According to
Alistair Boddy-Evans of About.com, it was 100 years ago today, August 27, 1912, that
Tarzan of the Apes made his first appearance when the October, 1912 issue of
All-Story Magazine went on sale. It was an immediate success, and success continued to follow author Edgar Rice Burroughs.
In 1965, after Jesse Marsh left the Gold Key
Tarzan for health reasons (and died the next year, at age 59), Russ Manning* took over the comic book. Manning’s first issue was a typical story that Marsh would have illustrated, but with the next issue, number 155, Gold Key began adapting Tarzan novels. The first was (naturally)
Tarzan of the Apes. I've scanned my copy, bought off the stands in 1965. I've been a Manning fan since I first saw his work. (Later he took over the
Tarzan comic strip, which is a whole other thing.)
Next to Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan is one of the most recognizable literary characters in the world. I expect that Tarzan will be known in the 22nd century and beyond. This issue of Gold Key’s
Tarzan is an important issue, and I'm glad to present it to you on the 100th anniversary of Tarzan's introduction to the world.
Script adaptation of the original novel by Gaylord Du Bois.**
From
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan #155, December, 1965:
*The Grand Comics Database also gives Mike Royer credit for assisting Manning on pencils and inks.
**I've seen Gaylord Du Bois' name spelled Dubois and DuBois. Apparently he spelled it both as it is on his birth certificate, Du Bois, or DuBois.
