Re: Jungle babes and dinosaurs (was:Re: Accuracy)

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-06-26 00:05:19 EDT, Bettyc@flyinggoat.com (Bettyc)
writes:

<< Ka-Zar (marvel-Brent Andersen artist and buddy of mine) in
 the Forbidden lands that had plenty of living dinosaurs in Antarctica
 somewheres so you're saved  ;]
 DinoGeorge! You should know some of these!  Like that Devil Dinosaur
 thing, and such. >>

I once owned every appearance of Ka-Zar in comics, beginning with Marvel
Comics #1, November 1939, his first, in the last of several strips in the
issue. I've forgotten who his artist was then (conveniently, the strip was
signed). He backed up the first few dozen issues of _Marvel Mystery Comics_.
In those days, he was a jungle hero based in Africa. Prior to that, Ka-Zar
was featured in three issues of his own pulp magazine as a pretty poorly
written Tarzan derivative; I owned all three pulps, too, but sold them when I
sold off my comic collection in the late 1980s.

Marvel revived Ka-Zar in the 1960s as a supporting character in _Daredevil_;
I'd have to go to my Marvel Index, currently buried in boxes, to make sure,
but I think it was _Daredevil_ #11 and 12 (a continued story). They made him
"lord of the Savage Land," an Antarctic dinosaur enclave that later underwent
a very complicated history. His earlier African namesake from _Marvel_ and
_Marvel Mystery Comics_ was forgotten.

Marvel also had a spate of forgotten jungle heroes and heroines during the
1950s, and, yes, dogged persistence eventually got me every issue of those,
too. I wound up selling my runs of _Jann of the Jungle_, _Jungle Action_,
_Jungle Tales_, and _Lorna the Jungle Queen_ to a local comic collector--a
baseball player turned dentist--here in San Diego for about a G-note. Ka-Zar
wasn't in these, but a jungle hero named Lo-Zar was. I recall nice cover art
by Vince Colletta, the great Al Williamson, and Bill Everett. Headlight
comics indeed.

_Devil Dinosaur_ was a completely forgettable Marvel series from the early
1980s(?--memory fails me) drawn by famous comic artist Jack Kirby. I think I
got 50 cents a piece when I sold them, maybe less. Ran nine isues or
something like that before folding. The character was later revived for a few
more appearances in other comics, but by then I was selling off my collection
and wasn't buying current issues anymore.