boyish face, and full, thick, dark hair. However, under Spiegle, Korak tended to have a shorter, more compact, gymnast's build.
He continues to be a strong, athletic, teen-aged jungle boy. However, his smaller size makes him even more vulnerable to defeat to larger, more mature opponents.
He continues to be an intelligent, enthusiastic teen-aged boy with good natural instincts and a good heart. His youthful inexperience makes him vulnerable to dirty fighting techniques or seduction. His youthful enthusiasm may also lead him into trouble over good but dangerous causes or to otherwise confront dangerous opponents to prove himself.
This week, Korak starts the story in a fight with a big newcomer called Salvadore, before they are interrupted by a murder. The son of Tarzan chases the murderer in black, who escapes his attempt to capture him. During the investigation, our young hero finds time to rescue an ape baby and its mother, before discovering that the prime suspect has himself been murdered. Dodging a spear at the crime scene, Korak chases the man in black, who also eludes his attempt to capture him. Finding a connection between the murder victims and a robbery in England, the son of Tarzan confronts Salvadore with picking the fight with him in order to establish an alibi for the first murder and then committing the second murder in order to eliminate his accomplices and keep the money for himself. Salvadore responds by knocking our young hero unconscious and throwing the boy into the quicksand. Fortunately, the ape baby and its mother discover Korak and rescues him. Meanwhile, the nemesis tree takes care of Salvadore.
Korak starts the story by being in the losing end of a fight with the big newcomer Salvadore, before it is interrupted by a nearby murder. Then, the son of Tarzan's attempt to capture the first murderer results in his being stunned by a blow by the fleeing criminal and sprawling to the ground. Our young hero does manage to rescue an ape baby and its mother in a creative way in the meantime. However, Korak's attempt to capture the second murderer fails ignominiously in the mud. The son of Tarzan does correctly deduce that Salvadore is the second murderer, but is soon knocked unconscious and thrown into the quicksand. Our young hero is certainly fortunate that Salvadore did not choose to use his knife to gut the boy. He could have made certain that Korak would be beyond rescue by the ape baby and its mother.
Spiegle's artwork is wonderful. Viewers have plenty of opportunity to admire Korak's lean, athletic physique in trouble, being outfought by Salvadore at the beginning, failing to catch two murderers in black, and being knocked unconscious and thrown into the the quicksand by Salvadore at the end. Viewers also get plenty of good views of Korak's cute, boyish face.
Favorite scene: page 13, panel a
Previous British Tarzan blog:
Korak in British Tarzans (Nov. 1977) - Golden Girl
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 my Korak in British Tarzans blog at the following link:
This week's adventures can also be found at the following link(s):
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