Number 1434: Tarzan and the Ant Men, part 2

We have returned with the second part of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and the Ant Men, first published in serial form in 1924, and as a Gold Key two-issue comic book in 1968. Go back to yesterday’s posting for part one.

As I mentioned yesterday in my introduction to part one, The Grand Comics Database credits Mike Royer with helping Manning on #175, based on an identification of the inks by Alberto Bacattini.

The fantastic painted covers on both issues are by George Wilson.

As I read that last panel, Tarzan promising to tell everyone the story of his adventure, I can just imagine Jane’s reaction. “You expect me to believe you’ve been gone for weeks and you were shrunk down to 18 inches? You think I buy a cockamamie story like that? You’ve been with La, haven’t you, you cheating bastard! You go sleep in a tree!”

Something like that, anyway. You have to admit, it is not a likely story to tell one’s wife to cover one’s absence, is it?

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Number 1433: Tarzan and the Ant Men, part 1

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and the Ant Men was first published in serial form in 1924, and is the tenth novel starring Tarzan.

Dick Lupoff, author of Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs, “places Tarzan and the Ant Men in his list of essential Burroughs novels,” according to Wikipedia.

Forty-four years after it appeared in book form, scripter Gaylord DuBois and artist Russ Manning adapted it for Gold Key issues of Tarzan #'s 174 and 175 (1968). The Grand Comics Database credits Mike Royer with helping Manning on #175, based on an identification of the inks by Alberto Bacattini.

This is part one. Tomorrow, part two. Grab a vine and swing on by to read it.

On August 27, 2012 I presented the DuBois/Manning adaptation of Tarzan of the Apes to honor the jungle lord’s 100th birthday. You can read it by clicking the thumbnail:

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Number 1291: Tarzan's big scaly friend

Welcome to Pappy's 2013! It’s time to get back to school or to work. In my case my "work" is bringing you great old comics.

But...waitaminit! Didn't I just show a story about Tarzan and a Tyrannosaurus Rex? I sure did, in Pappy's #1255 in November. That story, from Tarzan #121 (1960), was drawn by Jesse Marsh. This story of Tarzan and a friendly Tyrannosaurus, who has come out of an egg thinking Tarzan is his mom, is from Tarzan's Jungle Annual #4 (1955). The script is credited by the Grand Comics Database to Gaylord Du Bois (same as the later story), yet drawn not by Marsh, but by Russ Manning.

Unlike the Tarzan drawn by Manning ten years later (Pappy's #1217), this Tarzan hews pretty close to the Jesse Marsh version. I believe here Jesse Marsh drew the faces to keep a continuity in style. The rest of the art is pretty easy to identify as Manning. His figure drawing is distinctive.

On seeing Tarzan leading a line of dinosaurs (page 11, “Page 51” of the Annual) my mind, which draws comparisons anyway, thought of a Supermouse story (Pappy's #941) I've shown before. Here's the panel sequence the Tarzan story reminded me of:

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