Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1971-06-01 00:03:11 |
| Previous: Savage Tales #1 (Man-Thing) | Up: Main 1971 / Box 6 / Silver Age | Next: Marvel Comics Presents #164-167 (Man-Thing) |
Savage Tales #1 (Ka-Zar)
Issue(s): Savage Tales #1 (Ka-Zar story only)
Cover Date: May 71
Title: "The night of the looter!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
John Buscema - Penciler
John Buscema - Inker
Review/plot:
Astonishing Tales #14 contains a colored and un-credited reprint of the Ka-Zar story from the black & white Savage Tales #1.
It's the story of a man driven to extremes by his ball-breaker of a wife.
Ka-Zar and Zabu also happen to be in it.
The woman is after Ka-Zar's Vibranium. I believe this is literally the Plunder Stone that was seen in Daredevil #14, which is why it's a sort-of unimpressive looking rock hidden behind a big wooden door. I also think this is the first time the Savage Land vibrating ore was referred to as "Vibranium", a word previously reserved for the Wakandan metal that actually resists vibrations. Going forward, we now have Savage Land Vibranium and Wakandan Vibranium.
Since this is reprinted in a code book, it's been edited to cover up nakedness (including an entire missing scene where Carla tries to seduce Ka-Zar but he just points to a whole gaggle of naked bathing beauties to show he's got his pick of women)...
...as well as drawing in clothes where necessary (sometimes awkwardly).
Buscema's art survives the recoloring and reduced size fairly well.
Astonishing Tales #14 also reprints a story about Jann of the Jungle...
...who never gets dirty, even when crawling around in the mud or fighting dinosaurs.
But hey, she does fight dinosaurs, and that's pretty awesome.
The Jann story is from Jungle Stories #2, Nov 54.
Quality Rating: C-
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this in the same gap between Astonishing Tales as Ka-Zar's appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #103-104.
References: N/A
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: Astonishing Tales #14
Inbound References (2): showCharacters Appearing: Ka-Zar, Zabu 1971 / Box 6 / Silver Age Previous:
Savage Tales #1 (Man-Thing)Up:
MainNext:
Marvel Comics Presents #164-167 (Man-Thing)
Comments
Between the Femizons, Ellen in the Man-Thing story and this story, it seems like the creators of Savage Tales really had issues with women.
I have no idea if Jann exists in the proper Marvel Universe. She had a cameo in What If?#9, so she obviously existed in that continuity, but I can't guess what non-reprint post-1950s book she may have appeared in.
The intended Ka-Zar story for Savage Tales#2 was actually printed before this in #9(and later reprinted uncensored in Savage Tales#5).
Love Ka-Zar's "Do you know who the hell I am?" toward Carla when she tries to throw herself on him.
