From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: The Rage (2007)

Posted on August 14, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to The Valley Of The Rage…oh wait, I mean Rotten Ink and for this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update we will be taking a look at the 2007 indie horror film The Rage that was created by FX man Robert Kurtzman and the Fangoria Comics series based around it. The Rage is one of those films that often gets over looked when it comes to direct to video horror films from this era as it slipped under the cracks, but it’s very cool that it ended up getting the comic book treatment and it’s about time it also gets the Rotten Ink treatment. So if you are ready, let’s dive into The Rage and see what this creepy infected humans undead twisted zombie film is all about!

Let’s start by taking a look at Dr. Viktor Vasilienko, a mad scientist that is working with The Rage Virus that turns people living and dead into deformed maniacs that have a lust for violence. He created the virus after he created a cure for cancer that was hidden away by his home country and never used by America who bought it as they wanted treatments not a cure, and this drove him into a madness. Dr. Vasilienko is from Russia and is a man who does not value human life any more, as he would rather take a life than save a life at this time all in his quest to control the virus he created as a plague. His lab is in the woods among a junkyard of cars, and he not only has his lab equipment but also his experiments that are infected people with the virus. When a normal person, he is not very threatening looking as he appears to be a very normal person, but when he is infected by The Rage virus, his appearance is ghastly as he gets bumps, sores and all his skin gets misshapen and gross looking causing his appearance to scare those who see him. Even when infected by The Rage Virus, good old Dr. Vasilienko retains his smarts and skills as his goal is to find a full cure for the virus, but he also has an idea to create a new race of people infected to make the world a different place. The infected Dr. Vasilienko is very strong and can toss a normal person around like a rag doll, he also can with stand lots of damage as being stabbed and burnt does not seem to bother him at all. He also can bite a person and in turn infect them with The Rage virus making this sickness spread. He also has minions that are like him, infected and very mean and dangerous with one being Gor, a massive blind flesh eater. The other is the little person The Misfit who sometimes dresses like a woman and loves to torture and kill his prey. Dr. Vasilienko also seems to love dealing out pain to his victims as well as his helpers as he is truly a madman now. But while the infected Dr. Vasilienko is strong, he still can be killed as if you destroy his brain he can no longer function and so ends his reign of terror. While Dr. Vasilienko and his Rage infected minions might not be the most dangerous villains we have ever covered, they still are very much dangerous as they love to kill and can infected the world with their bites.

Now that we have talked about Dr. Vasilienko and his infected minions, we should take a look at the film they are from and that of course is The Rage. Like always, I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and after that I will be writing about the film’s production and then about my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s dodge the infected vultures flying around and see what terrors await us in The Rage!

The Rage (2007)

“A crazed scientist experiments with a rage virus on innocent victims in a laboratory in the woods. When his monstrous subjects escape and vultures devour their remains, they became mutations seeking to feed on humans.”

The Rage is an indie horror film that was from the mind of FX Master Robert Kurtzman, who not only directed the film but also co-wrote the script with John Bisson that takes place in a small town in Ohio and a mad scientist that has raged filled experiments running wild all cause of a rage virus. The film had a low budget with it rumored to be around $200 thousand, and when casting such names as Erin Brown, Andrew Divoff, Reggie Bannister, Ryan Hooks, Rachel Scheer and Alan Tuskes being some of the leads. The film focused lots of its budget on practical effects as they created zombie people and animals and lots of blood was used. Once the film was done and ready for music, the score was done by The Midnight Syndicate and the band Mushroomhead did a few songs for the film. Screen Media would pick up the film for distribution, and it would be released on home media and would show at many Horror Conventions and Screenings. The film was making a small buzz among horror fans as the effects as well as Erin Brown were a draw for them to give it a view. But once released fully, it was met with very mixed reviews from both critics and fans who seemed to not like the film’s plot and found it to be messy. But over the years, the film has gained a cult following thanks mostly to the film being viewed with more modern eyes and it being enjoyed for it’s more over the top parts. The film in 2007 was released alongside such other horror films as 28 Weeks Later, P2, Trick ‘r Treat, I Am Legend, Paranormal Activity, Wrong Turn 2, Hills Have Eyes 2, Halloween, Teenape Goes To Camp and Inside, to name a few.

The film is one that I seen when released on DVD, and it was on my radar for a while thanks to the Fangoria Comic series, the fact that I would see the band The Midnight Syndicate all the time at Cinema Wasteland Convention as well as the fact I was a big fan of Erin Brown aka Misty Mundae…plus you can never go wrong with a strange undead creature feature that was said to be a bloodbath! After watching the film I was not disappointed as I found it to be a very fun ride that was filled with very cool zombie like creatures as well as some very solid practical effects. The one downside was some of the digital effects looked really cheesy, but to be fair in 2007 they still were being perfected in smaller budget films. Seeing actor Andrew Divoff in another role besides The Wishmaster was very cool as he played another messed up creature this time a mad scientist who is hell bent on destroying the world after they would not allow him to save it, as I am sure you guessed it, he plays Dr. Viktor Vasilienko and does a great job in the role. My favorite bad guy character is The Misfit who is a very strange character that dresses like a woman, talks weird, is very mean, likes to use knives and is one violent little person! I also like Gor, a massive blind raged filled infected person who wants to eat human flesh and make people dead! Sure some of the acting is also a little cheesy, but I for one think that it is very fitting for this film’s plot and helps add to the classic cult film feel. After all these years and watching this film again in 2023 for this review I still found myself a fan and wished that it would have gotten a sequel as it would have been cool to see the return of Dr. Viktor Vasilienko and see where the story would go next. While The Rage might not be for everyone, if you enjoy the 2000’s direct to video indie horror films, this is one you might find yourself enjoying like I do. I mean, who doesn’t love seeing zombie vultures attacking zombie humans?!

The Rage might not be a household name when it comes to horror films, but it is a very cool cult film that brings lots of splatter and some cool zombie effects and as zombie vultures attacking zombie people! We are now at the point of this update that I will review the comics based on the film, and in this case it was Fangoria Comics that made the comic series back when the film was released. I would like to thank Mavericks Cards And Comics for having this comic in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to thank Fangoria Magazine for making a comic branch that sadly they folded up way to soon due to poor management. And lastly I would like to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to the lab of Dr. Vasilienko and see who or what he has infected this time around. And on a side note, it has been a very long time since I first read these comics so it will be nice to revisit to see how I feel about them now.

Beneath The Rage # 1 ***
Released in 2007 Cover Price $3.99 Fangoria # 1 of 4

At an insane asylum in Guatemala, doctors and Agent Sadko watch as a man who has been infected by The Rage virus dies before their eyes in a very gruesome way. The man was Sadko’s husband and she would like to talk to the creator of the virus who is also an inmate named Dr. Viktor Vasilienko. Once in the room with Dr. Vasilienko who is chained up and in a straight jacket, she asks him to tell her about the virus, and he says if he tells her, it will cost her life. She blows off his threat and starts from the beginning. Dr. Vasilienko explains that at a young age both of his parents passed away from cancer and as he grew up he himself found a cure for it, but it was stolen by his home country and sold to pharmaceutical companies to buried it as he himself was locked away in a asylum. He escaped and later when messing with two cops sent to arrest him, he stumbled on a street that housed a place that showcased Circus Freaks and inside he meets Misfit a little person with ghastly features and learns from him that a witch cause him to be this way, and when a cop finds Dr. Vasilienko, it’s Misfit who saves him from being arrested by stabbing the cop in the back. Meanwhile the other cop who is looking through Dr. Vasilienko’s room triggers a trap that explodes and kills him. And then both Dr. Vasilienko and Misfit escape into the night and a twisted friendship is born.

This is such a fun issue as it really does a great job of going into the backstory of Dr. Vasilienko as well as shows his first meeting with his friend Misfit, not to even mention it starts off with a bang as we see a man vomit and poop out his insides all because of the Rage virus. The plot has an agent visiting the asylum that houses Dr. Vasilienko to learn about the virus he created and why he created something that if set loose would kill so many people very painfully, and he is willing to tell his tale. Dr. Vasilienko is a man who really just wanted to help save lives who turns bitter and cold when his country and the medical world turn on him for finding a cure for cancer, as they want to treat it to make more money. And with his Rage virus, he thinks that he is showing mankind his anger and this is his revenge on everyone who he thinks wronged him as well as stolen from him. Misfit is a foul person who has been cursed by a witch, is locked up and used in a sideshow due to his gross appearance and who is very blood thirsty and mean. Agent Sadko is there to do a job and needs to find out what she can about the Rage Virus, but she also really wants to kill Dr. Vasilienko as the man she watched die horribly was her husband…but she has a job to do and is trying to remain calm. I really like that this comic shows just how Dr. Vasilienko and Misfit meet as the two are a very odd couple together, but we all also know that the two will go on to do some pretty twisted stuff. The issue is packed with blood, guts and gore and holds true to the feel of the film it’s a prequel to. The cover is very eye catching and is done in the style of an old circus sideshow banner that would be in front of a tent. The interior art is done by Stephen Thompson and is really great stuff as the way he draws the gore is top notch. Plus he does a great job of making the characters look like the actors who played them. The first issue really held up for me, and I am very much looking forward to re-reading the second issue and see if it does as well.

Beneath The Rage # 2 ***
Released in 2007 Cover Price $3.99 Fangoria # 2 of 4

As they are walking, Dr. Vasilienko is getting more information from Misfit about the witch that placed this curse on him as her name is Solia The Eternal Queen and she lives in the jungle that is called The Valley Of Rage. But Dr. Vasilienko gets upset at Misfit after he kills a streetwalker for no reason, and makes Misfit promise to be his servant if he ever wants to be cured. The next day they go to a man named Gor, who sets them up to travel to the valley and their guide is a scumbag named Dirty Sanchez as he is the only one willing to take the gig. But Gor has set up Dr. Vasilienko, Misfit and Sanchez as he and the men he sends with them are all connected to Solia and he wants the three men to never make it out of the jungle…and the orders are understood. Once in the jungle, the group stumbles on a bunch of infected people on crosses, placed as a warning to those entering the valley and by mistake Sanchez shoots one in the head and this alerts the tribe that strangers are near. And worse, the group get captured when Gor’s man on the inside brings to life flesh eating zombies! While Gor himself is being forced to go to the jungle by Agent Sadko and Ivan, her husband, who are tracking down Dr. Vasilienko to bring him back to the asylum to face justice. As Dr. Vasilienko wakes up, he learns that Misfit has set him up as he is working with the Queen as she promised to cure him if he brought her a man of smarts.

The second issue is just as entertaining as the first and the plot thickens as Dr. Vasilienko and his band of weirdoes head into The Valley Of The Rage in order to find out the secrets of the virus. The Queen of a tribe created to make people into mindless monsters. But Dr. Vasilienko soon also finds out that he cannot trust his own “friends” as Misfit is working along side the Queen and lured him into the jungle. Dr. Vasilienko is driven by his quest for revenge as well as studding this new unknown virus, and he will kill and set up whoever stands in his way. Misfit is a crude man who loves killing and as well set up a group of people with the hopes of getting a cure for his illness from the person who cursed him. Meanwhile Gor is learning that while he was trying to do right by the Queen, he soon will find himself being tested as he is being forced back to the jungle by the Russian agents that are after the Doctor. What is bad for Dirty Sanchez as well is that he and other men are being used as pawns in this sick game of power as many of them are losing their lives for other people’s gains. The big plot details in this issue that come to light is that Misfit was ordered by The Queen to bring her a smart person and that Gor and his right hand man are working for The Queen as well. The issue has lots of death that includes blood, guts and gore and will please horror comic readers who love the red stuff all over the panels. The cover is pretty great and has Dr. Vasilienko, Misfit and Dirty Sanchez surrounded by rage-infected zombies. The interior artwork by Stephen Thompson is great stuff again, and truly he understands the mood and nature of the characters as well as the world of The Rage. Over all another solid issue that brings scares and gore to horror readers who enjoy the film The Rage.

Beneath The Rage # 3 ***
Released in 2007 Cover Price $3.99 Fangoria # 3 of 4

Dr. Vasilienko and his men as prisoners head deep into the cave kingdom and witness a man’s soul being taken as a tribute to allow them inside and closer to the Queen. Dr. Vasilienko also notices that there are some members of this tribe who are more mutated and are begging for death as they have all become immortal but the mushroom that helps them has been less affective on some and that is why he has been called on as they hope he can find a way to help these more mutated men and women. In a short time Dr. Vasilienko, along with Misfit and Dirty Sanchez, are brought to see Solia The Eternal Queen who rejects them all as she says they are insane and would poison their god with their madness if he were to drain their knowledge. She does however vomit into the mouth of Dr. Vasilienko given him some of her knowledge so he can understand the virus and how its made and effects. Later Dirty Sanchez is chosen to make love to the Queen as behind her back some of her men are going to allow their God to take the thoughts and knowledge of Dr. Vasilienko, but things go wrong as Dr. Vasilienko’s madness effects the God that shakes and causes the cave to crumble. Meanwhile Gor has been taken by the rage and is attacking and killing the Russians that have entered the jungle with him.

Sadly this third issue was the final issue released in print as Fangoria Comics would close up for the first time and that made this story end on a cliffhanger and for us horror comic readers to not know how the story ends. In this issue, Dr. Vasilienko is taken to see the Queen and shares his knowledge and madness and in turn gets his own reward of getting knowledge passed into him. And while Dr. Vasilienko is a bad guy who has allowed his anger to take over his want to help the world, he still is clearly a man of science as he wants to understand this virus and get a cure for it…but still has ideas to use it against his enemies once he can master it. Misfit as well is a true scumbag who plays both sides of the fence and will take a life and do horrible things to the body afterwards. Dirty Sanchez is just a dirt bag that treats ladies poorly and took this guide gig of taking Dr. Vasilienko into the jungle for money. Agent Sadko, Ivan and the Russian soldiers are also dangerous, but they are on a mission to stop Dr. Vasilienko as they know that his madness could do the world harm. But the true evil of this issue is Solia The Eternal Queen and all her followers as they are all killers, cannibals, zombies, infected and all take lives with zero remorse, and worse they are immortal and some are in constant pain…they are just terrible people who only care about themselves. The fact that they are cannibals and love the taste of flesh and enjoy chopping up people makes them truly scary monsters. The issue has lots of splatter like the past two issues and this is a great thing for fans of the film, as truly I think this comic does justice to the film it’s based on and the creators involved all did great work. It’s a true shame that Fangoria at the time could not get their act together and pulled the plug before almost any of their comic series were finished, and I truly think that it would be awesome of the new owners of the classic Horror Magazine would reopen the comic branch as well. The cover for this issue is pretty creepy and has Dr. Vasilienko in a room surrounded by weird rage filled infants as a soul is being dangled in front of him. Like with the other two issues, artist Stephen Thompson did the interiors and does a fantastic job as I really do like the way he draws the gore an the characters like Misfit and Gor once he rages out…and yes, I get the vibe Gor when normal was based off Tor Johnson. Over all Beneath The Valley Of The Rage was a great comic series based around the indie horror film The Rage as it helped flush out the backstories for many of the film’s bad guy characters, it really is a shame that Fangoria Comics dropped the ball by not finishing all their comics before closing up shop and its even more a shame that Scream Factory would release the final issue as a digital release only in the day when like .1% of comic readers bought digital. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Stephen Thompson in this series.

As I was saying above, Fangoria Comics would close shop in 2007 and would do so in the middle of their mini series never giving readers the stories conclusions…this reminds me of Star Comics the kid branch of Marvel Comics that use to cancel series with no warning. And while it was cool that Scream Factory did release the missing issue digitally, it would have been nice to have print copies as I have stated back most comic readers did not read digital at this time and most horror comic readers enjoy their comics physical. But sadly so much time as passed and with Fangoria changing ownership hands many times over the years and with no sign that Fangoria Comics will every make a return, I fear that the time to get a printed version of Beneath The Valley Of The Rage # 4 has long passed and with no digital versions floating around the internet, this one is just lost to time. However here is a look at what the cover looked like for the Scream Factory release.

The Rage was truly a great pick for Fangoria to give the comic book treatment as the characters from the film had such weird personalities that needed to be explored, and this comic did just that by showcasing their backstories. I truly miss Fangoria Comics as they along with companies like Topps Comics, Dead Dog Comics and IDW is what made me fall in love with reading comics again back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. And in these modern times I hope that Blood Scream Comics is a publisher that has made it a fun and spooky for some of you. But our time with Dr. Vasilienko and his Rage Virus has come to an end, so I think that its time for me to tell you all that our next update will be about the slasher film The Tripper that was directed by David Arquette. So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror movie or two and as always support your local horror host. See you next update for a killer good time with a psycho wearing a Ronald Reagan mask!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Nightbreed (1990)

Posted on March 23, 2026 by bloodlinematt

Welcome to Rotten Ink and to a “From Horror Movie To horror Comic” update. This time around we will be talking about a film made by Clive Barker based on one of his novels that has had a very strange history of being released and would end up becoming a big cult favorite for many horror fans. That film of course is Nightbreed! And what is really cool is that Marvel Comics via their Epic Comics line released not only an adaptation of the film but also turned it into a ongoing series that ran alongside their Hellraiser series as for a time Clive Barker was a big part of Marvel Comics as he would also end up doing his own superhero style comics for them. Really Nightbreed has been on my list for way too long, as this is a film that I love as well as a comic series I truly enjoyed as a youngster. So if you are ready, let’s head to Midian where the monsters are as this is going to be one Epic Comic update!

Let’s start by taking a look at The Nightbreed also called The Tribes Of The Moon a group of the monsters, freaks and killers of the world that live together in Midian and who follow the laws of their God called Baphomet who offers them protection and guidance. There are many different types of Nightbreed and each have their different ways of dealing death! Some have sharp claws and teeth that can rip through flesh! Others have strength and can rip a person in pieces or even punch through their bodies! Others have horns that can impale while others can turn into a smoke or mist and can choke out or even explode a person. Some others uses knives or sharp objects to end lives while some even have poisoned quills that enter your blood stream and induce death. Many of The Nightbreed also have very strange and monstrous appearances and this makes humans afraid of them and can chill their blood and bones. Boone is the leader of The Nightbreed and has been chosen to be Cabal and lead the Breed to a new home, when around blood and death he turns into a beast that is violent. Kinski has a half moon face and is very skilled with knives. Peloquin looks like a monster with dreadlocks that has sharp teeth and claws, and a very bad attitude. Shuna Sassi is a porcupine woman who is covered in poisonous quills. Leroy Gomm is a breed member that has tentacles that come from his belly and have claws and eyeballs on the end of them. Lude is a devil with blue skin and Lyesberg has cuts on his face and is the one who speaks the laws of their God. Narcisse has part of the skin on his head removed and is skilled with thumb blades. Ohnaka is a normal looking man with some tattoos and has a pet dog. Rachel and her young daughter Babette are shape shifters. Kushnir Day is a hog faced man who plays drums on the walls to warn others. Mexico is a creature with arms coming out of his long neck. Otis And Clay have two faces and share the same body. The Berserkers are uncontrollable monsters who love to kill. Those are just some of The Nightbreed that make up the Tribe and live in Midian. But while they are monsters and are “undead,” they do have weaknesses as many can be killed by sun light while others can die like any normal living thing as they can be shot, stabbed, burned, drowned, crushed and so on. They all also have a craving to eat human flesh, and this can cause them to make mistakes and lead to their own deaths. Many are also very peaceful and people’s fear and hatred make them targets for deadly attacks. They are also bound to the law of Baphomet and this at times does not allow them to fight back. While The Nightbreed are monsters and can be very dangerous, they are not the true killers of this film as they just want to be left alone and live in Midian.

The main killer is Dr. Decker, a psychiatrist who uses his status as well as own thoughts to kill and ruin people’s lives. When at work Dr. Decker is a kind acting man who seems to have his patients best wishes in heart, but really he is learning about your fears and darkest thoughts in order to use them against you and make you think you’re insane and his crimes are ones you did. He also makes his own hallucination drugs and passes them off as real medication to once more get into the minds of his patients. He also seems to be able to talk his way into making law enforcement believe his words that he spews in order to set people up for his crimes. But really Dr. Decker is a masked serial killer who kills whole families as he thinks that mankind is just filth creating filth and that bloodlines and procreation needs to end. His mask is very freaky in nature as it has buttons for eyes and a zipper for a mouth, and this alone is terrifying for his victims. His main tools of killing are his knives that he uses to slash, cut, stab and slit his victims skin until they are dead. He is very cold blooded and gets joy in killing the families as well as placing fear into his victims before they die. But Dr. Decker is just a man so that means he can be killed like any normal person so that means being stabbed, shot, burnt, crushed and all other manor of death will end his life. He is also a coward as when he is about to face death he begs for his life to be spared, and then will try and sneak attack you. He also is the type that will get others to do some of his dirty work. Dr. Decker is a true scumbag and is a killer that loves what he does to his victims and this makes him very deadly.

Now that we have talked about both The Nightbreed as well as Dr. Decker and all their ways of dealing death, we should now take a look at the film they are from! And like always I will be taking the film’s plot from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production and then my thoughts. So if you are ready, let’s travel deeper into Midian and see what The Nightbreed are all about.

Nightbreed (1990)

“A troubled young man is drawn to a mythical place called Midian where a variety of friendly monsters are hiding from humanity. Meanwhile, a sadistic serial killer is looking for a patsy.”

Through the 1980’s writer Clive Barker was one of the biggest faces in horror as he had written many books that became major hits with fans and in films he had hits with Hellriaser (1987) (which he directed) as well as its sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) not to even mention Rawhead Rex from 1986. And after these films the next story on his list to get the film treatment was Cabal that in film world would be called Nightbreed. At first Barker had the idea that it would be three films before settling on just one, and originally Mark Frost would write the film’s first screenplay and then Clive Barker would step in and do it himself as well as he would direct. The film would get an $11 million budget with Morgan Creek Productions coming on board and being the ones who wanted Nightbreed as the film’s title. Clive Barker had big plans for this film and truly thought that it would be a mega hit and would spark a full franchise! So when it came to hiring such names as David Cronenberg, Craig Sheffer, Anne Bobby, Doug Bradley, Hugh Ross, Oliver Parker, Nicholas Vince, Christine McCorkindale, Catherine Chevalier and many more made up the large cast. The film would be a crazy one filmed on soundstages and on location with lots of effects being used for The Nightbreed themselves with even the film’s cinematographer having some issues with Cronenberg. Once done the film would have some test screenings that issued re-shoots and then the film’s cut was way to long and had to have lots of stuff cut and removed causing issues as Barker was upset by this as was the film’s original editor who quit in protest. Once set Danny Elfman would come in and score the film and after several release changes the film finally hit theaters on February 16, 1990, and the film had a terrible promotion behind it as they sold it more as a slasher film in trailers and TV ads and released a lackluster poster not to even mention that they would not allow critics to see the film before its release as they insulted horror film viewers saying they never read reviews. The film was meet with mixed reviews from critics and mostly positive from moviegoers and sadly the film would not do great at the box office as it would only make around $16 million worldwide. And over the years the fans would want to see the “Cabal” and “Directors” cuts of the film, and after bootleg versions floating around on the grey market it would be released by Scream Factory on Blu-Ray. The film has a big cult following and even spawned comic series and video games. In 1990 Nightbreed was released alongside such other horror films as Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Child’s Play 2, Tremors, Arachnophobia, Tales From The Dark Side, Frankenhooker, Gremlins 2, Troll 2, The Willies, Predator 2, Demon Wind, Blood Salvage and Misery to name a few. And this was just a quick crash course of the making of this film as it is way deeper and weirder than I can explain!

My first memory of Nightbreed was seeing the film’s poster hanging in a video rental store and seeing all the different Breed on it and knowing I had to see this film and know more about them all! It would be a short while before I finally got to see the film. It was thanks to my brother who got it for me on VHS one year for my birthday that I was finally able to see it and I was a fan from the start as I loved the world of Midian. All the different characters captured my imagination, and I was a big fan of Peloquin as he was a Breed who seemed to be a rebel and not truly care about the law set for them and was just kind of an a-hole to everyone. I also really liked Shuna Sassi as she was both spooky and sexy and her powers of being like a porcupine and shooting poisonous quills at her victims was awesome. Not to mention that The Berserkers were awesome and killing machines that I wish they would have shown more of. The part that surprised me the most was that the film also very much had a slasher element to it as Dr. Decker under his button eyed mask truly was a cold blooded killer who would massacre whole families in his quest to stop the filth from populating. And while I know many fans enjoy the Cabel cut, I like the theatrical cut as it was the one I grew up watching and I find it to have a faster pace, and yes, the cuts in this version do make some parts confusing and I get that is why people dislike this cut of the film. And much like many of the horror films I had seen, I can remember drawing The Nightbreed in art class and getting good remarks not just from the teacher, but also my fellow classmates. During my youth and teen years Clive Baker was one of my favorite writers and creators as his films based on his writings like Hellraiser, Nightbreed, Lord Of Illusions and Rawhead Rex were always being watched by me and my friends when we would be hanging out. Over the years I have watched this film many times and I have always stayed a fan as I find even after all these years, this film just holds up both in the special effects as well as the story over all. If you have never seen this film, make sure to do so, as I am sure you will very much enjoy it.

Nightbreed is one of those films that might have suffered from the studio sticking their fingers into filming and production, but to be honest I really do like the theatrical version! We are now at the point of this update that we take a look at the comic series that was made by Epic Comics, and I would first like to thank Bell Book And Comic, Lone Star Comics and Game Swap Kettering for having these comics in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to thank Hal and The Bookie Parlor for introducing me to this comic series in my younger years. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you are ready, let’s enter Midian and see what The Monsters are up to.

Nightbreed # 1 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $1.95 Epic Comics # 1 of 25

Boone and Lori are in love, and for Boone she changed his life as at one point he wanted to commit suicide and almost did so. Now he has here a good job and only has to meet with his doctor one last time! That night a masked man enters a family of four’s house and kills them all with a big knife, the killer likes feeding off the victims fear and he feels like he is making a difference in his own twisted way. The cops are frustrated when these bodies are found and want to find who the killer is, while Boone calls Lori to say sorry for not coming to her concert that night as she is a singer. Boone goes to his last appointment with Dr. Decker and is told that he might be blacking out and committing these murders…he then decides to kill himself by jumping in front of a truck. Boone wakes up in the hospital and finds that the pills his Doctor gave him were illegal drugs, and he also meets Narcisse who speaks of Midian, the place that is said to be were the monsters go, where your sins are forgiven…a place that has haunted Boone’s thoughts for years! Narcisse to prove that he should be in Midian removes part of his face, and in the chaos Boone escapes the hospital as Decker and the cops now think Boone is the killer and Narcisse is questioned on his deathbed. Boone drives for a very long time and is drawn to a ghost town’s massive cemetery as this has to be Midian and while looking around he meets Peloquin and Kinski, and they alert him that he has not killed anyone and he is not welcomed there. Peloquin ends up attacking Boone as he wants to eat him! As Boone makes it out of the cemetery, he, the police and Decker are there and he is being arrested for the killings that he did not commit, and Decker gets the cops to shoot and kill Boone when he claims he has a gun…that he doesn’t.

This is such a great start for the Nightbreed comic series from Epic Comics as this of course is an adaptation of the film, well the first part of the adaptation that follows Boone, a man who had some mental issues who has gotten better all because of finding true love as well as getting help from his doctor, but soon he is blamed for a series of killings and now wants to die again and go to a place called Midian where the monsters go and all the sins of killers and criminals are forgiven…but soon Boone finds that his Doctor does not want to truly help him but is using him by giving him harmful mind altering drugs and even sets him up to be shot and killed by the cops! Aaron Boone is a good man who has clearly had a rough life growing up as he went into foster care, had mental issues, tried to take his own life and now is being set up for murders that he did not commit. And worse, it’s clear that his very own Doctor is the one setting him up with the cops and is trying to ruin his life and break his mind even more. Lori is his loving girlfriend who is a singer at clubs and tries her best to let Boone know that she is there for him. Dr. Decker is a very sneaky man as he is “caring” to law enforcement as well as his patients, but really he is a cold blooded killer who is playing a sick game to find the place called Midian, a city that is for monsters, killers and criminals. We get to meet two of the Nightbreed in this issue and that’s the half moon faced Kinski who carries a knife and tries to save Boone, and Peloquin, a monster with sharp teeth, claws who craves meat and wants to kill Boone who was foolish enough to stumble into their city. The issue ends with a big cliffhanger as Boone is shoot dead by the police and it was Decker who caused this event. The comic is really doing justice to the film it’s based on and even adds a little more story to the relationship between Boone and Lori. The comic has blood and violence and some of the kills will please fans of the red stuff in their comics. The cover art is really cool and eye catching as it shows Dr. Decker with his massive knife and behind him is flesh with a Nightbreed citizen looking at him via a hole. The interior art is good and done by Jim Baikie who has a creepy dark nature to his style. I also think he does a pretty good job of very loosely making the characters look like the actors who played them…I will say that his Peloquin is a little odd. Over all a great first issue and I enjoyed reading this again after all these years.

Nightbreed # 2 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $1.95 Epic Comics # 2 of 25

Boone’s body is taken to the morgue as Lori is called in and interviewed by the cops and Dr. Decker and she does not believe their story that he was a killer…and like that, Boone’s body is taken and now missing from the morgue to everyone’s horror. Lori heads to a local bar and meets Sheryl and the two quickly become friends with Lori telling her all about Boone and Midian, and Sheryl agrees to drive Lori there the next morning. As the two ladies arrive at Midian, they are both puzzled why Boone would have visited a ghost town like this and as Lori heads to the old cemetery, Sheryl stays by the car in the rundown town and that is when Dr. Decker appears. Meanwhile in the cemetery Lori finds a creature in pain from the sun and takes the creature to a woman who is inside a crypt and she watches as the creature turns into a little girl and that is when she meets Rachel and her daughter Babette as well as Lyesberg, the lawgiver of the Nightbreed and Ohnaka who all are grateful but also warn her that she must not share what she as seen as it would be very dangerous for The Nightbreed…and she tries to follow them back into their underground world but is chased off and once back at the car she finds the mutilated body of Sheryl and the masked killer is there now and wants to kill Lori as the masked killer is Dr. Decker and he wants to find Midian as well as Boone! Lori runs to the cemetery, and just as Decker is about to kill her, she is saved by both Boone and Narcisse as they are both Nightbreed now and both have issues with Decker who blames the mask for his killing ways. And worse they allow Decker to escape and he now knows the location of Midian, and Boone and Lori leeave but the Nightbreed in danger. Boone is banned from Midian on the words of Lyesberg, but he decides to speak to Baphomet, a demon who is the creator of this underground city and who is the most powerful of Nightbreed, and foolishly Lori tries to follow and meets many of the different “people” that make up the city…and with that Boone and Lori are kicked out of Midian and Decker sets them up at a near by hotel by killing people and then making the cops come and Boone is arrested by the police and Lori is able to escape.

The adaptation continues with issue two as we now follow Boone who comes back from the dead and ends up being accepted as a Nightbreed and into Midian, but when Lori comes to find him they put them all in danger as she was followed by Decker who has now got the law to come with him to kill attack the underground city. And because all of this Boone and Lori have been banned from Midian and are set up in a hotel by the crazed doctor for more murders, and Boone is now arrested and Lori has to be on the run. Boone comes back from the dead and is now something more as the smell and sight of blood turns him into a monster of sorts as he has a hunger for both blood and human meat! But while Boone is now a proud civilian of Midian, he puts them all in great danger over Lori and even allows Decker to escape the cemetery all because of once more Lori…she is kind of the key that brings down this safe city for the monsters of the world, plus she is the one who leads Decker to Midian as well as gets her new friend Sheryl killed. Dr. Decker is once more up to his killing ways as he slaughters those in his way and he is using their deaths as traps to get his true targets to do what he wants. Decker as well again uses his smooth nature to trick those in law into thinking he is good and then showing his true evil nature to those he wants to torment. The Nightbreed we meet this issue are Lyesberg, the strike law giver of Midian, shape shifter mother and daughter Rachel and Babette, tattooed nice guy Ohnaka, the removed faced Narcisse, the crazed monsters that have to be kept locked up The Berserkers and lastly Baphomet the demon and creator of Midian. The issue’s cliffhanger ending is Boone being arrested, Lori on the run and Decker getting police offers ready to attack Midian! The issue has some blood as well as violence and the cover is pretty cool and has the Berserkers trying to grab Lori. The interior art is done by Jim Baikie and is pretty good stuff as once more I like the way he draws the kills as well as The Nightbreed! Another great issue and let’s see what issue three has in store for us.

Nightbreed # 3 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $1.95 Epic Comics # 3 of 25

Boone is beaten up in jail and when a doctor checks on him, they are all puzzled as he should be dead as he has no pulse but is walking and talking. Officers are also on their way to look around the cemetery as Lori has a mind visit from Babette who warns her that she feels something very bad is about to happen. Meanwhile in the cemetery the cops find Ohnaka and drag him out into the sun where they beat him, but sadly the sun also makes him burn and explode killing him and giving the cops the message that there are monsters living under this cemetery, and when the cops return to their cars they find them on fire as Rachel and Narcisse are heading to the jail to save Boone. The cops in town have also got locals armed up with all types of guns, knives, flame throwers, holy water and even bring Reverend Ashberry with them just in case they need the word of God on their side and they head out to start a slaughter at Midian. Meanwhile Narcisse and Rachel find Lori, and they get to the jail and save Boone from his cell and they all head back to Midian to help their fellow Nightbreed. While at the cemetery Reverend Ashberry tries to stop the attack as he feels that the land is holy ground and that they might be angels after he sees a flying Nightbreed. The cops ignore him as they have gas and bombs set all around. Boone arrives in time and tells The Nightbreed that they must fight in order to survive and that they will also leave this place once this fight is over, as the women and children are being taken to safety they also start getting ready to move the massive, powerful demon Baphomet. The bombs are set off and many Nightbreed are injured and killed as their pain fills the air Reverend Ashberry is shocked with horror as he sees the chaos and pain all around him. Meanwhile Dr. Decker is getting his mask and knife ready for this slaughter.

The adaptation continues as this issue’s plot has Boone getting rescued from jail and having to return to Midian to try and get the Nightbreed ready to fight as they are under attack from cops as well as town people, and worse many of the Nightbreed are killed in the first attack that is bombs being set off all around the cemetery. In jail, Boone is a broken man as he feels terrible about eating some flesh at the hotel and its only the love of Lori is what drives to him to fight and lead The Nightbreed into a war with those humans that want to kill them all. And Lori herself learns to deal with the fact Boone is a monster now and even has a deeper bond with young Babette who she shares vision and thoughts with. Dr. Decker in this issue is stirring the pot as he wants Midian and all The Nightbreed to be killed off, we also find that he truly is crazy and that the mask talks to him and is the side of his personality that wants to spill lots of blood. We also meet Reverend Ashberry in this issue, a drunk man who once at Midian and knows what the law is doing is wrong, but is powerless to stop them as he is tossed around by the rude police chief. Rachel and Narcisse are heroes as they are the ones that risk their own lives to go into the city, attack police and save Boone for him jail cell as they know that they are going to need him in this fight with the humans. And poor old Ohnaka is killed by the cops as they drag him into the sunlight and watch him explode, and seem fine with what they did to a man who did nothing to them. We do know that The Nightbreed are going to fight back against the humans and many have been sent away to hide as this battle is going to get very bloody and many will die, they even are thinking about freeing the Berserkers to help even though they are uncontrollable. And in this issue I really found myself cheering for The Nightbreed as the 99% of the human characters are just such terrible people and all they want is to be left alone and not hated, hunted and be killed because they are different. The issue has some blood and kills with many of The Nightbreed being killed during the bomb explosions. One thing that is puzzling me is that many of the classic characters of Midian have been downplayed or are just missing all together with both Peloquin and Kinski being around just for a few panels in issue 1 and favorites like Shuna Sassi, Leroy Gomm, Lude, Kushnir Day, Otis & Clay, Annastasjia and so many other not even appearing yet making it puzzling why so many are missing from these comics as they could even at least appear in the background…maybe some of them are in the background and I just missed them, possible I guess. The cover is cool and has Narcisse attacking a cop and like before, Jim Baikie did the interior art and did a good job of bringing the feel and look of these characters to these comic pages. So with that, let’s see how issue four wraps up the adaptation part of this series.

Nightbreed # 4 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $1.95 Epic Comics # 4 of 25

As Narcisse gets the kids out of the city and to safety, Boone tries to get the others to fight back as Peloquin goes on the attack and brings down a whole police car filled with cops. Others are not doing so well as the are being gunned down by the cops and the redneck posse there to kill anyone from Midian! Lyesberg is hurt and has his leg broken, but makes his way to set free The Berserkers as Lori is being stalked and even stabbed by Dr. Decker who has put on his mask and wants to kill her so badly. In the underground city many of the Nightbreed are being killed including Lyesberg before he can free The Berserkers while above Boone drops the sheriff and Reverend Ashberry follows him as he see what is going on is wrong and just plain murder. Boone gets to the cell and sets The Berserkers free who end up killing the invaders in brutal ways, meanwhile Dr. Decker kills Narcisse by cutting his head off and is still chasing down Lori. Boone finds out where she is thanks to Babette, and he and Decker finally have a showdown to the death…and it’s Decker who dies by one of his own blades. Boone then is called by a dying Baphomet who tells him that he must make his wrongs right and that is to rebuild Midian and bring back together the remaining Nightbreed as he his no longer Boone but is now called Cabal. As the underground city of Midian crumbles it’s Nightbreed like Kinski and Mexico that are saving the parts of Baphomet so that they can reform him in their new home. Lori and Boone stand on a hill watching as Midian burns and when Boone alerts her she can not come with him and The Nightbreed, she uses one of Deckers knives to try and end her life, and Boone is forced to bite her and turn her into one of The Nightbreed and now they can be together forever. While a now burned and crazed Reverend Ashberry who became this way at the hands of Baphomet wants revenge of The Nightbreed and even chokes and kills the injured sheriff before laughing like a madman. While the moon is still in the sky Rachel, Babette, Kinski and the remaining Nightbreed hide out in a barn waiting for Boone who is Cabal to come to them and lead them to their next city.

This is the action packed final issue in the adaptation of Nightbreed, and it is one heck of a fun read as the plot of this issue is the war between The Law and their posse of redneck locals against Boone and The Nightbreed! And along this battle Boone becomes the chosen one and his named is changed to Cabal; he is also finally able to kill Decker and The Nightbreed get a new enemy in Reverend Ashberry who was burnt and disfigured by Baphomet who is having himself dismantled in order to come back to the next version of Midian. Boone in this issue truly embraces his inner Nightbreed as he goes full monster and even leads the fellow Nightbreed into fighting as well as saves the lives of many of the women and children. Boone is truly the hero of the story even if he is also the cause of all these deaths as well as the destruction of Midian because of Lori and allowing Decker to escape the cemetery. Lori tries to help The Nightbreed as she is the one who truly gets Boone fired up and to become the leader he needed to be, but she is also the drama queen who stabs herself in order to become a Nightbreed as well as takes a few minutes of Boone’s time in jail by having sex with him while The Nightbreed are in trouble. Dr. Decker truly is a crazed slasher serial killer who once he puts on the mask becomes hungry to spill human blood, but his ego and insane mind is also what does him in as Boone kills him with his own knife. Decker is also the scumbag who alerts the local law about the people of Midian and the monsters that live there and leads to many of their deaths. Speaking of The Nightbreed, we do see many of them fighting and trying to save others as well as many die with Narcisse losing his life fighting Decker while trying to protect Lori. Peloquin and Rachel also fight the attackers with The Berserkers being the game changer as they massacre many and scare off the remaining. And in this issue the other Nightbreed we see are Baphomet, Mexico, Lyesberg and Kinski among a few others that are in the background. I will say that while much of this comic adaptation is different from the film version, I found myself being a fan of it as it feels the same and yet also like a new “what if” version of events. I still very much am disappointed in the lack of many of the classic Nightbreed characters, as they seem to have been cut out of the comic totally in order to make more room for the love story of Boone and Lori. The comic does have blood and violence with heads being cut off and lots of people being shot. The cover for the issue is cool as it showcases one of The Berserkers so fans of monsters will dig it. Jim Baikie did the comic’s interior artwork, and again I really did like his style, while some of the characters don’t look like they should his art does capture some of the dark tones and mood of this subject. Well the adaptation aspect of this series is over and now it will start original stories with The Nightbreed characters, so if you are ready, let’s see what Boone and the others have in store for us.

Nightbreed # 5 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 5 of 25

Mulciber is leading a band of Nightbreed (Dagon, Piglet, Oral and Aello) around a small town robbing gas stations and stealing money as well as people’s IDs. But at one gas station the old man who is making chili for the hotdogs tomorrow is able to get the police after the band has robbed him, and the Sheriff and his deputy head out in to the woods after them…big mistake. The bird man creature Mulciber takes out the sheriff easily and begins to eat him while the beautiful Aello uses her charms to trick the deputy in to making love to her before she shows she has wings and lifts him into the sky and drops him to his death as the group eat him. They also head back to the police car and end up killing the old gas station worker. While at a farmhouse a female Nightbreed with purple hair lures the farmer into a barn where the head of Baphomet pours into his mind all the wrong doing that has happened to them in the Midian attacks, and after the farmer breaks, the two Nightbreed set off for a new location. Meanwhile Boone, Lori and Kinski give chase and bring down a group of drug sellers as one is wearing a necklace that was made by Nickneven, an old witch Nightbreed that Boone wants to talk to as she might have a location that could be the new Midian.

There is a lot going on in this fifth issue as we are now setting up what is to come as Boone and the Nightbreed with him are looking for a new home so that they can all live in peace, while Mulciber and his Nightbreed are running wild robbing and eating people as they are sick of having to hide. All the while it seems that Baphomet’s head is being carried around and he as well wants to find a new home for them all but is also teaching humans what they have done to his kind over the centuries is just not right. Boone in the issue seems to not like his new name of Cabal as he does not want to be called that and it appears that he has built a close friendship up with Kinski as the two work well together in order to bring down some drug pushers as well as get the information from them that they need to find the witch. Mulciber, the bird like humanoid is more about eating human flesh and no longer living in fear and it is clear that he and most of his followers do not have any respect for Boone as they are on a path of truly breaking the rules of Baphomet and doing what they want to do in the world. And this makes you wonder just how long will it be before we get a clash between Boone and his Nightbreed friends against Mulciber and his Nightbreed! The issue has some blood and violence and this will please fans of horror comics that like the red stuff. I like that the story of this issue really does keep the idea that a new Midian has to be found and Boone who is a hero is still very new to being one and wants to do right, but also seems a little annoyed about all the pressure he is under to do so. The cover for this issue is pretty dang cool as it shows Mulciber so for those of you wondering what he looks like just take a look at the cover. The art in this issue is really good and is done by two artists, Jackson Guice and Alfred Ramirez, and I really like how they draw Mulciber as he looks really cool. Over all another great issue in the series and really makes you look forward to seeing what happens in the next issue.

Nightbreed # 6 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 6 of 25

Frederick Oakaley is an escaped killer and sexual predator who meets his fate at the hands of young girl Tatar who is the niece of the witch Nickneven as she waits for Boone and Lori who finally show up and are taken to see the witch. As they make their way to her house, Boone has a flashback to the words that Baphomet told him about being the chosen one and being Cabal the one that will bring The Nightbreed into the world that they will no longer have to hide in. Boone and Nickneven have a heated chat as the old witch seems to be playing with the mood of Boone before telling him that she will work on getting him a lead on a new promised land for The Nightbreed, and with that Lori and Boone stay at a sleazy motel while they wait for the lead. Meanwhile Mulciber and his group arrive at a small diner and decide that it’s dinnertime and attack, kill and eat the men inside. And after this slaughter Mulciber decides that he needs to kill Boone to prevent the return of Baphomet as he is having too much fun running wild and slaughtering humans for their meat. And back at the hotel as Boone and Lori are in bed, they get visited by Kinski, Guido and Narcisse and this angers Boone who turns full monster on them and is looking for a fight!

The saga of Boone fighting the label of Cabal and trying to find a new home for The Nightbreed continues as he goes to talk to an old witch about a possible lead on a land that they can live, plus he also gets fired up and wants to fight Kinski over coming to his hotel room to warn him of trouble. While Boone is clearly the hero for The Nightbreed, at times he acts like a teenager who has an attitude and wants to be a smart ass to anyone who even remotely makes him frustrated. Plus it’s kind of odd as he has really stepped away from wanting to be a hero for The Nightbreed as before he is the one that lead many to safety and even fought to protect them during the massacre, and he also seems to forget that all of this is Lori’s and his fault. The old witch Nickneven and her granddaughter Tater seem very wise, but are also very much the type to purposely get under your skin, we will have to see if she comes up with a place for them to checkout. Meanwhile Mulciber and his crew are becoming more and more blood thirsty as they keep killing and eating people and his hatred for both Boone and Baphomet seems to keep growing. Kinski, the half moon faced Nightbreed member, is clearly trying to keep Boone focused, but by doing so it seems he is also making the “Cabal” mad. Narcisse has some how returned from the dead as the last time we had seen him is when Dr. Decker chopped off his head…how did he come back, no explanation is given. The issue is also a clear build to the showdown between Boone and Mulciber and also acts as a way to show the building tension between Boone and The Nightbreed over all. The one thing about this series so far that is puzzling is that almost every issue has a different creative team working on them so that means characters are drawn and colored different, their attitudes oddly change as does the pacing…and while a little distracting, I am still finding myself enjoy each issue this far. Plus while it makes zero sense, I am glad to see Narcisse return to the comics as he is a super weird character. The cover is good and shows Piglet, and the interior artwork is done by Brett Blevins this time around and is pretty good stuff. Over all another good issue that furthers the plot of Boone on his quest to find the promise land for The Nightbreed after his selfish actions caused their old cities downfall.

Nightbreed # 7 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 7 of 25

After a quick fight between Boone and Kinski, cooler heads prevail when Lori steps in and Narcisse turns on the TV and they watch a news report about the massacre at the diner, and Boone is told this is the work of members of The Nightbreed and they must be stopped as they broke the law of Baphomet. Meanwhile Mulciber and his men have arrived at the motel and taken out the manager with the idea of asking Boone to join then and if he says no, then they will kill him. The bad Nightbreed break into Boone’s room and take Lori hostage, and once they all go outside Mulciber tries to get Boone to eat human meat and become one of them, but he refuses and fights Muliciber and this allows Kinski, Narcisse, Lori and Guido to as well fight back, and on the losing end Muliciber makes an escape but leaves his crew behind to get beat up for a bit before as well rescuing them for the retreat. All the while a man named Allen watches The Nightbreed fight and is drawn to them as he sees The Nightbreed as Gods. As Boone and his Nightbreed leave the motel, the police show up as does the Sheriff who lead the massacre at Midian, Eigerman, and with him is Reverend Ashberry as they are hunting down Boone for their revenge. While Mulciber and his crew hideout in an abandoned movie theater, they are visited by Allen who tells them if they make him a member of The Nightbreed he will help them kill Boone!

Boone is loosing control of himself as the Cabal side of him is lashing out and is filled with a beast like anger that causes him to lash out at even those Nightbreed that are on his side. And the plot of this issue is Boone finding out that Muliciber and his crew are going around killing and eating people and this brings lots of bad vibes for The Nightbreed as if they are discovered they will think they are all man eaters and this will cause so many of them to be killed once more just because of the way they look. Boone also in this issue is able to fight off the temptation of eating human meat and really puts a butt kicking on Muliciber who has to retreat during their big fight. But this fight also spells bad news for Boone and The Nightbreed as their fight not only creates a new enemy in Allen, a man who wants to become a monster, it also brings Reverend Ashberry & Sheriff Eigerman back on their trail as they truly both want revenge. And Lori at this point shows that she is more loyal to trying to help The Nightbreed than Boone as she fights alongside them, stops the inner fighting between them and is always along for the ride to try and find them the promised land. It also shows that Narcisse, Guido and Kinski are good fighters as well as they bring down Muliciber’s crew pretty easily. Guido is a Nightbreed that is created just for this comic series and has the weird power of removing his spine and using it as a weapon…strange stuff. I am not going to lie I am a little disappointed that characters like Shuna Sassi, Leroy Gomm, Lude and the others still have not appeared…it’s just weird as they are such cool characters from the film series that are all also very interesting looking and should be in these comics. In this issue as well Dagon is blinded as in the motel fight Lori rips out his eyes! The cover of this issue shows Dagon, who is a crab like monster and is pretty cool looking. The comic’s interior art is once more done by a team as it’s Bret Blevins and Mike Manley and they both do a pretty great job here. The story keeps growing as we add more and more baddies and things in Boone’s way of truly being Cabal and bringing a new world to The Nightbreed.

Nightbreed # 8 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 8 of 25

In a small town church the Father kicks out Reverend Ashberry & Sheriff Eigerman, who have done some sort of weird ritual at the alter that they hope will help them track down The Nightbreed. Meanwhile Allen is buying lots of guns from a local gun smuggler and heads back to the old movie theater and breaks down each of Boone’s friends to Muliciber and his Breed…and he tells them that he has the weapons to kill their enemies as long as they promise to make him one of them. Muliciber and his crew slaughter Stanley the weapons dealer and talk over letting Allen be one of them as well as what killing Boone could cause for them all. Meanwhile Boone, Lori, Kinski, Narcisse and Guido all head to stay at the old cabin of Nickneven and Tater in order to avoid the law, and Narcisse and Guido head out for a food run at the local grocery, and after a good meal Boone finds out from his crew why they do not eat human meat and follow the law of Baphomet and learns that The Nightbreed are good people with morals. But as Narcisse and Nickneven go into the woods to drink some moonshine they are attacked by Allen and the rogue Nightbreed who are armed with lots of guns and are wanting to kill Boone and his Breed followers.

In this issue Muliciber and his crew are truly torn as their taste for meat has gotten out of control and they are wanting to stop the promised land being found as they do not want Baphomet to be rebuilt so that he can judge them for their sins. It also seems like just maybe they hate Boone for being the chosen one. Allen is truly a crazed man as his goal is to become a monster like Muliciber and his followers and is willing to kill Boone and all his Breed in order to achieve it. Boone in this issue seems to be taking his role a little more serious and is even getting to know some of his fellow Nightbreed a little better as they sit and talk over a meal in the woods. We also truly see that Nickneven is loyal to Baphomet and opens her home to hide Boone and the others after the big fight at the motel, and in turn puts herself and her granddaughter in danger as Muliciber and his men come hunting. At this point I really do want to see Allen get his ass kicked as this scumbag is just looking for his next big thrill and is will to kill and join with evil in order to gain what he wants. And out next issue will clearly be a showdown in the woods between the two feuding Nightbreed groups, and it’s clear that there will be some deaths on both sides. We also learn that Lori who is also a Nightbreed has not even shown her powers yet and this makes her unpredictable on all accounts. The mood of this issue is all over the place as we have chaos with Muliciber and his crew and with Boone and his crew it’s more like a family bonding. The cover for this issue is a more demonic looking version of Aello and is pretty eye catching as it has a 90’s indie horror comic look to it. The interior art for this issue is once more done by a team as it’s Mike Manley and Ricardo Villagran and they both do a good job as I like the styles in this issue. So with that, let’s see what is next in store for the war between Boone and Muliciber.

Nightbreed # 9 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 9 of 25

Nickneven and Narcisse escape the trap as the old witch tosses a firebomb she makes from the moonshine at them in order for them to be able to make a run for it. The sound of the explosion alerts Boone, Lori, Kinski, Tater and Guido that something is wrong and they are all warned of the attack by the returning Nickneven and Narcisse about the incoming Nightbreed with guns. As the bad guys approach its clear that Muliciber has no plans of turning Allen into a Nightbreed and is only using him in order to bring down Boone. And worse, Boone and the others are having to run as the bullets are flying all around the cabin as their lives are in danger. At one moment Boone and Muliciber comes face to face and he almost reaches him to welcome him back to The Nightbreed, but Allen breaks up the talking and this has Boone and all his friends having to hide out in a chicken coop as their enemies surrounding them with their guns in hand. As Muliciber and his friends eat, Allen remembers back to being a kid and killing his father after he found the body of his mother buried in the backyard, where his father put her after he murdered her…this is why he wants to be Nightbreed. While in the chicken coop Nickneven with the help of Tater they crack strange looking eggs and this gives Kinski, Narcisse, Guido and Lori a look back to their past, all with their sad endings while Boone’s shows him his future…but things get bad as Muliciber and his crew charge the coop. But Lori finds her power and that’s music that she can raise the dead with and Guido makes a run for Nickneven broken down truck to get it up and running so that they can truly escape this attack.

In this issue Boone and his friends are pinned down and force to hide in a chicken coop that house strange eggs that shows people their sad pasts, and this is suppose to help them in their future as they need to come up with some ideas in order to escape this trap…and it works as Lori learns her own Nightbreed powers that involve music and Guido uses his mechanics knowledge to try and fix an old broken down truck. Meanwhile Allen is pushing his limits with Muliciber and the others as he has become way too pushy and is barking orders at them, feeling like he has to be in control in order to get his wish of becoming a Nightbreed to come true. We learn a little about the pasts of many characters from Kinski being an odd looking man who drank a serum that deformed him to Narcisse being a actor who was dumped by his agent who was once his best friend…and each of these sad moments is what lead them to be Nightbreed in some way. I am not sure if Boone, who is Cabal, the savior of the Nightbreed, is very wise for hiding in a chicken coop and not standing his ground and finding a way to save his friends as well as bring down his enemies or at least try and make them see the errors in their ways as the are as well Nightbreed. The issue is a little slower paced than the others as it’s clear that this was a way to bring out a little more backstory for the characters as well as build to the final battle that is coming up in the next issue. I should also say that the baddies in the issue have also taken the body of Nickneven so she is now just a talking witches head! The issue is also pretty bloodless, but does have some violence in the flashbacks. One thing that I should also talk about is the members of Muliciber’s gang as I have told you that Dagon is a giant crab, Aello has wings and can fly but the others like Pigglet is a small pig looking creature who loves to kill and eat, Fachan is a small one eyed creature who is being the eye for Dagon now and Oral is a older man who has no teeth and can open his mouth very wide and uses things likes knives, sharp stones and other objects as his teeth he is also the cover star for this issue with his weird big knifey grin. Oral also is clearly in love with Aello, who is kind of dimwitted. The interior art is done by the team of Brett Blevins and Ricardo Villagran, and both artists do a good job as once more like many artist that have worked on the book before them they understood the mood and style needed to bring these characters and stories to comics. Over all this is another good issue, and again while slower, it did its job of building to this final showdown between The Nightbreed.

Nightbreed # 10 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 10 of 25

Lori keeps playing as the dead are coming from the Earth and are attacking Allen and the others giving Boone and his crew time to get to the truck and try and getting it running…even using the spine of Guido as a fan belt to do some of the repairs. But when Lori’s guitar strings break, she finds her army of the dead not moving and surrounded by the enemy who all have guns aimed at her. But Boone rushes to her aid and with some well placed fists he brings down Allen and the others and gets Lori and himself back to the truck, and Boone and the others drive to the near by mall and try and find a place for quick shelter around a bunch of normal people, and they do what they can to try and just blend in. But when Muliciber and his crew show up, the mall turns into a battleground as they go on the attack and cause panic and fear from the normal people who make a run for it as their lives are in danger. But when Lori finds a electric guitar and a amp she plugs in and starts playing and from the ground comes a massive skeleton of a dinosaur and this knocks Muliciber’s group through a loop…but also its clear that Muliciber and his people were starting to have a change of heart as their lust for meat was dying and they started to see it was Allen who was pushing them into this Nightbreed war. As Boone and Muliciber fight, one of the special eggs comes into play as its smashed in the bird mans face and he remembers back to the days of being young and fighting with his mom, and sneaking out to see a late night horror movie at the theater and being turned into a Nightbreed by the new girl at his school who was also at the theater…he remembers that night turning into the monster and leaving his home never to return as he was a Nightbreed now…not by his choice. Muliciber returns to the side of Cabal as does his crew, but Allen is angry and kills Aello with a knife to try and drink her blood to become one of them, this angers Muliciber who goes after Allen while still on the dinosaur bones and like that Allen turns into a hulking monster but is life is cut short when the dinosaur chomps down on him! As the bones are out of control due to feedback from the amp they sadly crush Muliciber as everyone else is able to escape the mall. A short times passes and at the old cabin of Nickneven there is a gathering as Boone, Lori, Tater, Guido, Kinski and Narcisse are joined by the reformed meat eater Nightbreed Oral, Pigglet, Dagon and Fachan as all but Boone and Lori are going to stay with the witch who’s head is now on the body of Aello.

The fight between the two Nightbreed sides has came to an end in this issue with the ones that follow the laws of Baphomet being the ones who come out on top as Boone is even able to change the attitudes of the rogue Nightbreed and brings them back into the family. The final fight takes place inside of a mall and thanks to the power of music and dusty old dinosaur bones it ends with only a few deaths taking place. Boone has finally embraced that he is Cabal and the chosen one to find The Nightbreed a new and safe place to live and has learned that he can be a leader and still have a personal life with Lori. He also shows that he understands that he does not have to use violence in every situation as sometimes words as just as powerful as fists, claws and teeth. Lori finds that her Nightbreed power is music as if she plays a guitar she can make the dead rise to attack those who wish to do her and her friends harm. Allen who has a terrible childhood who seen the body of his dead mother and took the life of his father who was responsible really was a crazed man who wanted to become Nightbreed in order to be more powerful to prove his father wrong and to always show that bigger is better, he however gets his new powers and quickly is killed before he can ever use them. Muliciber was shown to be a young kid who was into monster movies, toys and such who was turned into a Nightbreed against his will…and this is why he acted out like he did. It’s a shame that he as well as Aello had to die in this fight as both had found their way back to the law of Baphomet as they were both being welcomed back and forgiven for their sins of eating human meat. The issue also leaves us with Boone and Lori setting off into the world to try and find this promise land for The Nightbreed, and with Boone’s crew telling him that they will be their whenever he needs them. The cover for this issue shows Muliciber all geared up with his guns and once more Brett Blevins and Ricardo Villagran team up to do the interior artwork. So far I am ten issues into the series and it really has held up for me as I enjoyed them this time around just as much as I did in the 90’s when I first read them.

Nightbreed # 11 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 11 of 25

Lady Izpapolotl and Lord Tezcatlipoca are Nightbreed and they live in the jungles and are brought the hearts of dead animals from the jungles by their servant insect in order to please them…but Tezcatlipoca misses the day the humans worshipped them and wants to reclaim that before Boone calls them all back home when Midian is reformed. Meanwhile Boone and Lori have to kill a crazed transient that tries to rob them and take shelter in a train car in order to get out of the rays of the sun. While in the jungle a boat full of tourist and some shady people are going down the river when Tezcatlipoca smells them and wants them to bow to him when they get near, Izpapolotl begs him not to…but he feels he must as he misses that worship. But the tourist boat is soon attacked by a local heavily armed raider group and after a fight the tourist are forced off the boat and into the jungle after the boat crashes in order to survive. The Tourist and the crew make camp for the night and are attacked by Tezcatlipoca who rips one of the tourist apart in front of the others sending them a message that he is to be feared, and after killing one more from the camp he leaves them scared and sharing stories of what they think they saw.

This issue is not so much about Boone and Lori as it is about one time Gods that are Nightbreed who live together in the jungle in a long forgotten temple with Izpapolotl being a grub like in appearance and who is fine with the fact that she is no longer being worshiped. While Tezcatlipoca looks like a sabretooth tiger with fins on his back who wants to once more be feared by mankind and worshipped, he also wants to kill again and possibly even taste human flesh and blood once more. Izpapolotl is tying her best to warn him not to do this as it goes against the law of Baphomet, but he seems to not care and while they are all not called to this new promise land he wants to do what he wants. The poor tourist are in deep trouble as not only have they angered a bunch of raiders who could possibly be hunting them but they also have Tezcatlipoca hot on their tails who has already killed two of them to show his power as well as to bring them fear. This issue really feels different from the past issues and yet still very much has the Nightbreed feel that Epic Comics was creating around this world of Clive Barker. The cover for this issue showcases Tezcatlipoca in all his glory and is pretty eye catching while the interior art is done by Mark Nelson and his style is pretty good and I like the way he drew Tezcatlipoca as well as the violence. I really like the set up for this story arch as I really and wondering if Boone is going to be the one who has to stop Tezcatlipoca and his reign of terror or if this will be worked out without Boone and the rest of the Nightbreed, and with that let’s checkout the next issue.

Nightbreed # 12 ***
Released in 1991 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 12 of 25

It starts to rain in the jungle and the tourist and crew are terrified as Tezcatlipoca disappears into the storm, leaving behind two dead bodies. As Tezcatlipoca returns to the temple he is questioned by Izpapolotl about what he has done, and he tells her that he has started their return and she is not happy and the two exchange heated words and Tezcatlipoca storms out after threating that he will taste human meat this day. Meanwhile the group moves through the jungle to try and find safety, but one of the members leads them to the temples and they have to camp near them that night right were Tezcatlipoca lives. As night falls one of the tourist finds Tezcatlipoca who speaks with her and shares his knowledge and once out of the temple she kills her husband and other members of the group turn on others as they want to worship and follow Tezcatlipoca and his teaching. They take the youngest of the tourist to the top of the temple and his own mother is going to sacrifice him to Tezcatlipoca, but Izpapolotl with the help of one of the tourist is able to be bathed in one of the murdered tourists blood and it turns her into a massive dragon fly and goes to the top of the temple before the child can be killed. Izpapolotl grabs Tezcatlipoca and flies up into the sky as the sun comes out and burns them both up killing them both in a ball of flames. And in the end only three humans from the group make it out of the jungle alive as many are also killed in the fight between the two Gods.

The story of Tezcatlipoca and Izpapolotl comes to an end in this issue as they clash as each have their own vision of what they want to do with their lives as Izpapolotl wants to wait for Boone to find the promised land so that she can live under the law and rules of Baphomet while Tezcatlipoca wants to live in the promise land but also before he is called home wants to once more be feared and worshiped by humans and this means killing some of them. And even at one point Tezcatlipoca even hints that he wants to once more eat human flesh and even makes love to one of the female tourist and makes her even want to kill her husband and child to please him. And Izpapolotl goes from being a grub to becoming a massive badass dragon fly in order to stop her one time lover once and for all as she flies them up to the sun to burn to a crisp in it’s rays. This comic shows two things really and that’s: one, how people can be turned into helping commit terrible crimes and kills by fear, control and false promises and two, that once Midian has fallen that many of The Nightbreed are out of control and Tezcatlipoca much like Muliciber has started to turn almost wild in his quest to regain his past glories as well as kill humans. I do like Tezcatlipoca as he is a very cool looking Nightbreed and I also like that he is very violent but also very wise and has lots of knowledge to share. The issue has blood, gore and violence and the best kill is to the Mom when Tezcatlipoca during his battle with Izpapolotl claws half of her face off and causes her to fall from a great height. The cover is pretty cool as well as shows Izpapolotl in her grub form with Mark Nelson once more returning to do the interior art. The last two issues were a very interesting story arch that was about Nightbreed and did not focus on Boone at all and was more about the chaos he and Lori have caused The Nightbreed and those who are now displaced cause of the fall of Midian.

Nightbreed # 13 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 13 of 25

Mr. Algernon Kinder is having Terry and Janey over for diner as he wants to bring him into The Temple Of The Risen King and claims with it will come lots of wealth, but his oddness and gross nature makes Terry cut the meeting short. Meanwhile Peloquin along with Kinski and Gallows are at the mall and Peloquin acts out and causes a big scene when he steals a tuxedo as well as a pink Cadillac car and the Breed escape into the night. Algernon Kinder is on his way to the Temple and after being questioned by some of his followers he kills them almost as a sacrifice as he causes them to fall to their death. The Nightbreed have a gathering and they are welcoming Bloodybones and Sathan’s child into their tribe, all the while we are treated to Leah Qlipoth having a vision of Rawhead Rex the massive “God” who eats human flesh and wants to bring down mankind and what happened to him in the past, and we learn that she is with Kinder who wants to have Rawhead be reborn and sends some of his goons after the baby of Sathan and attack her while she is in a store getting dippers and baby food as they want her child to help bring Rawhead Rex back to life!

The Nightbreed vs. Rawhead Rex starts with this issue and as I have said before this is the arch that had me hooked on The Nightbreed comic series by Epic Comics and I really again have to thank Hal from the Bookie Parlor for having selling these comics and introducing me to them. The plot of this issue has a weird cultist by the name of Algernon Kinder who along with his mate Leah Qlipoth wanting to bring back Rawhead Rex while many of The Nightbreed are gathering to welcome a child of two of the tribe, but the child has also been selected by Kinder to be used to help the rebirth of Rex! And it ends on a cliffhanger of Kinder’s people having taken the baby from the mother. The Nightbreed characters that are clearly the heroes are the half mooned face Kinski, the rebel and demonic looking Peloquin and Gallows a pale faced female Nightbreed who can use her powers to make things invisible. They are also clearly going to be the three Nightbreed who will stand in the way of the return of Rawhead Rex, and man will they have their hands full. Algernon Kinder is a cold blooded man who tricks rich people into given him money with the idea that they will be apart of some secret cult society when in reality he is using their money to live on as well as bring his “son” Rawhead Rex back to life. Kinder is also very gross as he is crude and even uses the restroom on peoples floor! And at this point we have only seen Rawhead Rex in the past alive and in the present his body…but we all know he is coming back soon! The cover is pretty cool and has Rawhead Rex showing off his razor sharp teeth. Mark Texeira is the interior artist, and he has kind of a painting look to his style. While it’s not what I like in comic,s it is still very much good work. I do also have to say that I like that at least Texeira made Peloquin look like he does in the film so that’s a big thumbs up, and I do wish they could have made Rawhead Rex look like the movie version as that would have been epic. With that, let’s see what the next issue has in store for us as The Nightbreed clashing with Rawhead Rex.

Nightbreed # 14 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 14 of 25

The two followers of Kinder end up cutting out the tongue of Sathan as she tries to protect her infant son Max…but they are able to get the baby away from her. Bloodybones sees his wife dying as she falls on the stores window and he along with Gallows and Kinski the rush to her aid. While at The Nightbreed gathering Peloquin smells the spilt blood of Sathan and rushes to the scene to help. As the followers are able to get past Kinski and Gallows, it’s Peloquin that stops them and is able to save Max. But things turn around fast when Kinder and Leah show up and cause a big distraction and grab Max and make a get away with him…this does not set well with Peloquin who is now raged filled. While Kinder and his followers use Max as well as the blood of a cat to bring back Rawhead Rex, but Kinder was not truly ready for the sight of Rawhead and panics and this leads to him shooting Leah as the bullets pass through Rawhead who is un-phased. While at the convenient store the worker is killed after telling his story to Sheriff Eigerman who has Reverend Ashberry waiting in the car as they are getting closer to finding The Nightbreed and getting their revenge, and worse Ashberry holds the idol that can be used to bring down Rawhead Rex.

In this issue The Nightbreed try and save the child Max from being taken by Kinder and his cult followers, but sadly they fail and Max is taken and is used to bring Rawhead Rex back to life and this foul creature is looking to bring mankind down to their knees, and worse for everyone Reverend Ashberry & Sheriff Eigerman have also entered town and are looking to kill The Nightbreed and also are holding the one thing that can stop Rawhead Rex as well! The Nightbreed truly try and watch out for one another and Peloquin, Kinski, Gallows and Bloodybones all do what they can to save Max and all take the death of Sathan to heart…and clearly Kinder has started a war with them as they will want to avenge the death and the kidnapping of the child. Speaking of Kinder, he and Leah soon learn that they may have made a big mistake when it comes to bringing back Rawhead Rex as the beast is clearly doing to try and rule once more…but is it too late for them to stop what they have caused…well Leah’s time is up as she takes leg full of bullets. The issue has some blood spilled as well as death as Sathan, a store worker and a cat all die in the comic, and its sad that Sathan dies as she does not get to see her child grow up. And for me I really like the build for the Rawhead Rex and Nightbreed showdown as we all know that it’s coming and we all know that its going to be a bloodbath. The cover for this issue showcases Peloquin and is very cool and eye catching as he is one of the films most popular characters. The issue’s interior art is done by the artist team of Dan Lawlis and John Rheaume, and it’s really great stuff as I like the way they draw not only The Nightbreed but also Rawhead Rex. And I have to say that this series and this story arch are holding up for me, and it really is giving me flashbacks to being a youngster and reading these comics.

Nightbreed # 15 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 15 of 25

The Nightbreed have tracked down Kinder and his group as Rawhead Rex is now showing pain, Kinder kicks Leah out the bus after she alerts him that she has always been able to have kids and has just blocked him from having one of his own! The Nightbreed go on the attack as Kinksi attends to Leah, Gallows and Bloodybones attack the followers and Peloquin comes face to face with Kinder and Rawhead Rex! And before things get out of hand, Reverend Ashberry appears a praises Rawhead Rex as his true God and to honor him he destroys the idol and this allows Rawhead to be unleashed and as he rages out, Peloquin calls for backup as Kinski and Gallows comes to his side but they are quickly defeated with even Kinder setting Peloquin on fire. Kinder leads his followers and Rawhead Rex away as The Nightbreed also retreat as the bus is about to explode. Kinder and his followers break into a business and kill and eat the workers as Reverend Ashberry asks for Rawhead to accept him as a follower, and the creature agrees to by peeing on him. And with that Rawhead Rex is the God for Kinder and his followers and they will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. Meanwhile The Nightbreed find that Leah has passed away but she has a baby growing inside her as when Rawhead Rex was shot by Kinder it was in the testicles and some of his seamen has gotten into her!

This issue has Rawhead Rex growing to full power after the one thing that could stop him the idol is destroyed and this allows him to become fearless and as mean and evil as he wants to be! Rawhead also has Max still alive and living inside his stomach, he also has spawn being born inside a deceased woman, his followers are growing and he as proved that he can stand claw to claw with The Nightbreed…so as you can see, Rawhead Rex is one bad force of nature. Kinder is so confused as he goes back and fourth between hating and fearing Rawhead to wanting to follow and learn from him. Kinder’s major heart break comes from learning that he could have had a child all these years and that it was Leah, his Lady In Red, that has lied to him and hide the truth that she could have kids, and worse he cast her out of his life and now she is dead and is pregnant with the child of Rawhead. Reverend Ashberry seems to have forgotten his past religion as well as his hatred for The Nightbreed as he has found his new God and obsession with Rawhead, and he even knowingly destroyed the one thing that could be used to stop him. With The Nightbreed Kinski, Gallows and Bloodybones try and help in the fight with Kinder and Rawhead Rex, but they just cannot bring the creature down and even Peloquin fails to hurt Rawhead in their first fight! The issue has some blood and gore with workers being ripped apart and being eaten the most gruesome. The cover for this issue is cool and shows Max being placed into the mouth of Rawhead Rex and the interior art is done by an army of artist that include Dan Lawlis, Jennifer Lui, John Rheaume, T. Fine and James Hoston, with some of the art being really good and some being very sloppy and distracting as I am not sure why this many artists worked on this issue. Another great issue filled with Nightbreed action and the next issue brings an end to the Rawhead Rex story, so let’s see how it ends.

Nightbreed # 16 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 16 of 25

The Nightbreed trick an ambulance to come to the scene of Leah’s body and then they proceed to steal the vehicle and even take one of the paramedics with them leaving the other behind who is killed by Sheriff Eigerman when the crazed lawman stumbles on him walking home at the side of the road for not answering his questions. Meanwhile Kinder is flashing back to his youth and the day he killed his own father as well as sees visions of a time when Rawhead Rex was a race that would kill and eat humans as well as forcefully mate with human women. The Nightbreed arrive and leave a trap for Kinder and his group as they alert them that Rawhead Rex is soon to be a father, and The Nightbreed themselves are waiting at a rundown alligator farm with the hope that Leah’s yet to be born child can be used against Rawhead Rex and let them save Max. As Kinder brings Rawhead and his followers to the location, Bloodybones tricks Rawhead into eating him and once in his stomach he starts looking for Max, while Gallows attacks the two followers getting nooses around their necks and the crazed Sheriff Eigerman arrives and kills the two followers with his shotgun. The kidnapped paramedic is given the cue to try and force a labor from the body of Leah as Peloquin goes out to fight with Rawhead Rex as during this fight Eigerman and Ashberry fall into the ponds and are attacked by alligators. Leah gives birth and the child is a female and it rushes to attack her father Rawhead who is forced to puke up everything he has eaten over the centuries, thanks to Bloodybones and Max who are puked up and grabbed and taken to safety by Kinski. The rotten bodies in the puke grab and pull Rawhead Rex in ending his reign of terror for good. And Kinder himself is also killed when alligators rip him apart. Leah has returned as a zombie and her creature daughter along with the female paramedic end up joining The Nightbreed.

This was the final issue in The Nightbreed vs. Rawhead Rex story and it all comes to an end at a gator farm that leaves Kinder and all his followers dead as well as brings an end to Rawhead Rex as well as the Reverand and Sheriff that has been hunting them as they all have their lives snuffed out. The Nightbreed that are Kinski, Peloquin, Gallows, Bloodybones and Max truly all work together and they bring down Rawhead Rex by using his own spawn against him as well as the rotting corpses of those he had killed over the years. It was also very cool to see Leah return from the dead and help her creature daughter make the right choice of being good and fighting against her evil father. And it is crazy that Sheriff Eigerman and Reverend Ashberry both meet their end in this issue and neither get their revenge against The Nightbreed and instead end up in the belly of alligators. While I love this story arc I will say that for those wanting to see a big fight between Peloquin and Rawhead Rex will be disappointed and even as a youngster I always said that they should have gotten The Berserkers to fight Rawhead as that would have been a awesome fight! This issue does have some blood, guts and gross moments and that will very much please horror comic readers who like lots of gruesome moments in their comics. I should say that I wish that Rawhead Rex would have had a bigger fight in the end before being taken down, but I am fine with the idea of his daughter and his past victims being the ones that bring him down. The cover for this issue is awesome as it shows Peloquin showing down with Rawhead Rex and this time around the art team of Dan Lawlis and Ricardo Villagran did the interiors, and I really liked both of their styles even though their version of Peloquin was a little weird looking. And really this story arc is what made me a full reader of The Nightbreed series and after all these years I still love it and this was a great time revisiting. With that, let’s get to the next issue and see if it keeps up the three star ratings!

Nightbreed # 17 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 17 of 25

Ignatius is a very heavyset, blind man who is also Nightbreed as he comes from a family of shape shifters and he is living in the city in a rundown station. He fights the hunger of eating human flesh as he walks among them with many people being very kind to him. Ignatius eats lots of junk food and also eats very weird things that he finds in the trashcans and dumpsters and that’s clipped human hair and nails from both fingers and toes. But when Ignatius comes across the scene of a bad auto accident he drinks some of the blood that is on the street and also finds and takes home a finger for one of the crash victims…he makes the mistake of eating it and gets a taste for it, he even sneaks himself into the morgue and tries to eat the flesh of a dead person, but it just makes him sick. Ignatius heads out and finds a lone man and attacks him to eat him and does so by becoming a giant rat, but he is caught in the act by Boone who tries to save him by once more telling him the law, Ignatius knows that he has broken it and for him there is no going back so he jumps in front of a train and kills himself to stop the hunger.

This is such a strange and great issue in The Nightbreed series from Epic as we follow Ignatius a Nightbreed who lives among humans who tries to fight off the hunger of eating human flesh, but when he makes the mistake of tasting it he becomes a crazed killer who is looking for that meat to stop the hunger…and in the end when he is caught by Boone who is Cabal the chosen one, he chooses to die for his sins. Ignatius is a interesting character as he is blind, weighs well over 400 pounds and is a shape shifter who likes to eat junk food and being around humans as he likes their smells as well as fighting that temptation of eating them! And it’s clear that he also loved his family who are also Nightbreed and can change their appearances. It was also nice to see Boone return as he has been missing for many issues now and it’s clear he showed up to try and help Ignatius and bring him back to the laws of Baphomet. The issue does have some blood with it mostly coming from accident victims as well as the body of a dead woman at the morgue. The cover is cool and shows Ignatius on the train tracks eating human flesh. The interior art work is really well done and is very fitting for this story, and the two artist who worked on this issue was Andy Paquette and Ron McCain. A very cool stand-alone issue that brings Boone back into the story and briefly introduced us to Ignatius, a Nightbreed who could not control his hunger. I also want to point out we are seventeen issues into this series an we still have no Shuna Sassi, Leroy Gomm, Lude or any of the others that were missing since issue one.

Nightbreed # 18 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 18 of 25

A werewolf is roaming the snow-covered woods and is killing off locals and this has caused them to want to fight back! Meanwhile Boone as sent Peloquin, Narcisse, Nickneven, Oral, Mae, Mexico and Ghost to track it down as it is causing issues for The Nightbreed as the werewolf is breaking the laws of Baphomet. And during the tracking Mae is killed by the werewolf who rips her apart, and Peloquin is too late to save her as she was his lover and now he wants to track and kill this werewolf. Meanwhile in town is hunter Benjamin Sweeney who tells them that he will flush out their werewolf and kill it, and later that night he finds one of the local females is a werewolf and stabs her and then chases her into the woods as she is bleeding badly, and is able to kill her. Aas the female werewolf is dying, Benjamin cuts off her foot for a trophy as well as starts eating part of her…he also finds some strange looking bones and knows that it means Nightbreed are around! We join The Nightbreed who are in a cave and around a fire when another werewolf comes into the cave and warns them that trouble is coming for them.

In this issue some of The Nightbreed lead by Peloquin are sent to a small town during the cold winter to find a rogue werewolf that has been killing people, and worse while they are looking for this monster Mae is killed and this sets Peloquin off as she was his lover and he wants to get revenge for her. But unknown to The Nightbreed the town is the home of three werewolves and one has been killed by a crazed hunter named Benjamin Sweeney who kills for sport and fun and gets off slaughtering man, beast and monsters as he is just truly a cold blooded cruel killer. Benjamin even likes to use a knife to kill his prey as he likes to make things die slowly and even more weird he likes to eat parts of his victims. And all of us readers know that we are going to see a showdown between Benjamin Sweeney and Peloquin ,and it will be bloody! We also learn that The Nightbreed are looking for someone named McDougal, and we are not sure why just yet. The poor female werewolf is brutally killed and her mate can do nothing to save her and must listen to her screams of pain, and you know that he as well is going to want to kill Benjamin. The issue has some good kills and has lots of blood spilt from both humans and monsters. The cover is awesome and shows a werewolf and is very eye catching for fans of werewolves, and the interior art is well done and artist Tony Harris is the one who did it. Over all another good issue that this time around introduces werewolves into the world of The Nightbreed. Oh it was also nice seeing Mexico in this issue even if he does look very different from how he appears in the film.

Nightbreed # 19 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 19 of 25

Peloquin goes on the attack and tries to kill the werewolf (Jonathan) who fights back and tries to tell the angered Nightbreed that it was not him who killed his lady Mae, and after fighting back and forth it’s Oral who gets everyone to calm down and talk. He tells them that McDougal who was a werewolf that turned them all into one was killed by a werewolf named Erik who has gone crazy as he craves the meat of humans as well as fellow Nightbreed, and Erik is also the one who killed Mae. Back in town another person is killed and Benjamin Sweeney returns to town and tells some of the locals about the werewolf as well as about The Nightbreed being near and how they need to die as well as they are monsters and freaks. The locals do not believe him and head to the cave to see the dead werewolf just to find her turned back into her human form, and worse her husband is one of them that find her…they think Benjamin killed her and is mocking them all. The Nightbreed sneak into town and Narcisse goes into the local bar looking for Erik as he is the only one who can pass as a normal human as he explains his half missing face as skin cancer. But things go wrong when the locals spot Peloquin and Jonathan who is still a werewolf and start shooting at them, causing Peloquin to have to steal a car and get them all to a safe spot. Meanwhile Erik who is in his human form leads Benjamin into the woods as he tells him he knows were The Nightbreed are, and as they are deep in the woods Erik turns into the werewolf to have a showdown with Benjamin as Oral, Mexico, Ghost and Nickneven hear the howl they know that the odds are against them to survive.

In this issue we learn that only one of the werewolves is a killer who enjoys the flesh of man and beast and he is tricking the crazed hunter Benjamin Sweeney into going into the woods with him to hunt down The Nightbreed, and Erik is a true crazed werewolf who enjoys killing and it’s clear that he as well is looking forward to having a fight to the death with both Benjamin Sweeney as well as The Nightbreed. While Benjamin Sweeney is just as scummy as he was in the last issue as he truly likes taking lives, but now he might find himself on the other side of a slaughter. We also see that Jonathan who is another of the werewolves in that town is a follower of the law of Baphomet and is trying to help The Nightbreed get out of town as well as get revenge on Erik for killing one of their own. Peloquin is pissed off at the world over the death of Mae and will not leave the town until he stops Erik for good, and that means even leaving some of his fellow Nightbreed into some dangerous areas. Meanwhile it also seems that Narcisse is helping feeding the crazed nature of Peloquin as he even enters the town with him to find out information and is ready to kill if he has to. Mexico is around hanging back at the fire with the other Nightbreed, and while he is not doing much it still is very cool seeing him on these pages. I am a big fan of werewolves in films, comics, novels and games so this story arch is another that I have been a fan of since I was a kid…and in fact, I think that it’s a better read now that I am older! The cover is cool and has Peloquin jumping through a car window, and once more Tony Harris does a great job on the issues interior art. Over all like all before it this issue is a fun and great read and the werewolf story comes to an end with the next issue.

Nightbreed # 20 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.25 Epic Comics # 20 of 25

In the dark of night some of the locals armed with guns head into the night looking for Benjamin Sweeney as they think he is a serial killer and the one who has been killing the townspeople. Meanwhile Benjamin with his trusty knife is fight with the werewolf Erik as both are landing slashes the blood is starting to flow and each have a respect for one another’s bloodlust. Peloquin along with Jonathan and Narcisse get ride of some locals in a truck trying to follow them and head to the battle that is taking place in the woods. Jonathan runs ahead of his fellow Nightbreed and breaks up the fight and tries to warn Erik that they are coming to kill them, but instead Erik slashes Jonathan open leaving him to die in the snow as Benjamin heads off to kill The Nightbreed by the fire. As Peloquin and Narcisse arrive Jonathan tells them that he had to warn Erik of their attack as they are friends…but now he knows that Erik is a lost cause and as Narcisse stays with the dying werewolf it is Peloquin that heads off to stop and kill both Erik and Benjamin this night. Benjamin finds The Nightbreed camp and goes after them, but it’s Peloquin that stops him from killing any of them and roughs up the hunter and gives him a five-minute head start to run before he kills him. Meanwhile the locals find Jonathan as a werewolf as well as Narcisse and they are not afraid of them as they know that the werewolf is their friend and drinking pal when human…so they decide to help him and get him the medical help he needs to live. While in the woods it turns into a fight between Peloquin, Werewolf Erik and Benjamin and all three want to see the others die a horrible death. As the locals show up along with Jonathan and Narcisse they watch as Erik takes down Benjiman and then Peloquin goes after Erik as they all have reasons for wanting revenge against the other. And after a quick fight Peloquin kills Erik, and Benjamin who is dying starts to turn into a werewolf and gets shot and killed by the husband of the female werewolf he killed…and now everyone has gotten their revenge. The Nightbreed burn their dead and head home to meet with Boone and Jonathan has joined them.

In this issue the small town becomes more safe as the killer werewolf Erik as well as crazed killer hunter Benjamin Sweeney as they both are shown to be guilty of killing people in the town and both have a thrill on trying to kill each other as they find the other as a good hunt and a trophy for their kill count. Benjamin Sweeney is such a scumbag as he gloats about his kills and seems to truly get off on killing, and it great when he is turned into a werewolf and gets his head blown off by the human husband of the female werewolf he killed. Erik is just as crazy as he does kill and eat humans and fellow Nightbreed, but he is also after Benjamin who has killed town people and blamed the werewolves for his crimes. Jonathan tries to warn his friend that The Breed is coming for him only to be attacked and left for dead and for the Breed to be the ones who watch over him and help him heal…seems like he should have stayed on the side of the true good guys instead of helping his crazed werewolf buddy who would like to see him dead. Peloquin is in a rage and wants nothing but revenge for his mate that was murdered and is able to do just that as he kills the werewolf who took her life, he also helps a human who lost his wife during this madness by giving him words to try and heal by. The issue of course has lots of blood spilled and it really is a good werewolf story. While it was cool that we seen Mexico, I do wish he had a little more of a part and would have helped in the fight against the hunter and the werewolf. Also the issue ends with all The Nightbreed being called home as Boone as been acting strange lately and something is up. The cover for this issue is cool and shows Benjamin and Peloquin with the team of Tony Harris and Max Douglas doing the issues interior art, and I liked both but do have to say that their styles clash slightly. It is cool that the werewolf Jonathan is going back with The Nightbreed as it will be interesting to see if he comes back into play in any later issues.

Nightbreed # 21 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.50 Epic Comics # 21 of 25

Lori is having nightmares about one of the saviors of the Tribes Of The Moon named Ozymandias who wants her to be his and to rule over The Nightbreed! She is awaken from her night terror by Kinski, Peloquin and Narcisse who are looking for Boone as they inform her that she has been asleep for three days and that the area has now been a gathering place for The Nightbreed as hundreds of them have started to show up. They also tell her that Boone as been acting weird and speaking in different voices and that even Breed member Shuna Sassi has gone missing and they soon find her as Guido tells them that Baphomet has her in a cave…they go to find that he is attacking her as he is really Ozymandias who is trying to take over the body and soul of Cabal and can make the other Gods do what he wants as they are sharing the same mind and body that of Boone. Lori along with Kinski, Peloquin and Narcisse save Shuna Sassi from his evil grip and get away knowing that their God is in danger as is all The Nightbreed if he goes fully bad and Ozymandias takes over fully. The return to camp to find that a young human as been slaughtered and that Kushnir Day (a hog faced Nightbreed who appears in the film) is trying to get his fellow Breed to feed on the human meat, and this causes a fight between Kinski and Peloquin as the winner will lead The Nightbreed as their God has been compromised, as Peloquin wants to just eat meat and Kinski wants to rebuild Midian…the two work it out and Lori reminds them of the story of Baphomet and Ozymandias and how they helped lead The Nightbreed centuries back and are the ones who helped them all to continue to live, created Midian and made the law of not eating human meat. And that Ozymandias and Baphomet had a falling out that lead to them not having any respect for each other as each had their own vision of what The Nightbreed should be. As Lori is telling her story looking for a clue on how to defeat Ozymandias he appears and is having the moon eclipsed and threatens to kill all The Nightbreed if they do not give Lori to him!

The Nightbreed are all in trouble as their God Baphomet is being taken over by the evil Ozymandias, a one time friend of their God who has turned his back on his law and teachings as he wants to rule the world and allow The Nightbreed to once more take over by killing the normal humans, eating their meat as well as taking out any Nightbreed that stands in their way. And he is demanding that Lori be given to him and rule by his twisted side. And with Boone aka Cabal and Baphomet sharing the same body now that took place in the two issue mini series called “Jihad” that was a crossover of Nightbreed and Hellraiser. Ozymandias is a terrible creature as he clearly does not care about others and just wants his fellow Nightbreed to break their old laws and follow him blindly. We are treated to many of The Nightbreed in this issue as returning faces like Lori, Kinski, Peloquin, Narcisse, Gudio and Baphomet appear and we finally get to see Shuna Sassi and Kushnir Day! And it only took 21 issues before Shuna Sassi appeared and that’s a shame as she should have been one of the comic’s big stars. But it’s clear that in this issue many of The Nightbreed are confused as Kushnir Day seems to be following the rule of Ozymandias and is trying to get his fellow Breed members to eat human flesh. And it clear that we are heading to a showdown between Ozymandias and his followers and Baphomet and his. And here is hopping that we will also see more faces from the film appear and be involved in this inner fighting of The Nightbreed…it would also be nice to see returning original characters from this series like Oral, Jonathan and so on and see what side they choose. A very interesting concept here as it is clear that Lori and her friends in The Breed are going to have to be the heroes. The cover is very cool and eye catching as it shows many of The Nightbreed members and those being Kinski, Shuna Sassi, Peloquin and Gallows. The interior art is done by Colleen Doran and is good stuff as Doran captures the look and moods of The Nightbreed. With that said I am very happy to finally have Shuna Sassi in the comic series and am looking forward to reliving how this story plays out on these comic pages.

Nightbreed # 22 ***
Released in 1992 Cover Price $2.50 Epic Comics # 22 of 25

Lori is being hunted down by the followers of Ozymandias and when one captures her Kinski and Peloquin come to her aid as Narcisse creates a diversion by setting the tent homes of the Breed on fire! While inside his newly built temple Ozymandias eats on human meat and demands that his followers bring him Lori, even taking his anger out on Kushnir Day and we also see that he has taken Guido and Shuna Sassi prisoner. Meanwhile trapped inside his own mind is Boone alongside other failed saviors of The Nightbreed who tell him that Ozymandias has taken over the body and that Baphomet’s spirit is imprisoned so that he can not use his powers to take over, Boone hopes that Lori can remember in her dream how to defeat Ozymandias or he is doomed forever. Meanwhile Lori remembers back to her dream that involved the history of Ozymandias as Kinski, Peloquin and Narcisse listen trying to help find that one clue. She tells of the day Ozymandias became a God and Baphomet returned and created Sekhmet who went and killed all those of The Breed who followed Ozymandias and his laws, and with that they find the answer it’s the poison quills of Shuna Sassi that can kill Ozymandias…and they also know that it will kill Boone…but they must do it for the sake of The Nightbreed as well as the normal humans of the world. Ozymandias leads his followers to a small town and has the idea to kill everyone and for all of them to eat meat tonight, while Lori and her friends find Shuna Sassi and get her ready to kill this false God while Boone inside his own mind gets the failed saviors who are also all trapped there to join in his quest to free the spirit of Baphomet with the promise of forgiveness and a second chance. They are able to free Baphomet and with that Ozymandias is defeated as he is distracted by Shuna Sassi leaving him open for the attack and allowing Boone to be in control of his mind and body and he calls The Nightbreed back and tells them the New Midian is about to happen.

This battle between Ozymandias and Baphomet ends as Boone and Lori in two different places work together unknowingly to bring down this false God down and reunite The Nightbreed under the one true law of Baphomet. Lori is the key who keeps many of the Nightbreed sane as they stand by her side and want to try and save Boone as well as rid themselves of Ozymandias who cares about ruling and consume lots of human meat in order to gain control and rule with fear. This issue also really does show that Lori is a strong character as she might not be a powerful Nightbreed, she is a smart one who stands by her man as well as friends and will do what she thinks is right. And Boone aka Cabal is shown that while he is powerful he does have a weak side and is bullied in this issue as Ozymandias liked to enter their shared mind and shove him around and even almost kill him just for his own humor. Kinski, Peloquin and Narcisse are The Nightbreed who stay loyal to Boone and risk their own lives in order to help Lori in her quest to stop the false God who is trying to corrupt their fellow Breed family. And I am super happy that Shuna Sassi has finally arrived in this comic series and after being attacked and injured, she finds that her poisoned quills can kill Ozymandias and this makes her a threat to his quest to rule, and it also shows Shuna Sassi as being a strong member of The Breed who sticks by Boone and the others. Guido is around again in this issue but does not get to show off any of his power, nor does he even get to help in the final fight. The Nightbreed member Kushnir Day who in the film is the one that plays the drums on the side of the walls to warn the others, in this issue and last has turned on Boone and is following Ozymandias as he tries to help corrupt his fellow Breed into eating meat and also acts as the law giver for this false God. It’s a shame that Kushnir Day turned rogue and lets hope in the next issues he returns to redeem himself. The cover is really cool as it shows Boone along with the failed saviors fighting Ozymandias inside the head of Baphomet, and like the last issue Colleen Doran does the interior art and its great stuff. While this struggle between Ozymandias and Baphomet could have lasted a few more issues, the good Nightbreed showed that the true law is that of Baphomet.

Nightbreed # 23 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.50 Epic Comics # 23 of 25

Boone is at the table with Nickneven as well as Kinski, Narcisse, Lori and Oral as they discuss that Peloquin is missing and it seems to be tied into The Berserkers as she tells them a story of how when those uncontrollable beast first got to Midian they attacked Peloquin and his lady, and this attack left him injured and her dead and that lately he has been acting very weird. Narcisse has heard enough and wants to go out and find his missing friend, while out in the wild Peloquin has found dead bodies that have been eaten and is on the trail of The Berserker the same one that killed his lady all those years back so this is personal, and not just a hunt for a Breed that has broken the law of Baphomet. The Berserker is on a full rampage as he can only remember small parts of his past life before he became this mindless killing machine, when he was a normal Nightbreed who as experimented on during World War I and turned into this thing. Peloquin and The Berserker finally meet up and the two start fighting with The Berserker having the upper hand, but when Narcisse shows up and distracts the crazed monster, Peloquin is able to strike and beat The Berserker to death with a tree branch and then set the body on fire…end this quest for revenge. He and Narcisse then head out to a local bar be beat up on some cowboys and then make it with the ladies in order to get rid of all their stress.

This issue is all about Peloquin and his hunt for a Berserker that way back in the day killed his lady when these crazed beasts were brought to Midian, and how he bottled up his anger for years…but now he can get his revenge as The Berserker goes on a rampage of killing and eating people. The Berserker was once a normal Nightbreed who back in the time of World War I was turned into The Berserker by a madman, and only for small glimpses does he remember his past…but most of his life now he is driven by rage, the urge to kill and eat the flesh of mankind. Plus all his fellow Berserkers were killed off in the Jihad mini-series by Pinhead and the Cenobites, making him the last of his kind. Peloquin has been waiting years for this moment to get his revenge on this this Berserker for killing one of his lovers, when you think about it so many of Peloquin’s mates have died and he goes on lots of quests for revenge in this series. Some of the other Nightbreed that make appearances here are Boone, Kinski, Narcisse, Oral, Nickneven and Lori who are the ones who set up the story by talking around the table about the history between the two. The fight between the two is a little short but it does go back and fourth and Peloquin is able to squeak out the win and then brutally kills The Berserker and goes over board in the killing. The issue does have some blood and gore but is not over the top. The cover features Peloquin and is good with Max Douglas being the interior artist and his style is good in this issue. Over all a good issue with a fun story for fans of the character Peloquin, and with that lest see what the next issue has in store for us.

Nightbreed # 24 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.50 Epic Comics # 24 of 25

A man’s car has broken down in the woods and is scared when a van comes speeding by and Kinski, Peloquin and Leroy Gomm are in this van and this scares him to his core! And as the man turns he sees Babette and follows here into the woods and around a camp fire Boone, Lori, Narcisse, Shuna Sassi, Guido and Rachel stand and have to take him prisoner for seeing them, and after knocking him out they leave the area. During all this Lori lets Boone know that she does not like Shuna Sassi who is very sexual in nature. And the next day as Guido is driving them out of town Lori sits up front with him and tells him a story about the first time she meet Boone and how he saved her from a drug dealer at a carnival, and how they fell in love and his time with Doctor Decker and how she still loves him. Guido tells her of his past how he was born in Midian but felt he didn’t fit in and how he lived and worked among the normal people, and how he got good at fixing cars. And how Boone saved his life during the attack on Midian, but his boyfriend was killed. Lori then tells Guido that Boone still dreams about Shuna Sassi and this makes her so mad as she feels he does not love her anymore. Guido gives his worries that Boone as sent Kinski, Peloquin and Leroy Gomm away and on a different path to find the new Midian. Meanwhile a group of kids are messing with a Ouija board and it creeps them out, so they make the owner of the board run into the waters of a alligator farm and as he gets close to the water Ishmael The God Of The Lonely appears and this creature is a mix of Rawhead Rex, Kinder, Reverend Ashberry and Sheriff Eigerman! And then the young man who they knocked out and left behind is Steve a reporter who is now on the hunt to expose The Nightbreed to the world.

This issue is really playing up the drama among The Nightbreed and add more baddies for them to over come as Steve is a reporter who can cause the world to think that monsters live among them and this will cause fear and even attacks of Nightbreed, they kind of made the mistake of letting him live when he first stumbled on them. And the other major threat is the formation of their past enemies now in one body calling it’s self Ishmael The God Of The Lonely and we at this point have zero clue what it is capable of and what its true goal will be. The main story here is that Boone and Lori are having issues in their relationship as they are arguing and fighting, as Lori is very jealous of Shuna Sassi due to Boone dreaming about her at night. Shuna Sassi is very sexual and this also adds to Lori’s hatred for her. We also get to know Guido a little better, the Breed member who can remove his spine and find out that he had a boyfriend who died during the attacks on Midian and that Boone is the one who saved him. In the issue we also get to see the returning Breed of Kinski, Peloquin, Narcisse, Shuna Sassi, Rachel and Babette and we finally get appearances by Leroy Gomm and Lude! And with only one issue left it will be very interesting to see how this story arch as well as the series comes to an end. The issue is pretty bloodless and is more of a set up for the new enemy characters as well as the story of how Lori meet Boone. The cover once more showcases Peloquin as it’s clear they looked at him as the star of the comic series. The interior art is great and done by Derek Yaniger as he like many before him captures the mood of the subject matter. With that let’s see how this series ends and if Boone finds that New Midian that he has promised to find.

Nightbreed # 25 ***
Released in 1993 Cover Price $2.50 Epic Comics # 25 of 25

Steve has written and gotten his article printed in the newspaper all about The Nightbreed and this is a very bad thing for them. Boone wonders if The Nightbreed could like among the normal heroes and that is when Shuna Sassi tells her back story of having to kill a senator as well a officer of the law as she use to be a call girl and both were in love with her and this lead to the killing of her daughter, so she made them both pay. Boone decides that New York will become the New Midian and as called everyone home to help take the city over. And they all come as its Halloween night and the city is filled with people in costumes and this will make it a perfect time to strike! And in the city many of The Nightbreed come to do their part of the plan and this includes Shuna Sassi, Kinski, Peloquin, Narcisse, Nickneven among other causing panic in the city as The Nightbreed go into the subway system and even rebuild Baphomet, but Lori was not suppose to be in the subway but she comes anyway and watches as Ishmael The God Of The Lonely appears and attacks killing Boone in the process as Shuna Sassi has to use her poison quills in order to kill Ishmael and her quills as well is what helps seal the fate of Boone…as this has been his dream and he ordered Shuna Sassi to do her action during the fight. But Baphomet uses his powers to bring Boone back to life and the Nightbreed try and get their new underground home safe, and even Shuna Sassi uses her quills to kill the reporter Steve in order for him to not write anymore stories, and The Breed place drugs in the water to make the towns people think that the monster they seen were just apart of the hallucinations. It ends with Shuna Sassi dancing in the moonlight.

The Nightbreed comic series from Epic Comics comes to an end and The New Midian is in New York City in the subways underground and they must find a way to bring peace and safety to all The Nightbreed as the normal people of the world are still very much a threat. This issue does a very good job of trying to cram so much story into the pages as its clear that the series was suppose to last longer than it did, so they did the newspaper part to fill in some of the storyline and while it is a letdown it at least works to help wrap up the story. Boone is once more the hero of The Nightbreed as he himself leads them to their new home, he is willing to sacrifice his own self in order to protect them all and even tries his best to spare Lori the heartbreak…but in the end of course Baphomet restores his life. Lori learns that Boone loves her and that his dreams about Shuna Sassi are just about the events that will take place to bring down Ishmael, and not dreams of love and passion. And we see that Boone and Lori have found a new place for The Nightbreed to live and for Baphomet to be rebuilt. Shuna Sassi is shown to be a powerful member of The Nightbreed as her poisoned quills in this series is what brings down powerful enemies like Ishmael The God Of The Lonely and Ozymandias, and to me it is so odd that she did not show up in the series until towards the end of its run. Besides Boone the comics main Nightbreed stars are clearly Kinski, Narcisse and Peloquin as they are featured in almost every issue and are the ones who seem the most loyal to Boone and Baphomet. I do have to say that I wish throughout this series we had gotten more from characters like Lude, Leroy Gomm and Kushnir Day and that at times we would not have such harsh changes in the art as it seemed almost every issue was done by a different person and sometimes one issue would have multiple artist, as at times it was very distracting as some of their styles were very much different and that would mean characters would look very different from issue to issue. The series as well had its fare share of blood, guts, gore and nudity and over all the comic really did feel like it could be apart of the film it was based on and that is what is important, but while the feel was there some of the changing creative team issues does cause moments of being disjointed. I also hate that Epic Comics ended the series with a quick wrap up issues as I wish they had allowed them to fully let the story play out. The cover for this issue has Shuna Sassi with the interior art done this time by Phil Hester and his style is pretty good and he draws the characters well. Over all I really like the Nightbreed comic series from Epic and it is one that has held up for me over all these years, and it was great revisiting it after all these years. Check out the artwork below to see the styles used in this series.

Nightbreed is such a great film that features amazing looking characters and shows that mankind can be so cruel to those who are different even those who just want to be left alone. I also think that the film is often overlooked when people talk about the horror films of the early 1990’s, and it deserves a lot more praise than it gets. I also think that the comic series for me is the best thing that Epic Comics released, and that’s saying something as they had many great releases! But I think that it’s time for us to step away from Midian and the Nightbreed as our next update will take us to space and to a planet filled with prisoners and one pissed off Xenomorph that acts like a dog…and I am of course talking about Alien 3 and the Dark Horse Comics adaptation series of the film. So until next time read a horror comic of three, watch a horror film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as I hear that they can’t hear you scream in space.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Arachnophobia (1990)

Posted on September 3, 2025 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to another “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update that is part of our countdown to Halloween 2025. For this one I think we will be taking a look at a classic PG-13 fright flick that is all about killer spiders and is produced by Steven Spielberg. That film of course is Arachnophobia! This film sparks fear in many who truly do fear spiders as this film has hundreds of them running around homes and yards and even crawling up sink pipes and under doors…I am sure for many this is one of the scariest films of the 1990’s, those who truly have arachnophobia that is. So if you are ready, get your bug suits on as it’s time to check out these deadly spiders and the film that spawned them.

Let’s first take a look at the Spiders who are the human killers of this film and their ways of deal death to them. The Spiders are a mix of a new species from Venezuela and an American female House Spider that mate and create a very sinister short-lived species. These new spiders are fast as well as sneaky and can quickly descend on a person that is their prey. Their appearance as well can shock and scare people and can even cause major panic among those with a fear of spiders. The Spiders’ main way of dealing death is the poison they inject into a person after biting them with their fangs, and death comes quickly and painfully and triggers seizures and heart failure. They are deadly by themselves as well as in packs and can sneak into places via cracks as well as drains. They also have a Queen that can lay lots of eggs and cause them to spread fast, and if they are not stopped, they will kill and take over towns and cities causing death with every bite. They are also able to survive basic insecticide as they are immune to its effects and will also kill other insects and animals around in order to protect the eggs of their unborn. While they are very deadly, they can be killed and destroyed as they can be stepped on and crushed, they can be killed by highly toxic powerful insecticide, they can be burned with fire, or shot with a nail gun, electrocuted via a power box…but mostly father time is not on their side as they quickly die of age. This new species Of Spiders are super dangerous as one bite will kill you instantly and while they can be stopped they remain a major threat to humans and are very deadly.

So now that we have looked at these deadly spiders and their ways of killing humans, I think we should take a look at the 1990 film they are from, Arachnophobia! Like before I will be taking the film’s write up from our friends at IMDB and then I will write about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, let’s stay out of the webs and away from the spiders and take a look at this cult classic family horror film.

Arachnophobia (1990)

“A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidentally transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It’s up to a couple of doctors aided by an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight-legged freaks before they take over the entire town.”

Horror movies were very popular at the cinemas and drive-in theaters even into the early 90’s and lots of kids enjoyed heading to the theater to watch them. That’s why there was a rash of PG and PG-13 horror films being released and wanting in on this horror action was Disney as well as Steven Spielberg who got on board with the idea of a horror comedy film that circled around killer spiders loose in a small town and with first time director Frank Marshall leading the film and Don Jakoby and Wesley Strick writing the screenplay. They new that this film would be a hit with the youngsters as well as adults as it was intended to both scare and make you laugh. The film was given a budget of $22 million and hired on for cast were names like Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, Julian Sands, Harley Jane Kozak, Brian McNamara and Kathy Kinney to name a few, and most of the filming took place in California with the jungle shots being filmed in Venezuela. The film had over 300 Avondale Spiders on set, and their safety was taken very seriously as actors and crew had to make sure to not hurt any of them. In certain scenes they used dummy spiders as well as made the actors wear special shoes to pull off scenes that involved crushing them. In order to make the crunch and squash sounds of spiders under boots they would step on potato chips and mustard packs. The film was heavily marketed with trailers, print ads and TV spots as Disney, who was distributing the film thought that they had a hit on their hands, and they were right as the film would be released in theaters on July 18, 1990 as a big summer release and would bring in a total of $53.2million dollars and was a hit also with viewers and critics with the film winning the Best Horror Film award at the Saturn Awards. The film would also be a huge success when released on home media both in rental and home sales, and this only helped build the film’s cult following. The film also proved to studios that PG-13 horror films could work if done right and many compare the films mood and tone to such films as The Birds and Jaws. The film was released in 1990 alongside such other Horror Films as Basket Case 2, Bride Of Re-Animator, Child’s Play 2, The Exorcist III, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Maniac Cop 2, Nightbreed, Predator 2 and Tremors to name a few. And still to this day the film has a major cult following and is even rumored to be getting remade by James Wan’s production company.

The first time I saw Arachnophobia was when my Dad rented it for a family movie night at home while we lived in Waynesville, as while my brother and I wanted to see it in the theater we just never got to as our theater trip around that time was seeing Gremlins 2: The New Batch for us, and seeing how Gremlins was a favorite watch in our house it made only sense for us to see Part 2 over other films at the time. I think my Dad rented it not only because my brother and I were always into horror movies, but because he was a fan of John Goodman who at the time was very popular due to his role as Dan Connor on the hit sitcom “Roseanne”. I really enjoyed Arachnophobia and can remember the kids at school talking about it as the small town we lived in had tons of spiders around with lots of them being Wolf Spiders and we would all do the “What If” that one had a poisonous bite. And like all good films I bought much of the merchandise released like the soundtrack on cassette tape and even the book based on it that was at my school’s book fair. What makes this film work is that it plays on the fear of spiders and the threat of being bitten by one that will kill you instantly, and when you are a kid creepy crawlies were a big part of Halloween time and it was put into your mind that spiders are to be feared! The film was very well cast with it being really cool to see actor Julian Sands in a good guy role as I always knew him as The Warlock, and I think he is a very underrated actor in general. At times the film is very over acted and that is very fitting as it gives it that true B-Movie feel and makes it feel like it would have been at home during the 1950’s playing alongside such films as The Deadly Mantis and Tarantula at the drive-in as apart of a double feature. While the film is not overly violent or bloody, the scares truly come from the spiders themselves as well as some of the effects that show spiders crawling out of the mouth of one of their victims…just gross. And I should also point out that actress Kathy Kinney who plays Blaire Kendall, the wife of the town’s mortician, is known for her role as Mimi Bobeck on the sitcom The Drew Carey Show and she also had a small role in the Christmas film Scrooged. Over all if you are looking for a good, spooky, family friendly horror film to give Arachnophobia a shot as it’s an entertaining watch. Also John Goodman is awesome and is lots of fun in this film as the weirdo exterminator.

So now that we have chatted about the killer spiders and the film they are from, I think it’s the time on this update that we take a look at the comic book adaptation that was released by Disney Comics to help promote the film when it was in the cinemas. And I really do like that this PG-13 family friendly horror film got the comic book treatment as I think the film lent itself to be a comic with all the creepy crawlies and weird characters. And I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic for having this comic in stock and making the update possible. And I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So if you are ready, let’s head to Canaima, California and avoid these spiders!

Arachnophobia # 1 ***
Released in 1990 Cover Price $2.95 Disney # 1 of 1

In the jungles of Venezuela goofy photographer Jerry Manley has joined a expedition to document spiders that are found deep in the wild, they group finds a new species of Spiders and Jerry gets bitten by one and ends up dying and is flown back to America with one of the spiders in the casket! His body arrives in Canaima, California and once the coffin is open the spider escapes and is now loose in the town. Meanwhile Dr. Ross Jennings and his wife Molly have just bought a new home with a old barn that is filled with spiders, and Ross is terrified of them all cause of a childhood trauma. The spider finds a mate and creates a very deadly new species, and worse for Ross the doctor he was replacing has decided to not retire yet causing him to have to wait around before he takes over the practice in the small town he didn’t want to move to, and worse the old doctor is out of touch on how to treat peoples illness. The new breed of spiders are spreading out in the town and are biting people and causing them to pass away from their poison and the two doctors have different theories on what is happing, but while this is going on Molly meets the town exterminator named Delbert McClintock who hates bugs and loves to kill them. More and more people are dying and including the old doctor from the spider bites, and Ross is doing his best to try and figure out what is happening as the new spiders has yet to be figured out to be the killers. Ross ends up calling Dr. James Atherton, a spider specialist, for help who is the man that lead the expedition in Venezuela when Jerry was killed and he and one of his helpers head to Canaima to investigate these deaths. The town is starting to be over ran with these killers spiders and Dr. Jennings, Dr. Atherton and Delbert McClintock go on a quest to try and find the new species queen to stop the species growth and along the way find more and more people dead as well as more and more aggressive spiders. The queen ends up killing Dr. Atherton as the nest is in the barn of Dr. Ross and when they all show up at the Ross home they find it is over ran and Ross must get his wife and kids out of the home and Delbert McClintock tries to hold the spider back. In the end Dr. Jennings has a showdown with the spider queen in his cellar and ends up killing her using fire and a nail gun, and with that the new species of spider dies off and Dr. Ross Jennings is a hero and finds that he loves living in Canaima.

This comic adaptation is lots of fun and is able to play up the horrors of the spiders as well as the silliness of the characters very well, and while some moments seem to come out of left field like them suddenly showing that Ross Jennings had kids it somehow just kind of works for this comic as it plays up on the more b-movie feel of the story. The plot is this a new very poisonous spider species is invading a small town and the local Doctor along with the towns Exterminator must find a way to bring the horror to a stop by finding the queen of the species before she hatches more eggs. The main hero of the story is Dr. Ross Jennings, a city doctor who finds himself in a small town who must battle the old ways of the out dated town doctor, get over his fear of spiders and has to be the hero that brings down the queen in a blaze of fire. A very unlikely hero but one who does what he must to protect his family and town from being killed. Delbert McClintock is a heavyset goof ball who is the towns exterminator, and his main goal in life is to kill bugs as he just hates them and he is a good guy to have on your side during a infestation like this. Dr. James Atherton is kind of a mystery as while I think he wants to help skill the spiders, I also think he wants to study them as his main interest in in new spider species. The Spiders are killing machines as they bite and kill all types of people from town and seem to do so even when not provoked and that makes them so dangerous and shows why the people of Canaima should be scared to death of them. The comic is not bloody at all but does have lots of death as people are being killed by spiders all over the comic, and it plays the creepy horror and not for bloody horror for the scares. The cover is cool but is kind of lazy as it is just the movie poser with comic logos added, the interior art is done by Dan Spiegle and is good stuff even if the character look nothing like the actors who played them. If you are a fan of the film or like more of a kid friendly type of Horror give this one a read as it will surely entertain you. Check out the artwork below to see the style used by Spiegle for this adaptation comic.

As you can see, Arachnophobia is a super fun family friendly Horror film that made for a very fun comic book read thanks to Disney Comics. And I for one would like to see what James Wan and his production company does when they get around to filming the remake, though I would like to see it done as a reboot or sequel personally myself. I have to also point out you can never go wrong with a movie that has a spider on fire being killed by a nail gun, just classic B-Movie stuff. And with that this update has came to an end, but do not worry we have more horror-themed updates coming your way as for this month I am going to stick with PG-13 horror movies that got the comic book treatment and our next one will be House II: The Second Story and the Marvel Comics adaptation of it! So until next time, read a horror comic or three, watch a horror film or two an as always support your local horror host. See you next update for a travel through dimensions and time in order to protect a Crystal Skull.

Forgotten Reels: The Lost World (1925)

Posted on September 13, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Forgotten Reels is a new update theme here at Rotten Ink and will take us to the Rotten Ink Theater to sit around and talk about Silent Cinema! As I am sure you all know by now, I am a major fan of all types of films and genres, but did you know that I am a huge fan of Silent Films? And when it comes to Silent Horror Films as well as Silent Science Fiction films, I am a major geek for them and have been trying to figure out a way to cover them here on Rotten Ink and thanks to the success of the “Wild West Round Up” updates I have found the formatting that would work to share my love for them! When covering the Silent Films, I am also going to cover a different bag of my favorite kind of snack food and I am talking about potato chips! And like before, I will be given a star rating to both the film and the chips. For these Forgotten Reels updates I will be covering releases from companies like Alpha Video, Grapevine Video, Creature Feature Video and Madacy Entertainment. And yes, I know that Kino Lorber and Criterion a lot of the times has the way better prints that have been restored and re-mastered, I just feel that the companies above have the look and quality I remember seeing these types of films for the first time as a kid. I also want to give my friend and amazing artist Jason Gilmore a big thank you for the Forgotten Reels logo that will be used for these Silent Film themed updates. Oh, I almost forgot the first film we will be covering for Forgotten Reels is a real classic in cinema as it’s the 1925 film The Lost World! So let’s find our seats and get ready to talk some Silent Cinema!

The Lost World is a 1925 film that was based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was released by First National Pictures and had a budget of $700,000. Harry O. Hoyt was brought on the production to direct as he was the man in the director chair for such films as “The Moth (1917)”, “The Rider Of The King Log (1921)” and “Sundown (1924)” to name a few, and they had screenwriter Marion Fairfax in to adapt the novel for screen as she had a long history of being behind the pen for many classic silent films. The film brought in classic actors like Wallace Beery, Bessie Love, Arthur Hoyt and Bull Montana to fill roles, and the film is considered one of the first in cinema to use stop motion special effects. Willis O’Brien, the godfather of this style, was the man behind these amazing dinosaur effects, and he is one of the all time great effects masters and would go on to work on the 1933 King Kong among many other iconic films of cinema. The dinosaurs of the film were based on the artwork of Charles R. Knight and decades after the film, it’s said that Forrest J. Ackerman had many of the O’Brien models in his private collection. Ackerman was a true lover of classic Horror and Sci-Fi cinema and saved many items like them from being lost to time. The river scenes of the film were said to be shot behind MGM studios in an open sewer area, or so the Hollywood story goes. Another great story about The Lost World is that in 1922 Conan Doyle showed a ton of magicians including Harry Houdini test footage of O’Brien’s dinosaurs and would not tell the origins of the footage while they all viewed it and they as well as the press was said to have been blown away by the effects. The film over the years is said to have made $1.3 million dollars and was the first film to be shown on a flight in 1925 via a nitrate film reels and is as well what kicked off the dinosaur movie craze that is still going to this day. Over the years some prints of the film have fallen into the Public Domain and have been shown on many Horror Host programs as well can be found on many budget VHS, DVD and on YouTube. And over the years Lost World has had some lost footage found as well as has been re-mastered.

The chips I chose to pair with this film are “Grippo’s Bar-B-Q,” a chip that I have loved since I was a young kid and a potato chip company from the great state of Ohio. Growing up as a kid, popcorn, Andy Capp’s Hot Fries and potato chips were the snacks of choice for my brother and I as we watched USA Saturday Nightmares or WWF Monday Night Raw, and one of our favorites hands down when it came to chips was always Grippo’s! You see my father has always worked in the grocery business and he would from time to time bring home different styles of snack food for not only him to eat but also for my brother and I to try, and Grippo’s was always a popular eat at our house during movie and TV watching. Grippo’s started in 1919 and is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio and was founded by Angelo Grippo. The company over the years has made all types of snack foods from Pretzels, Sugar Cones and their most popular item is Potato Chips that comes in many flavors from the overly popular BBQ as well as Cheddar, Salt & Vinegar as well as a few others. Grippo’s is still going strong to this day and so many of my friends love these chips. Below is a shot of a freshly opened bag so that you can see these BBQ Grippo’s in their natural habitat.

Forgotten Reels is a themed update that will be sticking around for a very long time here on Rotten Ink as being able to share my thought and the wonders of Silent Films is something that I really like to do! And I will be grading both the film and the chips on a classic 1-4 star scale. I also want to say on my film rating, I am basing it on a scale that is for silent films of all budgets and eras. So sit back in your theater seat, grab some chips and a soda and let’s travel to The Lost World with Alpha Video. And yes, the stills used in this review update are indeed taken from the Alpha Video print and the DVD that I own.

Lost World
Starring: Wallace Beery and Bessie Love Directed: Harry O. Hoyt
Not Rated 1925 63min Alpha Video DVD Full Frame

We open in the office of the London Record Journal, and the Editor is upset as he has just gotten word that Professor Challenger is going to sue them over the paper doubting his story of living dinosaurs, and they are also worried, as Challenger has attacked three reporters just that day! In order to get the interview with Challenger, they send eager reporter Edward Malone who stumbles into the editor’s office and has to hurry to Zoological Hall to cover a lecture that Challenger is giving and try to score the sit down interview for the paper, as well as sneak in as reporters are banned from the lecture. At the Hall many people are in line for the lecture including Sir John Roxton who is an explorer and hunter who wants to disprove Challenger’s claim of dinosaurs. And it seems like many of those attending are there to mock Challenger and his claims. Malone is able to easily get into the lecture thanks to Roxton who brings him in on his pass. As he starts the crowd mocks Challenger, who in turn wants to get a committee and a group together to head to the Amazon and to this Lost World with him! And some in the crowd who believe and disbelieve take him up on this chance to see the Dinosaurs and they are Professor Summerlee, John Roxton and Edward Malone. But when Malone alerts Challenger of his profession, the Professor goes into a rage and tries to attack the young man and chaos breaks out. And Challenger, mad that a reporter got in, returns to his home.

As Professor Challenger gets home for the night, still mad over the lecture, he soon finds that Edward Malone has entered his home via a window, as he would like to talk to the Professor and says that he really needs to go on the expedition in order to impress his fiancé who will not marry him until he faces a major challenge, and this means nothing to Challenger who attacks Malone and they two fight and struggle so much that they end up in the street! A Police Cop witnesses the fight and when Malone refuses to press charges and even takes blame for the fight, Challenger ends up listening to Malone when he finds out that he is also close friends with Sir John Roxton. Once inside the parlor, Challenger has his butler call upon Miss Paula White, and also Roxton comes to the house and they talk about the diary of Maple White and as Paula shows up the story of the Lost World that is populated with Dinosaurs is discussed. Paula explains how her father discovered a plateau in the Amazon alone as she was back at camp sick from a fever, and as she speaks Malone flips through the pages of the diary and sees the explorers drawings of Dinosaurs that he said he saw! And then Paula claims that she has seen them herself and that her father is lost on that plateau as his crew left him behind in fear of the beasts. And as they talk, Mrs. Challenger enters the parlor and is upset that her husband has kicked out everyone up to this point has come to the house to help. Edward Malone then comes up with the idea to get the paper to pay for the rescue mission as he can pass it off as a good human-interest story as they might think that the talk of Dinosaurs is fake but saving an explorer in a exclusive story they would bite on. Challenger agrees to this pitch and everyone is happy. Malone asks Roxton to go talk to the editor with him, and before they leave Roxton tells Paula that he is going on this mission for her. Paula looks both happy and taken back by this, but is happy they help is on its way for her father.

The London Record Journal funds the rescue mission and Professor Challenger, Sir John Roxton, Professor Summerlee, Paula White, Austin and Edward Malone meet up with some natives and boat down the river to the secret location deep in the Amazon. Once they reach the plateau they all make camp and Malone is writing to his editor as everyone else is enjoying the rest and wildlife around the area. But watching them is a strange apeman who is monstrous in nature and watches and Roxton talks of how Paula said her father used a fallen tree in order to get to the plateau and Challenger says in the morning they will knock down another tree and get across. The apeman then pushes a bolder off the cliff and tries to crush the rescue party, his attack fails and causes the men to look around and they see a massive Pterodactyl flying around and then landing and eating, and Challenger then declares that everything in Maple’s diary is true.

The next morning Challenger leads them to the top of the plateau and chops down another tree to make a bridge across a cliff and while doing all this dinosaurs start to pay attention to the noises being made by these human invaders. One by one they cross the fallen tree and then watch as a Brontosaurus feeds on leaves. They are scared and yet also so amazed by this sight. The massive creature then does the unthinkable and knocks their tree bridge off the cliff and causing them all to be stuck now. All the while back at the camp native Zambo with his pet monkey Jocko and Austin, the butler of Challenger watch on and are helpless to save them from being stranded.

As night falls, the group starts a fire to stay warm and try and come up with a plan, and unknown to them the apeman once more is watching them this time from the trees. Malone heads to Paula and tries to find out what is on her mind. She tells of the worry she has that something bad has happened to her father as she feels he would have made his way to the fire if he was still alive. Malone tries to comfort her as Roxton watches on and is not pleased that someone else talking to the woman he loves. But before anything else can be said, the whole group gets a scare as a T-Rex appears and attacks and kills another dinosaur before their eyes. They then watch as the T-Rex’s path of murder doesn’t stop as it goes after a Tyrannosaurus and its baby. He fails in his attempt to kill and gets a horn would to his side that makes him even more mad as he heads out into the jungle and into the camp! Challenger and Roxton armed with rifles open fire on the T-Rex and Malone throws a lit torch at it scaring it off and back into a battle with a Tyrannosaurus. As the group then finally spots the apeman and Roxton shoots him in the arm scaring him away. Meanwhile the T-Rex kills the Tyrannosaurus as well as then kills a Pterodactyl. Meanwhile at the base camp, Zambo and Jocko are drinking water when Austin has an idea that they can make a giant rope from the hammocks and have Jocko climb the mountain plateau to give it to them.

After all the excitement of the T-Rex attack, Challenger and the group find a cave to seek shelter in from the craziness of the jungle. They decided that this cave would be their home until they are saved or for the rest of their lives and then Challenger tries to design a catapult weapon out of bent down trees in order to fight off dinosaurs. While in the cave Roxton is looking around and finds a skeleton of a human that has a locket, and inside that locket is a picture of Paula…the hunter thinks he has found the remains of her father Maple White, he then also finds an open at the back of the cave that leads straight down the mountain and fires his gun and gets the attention of Austin and Zambo who yell back and fourth with Raxton that they will be turning the rope into a ladder and will send Jacko up with it in the morning, but the monkey needs to see Paula to make the climb. Meanwhile alone in a part of the cave Malone tells Paula that he loves her, and is breaking his promise to his fiancé as he wants to be with her. Roxton walks in on the two embracing and sharing loving words, Malone informs his friend that he and Paula are going to marry each other in the cave as Summerlee was once a minister before he was a professor and goes off to find him. As Roxton says he needs to tell Paula something very important.

In the jungle Challenger and Summerlee are watching a Brontosaurus feed and are following it, as back in the cave Raxton gives Paula the locket and tells her the bad news of her father’s death. The T-Rex shows up once again and this time goes after the Brontosaurus and knocks the massive creature over the cliff, the T-Rex is mad that he did not get to eat his victim and wonders off into the jungle. Meanwhile in another cave the apeman along with his chimpanzee friend sulk over the humans being around and him being wounded by a bullet. Paula and Raxon are waiting for the others to return as they have been gone for hours now and they are worried, but Raxton tells her they must wait for them in order to lead them to the cave opening so they can all escape. And also a volcano on the plateau is about to erupt adding more danger for Challenger and his crew as the lava starts to flow the dinosaurs start to stampede and it’s making it hard for Challenger, Summerlee and Malone to get back to the cave for shelter. The T-Rex is attacking his fellow fleeing dinosaurs as fire is breaking out all around in the jungle! And they are finally able to make their way to the cave as the volcano calms down and the fires stop and the dinosaurs go back to their normal lives.

Back in the cave Raxton shows Paula the opening as she calls for Jocko, the little monkey, who with the ladder makes his way up the mountain to get to her, and does so delivering their way to escape the Lost World. The Brontosaurus who fell from the cliff is shown to be alive and stuck in mud, and it’s the mud that spared its life and cushioned the landing. With the ladder now in place Paula White starts making her way down the mountain, Jocko the monkey is next, then Professor Summerlee, Professor Challenger, Edward Malone and lastly Sir John Roxton gets on the ladder. But the apeman and his chimpanzee friend and a score to settle with Roxton and they start to pull the ladder up with him still on it as his friends below try to pull it back down, but the apeman is just too strong. They fire a rifle up at the mountain and hit apeman in the chest and Roxton makes it down to land safe. As they are heading away from the mountain, Challenger spots the wounded Brontosaurus and with the help of Major Hiddard of Brazilian Geodetic they get the dinosaur out of the mud in a month’s time with a one-way ticket to London.

In London Professor Challenger is giving another lecture to a roomful of people and he tells them that they are brining a living Brontosaurus to London and that reporter Edward Malone is on the ship that is bringing the creature to them in mere moments. Challenger then gets a phone call from Malone who informs the professor that during unloading at the dock the straps on the cage broke and now the Brontosaurus is loose in the streets and causing panic and chaos. In the streets people are running and driving away in fear as the dinosaur is on a rampage. Challenger tells the crowd at the lecture to stay inside as his dinosaur is free in the streets, and the crowd starts to think that this is a scam and begin to boo and turn on Challenger who they think is a liar. All the while the Brontosaurus is stomping around the city causing destruction and ends up on the London Bridge and it ends up breaking under its weight and it falls into the water and swims away. After the dinosaur is gone Paula and Malone come together and Roxton pushes his feelings for her aside and is happy for the couple. And Professor Challenger sits on the bridge and watches as his dinosaur fades away into the horizon.

Review: The Lost World is a truly amazing early cinema film that allowed the team of Harry O. Hoyt and Marion Fairfax to truly bring the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to life on the big screen and offered thrills, chills to movie goers who left the theater wondering if they had just seen footage of real dinosaurs! The film really focuses on reporter Edward Malone and his quest to cover the big story of the lost world as well as him falling in love with Paula White who his own friend famed hunter Sir John Roxton also is crushing on. And all three of these characters are great and their story is interesting and helps add more drama to the story and also adds a good amount on tension to a group that is already stuck in a land of dinosaurs who want to eat them for dinner. But I think like most people who have read the book as well would agree that the real star of the film is the eccentric Professor Challenger whose anger, passion and personality sets him apart from the rest of the cast of characters and Wallace Beery was the perfect actor to cast in that role. The Dinosaur effects were done by the true legend and godfather of early day special effects Willis O’Brien and this film was a great warm up for him as in 1933 he would bring us the masterpiece of cinema King Kong. And the T-Rex in this movie is such a jerk and gets his jollies in just killing other dinosaurs as well as trying to kill our heroes. And let’s not forget to point out the awesome Brontosaurus rampage in London, a scene that influenced many Kaiju and Giant Monster movies over the decades. One thing I have to point out is that actor Bull Montana played the Apeman on the Lost Planet and he is one of cinema’s early creature actors as he would wear that suit or one just like it in the 1920 Horror Comedy Film “Go And Get It” and had the movements of creatures down, but that I am sure this is due to his years of being a Pro Wrestler. This film is also very much the inspiration for the Jurassic Park book and film series, and The Lost World is one of the world’s best Silent Films from that era as it brings so many emotions with it and best of all its super entertaining from start to finish. If you have not seen this film, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy from Alpha Video or another home media copy and give it a watch.

Now let’s briefly talk about the Grippo’s Bar-B-Q Potato Chips, a snack food that has always been a favorite in my family’s household growing up. When eating this bag I can see why I loved them as a kid. The BBQ seasoning on these chips is very flavorful and have a nice spice taste that makes it so easy to eat a full bag in one sitting. They have a taste like no other BBQ chip and that is why those who have tried Grippo’s always put them at the top of their shopping list for snack food. And they are not afraid to coat the chip in the seasoning and hands down these are some amazingly good potato chips!

Movie: ****
Chips: ****

The Lost World really is a fantastic Silent Film. The effects that they pulled off in 1925 are amazing and set the guidelines for special effects to come in Hollywood, and really the film is a mix of Adventure, Sci-Fi and Horror and really was one of the early versions of a Giant Monster movie as the end of the film has a Dinosaur running wild in a big city that would go on to be a staple of the kind of films. And as you can see, this first Forgotten Reels update starts off with a perfect Silent Film as well as a perfect bag of chips. But the house lights have been turned on and that is our cue to head out, but before we do, I would like to let you all know that our next update will take us to New York and the time that Dracula visited it as the topic is the 1979 film Love At First Bite and the photo comic book based on it! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a Silent Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon as we continue our countdown to Halloween 2022 and spend some time with Count Dracula.

Tarzan’s Great Christmas Eve Adventure

Posted on December 24, 2020 by bloodlinematt

Merry Christmas Eve! It’s hard to believe it’s that time of the year again when Santa Claus is gearing up to start his big night of present giving and spreading good cheer. And for this Holiday update I decided to take us out of the snow filled cold night of December here in Ohio and take us to the heart of the jungle as we go and visit the one and old Lord Of The Jungle Tarzan! This update is going to be a very long one as I have chosen the Marvel Comics series to review and have also decided to do a Game Boy Challenge as I try to beat the game Tarzan Lord Of The Jungle, plus talk about all things Tarzan from novels to cinema and everything in-between! I want to also let you know that this update was one that I have been working on since mid 2018 as I wanted to take my time and share my enjoyment of Tarzan with you all. So if you’re ready grab yourself a glass of eggnog, grab your safari hat and listen for the yell of Tarzan cause we are heading to the jungle for this epic and long Holiday update adventure.

Before we dive into the character Tarzan we should take a few moments and take a look at the man who created him and that is of course author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Edgar was born on September 1, 1875 in Chicago, Illinois to George and Mary Burroughs and had a pretty good childhood and was well educated and when old enough went to several Military Schools and even enlisted in the Army, but was discharged when they found that he had heart issues. In 1891 he left the Chicago area when a influenza outbreak infected many and he went to live with his brother were he worked on the ranch and was a cowboy and when returning back home he took work in his fathers battery factory. By 1900 he settled down and married is long time sweetheart Emma Hulbert and also began several years of working in many different jobs like being the manager at a mining company owned by his brother, worked for the railroad in Salt Lake City and even was a wholesaler salesman for pencil-sharpeners. But by 1911 with a wife and two children Edgar decided that he wanted to try his hand and writing and he started to do so, mainly doing pulp stories for magazines and built his style and talent. In 1913 he and his wife had their third and final child John Coleman Burroughs who would go on to be an amazing artist. Edgar also would end up being a pilot after he bought a plane and this allowed his whole family learn to fly. Edgar was getting more and more respect for his writing and in 1934 he separated from his wife Emma and ended up a year later marrying actress Florence Gilbert Dearholt who was known for her roles in such films as “Down Home (1920)”, “The Johnstown Flood (1926)” and “The Return Of Peter Grimm (1926)” to name a few…but the marriage ended by 1942. Another amazing fact is that in his 60’s Edgar was in Honolulu at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and he ended up becoming a U.S. Correspondent being one of the worlds oldest! On March 19, 1950 and at the age of 74 Edgar Rice Burroughs passed away from a heart attack, and he at the time was an artist who made so much money off the movies and shows that were based on his characters he created. During his long career of being a writer he created the characters of Tarzan The Ape Man and John Carter Warlord Of Mars among others and for these characters he was placed in The Science Fiction Hall Of Fame in 2003! While he is gone and his work will forever live on in novels, comics, movies, shows, games and toys showing that he really is an icon of Sci-Fi fiction.

Growing up I read not only comic books & magazines but also lots of paperback books and some of my favorites to find at Half Price Books and the Paperback Rack were old Tarzan novels. I would gobble up any and all Tarzan books I could find and would crack them open some nights before bed and read a chapter or two all the while enjoying the jungle adventure. Still to this day when looking at paperback novels at places like Half Price Books and Bell Book And Comic when finding a Tarzan book I don’t have I pick it up! I have many good memories of reading Tarzan books in my room in Waynesville and picturing the words I was reading in my mind. That’s the thing about Tarzan is that when I read one of the old paperbacks I felt like I was in that jungle amongst the apes, lions and warriors and these books are some of the first novels that got me into reading not just comic books. I would say my favorite book of the series is “Tarzan Of The Apes” the first book in the series as I always felt it packed such a great impact and was what introduced me to the world of Tarzan. If you enjoy sitting down and reading a good book check out one of the Tarzan adventures on a cold winter night and I am sure you’ll enjoy it!

While Tarzan was a big hit in literature he was a star when it came to the world of cinema as well, as movie goers for decades could not get enough of his adventures on the silver screen. It’s crazy to think that Tarzan as been in movies sense the days of Silent Films and even as of 2016 he got a big budget movie thanks to Warner Brothers and the release of “Legend Of Tarzan”. And lets be honest Tarzan was a major box office draw in the 1930’s through 1960’s and actors like Gordon Scott, Lex Barker, Denny Miller and Johnny Weissmuller and truly made the character Tarzan a hero from many young kids world wide. Growing up I cannot count how many of these films I have seen from seeing them on TV, VHS and DVD and every time I watch one I feel like a kid again as they just don’t make jungle adventure films like this anymore. Hands down Johnny Weissmuller is the best Tarzan but I also really liked Gordon Scott in the role as well. I mean to be honest I cannot think of a really “Bad” actor to play the role. In fact over the years I have found myself buying every Tarzan live action film and who knows maybe some day here on Rotten Ink I’ll do an update that talks about each film in the series, as well as give an answer to what film is the best! While Tarzan might not be the box office draw he once was, he still made his massive mark on the world of adventure cinema and has entertained so many viewers over the years.

While he has always been a box-office draw Tarzan has also made his mark in the world of TV, as he has not only had live actions shows he has also been in cartoons. That’s right The Lord Of The Jungle has made his way to the world of animation and Saturday Moring Cartoons! And one that always sticks out to me and is one I seen when I was a youngster in reruns called “Tarzan, Lord Of The Jungle” that was shown in 1976 on CBS when originally broadcasted. The show was created by Filmation the same folks who brought the world iconic cartoons as “Masters Of The Universe”, “Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids”, “Blackstar”, “She-Ra: Princess Of Power”, “BraveStarr” and “The Groovie Goolies And Friends” to name a very small few. The cartoon ran from 1976-1980 for a total of 36 episodes that ran 30 minutes each. In the cartoon Tarzan who was well spoken would have all types of adventures with his ape friend N’kima and all his other jungle friends. Tarzan in the show was voiced by Robert Ridgely who would also voice iconic cartoon characters like Thundarr The Barbarian, Flash Gordon in “The New Adventures Of Flash Gordon” and The Peculiar Purple Pie in “Strawberry Shortcake” showing that he was a master of the voice talent arts. I am not sure where I seen episodes of this show I tend to think TV like on USA Cartoon Express or maybe it could have been on a old VHS Tape. One thing that’s for sure that I do know is that the first season was released by Warner Brothers on DVD in 2016, and the series very much has a cult following among fans of the character. If you have not seen this cartoon series make sure to track down the DVD season and give it a watch as it does a great job of bring Tarzan alive via animation.

The first ever Tarzan comic book series was published by Dell in 1948 and was a long running series having a total of 206 issues and ending in 1972. But even before that Tarzan was the star of his own comic strip that started in 1929 and has been reprinted as well as have had many talented artist working on it like Russ Manning and Hal Foster. After Dell cancelled the series DC Comics picked it up in 1972 with issue 207 and ran till issue 258 ending the original series in 1977. Marvel Comics in 1977 decided that they were going to give Tarzan and try and re-launched it with a new number 1 and their series lasted 29 issues as well as 3 annuals. From their many other comic companies have released comics based on Tarzan from Dark Horse to Dynamite and while he is not a major player in the world of comics he has very much made his mark. Tarzan has also teamed up and fought many other comic characters in his adventures like Planet Of The Apes, Batman, Predator and Red Sonja. Growing up I have read many Tarzan comics with most of them being the ones from Marvel as my late Uncle Thurman gave my brother and me a stack of them when we were younger, and can say just like the films I have always enjoyed him in comics as well.

Like all iconic characters that is geared towards kids and collectors Tarzan has had his fair share of cool figures and dolls made in his likeness making it very easy for fans to get their hands on cool action figures and have their very own adventures. When I was a kid many companies released figures based on the Lord Of The Jungle companies like Dakin, Trendmasters and Mattel and I had figures from them all besides Mattel as they were based on the animated Disney film. In fact when I was playing Toy Wars the figure of Tarzan’s mom Kala was used and was in the rebels base helping fight off attacks from Stormtroopers and Cobra Guards. But while those toys were cool and parts of my childhood the one figure I always wanted and still want to this day is the Mego Tarzan figure as I have always found it to be a must have and never have gotten one. Plus all of these figures we have talked about are just a drop in the hat of ones made based on Tarzan. So in other words if you liked Tarzan growing up and played with action figures toy companies had you covered. Check out the pictures below to see some of these toys in all their glory.

Besides toys and comics Tarzan has also made his way onto all types of other cool merchandise like shirts, posters, magazines, buttons, lunch boxes, board games, vinyl records, comic books, video games, home video, drinking glass, books, coloring books and so much more! Showing that over the year’s fans of Tarzan has had lots of great things to choose from and could add to their love for the character. It’s crazy to thank that in 2020 Tarzan is not as big of a hero to the young and young at heart, but for those of use who still really enjoy The King Of The Jungle there is so much cool collectibles out in the world to add to your collection.

Lets now talk video games as the Lord Of The Jungle has had his share of digital adventures as well. Like in 1984 for the ColecoVision the game Tarzan was released to cash in on the film Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan. 1991 saw the release of Tarzan Goes Ape for the Commodore 64. 1994 seen Tarzan: Lord of The Jungle come out for both Game Boy and Game Gear. Disney’s Tarzan in 1999 got many video games for many systems like Sony Playstation, N64, PC and Game Boy Color! And of course many other Disney Tarzan games were made for such systems as Playstation 2, Game Cube, PC and GBA. And even in 2019 a Tarzan slot machine was released in casinos and became a hit with players. Over the years to be honest the only video game I have played of Tarzan was the one based on the Disney film for the Playstation and always wanted to play the one for the ColecoVision. But for this Holiday Christmas Eve update I have a little something special planned. So keep reading!

Game Developers Euroncom developed a game based on Tarzan that was published by GameTech in 1994 for the Nintendo Game Boy and the Sega Game Gear. The game was called Tarzan: Lord Of The Jungle and has the player take control of Tarzan as he tries to complete six stages with each having their own storyline from stopping evil poachers to curing a primate disease. The game is an action platformer and each mission/level has a time limit that is pretty tight and leaves very little room for error. When released the game was meet with mediocre reviews and scores as many just thought it was to average and to repetitive with not having a password system meaning you had to play the same levels over and over in order to try and beat it. The games sales were also not that great as the US version for Game Gear didn’t even make it out and was cancelled. Below is some screen shots from the game as well as the cover for the Game Boy Version, and I must say the box art is great…but the in game look is a little cartoonish and reminds me more of George Of The Jungle!

So wanting to do this update for awhile as I have always been a big Tarzan fan I had to really think long and hard on what video game to play and try and beat and it came down to either the Playstation one based on the Disney animated movie or the Game Boy version and for me hands down I had to pick the Game Boy one as its more classic and closer to the Tarzan I grew up loving. So I also decided that I am going to play this game on my Game Boy Color and even better drove out to the woods to play the game as while I might not have a jungle near were I live, I do have lots of wooded areas and parks! I choose to play the game near the woods by Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio as it is a super peaceful place and one I visit often to relax and read comics at. I choose September 23, 2020 to do so as it was sunny out and was only 75 degrees out with a nice small breeze. I gave myself a playtime of 35 minutes to see how far I could get in the game and the first mission had me collecting flowers to give to a witch doctor in order to get a potion to give to a sick great ape…this level is a run around and find objects to go bring to one character to only take it to another…this level is timed like all levels in this game and after running around and failing a few times I was able to clear the first level and save the Great Ape by throwing the cure in bottles at him as he tried to attack me!

The second level is as far as I got in the time I gave myself and has Tarzan trying to get stolen gold back from a Crocodile who has hidden it. I must say he gameplay for this game is easy and not hard at all to play, the only real annoying parts is the game maps are all over the pace and sometimes swinging from the vines can be annoying. The music is pretty standard stuff and is catchy. Over all this is a pretty fun fetch side scrolling game that is worth checking out if you enjoy the old style Game Boy games.

As you can see Tarzan is a true icon in culture and has made an impact on many fans life over the decades. I would also like to thank Bell Book & Comic, Lone Star Comics, Half Price Books, Game Swap Kettering and Mavericks Cards And Comics for having these issues in stock and making this update possible as well as letting me relive reading them again! I want to also remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, it’s entertainment value and it’s art and story. So if you’re ready lets head to the jungle and have an adventure with the one and only Tarzan!

Tarzan # 1 ***
Released in 1977 Cover Price .30 Marvel # 1 of 29

A European man named Jules is on a Safari when all of a sudden he and his helpers are attacked by the Natua Tribe who slaughter them all leaving only Jules alive! The man runs through the jungle is fear and ends up loosing the tribe but gets the attention of a very hungry lion who now has his sites on him for dinner. As the lion is about to attack from the trees above comes Tarzan who fights with the beast and stabs it with his knife until it dead, saving Jules life for the first time as quickly the Natua Tribe are now on them and are looking to finish off Jules who is now being protected by the lord of the jungle. The Natua Tribe flings their spears at Tarzan who dodges them and uses his knife to keep them at bay until his backup arrives that is Tantor an elephant that stomp and flings the Natua Tribe all around and saves the day. Once the coast is clear Tarzan and Jules ride Tantor to the safety of Tarzans home in order for Jules to heal and rest up. But little does Tarzan know that the man he just saved is not named Jules but is Albert Werper an angry man who has sworn to kill Tarzan!

This first issue is as good as I remember it being when I was a youngster and delivers all the thrills and adventures of jungle films as well as brings Tarzan back to life in the pages of comics. This comics plot is very simple and has our hero saving a man from a blood thirsty tribe as well as a man eating lion only to have really saved his own enemy. This issue Tarzan is brave and a hero as he risks his life to save a strangers, he also can be very human like as well as very beast like and is just a very classic feeling hero. That’s the thing about Tarzan while he is a very old style hero he seems to never really go out of fashion. Albert Werper is a very tricky man as he acts like a victim when in fact it looks like he while be one foe Tarzan will regret saving. The Natua Tribe are savages who are hunting man like they are animals and even shrug off the fear of Tarzan when they think they can get the upper hand. The thing also about this issue is that it’s a very quick read is very fast paced. Plus it really showcases the fighting style of Tarzan as he is skilled in hand to hand combat as well as using his animal friends to win the big fights. The cover for this issue is great and captures the mood of the issues plot and the interior art is great and is done by John Buscema and has that classic Marvel Comics look. Over all this is a great read for fans of Tarzan and was a great issue to start the Marvel series on. A great read and one I have enjoyed revisiting and makes me really looking forward to doing so with the rest in the series as well.

Tarzan # 2 ***
Released in 1977 Cover Price .30 Marvel # 2 of 29

Tarzan and Albert travel on the mighty elephant Tantor till they reach the bungalow house of Tarzan were this fake victim meets Muviro the chief of the Waziri Tribe as well as Tarzan’s wife Jane! That night after eating a good dinner Tarzan goes on a walk with one of his monkey friends as Jane sits and tells Albert the story of the legend of Tarzan. She shares that Tarzan was in fact raised by apes after they killed his parents, she tells of his wisdom to teach himself how to read, she talks of his rise to rule the apes as well as when they first meet and he saved her from a great ape. She shares that she was the one to teach him English as well as shares that she was to be married to Tarzan’s cousin unknown to them all before finally marring her true love. She also shares that Tarzan is from a wealthy family and has inherited it all. After she finishes Tarzan comes back home as Albert goes for a walk so the married couple can chat, and as he listens in at the window he learns that Tarzan and his wife Jane who had the Greystroke fortune are now broke after a bad investment and now Tarzan must travel deep into the African jungle to get gold from haunted ruins! Now Albert has a plan to not only kill Tarzan but also steal some of the gold.

Once more Marvel Comics and the creative team behind this comic series proves that they knew how to do the legend of adventures of Tarzan right! The plot of this issue is really the origin of Tarzan as well as sets up why Albert has a mission to kill the Lord of the Jungle. Tarzan in this issue opens his home to a stranger and even fills his belly with good food plus offers a warm bed for him to sleep in. Jane as well is very nice and shares her story with the stranger as well as is the one who cooked the dinner and as well welcomes the stranger in her home. Albert Werper is a military trained killer who is on the run for murder and has joined a band of evildoers who deal in ivory and human trafficking. He has sworn to kill Tarzan so he and his gang of goons can move deeper in the jungle to get what they need to grow. Plus he also shows that he is very mentally unstable as he kills his own Military commander and has becomes a cold-blooded member of a group that treats human and animal lives as nothing! The best part about this issue is that while it’s an origin issue we do not fully focus on that story that we all already know and we add elements of the current story. Plus like the first issue this one really does have a classic pulp hero feel to it as something and nothing all happen at the same time but it all feels very classic and entertaining. I must also say that I like the character of Terkoz as massive ape who once was the King of the apes who was beaten, disgraced and later killed by Tarzan! I would have liked to have known what his story was after he was kicked out of the ape tribe and was left to fend for himself all with hatred in his heart for the human Tarzan. The cover for this issue is great and shows not only our hero but also Jane and Terkoz. The interior art is done by John Buscema again and is amazing stuff. So as you can see this second issue as well is well done and has held up for me and makes me want to move onto issue # 3.

Tarzan # 3 **1/2
Released in 1977 Cover Price .30 Marvel # 3 of 29

The next day Albert Werper decides that he is “leaving” to get back home and has an escort of Waziri Tribe warriors. Once in the jungle they run across one of Albert’s fellow raiders and he plays it off as if he is lost, and on the orders of Albert the Waziri warriors are sent away. Albert informs his fellow con man that he has yet to kill Tarzan as he is going to lead them to mass amounts of gold and that while the lord of the jungle is away they need to kidnap his wife! As Tarzan leaves for the lost city of Opar his unknown enemy Albert is stalking him. Tarzan and some of the Waziri start their long quest and our hero spends time loving having to not be civilized like when he is around Jane and his mind is other places as Albert stalks in all the while. Tarzan and his warrior friends walk and climb until they finally reach the lost city and when entering they soon start to remove all the gold bars they would need to rebuild they Greystoke fortune, and all the while Albert watches with greed in his eyes. After Tarzan takes just the amount he would need to recover from the huge money loss and earthquake happens and rocks end up blocking the Waziri warriors from his friend as well as Tarzan is knocked out on the same side as the hiding Albert who leaves his one time savior for dead as he tries to find a way out only to end up captured by weird cavemen like people who are lead by a beautiful woman named LA who is the cities high priestess and the are going to sacrifice Albert to their fire god! But lucky for him Tarzan awakens with his mind foggy and decides to save him from death and takes out many of the cavemen who are being commanded by LA who is mad at Tarzan for rejecting her to become her High Priest.

This third issue brings us readers more adventure and one-step closer to the showdown between Tarzan and Albert Werper. This issues plot has Tarzan and 50 of his warrior friends heading to a lost city that is filled with wild cavemen and their very attractive priestess in order to get gold to bail out Tarzan who has lost all his families riches, and while he is on this quest he is also being stalked by a man who he once saved and thought a friend. In this issue Tarzan has his mind filled with stress of being a married man with responsibilities in the civil world who needs money to live and the Lord of the Jungle side that wants nothing more than to live in the jungle and act like a primate. And in this issue he also finds himself hurt with a rock hit to the head and his mind foggy and shaky, and also seems to be confused on who and what he is. LA is a High Priestess to this lost kingdom and has been in love with Tarzan for many years and goes into a rage when he does not love her back the same way, she also holds lots of power as her primitive followers do whatever she asks. She also likes to take human lives in order to please her God and she is cold blooded when she is crossed. Albert Werper is a snake in the grass and not only does he want Tarzan dead but also want to steal gold, and once more when he finds himself in trouble he is rescued by a man he left for dead when injured by the earthquake, showing he has no loyalty nor respect for anyone. This issue has a slow pace and builds up Tarzan’s inner thoughts on his life and because of this the action takes a backseat and does not kick in till the end of the issue, but that’s not a bad thing as I still find it to be a solid and entertaining issue. The cover is eye catching and very cool as is the interior art done once more by John Buscema as I have always loved this era of Marvel Comics and their in house style. And before we move onto issue four I need to say that issue three for me has held up like the others reread.

Tarzan # 4 ***
Released in 1977 Cover Price .30 Marvel # 4 of 29

Tarzan now more beast like has ended his rampage of murder as the rest of the cavemen run away and LA is left crying over the Lord of the Jungle who has blown off he love that she has held for him over the years. And after freeing Albert Tarzan returns to the treasure room and steals some jewels and snaps at Albert when he tries to take some and the pair head into the jungle. Meanwhile Jane is back home waiting for her husband to return and has a few warriors around her as protection and closing in on them is Achmet Zek and his band of traders who are going to kidnap Jane on the orders of Albert so they can get the gold! The raiders attack and kill off the warriors who fight to keep Jane safe as she herself fights by their side with a riffle, but once they have her they loot her home and set it on fire leaving her devastated and rage filled. But the raiders have failed as one warrior still lives and while severely injured Mugambi only has one thing on his mind…revenge! Meanwhile Tarzan decides that Albert and he must eat and picks a fight with a pair on panthers who have just made a kill, and Tarzan fights his hardest and wins but is hurt bad in the battle and soon finds himself down and Albert stealing his jewels and ends with Albert about to stab Tarzan with his own knife!

This is a great issue that brings action and drama together and leaves us on a cliffhanger of Tarzan about to be stabbed in the back as he is injured! This issues plot has Jane being kidnapped by an evil group of looters and traders who also slaughter and kill warriors all the while Tarzan has lost his memory and is wondering around the jungle as Albert follows along. Tarzan in this issue is like a wild animal and acts like a savage beast and even picks a fight with two panthers in order to steal their food! While Albert Werper is as sleazy and cowardly as ever, tagging along with Tarzan again, getting saved by him as all the while trying to murder him. Jane shows she is a fighter as she kills many of the looters who have came for her and her warrior friends as well are all brave and loyal. And our main bad guy Achmet Zek is a total scumbag who has zero respect for human life and only wants wealth! Two of the interesting subplots that I found myself liking are LA being in love with Tarzan and the fact she has been so for many years and has the if you don’t love me then you must die attitude about it, you know this subplot is going to come back into play. And the other is the almost murder of Mugambi who has loyalty to his friends and wants to get revenge on those who injured him and killed/kidnapped. This issue really is fantastic and captures the fun jungle adventure nature of Tarzan and shows that Roy Thomas understands how to turn the novels into comics. The cover is super eye catching and still holds up to this day and as before the art by John Buscema is amazing. To sum it up this issue is great and a solid read for fans of Tarzan and shows that this comic series help shows why Marvel was the best comic company in the 70’s! On a side note I have to say that Marvel has brought Star Wars and Conan The Barbarian home and I think it’s time they bring Tarzan and Star Trek back as well!

Tarzan # 5 ***
Released in 1977 Cover Price .30 Marvel # 5 of 29

As Tarzan is passed out Albert Werper is about to stab him, but fear sets in that if his first stab don’t kill the lord of the jungle he himself might find death at the hands of Tarzan! So Albert runs off with the jewels as the Tarzan awakens with an animal rage inside him and wants to get his pretty stones back and to kill the white man Albert…but not before he takes a nap. Albert rushes to the camp of Achmet Zek and his raiders to deliver the news of Tarzan’s “death” as well as that the old ruins does hold lots of gold! Achmet Zek orders for Albert to take Jane up north and sell her to slave owners as he and his men go after the gold. Once in his tent Albert counts his jewels and soon notices that Achmet is spying on him and this makes the European know that he is a dead man for hiding the riches from the warlord, and that night Achmet returns to Albert’s tent and stabs his bed to find that his target as already escaped and has taken Jane with him. And while Achmet and many of his raiders go on the hunt for Albert, Tarzan is attacked by three apes and finds himself surrounded by LA The Princess of Opar who wants her dagger back and is willing to have her cavemen rip him apart to get it!

The plot continues in this issue and has Tarzan loosing touch with his human side and turning more animal like and his savage nature is out on control as he attacks man and animal alike. All the while his wife Jane is a prisoner of the evil Achmet Zek who has turned on his own alley Albert Werper over jewels! And the story comes to an end when LA shows up and wants what belongs to her back. I am guessing that the next issue could be an all out war as Tarzan will be in the middle of the battle between Achmet and his raiders, LA and her cavemen and the tribes who fight for Tarzan and Jane. Tarzan in this issue is very savage and has forgotten how to be a man and is more in the mindset of revenge and survival and not even slightly worried about Jane and his home as he has forgotten all about them! Plus he almost seems to enjoy killing the animals of the jungle and has no remorse for the deaths he is causing. Poor Jane is just a prisoner who is holding on to the hope that her husband will rescue her. Mugambi in the issue is healing up and stalking the raiders as he wants to save Jane as well as get a little revenge in the process. LA Princess of Opar is a woman who is very angry as she not only has been stolen from but also has a broken heart as Tarzan does not feel the same way about her as she does for him, I also think she is ready to kill and kill again along with her evil cavemen in order to get her respect back. Albert Werper is scum who is fearful of an injured Tarzan, steals jewels and even hides them from his own partner in crimes and then has no issue with selling off a woman to a slave trade in order to make extra money…total scum! Achmet Zek is as well scum who lets money and power rule his life and has no loyalty to his own raiders, he is also a coward and would kill in the night than face to face…I can not wait to see him get what’s coming to him. That’s one thing for sure this series is going right that villains are so bad you really do want to see them pay for their crimes. I also like how this comic makes you wonder when and how Tarzan will get his mind back and will he be the one to take revenge on Albert and Achmet or will the jungle it’s self deal them justice. The cover for this issue is great and the art by John Buscema is still top notch. Over all this is another great and entertaining issue that delivers all the action and adventure you would expect from Tarzan and I for one can not wait to read the next issue!

Tarzan # 6 **1/2
Released in 1977 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 6 of 29

Tarzan is beaten up by the apes and the cavemen when he shows that he no longer has the dagger and this sets LA into a rage and she vows that the next morning she will offer the Lord of The Jungles heart to their sun god! That night LA falls asleep next to Tarzan and when the morning comes his death is to take place for his crimes against them, but before he can be killed his elephant friend Tantor appears in a fit of madness as it’s matting season and he is on a warpath to kill anyone in his way and that includes Tarzan! LA frees Tarzan and the pair quickly hide in a tall tree all the while Tantor tries to get them as well as kills many of the cavemen. After Tarzan tricks Tantor in leaving he orders LA and her cavemen to return to Opar and that the men need to listen to the law of LA. Meanwhile he learn that Jane escaped the camp on her own and is trying to survive the animals of the jungle who think she could be an easy meal. Meanwhile Albert Werper has gotten a horse from a downed raider and rushes only to be taken prisoner alongside Mugambi by an army who are hunting down Achmet Zek. Meanwhile Jane runs into Achmet who is once more taken her hostage only to have his men attacked by apes as well as Tarzan who has regained some of his memory. In the end the apes and Tarzan are gunned down and Jane is once more a prisoner of a greedy madman.

This issue has Tarzan and LA hiding for from an elephant that is on a rampage and must work together to survive it. The side story has Albert being hunted and becoming a prisoner of the army as Jane once more becomes the captive of Achmet! Tarzan in this issue is gaining some of his memories back and spends much of the issue protecting LA only to late be shot while trying to save his wife from being kidnapped. The end of this comic does a great job of making the reader wonder how bad Tarzan has been shot and how will he save his wife. LA is so madly in love with Tarzan that she breaks her bound to her people as she refuses to sacrifice the Lord Of The Jungle, she is a powerful woman who really is blinded by love. Jane meanwhile in this issue is running for her life and escapes one bad location only to keep stepping into worse and worse ones! Achmet Zek is a man who feels like he has been crossed and has set his sights on killing his one time crime partner Albert Werper who is running for his life like a rat. Mugambi meanwhile finds himself as well captured by the army and taken as a prisoner, and all he wants to really do is get revenge in the name of Tarzan. Tantor is blinded with rage over wanting to find a mate and is clearly the main threat in this issue as everyone in his path are afraid of his massive power as he wants to kill any person or animal in his way. This issue is a good read but does fell a little bit like a filler issue as weird enough to say it slows the pace down of this story arch we are in, I also feel that the cover is just ok and that the interior art by John Buscema seems rushed and not his best work at all in this series this far. To sum it up I was entertained but is the weakest in the series I have read this far…but keep in mind it’s still very good just a step down from the past issues. With that lest see what issue seven has in store for us.

Tarzan # 7 **1/2
Released in 1977 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 7 of 29

Tarzan is wounded and lays on the jungle floor among the bodies of his friends the apes, his mind wonders to the evils of Achmet as well as he can not shake the sight of the beautiful blonde that was the evil mans prisoner…as Tarzan can not remember that the woman is Jane his wife. As he grows weaker his mind starts to play tricks on him as he sees himself in the jungle at night watching as his enemy tribe hide near a fire as the meat eating beasts are on the prowl, with the main threat being the lion Huma and his mate Sabor who want to make them a late night meal, and they get one when they get a tribesman and Tarzan watches with amusement as one of his enemies dies that night. Tarzan head back to his ape family and remembers back to his questions about the world around him like the moon, rain and stars and how none of his wise apes have any clues to the answers. Tarzan soon thinks that the moon one day will be eaten by Huma and this will turn night to all dark and this worries the apes as well as Tarzan! But one ape in the group has set his sights on killing Tarzan as he knows that he is not like them, and this causes great tension between the apes as well as Tarzan. As a tribe’s man is walking in the jungle the apes decide that they are going to kill him and Tarzan originally stands by the apes side until he realizes that they just want to kill him for being human and the apes have now turned on him and he as well is marked for death! Tarzan is saved by one of his friend apes as well as Tantor and as the warrior leaves and Tarzan denounces his ape tribe, the ape who started the drama is killed and things try to go back to normal. Late one night an eclipse happens and the apes think that the lion Huma has attacked and is eating the moon and in a panic they call for Tarzan who fires arrows into the sky…and when the eclipse is over they think he saved the moon and he is once more a member of the ape tribe.

This issue is one that is set around a wounded Lord Of The Jungles mind as he goes to a world when his life is more primitive and all he really knows is the ways to survive and wants to learn about the universe around him and thinks he finds the answers all about the moon! This issue is very weak on action and is more of a character driven issue and really does dive into the primitive mind of Tarzan and his memories of the past. The Lord Of The Jungle in this issue is wise in his ways but is also very cold blooded as he does not mind taking a life or even watching lives be taken, its crazy that he gets joy watching a warrior from another tribe be eaten alive by a pair of lions! I also love how the issue really does revolve around the moon and the fear that the jungle has about living in nights in total darkness. The issues main baddies are Gunto and ape who wants to have all the other apes turn on and kill Tarzan and the lion Huma who is feared by all as he is a killer and a eater of all meat. While this issue was a cool get away from out main storyline this far is does also take a little of the momentum away as we are totally removed from that plot and focus more on the past of our hero…while interesting they really should have saved it for an annual, but with that said its still a really good issue. The cover is very eye catching and has Tarzan in a battle with an ape and the interior art is once more fantastic and is done by John Buscema who really does a great job of bring Tarzan alive in the pages of a Marvel Comic. Lets see what issue eight has in store for us and lets hope that it brings us back on track and has Tarzan saving Jane from the evil grip of Achmet Zek!

Tarzan # 8 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 8 of 29

Tarzan slowly gets to his feet as he is surrounded by apes he does not know and they are angered that two of their own have been shot, but before they can turn on the weaken Tarzan one of the fallen apes is still alive and just wounded and tells them who they are about to attack and they understand and take the pair to their home to heal their wounds. Tarzan cannot shake the image of Jane out of his mind as he heals up and still don’t remember that she is his wife, but he knows that she must be his! Once he is healed enough Tarzan asks the apes for help to rescue Jane and they all want nothing to do with the mission and even one challenges Tarzan to a fight named Chulk who after defeated joins Tarzan as does Taglat and the three set out on their mission. Tarzan and his ape friends attack a trio of the Desert Warriors and steal their cloths and wear them and sneak into the camp, while inside Tarzan and Chulk try and find rare jewels to give as a gift to Jane when they rescue her as Taglat has an idea of his own goes off and rescues Jane as he now wants her for his mate! Once Taglat kidnaps Jane and runs into the jungle Tarzan finds that he has been betrayed by the ape and is now on the hunt for revenge as the warriors of Achmet Zek are left confused and scared of the noise of anger that erupted from Tarzan’s mouth. Meanwhile both Albert Werper and Mugambi are still being held prisoner, with Albert making a deal for his life and freedom that will take the army to the lost city so that they can steal all the gold and jewels.

This is another fantastic issue that brings all the jungle action one looks for in a Tarzan comic as the plot has Tarzan waking up and filled with rage and the want to rescue Jane who he has decided will be his mate not remembering she is his wife and going on a rampage with two apes to rescue her from Achmet Zek and his evil men, only to find that one of his ape friends has also selected Jane to be his mate and causing the Lord Of The Jungle to be on a rampage of revenge! Tarzan in this issue is still much like a wild animal as he has no issues killing and will fight and snarl his way to getting what he desires. In other words Tarzan really is out of his mind and has lost all connection to his civil side! Poor Jane in this issue thinks her husband is dead, is kidnapped by a group of evil warriors, is later kidnapped by an ape and all she really wanted is to have a peaceful time at her jungle home as her husband took care of business of getting some treasure to get them out of debt. Not to mention poor Mugambi who is a brave warrior and dear friend of Tarzan who was trying to save Jane as well and avenge his slain friends has been taken captive along with the scumbag Albert Werper who started this whole mess! The ape Taglat is very sneaky in this issue as acts as Tarzan’s friend and helper when his true attentions is to steal Jane away from him and make her his mate, a true scummy move and shows that Taglat is a user! Achmet Zek and his raiders are money hungry as well as cruel and after they think they killed Tarzan they planed to sell off his wife to the highest bidder, cold blooded they are! The pacing of this issue is well done and each character in our story we get to catch up with and see what they are doing as all these pieces start to fall into place before the stories climax, and I have to say Roy Thomas did a fantastic job writing these comics this far! The cover is eye catching and pretty dang cool and the interior art once again is top notch and done by John Buscema who has the classic Marvel style that I love. We are eight issues in and these are as good as I remember them as a kid and not a dud in the batch this far! Lets see what issue nine has in store for us.

Tarzan # 9 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 9 of 29

A young Tarzan is reading books at his fathers old cabin and is puzzled by all the talk of God in them as he does not understand why there is no pictures of him as he can not wrap his mind around the concept of the old mighty King of Kings! When returning to his Ape family he asks all the wise ones if they know about this good with one saying it to be the Moon, and that night Tarzan asks and screams at the Moon and when a cloud covers it he knows the Moon is not God! He next goes to a tribe of warriors and see their Witch Doctor wearing a Buffalo Head and thinks that this must be God, but once he approaches and the Doctor looses his nerve he knows that this man is not God as well. As he is leaving the tribes Chief tries to kill Tarzan with a thrown spear, as Tarzan dodges it he attacks the old man and just as he is about to kill him, he stops as he has pity for the old man who is gripped with fear. Once back home he wonders more about God, but his thinking time is cut short when a baby ape and its mom are being attacked by a massive snake! Tarzan leaps into battle and into the coils of the snake and with a well placed knife strike kills the beast and saves the lives of his primate friends! In the end Tarzan returns to his thinking about God and learns that the answer he seeks is all around him as he comes to realize that God is who gave him the feeling a pity and the act of compassion, he also soon looks around and knows that God made the Moon, The Apes, Mankind and all things good!

This issue takes place when Tarzan was younger long before he meets Jane and way before the events of our current story arch and is a nice fill in issue! The plot of this issue has Tarzan on a mission to find out who and what a being he has read about in old books called God, and goes around the jungle to find the answer only to find that the answer has been all around him at all times. This is a pretty simple plotted issue from Roy Thomas that is very heavy on religion as it takes a stance that God created everything good and that Satan created all the bad in the world. But what works for me is the fact that someone like Tarzan who lives in the Jungle with no bibles, churches and fellow believers around would question who this God is and why is he so powerful that many blindly follow him. Tarzan in this issue is very noble as he has a want to learn as well as shows that he will leap into action to save his fellow friends and as well will spare those who wish him harm when they deserve it. I also dig the Water Buffalo headed Witch Doctor as I think he added a really cool feel to the issue as many tribes back in the day did look at them as healers and saviors. The cover is eye catching and has Tarzan fighting the massive snake and as always John Buscema kills it on interior art. Over all a nice fill in issue that delivers a fun read and a solid jungle adventure.

Tarzan # 10 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 10 of 29

Tarzan is still not himself as his memory is gone all he knows is that he has spotted Albert Werper with the army and that he is the own who stole his jewels and took away the pretty white woman (Jane) that he has an attraction to! Tarzan watches as Albert leads the soliders to a burial site that is filled with tons of gold, only for them to be attacked by the raiding warriors of Achmet Zek who wants not only the gold but also wants to bring down Albert for double crossing him. Tarzan follows Albert and Achmet who are playing a dangerous game of trying to kill the other to get away with the stolen jewels, all the while Tarzan is watching as he as well just wants his jewels back and to find his lady. Meanwhile its shown that Mugambi is in fact the one who has the jewels as he has took them from Albert when they were captured together and replaced his with river pebbles! But when Mugambi takes a nap after being on the run after escaping the prison camp, the jewels is stolen by the great ape Chulk who wants them as he likes what humans have. Meanwhile the ape Taglat still has Jane and his treating her like a rag doll when the lion Numa comes to her “rescue” and attacks and brings down Taglat and then turns his bloodlust toward Jane who tries to hide from the beast in the trees. Tarzan finally finds the fleeing Albert and takes him down and as he is choking him his memories comes back and he now knows that he is Tarzan and Jane is his wife! But before he can get the answers out of Albert they are both knocked out and taken by a Military Captain who wants to put Albert on trail for murder and decides to cage Tarzan for being to wild!

Wow this issue has so much going on as we have several characters and stories going on all at once and yet they are blending together really well! The plot is this Tarzan is on the trail of the man Albert who set him up and stole everything from him as well as a evil crime lord who wants all the jewels that Albert stole, while Tarzan’s friends are on the hunt to find Jane who was taken prisoner and is now in the hands of a killer ape who is being stalked by a bloodthirsty lion and even a army Captain is thrown in who wants to capture Albert for killing one of his soldiers! Oh and most important is that by the end of this issue Tarzan gets his memory back and remembers who he is and what is going one, and when this happens he is quickly knocked out by the Captain’s men. The pacing is very fast and flows really well and at this point even with all the fill in issues that breaks up the flow of this story arch I am drawn in and really can not wait to see how this story ends. Tarzan in this issues goes from a confused Wildman back to the Lord Of The Jungle and when he is wild he seems to not be worried about killing both man and animal. Albert Werper is such a spineless coward who would do whatever he can to gain wealth or even save his own sleazy hide. Achmet Zek is as well a very evil guy who controls his soldiers with fear and again craves power and riches. Taglat the great ape is also filled with rage and only when he meets his match in the lion Numa does he realize it as he pays for his rage with his life. Poor Jane is so tormented in this issues as she is roughed up by a gorilla and then is stalked by a lion…she just can not win! The cover for this issue is amazing and very eye catching and the interior artwork is top notch as its done by John Buscema again as he is one of the all time greats in my opinion. So with that lets see what issue 11 has in store for us and see how this epic story comes to an end.

Tarzan # 11 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 11 of 29

Tarzan and Albert Werper are being held prisoner by the Congo Free State soldiers lead by The Captain who has plans to deal with Albert and have Tarzan locked away! Meanwhile poor Jane finds herself rescued and then taken prisoner by Abdul Mourak and his men who were just defeated by Achmet Zek and his raiders, and they think they can at least hold Jane for ransom and make some money this day. As night falls Tarzan is still head at a camp as a prisoner when his ape friends lead by Chulk come to rescue him, and with gunfire from the humans ringing out Tarzan and Albert are carried away into the jungle and to safety…but sadly during the gunfight loyal Chulk is shot and dies. Tarzan is upset about his friend’s death as Albert finds the jewels on the ape’s body and once more steals them. Albert then lies to Tarzan and says sense he saved his life that he will lead him to the last place he say Jane and lucky for the crook he does lead him to Jane who is once more under attack by lions who have attacked and killed most of Mourak’s people! The lion Numa once more has his sites on Jane and Tarzan comes in for the rescue and fights off the hungry lion and finally kills it and takes Jane away as the lions below still attack the soldiers. Albert Werper ran way in the jungle as Tarzan and Jane return home and are greeted by Mugambi and his warrior friends. After a few months they rebuild their home and while out hunting they find the body of Albert Werper who had died in the jungle and recover the jewels he had stolen and started all this madness.

What a fun ending for this story arch that we traveled this far with in this series, I must say I really like the ending as all comes around and all ends well and its packed with drama, sadness, action and adventure all things you want in a Tarzan story. The plot has Tarzan being freed from being a prisoner by his ape friends and saving Jane from a pride of lions and in the end reuniting with his friends, rebuilding his home and getting his jewels and gold back. Tarzan in this issue goes into full hero mode as he gets his ape friends to help save him and Albert from the Captain, he then swings into action and fights off a massive lion in order to save his wife and in the end rebuilds the life that he had before all this greed turned his world all around. Jane in this issues goes from escaping the lion, to becoming a prisoner of some corrupt soldiers, to once more being the target of a lion and in the end saved by her husband…man she had a rough go around this issue. Mugambi and the tribe warriors are noble and loyal to their friendship with Tarzan as are the apes who come to his side when needed, with poor Chulk loosing his life to save the slimy Albert. Speaking of Albert Werper he starts off this series as scum and remains scum until he dies, and its great knowing that he died in the jungle and was never able to use the jewels he stole, in fact who scummy he is its great to know he died a slow and terrible death! While The Captain, Achmet Zek and Abdul Mourak are all set up to be terrible people with agendas that will make them rich or give them some sort of power it’s the Lion Numa that is the final baddy of this story as his want and need to kill Jane is so bad that he risks his own life to get her, and even dies trying. The cover for this issue is great and eye catching for fans of Tarzan and as always the art of John Buscema is top notch. This far Roy Thomas and his team of creators show that they know how to make a great and entertaining Tarzan series.

Tarzan # 12 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 12 of 29

Numa The Lion is on the prowl and after failing to capture a zebra he sets his sights on a tribe of apes and ends up killing a mother ape, and this triggers anger in Tarzan who gets his ape brothers to come together and stalk Numa into the jungle to fight back as he warns that the lion will keep returning and killing them if they do not fight back. Tarzan and the apes use sticks and stones to anger and fight with Numa and they even trick him in order to get the body back of their fallen friend. Once back in the tribe Tarzan thinks long and hard about how they are being stalked and killed by many of the jungles predators and that its time for them to come up with a way make them safe and fight back against the ones that want to eat them. That night Tarzan sneaks into the village of a Cannibal tribe and steals the lions hide they have and the next morning he plays a prank on his ape friends as he acts like Numa to try and scare his friends, but he is happy when they fight back and use stones to defend themselves and a well thrown one knocks Tarzan out cold! As the apes discover that the lion was really Tarzan the elders of the tribe want to kill him as his younger ape friends come to his aid and are willing to fight to defend him. But before a fight breaks out in the ape tribe Tarzan wakes up and is dazed but happy to know his friends listened on how to defend themselves against lions.

In this issue Tarzan is younger and not yet married to Jane and still lives with his ape tribe family and is pushed to far by the lion Numa who kills one of the female apes that was a mother to a very young baby, and this anger makes Tarzan fight back against the predator and also comes up with a plan to always make his tribe ready to protect themselves when enemies come around. Tarzan in this issue is younger and not in charge of the tribe yet and has ideas and leadership skill that he is torn about showing as the elders clearly do not like his brash ways, but what they need to see is all his ideas and actions are done to better protect and strengthen his tribe and family. The apes are also split as many of them are clearly starting to stand with Tarzan while the older ones want to kill or chase him off, as they do not like his power that he is gaining. Numa the lion is a very hungry giant cat that wants nothing more then a meal of fresh meat and sadly the apes are in his sight and become that meal he is craving. The really cool thing about this issue that is clearly going to be continued in the next issue is that rise of Tarzan in the ape tribe as his ideas and self defense plans are proven to be useful as the old timers just have the idea of run away and leave the weak behind if they are attacked better them then you attitude. I also like that they show a village of a human cannibal tribe who have a lion skin suit just laying around…awesome. The cover is well done and once more eye catching and no shock the interior artwork by John Buscema is great stuff. A solid issue and a great read and keeps up that this Marvel Tarzan series is an above average read and are great stuff! Lets see if issue 13 is as good as all that game before it.

Tarzan # 13 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 13 of 29

Tarzan notices that his ape friends seem to be on edge and are not up for play at all, and when going back to his fathers old cabin he finds the Gomangan Tribe there and they are setting a trap for the lion Numa as they have plans to capture and torture him, and Tarzan can not allow that as he hates this tribe and their cruel ways. So Tarzan steals the bait for the trap and then captures the tribes Witch Doctor and places him in the trap as the bait! The next day the Gomangan Tribe go looking for their missing doctor and soon find his mangled body in the cage as well as Numa! The Tribe quickly gets a new Witch Doctor and they take Numa back to the village as the lion is to be tortured and killed…and Tarzan decides that this is not going to happen as he brings out the lion skin he stole last issue and enters the village and scares the tribe as they think Tarzan is a white devil that can shape shift! After tricking them into chasing him Tarzan sneaks away and into the village and sets Numa free who in turns tacks the returning tribe and kills one warrior and injures others, giving them a lesson in respect for Lions and the Lord Of The Jungle himself Tarzan.

This issue is very entertaining and is fast paced and has Tarzan being puzzled by why his friends the apes are not in a playful mood anymore after he pranked them by wearing a lion suit to scare them and decides to instead pull a massive deadly prank on a tribe of humans that he dislikes as he finds them cruel. In the end he learns to respect the lions of the jungle as well as by messing with the tribe puts fear into them to never mess with him or the lions again for their cruel ceremonies. Tarzan in this issue shows that while he does have a fun loving and noble side he also very much has a cruel side as he kidnaps a man and leaves him in a cage trap that has the man eaten alive by a lion…now that’s some mean spirited revenge! The lion Numa is as well a raging beast that kills anyone and everyone that gets in its way! While the Gomangan Tribe are superstitious people who are also very cruel to the animals of the jungle as fun for them is capturing and torturing lions as a tribe, plus life is cheap to them even among their own members as they move on and forget about the dead like they don’t matter. The plot of this one is truly to show that Tarzan is using his mind to out smart both animal and man, with him also learning just ho different he is from his ape family and that he also has a playful and cruel side. The cover for this issue is great and has Tarzan in the lion skin scaring the enemy tribe and the interior art is killer and once more done by the super talented John Buscema. Over all this one is another solid issue that delivers a very entertaining read.

Tarzan # 14 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 14 of 29

Tarzan’s best friend Taug’s mate Teeka and their son Gazan are in the jungle looking for food to bring back to the tribe when a great bull ape from another tribe named Toog stumbles upon her and decides that she will now be his mate! Toog attacks and leaves poor Gazan fro dead after knocking the baby from a tall tree and beats Teeka unconscious and takes her away. When Taug finds his son he is near deaths door and this sets the ape into a rage as he wants revenge on who has taken his mate and has almost killed his son, and Tarzan who has returned from the old cabin of his parents (were he also found some bullets that he takes) makes a plan for he and Taug to track down this intruder, kill him and bring back Teeka safe and sound to her village and her injured son. As Tarzan and Taug make the journey to find Teeka she is being beaten and dragged by Toog who brings her to his tribe just in time to be warned that he has been followed, and Toog and his tribe set a trap. Tarzan and Taug are ambushed and attack with each holding their own and Tarzan even knifing one to death before he and his friend are out numbered! As all looks bad for Tarzan and his friend it’s Teeka that saves the day when she finds Tarzan’s lost pouch that has the bullets that she throws causing them to go off and scare away the attacking apes and allowing Tarzan, Taug and Teeka to return home confused by what the bullets are.

This issue follows the ape Toog who is very selfish and decides that he will kidnap a female ape from another tribe in order to return to his tribe that he was shamed from after loosing a fight with the leader. And Tarzan as always has pride in his tribe and loyalty to his best friend Taug sets his site to get her back and end the lives of the ape that took her. Lets first talk about Toog a alpha male ape who is mad that he lost a fight and was shamed by his tribe and now is wondering the jungle looking for a mate and for trouble and chooses a female at random to beat and drag back to his home and even has zero remorse for trying to murder a baby ape! In other words Toog is one evil primate who needed to be stopped as he will kill and beat the innocent in order to get what he wants. Poor Teeka goes through hell in this issue as she watches her own child be knocked form a tree and thinks he is dead, she is beaten several times by her captor and finally has to step in as her mate and friend are being ganged up on…she really does have it terrible in this issue. Taug as well has it pretty bad as he finds his son who he thinks is dead at first, then finds his mate missing and taken by an aggressive ape and then gets beaten up on by a pack of savage primates from a rival tribe. Tarzan is trying his best to understand all of the stuff he has found in the cabin that his parents died in like the books, bullets and gold…but he also shows that sometimes his anger and noble attitude will lead him to make rash and to brave of decisions. I love that Tarzan knives a massive ape with a night to show that he and his friend mean business and want their friend back! The cover is great on this one as well and as like before the interior art is amazing and done by John Buscema and this once more is a great issue that really showed that Tarzan and Marvel Comics was a great combination!

Tarzan # 15 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 15 of 29

Tarzan and his elephant friend Tantor are in the jungle when they stumble on a old man who is scared out of his mind and telling them that Arab Slavers are on his trail and wont to enslave people to work the mines of the sinister Abdul Alhazred The Mad Arab! The Slavers appear and kill the old man and then knock Tarzan out and as they are about to take him to be a slave in the mines Tantor comes to his rescue and chases the Slavers away and then carries his friend away until he wakes up. Meanwhile the Slavers have attacked a small village and have killed the King and taken his daughter Princess Ayesha as a slave and she is very upset and swears that she will get free and have her revenge. Once Tarzan wakes up he meets a group of mercenaries who have been hired to save Ayesha from The Slavers and they ask him to join in and he agrees, but as they rest he heads out into the jungle and tracks down The Slavers that killed the old man and makes them pay for the crime with their lives. Abdul Alhazred meanwhile kills one of his captives in front of the others to say they work in the dangerous mines or they die by his hands.

This issue is wow pretty dang deep as it is dealing with slavery and how others think they have the right to “own” another persons life and send them to work for them or be beaten or killed…and not to get to political but no one EVER has the right to have slaves! The plot has a vile group of slavers coming to the jungle to work a mine for the riches and is using people they are taking from villages to do so, but while doing this they have gotten the attention of Tarzan as well as have taken and angered a strong willed Princess as well has have gotten a bunch of sleazy mercenaries on their trail. Tarzan in this issue shows that he hates the idea of slavery and has set a mission in his mind first to avenge a victim of it as well as to save and free all those who are being oppressed, Tarzan is a true noble man who while be might be a wild man still understands right from wrong. The Mercenaries in my opinion should not be trusted as they are into just getting the money to get the Princess back and one is even sneaking around killing elephants in order to sell the ivory. Princess Ayesha is a very proud and strong willed woman who would do anything for her father as well as her village, and I can not wait until she breaks free and gets her revenge on the slavers who really are truly the biggest scum bad guys we have seen this far in this series. Abdul Alhazred is a massive muscle bound villain who is pure evil and has no respect for human life and really does just care about himself and his want for riches, and while he is total scum he is also a great comic book bad guy as you find yourself hating him and counting down the pages until you see him pay. Also really liked how we get to see Tantor the elephant again as it’s always cool to see Tarzan’s animal friends lending a hand against the threats the jungle faces. The cover is good and the use of red makes it eye catching and need I say anything besides John Buscema on art again. This story arch as I have said is very raw and I cannot wait to see how Tarzan shuts these Slavers down!

Tarzan # 16 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 16 of 29

The mercenaries have found the bodies of the slavers that Tarzan had killed the night before and start to question if they should team up with him to raid the mine camp, as Tarzan listens he hears them speak about how they are really going to loot and will use gliders to escape once they get what they want…but something else makes Tarzan’s blood turn cold as he finds out that the mercenary named Simon is hunting Tantor for his ivory! Tarzan rushes off to save his friend but is two late as Simon not only kills Tantor but also several apes! Simon has to leave the Ivory behind as Tarzan is raged filled and teams with ape Dak-Lat to hunt Simon down. Meanwhile Princess Ayesha is taken to Abdul Alhazred who likes what he sees and orders his men to kill all the slaves once the mine is opened wide enough! Tarzan tracks Simon down just as the animal killer uses his glider and after knocking out two of the mercenaries both Trazan and Dak-Lat give chase as the Slavers think they are demons of the sky and open fire on them all, but Abdul Alhazred has used mind control and now controls Princess Ayesha! In the end while in the Mine a portal is opened and while Tarzan fights with Abdul Alhazred and the fight comes to an end when The Slavers come in with Dak-Lat who is killed by Abdul Alhazred and Tarzan is beaten! The mercenaries tell him that they would like to join him and together they walk through the portal, and Tarzan at the last second before it closes forever is able to as well crawl through it.

Tarzan is even more enraged when he finds that the mercenaries are bad people and one has killed his friend the elephant named Tantor, and worse while this is going on The Slavers are killing the slaves and the poor Princess has had her mind poisoned! And the strangest part is that a portal has opened in the mine that takes them all away to an unknown location and the issue ends on this cliffhanger! Poor Tarzan in this issue is the hero he always is but also has some much losses as his friend Tantor is killed as well as several apes and then he also gets roughed up and watches as the odds to save the Princess and the remaining slaves become more and more low as The Salvers just gain in power. The mercenaries really are scumbags and just want to get money with Simon being the worst as he also kills animals to sell the ivory in the black market! The mercenaries are ones I cannot wait to see them get what they deserve. The Slavers are as terrible as ever as they some very evil deeds that include killing slaves on orders and not being bothered by it at all. Abdul Alhazred is so ego driven that he really does think his word is law and to him all life is cheap as he does not care who dies around him…even his own men, not to even mention he is a sleazy trickster who uses “magic” to hypnotize women into being his slaves and sacrifices. The portal in the mine is very interesting to me and makes me wonder were it leads, as was it created by Abdul Alhazred as a quick way to get back to his home or does it lead to another dimension? But I will guess we will have to read the next issue to find that out. Plus a major bummer that Tantor has been killed as he was a very loyal friend and protector to Tarzan and his death was cold blooded. The cover on this issue is ok and had that classic late 70’s Marvel look and as like before the interiors are fantastic and done by John Buscema. Like before this is a great issue and shows that Marvel Comics and Tarzan The Ape Man go hand and hand.

Tarzan # 17 ***
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 17 of 29

Tarzan in pain makes it through the portal and finds himself in a land called Pellucidar that is filled not only with wild animals but also dinosaurs and mystic stones and carvings. As Abdul Alhazred leads the mercenaries deeper into the land as he needs to sacrifice the Princess in this land in order to gain even more power, poor Tarzan listens to the plan as long as he can before passing out. Meanwhile Princess Ayesha is the trance is walking in this savage land heading toward the place she has been told to wait at, but lucky for her she is being followed by Hyena like creatures and she unaware of the danger falls into a river breaking the mind control and alerting her to the fact she is in danger and in a unknown land. But her savior is a young wild man who fights of the hyenas and whisks her away from Abdul and his helpers when he notices the fear on the Princess’s face as he thinks she is a goddess! Simon ends up picking up the trail of the Princess once they find the bodies of the slain hyenas and Abdul is getting angry as he wants his victim and craves his soon to be power and is loosing faith in the mercenaries as he is seeing them as fools not warriors. Tarzan wakes up to find that a spear is pointed at him by a priest mounted on a bird creature and none of these natives look friendly, so Tarzan does what he does best and that’s fight and in the fight the Priest is killed and Tarzan does his best to fight off this Death Cult Tribe and finally he must jump off a cliff to escape their spears. And once Tarzan finds land again he is meet by Pirates who have their guns pointed at him and as well do not seem friendly!

This issue is like Tarzan trapped in a weird savage jungle land version of the land of Oz as its friends with cannibal death cult tribes, pirates, wild men, dinosaurs and beasts! This issues plot thickens as Abdul Alhazred leads the scummy mercenaries into a savage wild world were he plans to kill the Princess in order to gain power as Tarzan is weak and must fight for his life against cannibals as a wild man saves the Princess and is acting as her protector…this is stuff of pure cliffhanger novels and movie serials. Tarzan barely gets a moment to catch his breath as he has been beaten up and once he wakes up he is under attack again! But the one thing you have to say about Tarzan is he does not back down from danger and will fight with his last breath. The Princess Ayesha is as well fighting for her life in a strange land, and if not for the unnamed young warrior she would have been killed by the lands savage meat eating animals. Abdul Alhazred shows that he does not care about anyone or anything but himself and what can benefit him! He is using the mercenaries and I am sure once they reach their goal and when he gets the power I am sure he will kill them all! The savage land of Pellucidar is very interesting as I like that the land has dinosaurs as well as cannibal tribes and pirates and they all seem like they are in bad moods and are out to kill! And I am sure at some point in this series we will see a clash between the Pirates and the Cannibals and while I don’t remember if this happens from reading this series in my early teens, I sure hope it does. And like before this issue ends of a major cliffhanger as a pirate has his gun pointed at Tarzan as the Lord Of The Jungle is getting out of the water, and you know that these guys are bad news for our hero. The cover for this issue is great and reminds me of a Marvel Conan The Barbarian cover and as always the inside art by John Buscema is great. To sum it up another great issue and I cannot wait to reread the next issue after all these years!

Tarzan # 18 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 18 of 29

Princess Ayesha and her Warrior savior climb onto the back of a pterodactyl and try to get away from Abdul Alhazred and the mercenaries who are right behind them and they open fire on our fleeing heroes with a bullet from Simon’s gun hitting the warrior, but they are able to get away. Meanwhile Tarzan is given an offer from the Pirates and their Captain to join them or die, and Tarzan joins as he hopes they can help him get his revenge on Simon and Abdul! Meanwhile the Cannibal Death Tribe meet up with Abdul Alhazred and are on his side as they think that the profits have talked about his coming, and when the tribe mentions Tarzan the mercenaries loose their cool and this causes Abdul to turn on them as well and threaten them with death! Meanwhile Tarzan and the Pirates spot the bad guys and before they can do anything they are attacked by a sea creature that leaves many of the dead and Tarzan and the Captain fighting for their lives as they could become lunch for the creature, Tarzan ends up removing one of the creatures eyes and in the end breaks its jaw ending its terror. For his heroic deeds The Captain tells his crew that Tarzan is now his blood brother as he has saved them all. Meanwhile someone has snuck and stole the Pirates buried treasure showing that another player is in this game of life and death in a savage world.

This issue explores the savage world of Pellucidar more and lets you see more of the groups that live there. This ones plot has Tarzan hanging with the Pirates and fighting off a massive sea monster while Abdul Alhazred and the useless mercenaries team with the Cannibal Tribe! And let us not forget that Princess Ayesha and her Warrior are still on the run with the Warrior being shot and also we have an unknown person watching from the shadows and stealing the Pirates loot! Tarzan in this issue is filled with revenge as he wants nothing more then to kill both Simon and Abdul with his own hands, but as always he proves that he is a real hero as he single handedly kills a giant sea creature and saves the lives of many Pirates…I also like that in this issue Tarzan is not impressed with the Pirates gold they try and give him and he looks at it like they just threw garbage at him. Abdul Alhazred keeps up his ego driven killer attitude up in this issue as he treats his mercenaries like scum and would kill them if given the chance, and I am sure will once he gets his power. The Warrior protecting Princess Ayesha has been shot, and this issue does not show us if he is dead or how bad the wound is…so as you can see we have so many questions that need to be answered with the biggest being who is the man in the shadows that steals the gold! This issue is a fun and solid read that brings action, adventure and drama and continues this storyline and is pretty much none stop action! The cover is great and once more reminds me of a Conan The Barbarian cover and the interiors are still being done by John Buscema and are great like before. Lets see what’s next in this story and see how closer Tarzan gets to his revenge.

Tarzan # 19 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 19 of 29

The pterodactyl that Princess Ayesha and her wounded warrior crashes and unlucky for them they seem to have been spotted by a race of mutant looking people. Meanwhile at sea Tarzan and The Pirates run into Abdul Alhazred and his ship filled with Cannibal Tribesmen and mercenaries and a bloody battle breaks out that leaves many on both sides dead as knives, swords, guns and clubs are all used to dispatch the other sides forces. The Captain pulls out his gun and shoots Abdul Alhazred in the face and finds that the bullet does no harm, and this scares the Captain and he wants to now break the ship away and no longer follow…and this angers Tarzan who punches out The Captain and tries to take over the ship only to find the crew is very loyal to The Captain and Tarzan jumps over board and starts his journey for revenge alone. Meanwhile one of the missing mercenaries is spotted on the beach and his friends what the ship pulled over but Abdul Alhazred is not having it and has the mercenaries beaten on his ship and the one is left behind. The Pirates return to find their treasure gone and they blame Tarzan and the left behind mercenary plays into it and says he watched Tarzan and the Cannibal Tribe steal it, and this letting him get a ride to the ship so get could get his revenge on Abdul Alhazred as well as Tarzan! While back on the ship of Abdul Alhazred he tells his beaten mercenaries that he had to do that because the Cannibals only respect power and that’s why he is showing it.

In this issue we follow as Tarzan becomes a blood brother to the pirates, to turn on them and now be their enemy. We learn that a mercenary that was missing is alive and is now lying and teaming with the pirates in order to get to his friends and get revenge. We also see that mercenaries are really at the mercy of Abdul Alhazred who commands the Cannibal Tribe and was able to take a bullet to his face and not be phased! And lastly we see that Princess and the Warrior have crashed and we do not know if they are alive or dead, but we do know some strange looking people watched them fall from the sky. Tarzan because of his quest for revenge goes from a hero to a scumbag in the eyes of the pirates as he turns on The Captain and then ditches them when they do not follow him as he claims he is the Captain now, man Tarzan will stop at nothing to get his revenge on the murderous dogs he chases. Abdul Alhazred is truly powerful as he shows that his coldness and evil ways really are bringing him power, as he is almost immortal as he takes a bullet to the face and does not even flinch, its clear that once he is able to sacrifice the princess and gain all that power he will kill everyone around him and will return to Earth and do the same until he rules the world with an iron fist. I am guessing also that the lost and found mercenary is the one who stole the Pirates gold and is blaming Tarzan for his own deed, but again I am just guessing here. The cover is good and eye catching and this time around Sal Buscema is doing the interior art and its great stuff. So with that lets see how this story continues and how the Princess survived the fall and who are the strange people who watched!

Tarzan # 20 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 20 of 29

The scumbag Simon is at it again in this new land as he uses his riffle and kills a whole herb of elephants to prove power to the cannibals, and when Tarzan finds them his rage burns even hotter as he wants to find and kill the men who killed his friend Tantor as well as avenge the slaves who have lost their lives in all this madness. As Tarzan heads out to find them he runs into a Saber-Tooth Tiger that is hungry and wants to make a meal out of Tarzan, and as the pair fight they stumble into weak ground and fall underground were they become allies in a fight against spear fighting lizard men who are on the attack and both man and beast win this day. Meanwhile another race of Lizard people have found Princess Ayesha and her Warrior and they watch as the lizard people hypnotize humans and lead them into the water, and sadly this fate comes for both the Warrior and Princess as they are lead into the water and disappear…but are they dead? Meanwhile Abdul Alhazred has the ship docked and sunk and tells his followers that they now will travel by foot to his desired spot, as the mercenaries and Cannibal tribesmen do what they are told. The Pirates along with the mercenary named Ike Frazier are still on the hunt for Tarzan and the Cannibal ship and while at see the are caught in a dark whirlpool at sea and The Captain, Crew and Ike are taking down into it. Meanwhile the Princess awakens in the water and fights of the Lizard people and saves the Warriors life and they run off to find safety together. In the jungle Tarzan is found by some slavers tribes men who try and take him hostage, but they fail to keep him and by the end of it Tarzan is heading toward the place of that Abdul is heading ridding on a pterodactyl.

This issue is crazy and is none stop action and plot twist and turns and is leading our cast of characters all over the place with many of them having doom all around them! And as a reader you find yourself drawn into not only this issue but also this massive story arch that has been taking place over about six issues this far. I mean just in this issue Tarzan goes from fighting a Saber-Tooth Tiger to killing a bunch of lizard humanoids living underground to getting captured and ending the issue flying away on a dinosaur…I mean if this does not draw you classic hero readers in I don’t know what would! Not to mention we really get to see the strong will of Princess Ayesha as she shakes off being hypnotized by humanoid human eating lizards, but also kills one and blinds another with one of their own teeth…The Princess is badass! Also its good to see while injured The Warrior that has been watching after the Princess is ok and is still doing his best to help her. The Pirates and Ike are in deep trouble as a whirlpool is sucking them down and both the Captain and Ike think that Abdul is being its creation and of course Abdul is on his quest to gain his power. This issue no joke is action after action and throws so much at you that it takes a moment after reading it to soak it all in! A great issue and once more shows that Tarzan should still be at Marvel Comics and that classic writers of the past should be brought back to bring the series alive again…but sadly I am sure this will never happen…but both Conan The Barbarian and Star Wars are back home at Marvel so never say never I guess. The cover is pretty great and has Tarzan choking a Saber-Tooth Tiger and Sal is on interior art again this time around and did killer work. A great issue in this great series that is bringing this story together is the best way to sum this issue up.

Tarzan # 21 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 21 of 29

Tarzan on his dinosaurs fights off more tribes men who all wish him dead now as he heads to a city in the swamp and that’s the same place Abdul is leading his people as something inside it holds the power he seeks. Meanwhile the Princess and Warrior are hiding out and watch as one of the lizard people enter and after talking to another on a screen activates a sound weapon that will hurt the humans of the planet! This sound alerts many of the animals as well including the Sabre-Tooth Tiger as well as Abdul and his pet hawk leading them all to the same location! With the weapon now set off near the swamp castle a the swamp water boils and out comes the Pirate ship and the crew find themselves in the middle of a massive amount of tribes men driven mad by the weapon and looking to kill as a large amount of them died from the canon! Tarzan once more saves The Captain from drowning and the pair with the remaining pirates fight off the tribes men and find out that all sides have been played by the now missing Ike! Abdul enters the castle and he now has no need for them even after Simon kills one of his own, but Princess Ayesha sneaks into the room and uses the cannon and has it pointed at Abdul killing his pet hawk and zapping him.

This issue answers the question we all have been asking sense this story started and that’s the power that Abdul Alhazred is crazing is really a cannon that is being used by lizards to fight human tribesmen! Now the main thing being we are not sure if he wants the cannon it’s self or if he is looking to have blasted himself with it to amp up his already dark and odd powers…so did Princess Ayesha hurt him or did she give him what he wanted, I guess we will have to wait until next issue to find out as this is the cliffhanger we are left on. Tarzan by now is just sick of all this and is taking the fight to anyone that is a Slaver or connected to Abdul Alhazred as he is taken over by rage and just wants to deal out cold justice. It is great that Tarzan and The Captain patch things up and learn that they both have been used by that snake Ike from the mercenaries who tricked them for his own gain and for his own set of plans. Simon of the mercenaries is really out for riches as he shoots his own fellow mercenary in order to get in good with Abdul who dismisses him as the madman has no loyalty just as Simon don’t. The Lizard Men are also pretty evil as they use a high tech weapon that kills many of humans lives and they seem to think its funny, these Lizard men as well need to be brought down and I hope Tarzan and the Princess do just that by the end of this tale, as I truly do hope that Princess Ayesha gets her revenge on everyone that has treated her terrible in this series! I also like how we see that the Sabre-Tooth Tiger is on his way to join this battle, and his team up with Tarzan reminds me of the 60’s Marvel Comic character Ka-Zar and his sabre-tooth cat Zabu who ran around the jungles of the Savageland. This issue is a solid read and is clearly wrapping this story arch as its clear that all the main players are in one area and an epic battle is about to break loose! The cover for this issue is ok and while fitting not all that eye catching and the interior art is done once more by Sal and is great. Over all another great read for this overly solid series based on the classic book character.

Tarzan # 22 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 22 of 29

Abdul Alhazred is now in pain after being shot with the cannon as Simon thinks about shooting him and taking all the power he has from the crystal for himself as he know understands that Alhazred’s raw and strange power is tied to this land and the crystal that also powers the cannon. Meanwhile the Lizard men bust in and attack Princess Ayesha and the Warrior, but the Princess grabs a metal pipe and bashes the controls to the cannon causing it to explode and after they all lay lifeless in the rubble. Meanwhile Tarzan along with the Pirates is on their way to confront Alhazred and his lackeys, but when they are almost their Tarzan splits from the Pirates and send them on the path of Ike who is the one who stole their treasure! As The Captain leads what’s left of his men after Ike Tarzan swings away in the trees to find Alhazred and Simon as the Lord Of The Jungle wants revenge. Tarzan in front of the Pyramid meets up with the savage warriors that had been blasted by the cannon and takes lead of the remaining men as a stampede of Dinosaurs and the Saber-Tooth Tiger stomp by heading toward the pyramid themselves, while The Captain and the Pirates see this and decide to give up the search and to find a boat and leave, unknown to them Ike was killed by the stomping dinosaurs. Alhazred snaps out of his pain and starts to beat up Simon as Tarzan and his Warriors break into the pyramid and fight with The Lizard People and the Cannibal Warriors and this massive fight gets broken up when the Dinosaurs come stomping in crushing anyone in their way. Tarzan breaks away from the fight and heads toward Alhazred and once to him he finds Simon dead from a broken neck and Alhazred wants to sacrifice Tarzan to the crystal to gain more power!

Man this storyline is getting crazy as this issue has Tarzan on his way to Abdul Alhazred all the while dodging rampaging dinosaurs, beating up Cannibal tribesmen, dodging the death stares of the Lizard Men and patching up his friendship with the Pirate Captain. While Abdul Alhazred himself is injured by the thing that gives him his power, turned on by his Mercenary hired guns and needs more human lives to feed to the crystal! Tarzan in this issue is super focused on bringing Simon and Abdul Alhazred to justice as they have wronged him over and over through out this story arch, and he also sticks to his word when it comes to not given up and being loyal to his friends, even when his anger sometimes made him make bad decisions. Abdul Alhazred shows slight weakness and we truly get a look at his power as we now know that it comes from the massive crystal that demands he give it human souls in order to get more power, and he truly shows he has zero respect for human life and the only thing that matters to him…is himself. Simon is so greedy that his own want for power is what leads to his neck being snapped and his soul given to the crystal. The other Mercenaries are just lambs in line to the slaughter, well besides Ike who is crushed to death under the feet of rampaging dinosaurs. Poor Princess Ayesha and her Warrior protector go down with a fight as The Lizard Men want then dead, and after the explosion I am not sure what her fate is! So much going on with so many characters involved, but damn it this is a great story and captures the mood and feel of a good Jungle Adventure! The cover is eye catching and has Tarzan fighting with dinosaurs and the interior art by Sal Buscema is great and showcases why I love Marvel Comic from the 70’s and Early 80’s. Over all a great issue that is winding down a storyline that has been one hell of a ride this far.

Tarzan # 23 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .35 Marvel # 23 of 29

Tarzan draws his knife and is ready to make Abdul Alhazred pay for all his crimes in the jungle against the slaves he has murdered, and Alhazred is more joyed with the idea of killing Tarzan to please the crystal. Tarzan goes onto the attack and after stabbing Abdul Alhazred a bunch of times he sees that the blade does not inflect any damage! That’s is until one blow cuts deeps and causes Abdul Alhazred pain and he starts to bleed and its clear that the Crystal is drawing power from his pain and anger as well, showing Abdul Alhazred is not the chosen one but just a pawn for the Crystal. This angers Alhazred and his fight with Tarzan gets more intense and grows with emotions of anger, hatred and rage and the Mercenaries do what they can to keep the Cannibal Tribe at bay, and with the combined forces of Tarzan’s knife and a gun shot from one of the dying Mercenaries they are able to wound Alhazred and he stumbles into the Crystal that drains him of all his life. With that the Mercenary dies leaving only one of them left, who now stands with Tarzan as he is ready to go home and put this nightmare land behind him. Meanwhile the savage warriors have defeated the Lizard people and the Cannibal Tribesmen and are now up with Tarzan who gives them one last order to destroy the Crystal and they obey. And at the wreckage of the cannon Princess Ayesha and her Warrior are still alive and he must fight off and bare handed kill one of the remaining Lizard People to save his ladies life, and in the end as Tarzan and the Mercenary head to find a way home, the see the Princess with her Warrior and know she is happier here then returning home to a destroyed village.

This issue wraps the story of Abdul Alhazred that madman who graved power and had no respect for human life, and in his end he learned that he himself was no one special as the thing that gave him his powers is also the same thing that took them back as well as his life. Alhazred is a great example of a classic bad guy as he is opposing, crazy, mean, strong, a killer and a great foe for our hero. His end is also very fitting as he himself faces the same grim death that he has sacrificed so many to and even with all his power and anger he just becomes a pile of dust. Tarzan after all this adventure and time in this issue he gets his revenge for the death of the old man as well as all the slaves over the years, its great to see him go full savage with his fathers knife and put up the fight of his life against a bad guy who clearly was stronger then him, but also not clearly as battle ready. I also like the fact Tarzan in this strange land has managed to make new friends with the Warriors and the Pirates! A plus for me as well is the fact Princess Ayesha and her Warrior boyfriend have a happy ending as that poor girl had some terrible luck and moments in her life in this series, so glad she was able to find happiness. I also like that the French Mercenary who was the only one among the bunch who was a good person not only lived but also found his inner power and learned how to fight to stay alive and to protect others. The Lizard People and The Cannibal Tribe are great backup bad guys who are as evil as the madman they follow, and they as well get brought down. This was a solid and great story arch that took Tarzan from the jungle all the way to a savage land in the middle of the Earth on a quest for revenge, and it takes so much twist and turns of action and drama that it really delivered a great comic book reads. The cover is eye catching and reminds me of a cover you would see for another Marvel Comic series like Spider-Man, Captain America or even X-Men. The interior art by Sal Buscema is fantastic and again holds that 70’s Marvel charm.

Tarzan # 24 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .40 Marvel # 24 of 29

Tarzan and The Mercenary have found the portal to take them back to their world and are seen off by Princess Ayesha, The Warriors and even the Pirates who all wish them well on their travel back, and Tarzan with The Mercenary enter the portal and once back home use TNT to blow up the cave that held the portal and then go their separate ways. Meanwhile Jane with the Waziri Tribe are with Jad-Bal-Ja the black maned golden lion and are watching a wild grass fire and making sure that it will not reach their houses, and also making sure that they will not be stomped to death by the stampeding animals! The fire has been started by rich white people Mr. Tory, Miss Lyle and their hired gun Ian Chalmers who ends up seeing Jane who is trying to help the scared animals who are heading toward a massive gorge and rushes to try and help, and this of course would kill them all if they fall over and Jane could not stand by and witness this. So along with Jad-Bal-Ja and the Waziri Tribe they try and save the animals life, but Jane is knocked out of her jeep and she falls off the cliff of the gorge and while hanging on the side the rhino that knocked her over is on a rampage and is about the push the jeep over as well…so death is closing in. But as Jane looses her grip Ian is to late and she falls and as the hunter is shaken he is about to be attacked by Jad-Bal-Ja as the lion blames this man for the death of Jane…but lucky for Ian Jad-Bal-Ja is netted by Mr. Tory who wants the beats head for his collection! Ian who has been a hunter in Africa knows that the black manned lion is that of Tarzan’s and that means the lady was Jane and he warns his boss that trouble is coming. Tarzan meanwhile is almost home only seeing the fire, but is more focused on getting home to see his wife.

This is a great way to end the Abdul Alhazred story to get into this new story that has British and American Game Hunters being the cause of hurting Jane and capturing Tarzan’s Lion friend! This issue’s plot has Tarzan getting back home and closing the portal to that savage land for good while his wife Jane is trying her best to save the life of animals that are running for their lives from a fire that is set by a rich hunter named Mr. Troy who wanted to eliminate the tall grass, and his actions lead to a major accident that leaves Jane falling over a cliff! Tarzan in this issue is on a mission to get back to his wife as he has gotten his revenge, but has been gone for so long due to being stuck in the savage land…and even during this quest to get home he still knows that the portal being left open would be dangerous so he uses some good old TNT and blows up the cave that houses it…Tarzan is a true hero who while flawed is a good person at heart as he wants to protect and save. Jane Greystoke as well shows how great of a person she is as she puts her own life in danger in order to save the lives of animals and she as well has no fear of danger and she is a fitting wife for Tarzan! The black maned golden lion known as Jad-Bal-Ja is awesome and is very much loyal to Jane and the beast does what he can to protect her and listen to her orders. Ian Chalmers is an American Hunter who is a gun for hire to help the rich hunt dangerous animals, and does not wish to hurt people nor even animals for no reason and I think he knows the danger they are now in with Jane being “killed” in an accident and also now that they have captured his friend the lion. Mr. Tory and Miss Lyle are so out of touch and are killing animals and causing land destruction for there own gain…and I don’t think they care or even really gets just what they have done. This is a great story to follow the long saga we just ended and I also like that this one appears to be very Jane centered as for many issues now she has been nowhere in sight so its great to see her also be a hero. Good action packed cover, great interior artwork from Sal Buscema and cool new characters make this a story I cannot wait to see what’s next.

Tarzan # 25 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .40 Marvel # 25 of 29

Tarzan returns home just as his son Jack “Korak” Clayton III does as well and the Waziri Tribe tell them of the fire and accident and this sets father and son off on a mission of rescue and revenge! Meanwhile we find out that Mr. Roger Tory is in fact not filling the animals as he wants them to put on display in New York to make tons of money as he thinks Jad-Bal-Ja will be a big prized feature as no one has seen a black maned lion before! Like before Ian tries to warn his boss that things will get really bad when Tarzan finds out about the accident of his wife, and Tory brushes it off and says they will deal and kill Tarzan if needed and they head back to camp. Unknown to them Jane has climbed out of the gorge, while she is hurt she is very much filled with anger and rage over the fire and accident. As Mr. Troy is packing up the animals to ship to New York they are confronted by a very angry Tarzan who goes crazy in the tent freeing many of the animals, beating up many of the hired men of Mr. Troy before setting his sights on the fat man himself, and just as he is about to kill the man he thinks killed his wife Tarzan is hit with a electric cattle prod and is attacked and shocked until he is knocked out. Once out cold Mr. Roger Tory, Sarah Lyle and Ian Chalmers cage Tarzan and decide they will take him and show him off in New York as a wild man! As they are loading up the animals and Tarzan they are confronted by a shotgun touting Jane who wants them to let her husband go, but Roger tricks her and gets the gun away and decides he will kidnap her are well to but in his “Great Show” and as Ian tries to talk sense into his boss he is made fun of and sent away. As Roger with his crew and cargo fly away Korak shows up with gun in hand to get answers from the natives left behind.

The plot thickens as this issue has the rich fat business man and his crooked crew now not only stealing animals from Africa but also is now kidnapping Tarzan and his wife Jane in order to turn them both into a sideshow attraction in New York! And their only hope is if their son Korak The Killer can track them down and set them free…well that is what we are lead to believe right now. Lets start with talking about the stories bad guys and the worst one is Mr. Roger Tory a rich fat American who thinks money can buy anyone and anything and that he can do what ever he likes cause he has the money to back it up. It’s also clear that life of others means nothing to Roger as he has no issues with killing animal or human and loves to also talk down to people as well as cheat them. Young woman Sarah Lyle is a greedy woman who only is around Roger as she sees him as a meal ticket to money and fame, she is also very mean hearted and only cares about herself and money. Another scumbag member of Roger’s crew is Smithers who is his accountant of crime and has it out for Jad-Bal-Ja as the beast clawed him during the fight in the tent…really he is a weasel and scum. Ian Chalmers is a hunter who needs the money of Roger’s in order to pay off gambling debuts, and he hates all the shady stuff but has to go along as the money talks and his own fears keep him in line. Tarzan lets rage blind him in battle in this issue and leads to his capture as he leaves himself open for attack. Jane is able to climb a gorge, over take a worker and steal his gun and even confront the hunting party, sure she gets captured in the end but she is one tough cookie! Korak takes his sweet time to aid his father in the search for Jane and is even late in order to save his parents from being kidnapped…in other words for a man that has the nickname Killer sure does not impress in this issue. And to me the thing that is great is that taking Tarzan to New York to display for a crowd reminds me of King Kong! The cover is great and shows action and just like before the interior art is done by the talented Sal Buscema and I great like before. So lets see what happens when Tarzan gets to New York and lets see if Korak can make up for his late to the party foul in the next issue.

Tarzan # 26 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .40 Marvel # 26 of 29

Tarzan is filled with rage and hatred as he is trapped in the cage as Roger informs him that he plans to make him the main attraction as his new themed club and that Jane is indeed alive and if Tarzan acts up he will have her killed, and in order to keep Tarzan quite Martin will be injecting his throat with a tranquilizer so that he can not alert people of his kidnapping! As the planes land Jane is placed in a sack and taken away as Ian watches, but does not act to save her while Tarzan is bound and yet still is able to almost kill Martin Smithers before he is finally injected and passes out. Roger loads up his new attractions and heads to his club as he has money to make. Meanwhile back in Africa Korak gets the answers from the helpers of Roger and heads off to try and hire a small plane to take him to America. Meanwhile back in New York Roger is leading a parade in order to build hype for his club and in this parade is a caged Tarzan as well as Jad-Bal-Ja, and as Tarzan is angry the crowd just cheer and laugh. While in a room in the Empire State Building Jane is being held captive and when she has a failed escape attempt, she soon learns that Ian Chalmers has fallen in love with her…and she will use this to her advantage. In the end we see the inside of the club that is filled with rich people and Tarzan is stuck in a cage with his yells and grunts going unnoticed.

This issues plot has Roger Tory getting to New York and with cruel tactics, drugs and beatings he does what he can to try and get Tarzan under control so that he can use this Lord Of The Jungle as a way to get money from those who enter his club. And all the while Jane is being as well held against her will and worse away from her husband as she is as well being used as a way to keep Tarzan in line. This is a great way to bring Tarzan to an American city and captures more reader’s attention as the series is not just Jungle adventures anymore and brings the drama and action to the society that they can identify with. Tarzan in this issue really is just a prisoner who while fights back against Smithers, spends the rest of the issue in a cage unable to speak and only with the want to escape and find his wife. Jane as well is helpless as even when fighting back and trying to escape the odds are just not one her side. And like before Korak is taking his sweet time to help is parents, he always seems to be like 500 steps behind when it comes to being the hero he needs to be. Roger Tory and his cronies are really put no value on human lives, as they will kill, mistreat and exploit anyone to make some money, in fact they are human traffickers…man these guys really are pure scum. Ian Chalmers shows that while he is a good hunter he really is spineless when it comes to standing up against the crimes of Roger, plus the fact that he is fallen in love with a wild man’s wife shows that this made is also not very smart! I like how this story arch is going and I feel that it shows the downside of humans as they really would pay to stare at and laugh at a human in a cage that was different from them. The cover is great and one that I remember from my youth and the interior art by Sal again is top notch. Over all another great issue in this Marvel Comics Tarzan series and to me proves that they do the Lord Of The Jungle right.

Tarzan # 27 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .40 Marvel # 27 of 29

Roger Tory is living large at his club as his customers are spending tons of money and are enjoying all he has on display including Tarzan who many think is just an actor playing a wild man, at one point many of the people at the club throw their drinks at him and laugh at his anger. Meanwhile Korak is on his way to take a private plane and fly it to New York in order to try and save his parents. Meanwhile at the Safari Club the mobster Blackjack and his gang show up as Roger owes them lots of money from a scam he pulled off in Chicago and they have came to collect and tell Smithers to go and get his boss. Meanwhile Tarzan and Jad-Bal-Ja are placed in a cell that is protected by unbreakable glass and are forced to fight for their lives against a massive Albino Gorilla who has been drugged and put into a rage! As Roger meets with Blackjack the alerts the mobster he can pay him in full in about a week, but this is not good enough for Blackjack to takes his tommygun and shoots the glass of the cell freeing Tarzan, The Albino Gorilla and Jad-Bal-Ja into the crowd who go into a panic! Meanwhile Jane once more take the chance to try and escape and knocks out a henchman as well as Ian and then breaks the widow of her room on the 85^th floor and climbs up the building as Ian when woken up thinks she has committed suicide.

Tarzan who is the most feared and respected living being in the jungles of Africa is now stuck in a cage in New York being mocked, laughed at and used to as entertainment and all the while the man behind this torment is being threatened by a crime boss who wants the money he is owed and this is all comes to a dangerous event by the end of this issue as chaos breaks out in the club and a rampaging gorilla is set free! Oh man were to start but I for one love how this story is playing out as it really does remind me of King Kong as well as all the classic Jungle Movies of golden age Hollywood. I also like that now we have more bad guys added to the mix as the mobsters are just as bad as Roger and his goons and greed is what is pushing both bad sides. Tarzan in this issue goes from being mocked by the crowd to being put in a fight to the death against a gorilla for their entertainment, and because of the drug they injected him with he can not tell them this is not a show and he is no actor! Jane once more uses her charms and inner power to fight to escape and does just that by the end of the issue and even climbs the Empire State Building to do so! Korak besides saving a British Soldier from a panther attack he is pretty useless and spends the time trying to get to a small plane so he can fly to NY to save his parents, really this far Korak is moving at the pace of a snail and is doing no good at this point to save his family. Ian Chalmers is a guy who clearly down on his luck and while good at heart is so far in debut to Roger that he is nothing more then a hired gun that he keeps spineless. Roger, Smithers and Sarah are all about the Safari Club as they want to make all they money they can off stolen animals and a kidnapped couple, and its shows when they are faced with people that are bigger and badder then them they are cowards. Black Jack and his gang mean business and will kill to get what’s owed and will even put the lives of people not involved in order to get it, I think Black Jack is not done with causing issues for everyone. Jad-Bal-Ja the lion shows that he is loyal to Tarzan as he does what he can to help fight the rampaging Albino Gorilla who is so drugged that he feels no pain and only wants to kill anything and everyone in its sights! The cover is great and eye catching and shows Tarzan and the Albino Gorilla fighting and Sal does the interior art so you know its good. A great issue and I cannot wait to reread the next issue and remember how this story plays out.

Tarzan # 28 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .40 Marvel # 28 of 29

Ian Chalmers who original freaked out as he thought Jane jumped from the window on the 85^th floor of the Empire State Building, now notices that she is trying to climb to the top of it! Meanwhile the cops have shown up to the Safari Club and before they enter the club they gunned down a lion and walk in as Tarzan and Jad-Bal-Ja are in a fight to the death against the Albino Gorilla and notice that The Black Jack Gang are standing with Roger watching this chaos. During the fight Black Jack starts to get a respect for Tarzan who is clearly the underdog but is fighting like a King and has zero fear in his eyes, he alerts Roger that if Tarzan dies he will die as well! And Black Jack then notices that Roger is hiding the knife of Tarzan and takes it and throws it to him and Tarzan uses it to end the battle and the life of the Albino Gorilla, and after the battle Tarzan is filled with rage and lets out a yell that chills the blood of everyone in the club. The Cops draw their guns and are about to gun down Tarzan and Jad-Bal-Ja when Black Jack and his gang pull their guns and warn the police to go take a hike or they will bring a war to the police department, and this works as the cops leave and Black Jack takes Jad-Bal-Ja and Roger to the docks and Tarzan rushes to the Empire State Building after getting Jane’s location from Roger. Tarzan reaches his destination and gets passed the cops and makes it to Jane just in time as Ian and his goons have surrounded her, Tarzan knocks them out and he and Jane jump onto a plane that flies by that is being flown by their son Korak and they head to the docks to meet with Black Jack

Wow this was a fun issue that is packed with action and drama and has Tarzan killing a massive gorilla, become friends with a gangster, knock around some police officers, get to the top of the Empire State Building, rescues his wife and flies away on the wing of a plane…yep this issue is pretty dang great! Tarzan in this issue is a man on a mission to survive a fight against the odds as well as to find and save his wife from the crazy world of New York City! Tarzan is the true hero of the jungle and his family and I love the fact he has zero fear when it comes to almost dying at the hands of the Albino Gorilla as well as when it comes to rushing past the cops like they are leaves in the wind. Jane as well has zero fear in her escape from Roger’s Goons and risks her own life in order to climb a building to safety with the idea to get away and save her husband. The useless Korak shows up at the last minute to try and play hero with his plane, he really is useless in this adventure. Black Jack and his Gang are bad guys for the most part, but do have some respect for Tarzan and his family and that’s why he decides to help the Lord Of The Jungle escape. Roger is truly a spineless coward who fears Tarzan, Black Jack as well as being sued by the guests of his club, not to even mention his goons including Ian have all failed in their missions and Sarah in the end dumps Roger! I really liked the fight between the Albino Gorilla and Tarzan who ended up having the use a knife to end the fight. I also was a fan of Tarzan running around New York City in order to find his wife and dig that they used the Empire State Building as the final stand place between Tarzan and Roger’s Goons. The cover is great and eye catching as it reminds me of King Kong and the interior art by Sal is great like before. Well next up is the final issue in the main series, so lets see how Marvel wraps up Tarzan.

Tarzan # 29 ***
Released in 1979 Cover Price .40 Marvel # 29 of 29

Tarzan along with Jane, Korak, Jad-Bal-Ja as well as a few other apes are all on a small boat in the middle of the ocean, they are all weak, thirsty and being burnt by the sun that is shinning down above them…and then Tarzan remembers back to what has lead them to this situation…he flashes back to New York as when he and his family arrive at the docks they are rushed onto a massive ship set but by Black Jack who handles the police when the show up and turns in Roger for kidnapping. While on the ship Tarzan and his family are treated like guests of honor by the Captain who even events them to the massive ball that is happing that night. While Tarzan goes to the ships cargo to visit his animal friends he stumbles upon a blackmail scheme going down between a sinister chap in a Top Hat and Mr. Vorga about rigging peace talks between two nations, as Top Hat has letters that Vorga had written to a sleazy female bar singer and will release them if he does not do what is asked of him. Tarzan as heard enough and snatches the letters from Top Hats hands and runs him off and threatens him if he comes back to Vorga’s room he will regret it. While at the ships ball Mr. Vorga and his wife sit with Tarzan and his family, but things get bad when Top Hats hired goon dressed as a clown stabs Vorga in the back and Tarzan gives chase as the goon and Top Hat run away…but Top Hat as other ideas and uses dynamite to blow up the ship and Tarzan just in time is able to save his animal friends and get them on a life boat along with Jane, Korak, the wounded Mr. Vorga plus his wife and the ships captain…and then we cut back to currant times as they are all hungry, thirsty, sun baked and missing land, when in a distance they spot land and better yet right near Tarzan’s home and they are all saved!

It’s crazy as this was the final issue in Marvel’s amazing Tarzan series and just like almost all the others before it, this issue delivers a great read that features the classic hero doing what he does best and that’s saving the day as well as beating the odds that are stacked against him. This issue has Tarzan and his family on a cruise ship that is taking them back home and before they can be dropped off a crazed man blows up the ship and causes Tarzan and the rest to fight for their life against the cruel sea and the blistering hot sun. Tarzan in this issue takes up for a man who is being bullied and as well shows that he is not only loyal to his family and animal friends but also to those who can not defend themselves, and when things get bad on the ship he not only goes after the bad guys but also does all he can to save lives from the sinking ship. Jane and Korak are around and while they are only bit players in this issue they do serve a purpose of being the motivation for Tarzan to fight harder and the reason to survive. Top Hat is a crazy man who wants to bride to get what he wants and when that doesn’t work he decides murder is the answer and then when confronted he ends up killing himself and others by blowing up the ship causing it to sink! I think the best part of Top Hat is that he looks like a cartoon bag guy complete with curly mustache…its great classic bad guys stuff. Marvel in this final issue gets Tarzan and his family home and it’s a fitting end, but also I wish his final adventure with Marvel would have been bigger and better and would have had him fighting a great cat or a super crazed witch doctor, and not the sun being the main threat. The cover is good and pretty dang eye catching and as always the interior art is done by the great Sal Buscema who did a great job of bringing Tarzan to the pages of this comic series. Tarzan The Lord Of The Jungle is great and is one comic series that I feel was really well done by Marvel and that the team on this book cared about what they were doing, and I for one had a blast re-visiting this series after all these years…and once more I want to thank my late Uncle Thurman for introducing me to it as him giving me these comics when I was a kid made me a life long fan of the character. Check out below for artwork done by Sal for this series.

But I know what you readers are thinking this is the Christmas Eve update for 2020 so we need more Tarzan…well you are in luck as its now time for me to take a look at the King Sized Annuals! So here is more Tarzan for your Holiday enjoyment.

Tarzan Annual # 1 ***
Released in 1977 Cover Price .50 Marvel # 1 of 3

Tarzan returns to a site in the jungle that holds all types of memories from his time as a youth picking berries with his mother and then he remembers back to his first crush Teeka a young female ape who captured his attention, and he remembers back to having to fight Taug in order to win her hand! Tarzan and Taug are in a battle to the death that is until a panther shows up and is looking to bring down an ape for lunch and the cat has its eyes on Teeka, and while the others flee Tarzan with his rope and knife come to her rescue and after running the panther off Tarzan and Teeka spend the afternoon together, but when he leaves to find food she ends up going to Taug and this breaks Tarzan’s heart who goes on a multiple day long solo hunt. While in the jungle we watches a tribe build a cage and then later watches as Taug is captured in the cage and is taken away by the tribe. Tarzan thinks that this is the best thing to happen for him as with Taug out of the way he thinks Teeka will be his, that is until she sees the sadness in her eyes and this sparks him to try and rescue Taug. Tarzan saves Taug and the ape returns to his mate as Tarzan at that moment knew he was different from his ape family. We join Tarzan once more as he chuckles about his part memory and then he finds his old vein rope in the spot and remembers back again to a time when he first learned to swing from vines, and during a time he had a major fight with Bukawai a disfigured human witch doctor who lives in a cave near the ape tribe and has two hyenas as pets. One day a massive storm hits the jungle and Tarzan is injured when lighting hits the tree he was seeking shelter from, and who finds him is Bukawai who takes him to the cave and ties him to a pole and wants to watch as Tarzan dies, but Bukawai during this is being cruel to his hyenas who see Tarzan as a fresh meat meal. Tarzan figures away to free himself and ends up chasing off the hyenas and then ties Bukawai to the poll and the hyenas return to eat him! Back in currant times its now getting late and Tarzan is done remembering the past and swings off back into the heart of the jungle.

This first King Sized Annual is a great read for Tarzan fans and has a good plot that follows the Lord Of The Jungle as he dealt with his first crush and the heartbreak that comes along with it, and he also remembers back to the time when he had to face and bring down a evil witch doctor. Tarzan really is feeling nostalgic for his past as he remembers times with his ape parents, his first crush and even the first time he learned to swing around on vines in the trees. Tarzan even in his younger days had no fear and would fight to the death against anything that gets in his path of what he wants as he takes on a raging ape, a panther, a pair of hyenas and a crazed witch doctor. I think what works for this annual is the fact its moments from Tarzan’s past and showed how he has grown as just a young boy living with apes to becoming The Lord Of The Jungle! It’s also great to see that Tarzan’s ape father truly hated him and wished for his adoptive son’s death all the time. The issues main bad guy is Bukawai a witch doctor who was badly disfigured from disease and was shunned by his tribe cause this as well as the fact Tarzan disproved his cures and medicines, while he is crippled and broken down his hate and want for revenge keeps him going and all he wants to do is watch Tarzan die! But because his hate took him over when he had the chance to do so his cruelty to his pet hyenas turn them on him and he became a quick meal for them. The cover for this issue is great and very eye catching and features Tarzan standing over the body of a gorilla he brought down and the interior art done by John Buscema and is great stuff and once more has the classic 70’s Marvel appeal. Great read and a must for fans of Tarzan as it’s a fun story with more of Tarzan’s backstory explored.

Tarzan Annual # 2 ***1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .60 Marvel # 2 of 3

Tarzan and his lion Jad-Bal-Ja stumble upon a massacre, as dead bodies of humans are all around and only an old man who clings to life is able to tell Tarzan what has happened. You see a King, Queen and the Princess had been overthrown from their kingdom by the Kings brother who then gave the order to slaughter them all while they left…but the old man begs Tarzan to care for The Princess who is still alive with his dying breath. Tarzan finds the Princess who was in hiding and she is mad and wants revenge for the death of her parents…and Tarzan agrees to help her do so. Tarzan gets them to the Kingdom Of The Cliffs and as they walk across the bridge they are attacked and taken as prisoners to see The King! As the Princess shouts about how her parents were murdered by this new King he himself acts shocked about the death of his brother and ordered that Tarzan and Jab-Bal-Ja be placed in a cell and the Princess to be taken to her old chambers. The King is worried now as many of the warriors are grumbling about if the claims of a murder squad sent to kill the former King is true. Tarzan finds out that he is be to sacrificed to the Kingdom’s giant snake god and when that time comes all hell breaks loose as The Princess is able to stab The King with a dagger, Tarzan breaks the skull flame pillar that held the serpent back, the giant snake appears and is looking for human meat and Jab-Bal-Ja break free of his cage and attacks the giant snake along with Tarzan who as well breaks free! Tarzan and his lion with the help of the warriors would the giant snake that makes an escape that is heading toward the Kingdom’s High Priest who wants to throw the Princess from a cliff and end her rule before it even starts! Just as the Priest is about to toss her over the giant snake appears and knocks the Priest over the cliff as it as well goes over ending both terrible lives and as The Princess is about to fall Tarzan once more saves her and she takes her place as the true Queen of the Kingdom as Tarzan heads home with his lion to see Jane.

The second King Size Annual could be the best issue in all of Marvel’s Tarzan series as it really is a great fantastic read that brings action, adventure and even a dash of fantasy and has Tarzan saving a Princess and helping her get revenge on those who murdered her parents and stole her place of ruling the Kingdom. Tarzan is as always a true hero as he fulfills an old mans dying wish, protects and helps a Princess reclaim her kingdom as well as slays a massive snake that has been keeping a kingdom at bay. Jad-Bal-Ja the golden black manned lion is also very much a hero in this issue as he fights off warriors, sets Tarzan free and then also starts the main attack of the giant snake! The Princess is young but is a true fighter and is filled with rage and revenge and wants to bring down her Uncle who is the man who took over her Kingdom and as well ordered the murder of her parents. The Uncle King is truly a coward and scum as he forced his way into power and murdered his own brother and then also wanted to marry his own niece…yeah he is gross and when he takes a knife to the gut and dies you as a reader feels good about it. The High Priest as well to the Kingdom is a terrible person and wants power and wants to murder those by feeding them to a massive snake that ends up being the key to his own death. I loved the over all feel and story of this issue as it truly brings out a great adventure for Tarzan that would have made for a great movie as well! The cover is pretty great and the interior art is done by Sal Buscema and is great stuff! Now that I am thinking about it this issue reminds me of an issue of Conan The Barbarian and in fact it could easily been an issue if you just swapped out Tarzan for Conan. Over all this could be hands down my favorite issue in this series and shows that 100% Marvel knew how to make comics based on The Lord Of The Jungle.

Tarzan Annual # 3 **1/2
Released in 1979 Cover Price .60 Marvel # 3 of 3

Tarzan, Jane, Korak and guests are in London and are celebrating Guy Fawkes day by given dressed up kids pennies and heading toward the Opera for a show that features Jane’s friend Julia Hague, and while going in they find out Julia’s sister Evelyn has gone missing in Africa! Jane and Tarzan make their way to Julia’s dressing room and find out that she is not missing but kidnapped, and that she is not allowed to tell a soul…but she has and a Dwarf in the Opera house has heard this and before Tarzan can grab him he escapes into the crowd. Later as the Opera starts Julia is singing her heart out and Tarzan is able to stop her murder as the Dwarf armed with a gun, Tarzan and Korak surround him and the Dwarf ends up jumping to his death from a booth. Now safe Julia shows Jane and Tarzan a box her sister sent her that has a tiny human skeleton in it and Tarzan knows were he must travel to Africa to save her, but worse someone in the shadows is once more watching and listening. Tarzan and his friend Pierre D’Arnot are on a small plane flying over the place called The Great Thorn Forest and are shot down by Max Hunter a man who works for Sykes and is the kidnapper of Evelyn, Tarzan is thrown from the plane wreck as Pierre is knocked out and still in the plane when its attacked by a savage all female cavewoman tribe called the Alali Women and after Tarzan and the now rescued Pierre run them off they soon find that Sykes and his group are also under attack and that the Alali Women have run off with Evelyn after Tarzan uses a flamethrower tank to scare them off, Tarzan and Pierre then capture the kidnapers and find out that they did so to sell off the mini skeletons that she found as they think they would be worth millions to the right buyers. Tarzan then rushes off after the Alali Women to save Evelyn only to find them at war with the tiny Ant-Man warriors, and the tiny warriors make short work of the Alali Women and during the fight both Tarzan and Evelyn are hurt and are shrunken down to have their wounds treated as the warriors and their King and Queen are friends of Tarzan! Meanwhile a rival race of Ant-Men use their tiny arrows to bring down Pierre and the kidnappers quickly tell the Ant-Men that Tarzan is the one who dug up their graveyard and that they will ride with them in the tank to get revenge for this crime! Tarzan leads the good Ant-Men against the invaders and white small and even turning normal size he is able to stop the flame tank and bring the would be kidnapers to justice as the good Ant-Men run off the bad ones. In the end Korak arrives with a plane and picks up Tarzan, the injured Pierre and Evelyn and they return to London.

This final Tarzan Annual is a great read and delivers a solid adventure for Tarzan as he goes from a London Opera House all the way to a tiny Ant-Man village in Africa and all the while he is fighting off a mad dwarf with a gun, wild cavewomen out for blood and a group of greedy kidnappers who seek money and fame. Really this story is as crazy as that summery discretion sounds! Tarzan clearly does not understand the customs of the civil world, and yet he at times is more human then the people that surround him in the big city of London. Tarzan also shows that he is loyal to his friends as well as his wives friends as he is willing to travel to a part of the Jungles of Africa that is dangerous in order to save the sister of a woman he has just meet, but is close friends of his wife Jane. He also shows once more he has no fear as he is willing to fight off all enemies that come at him in this issue. Pierre D’Arnot is a Frenchman who is close friends of Tarzan who as well rushes into a unknown danger to help, and is very useful with a gun, and thank the heavens that he wears a leather jacket of he would have been a dead man thanks to the tiny arrows of the Ant-Men. Korak and Jane are around and do their best to help with this kidnaping plot as well as keep the victims sister calm. The Ant-Men have two sides one kingdom is peaceful and is ruled by friends of Tarzan while the other side is bad and are looking for a war as well as a reason to truly hate Tarzan. The Kidnapers Martin, Max and Sykes are true scumbags who will snuff out a life, lie, cheat and steal all in the quest to make a quick fortune off anyone and everything. Plus the Kidnapers in their grasp has eyes, ears and killers in London and also are in control of a very powerful flamethrower tank that makes them super deadly. The Alali Women are a cave woman clan who want to mate and kill males that are foolish enough to stumble in their area, they are deadly and bloodthirsty and not to be messed with. This is a crazy adventure that is well paced and showcases once more that Marvel Comics knew how to make a great Tarzan adventure comic. The cover is eye catching and showcases Tarzan in danger from not only the Ant-Men but also the Alali Women. The interior art is done by the team of Sal as well as Ricardo Villamonte and is great stuff. No joke I am a little sad that this is the final issue for this update as I have had a great time covering Tarzan and his Marvel Comic adventures and wish it would have lasted a little longer. But with that said check out the artwork below to see the style used in these annuals.

Wow that was lots of fun re-reading the Marvel Comics adventures of Tarzan and for me they really held up and were fantastic 70’s comic reads that showcases just why Tarzan is still to this day a classic hero of pop culture. It’s a shame that Marvel Comics have not brought Tarzan back to the company as I feel that he could fit in perfect with their currant plans of returning characters like Star Wars and Conan The Barbarian as well as the newly added Ultraman. I would love to see a comic that would pit Tarzan against Conan as that fight would be epic and awesome. This was a long and epic Christmas Eve update and I hope that this holiday season brought you some joy and thank you for spending some time here at Rotten Ink. Our next update will be my countdown of films I seen in the theater this year and it’s a strange one indeed so I will see you back for that one. Until next time make sure to send a message to your loved ones, enjoy your holiday season the best you can and as always make sure to leave milk and cookies out for Santa! Be safe and I will see you next year to chat about the cinema.