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Ka-Zar by Mark Waid & Andy Kubert #2
Ka-Zar by Mark Waid and Andy Kubert Vol. 2
The exciting adventures of Ka-Zar, Marvel's resident noble savage, continue! Witness how the Lord of the Savage Land and his two steadfast allies--Shanna the She-Devil and the mighty Zabu--contend with jungle dangers both prehistoric and urban in this collection brought to you courtesy of some of Marvel's most tantalizing tale-spinners! Featuring the villainy of the High Evolutionary! COLLECTING: KA-ZAR (1997) 8-14, ANNUAL '97
216 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2012
About the author
Mark Waid
3,254 books1,327 followersMark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 11, 2014
Reprints Ka-Zar (4) #8-14 and Annual ’97 (December 1997-June 1998). Ka-Zar is out to stop his brother Parnival Plunder once and for all! When he learns that his brother is working for one of the most powerful beings in the universe, Ka-Zar finds himself in the fight of his life with Thanos with the Savage Land as the prize…and the battle could change Ka-Zar and his family’s life forever!
Written by Mark Waid (with additional writing by Brian K. Vaughan) and art by Andy Kubert (with additional art by Walter McDaniel, Louis Small, Jr., and Aaron Lopresti), Ka-Zar by Mark Waid & Andy Kubert—Volume 2 is the second and final volume of Mark Waid and Andy Kubert’s series of the late ’90s.
Ka-Zar was a launch series after the whole Onslaught storyline which “killed” a number of the Marvel Universe’s major characters and relaunched them in a pocket universe. Ka-Zar and Thunderbolts developed from this, but Ka-Zar struggled while Thunderbolts remained strong.
Ka-Zar’s struggles really aren’t necessarily from the writing or art, but from the character. Waid does a great job crafting a story for the character, but Ka-Zar just doesn’t have the mass appeal of bigger superheroes and with characters like Turok treading on similar ground at the time, he feels a little redundant.
I love that Waid has Ka-Zar going up against Thanos who slaughter a majority of the Marvel Universe’s heavy hitters during The Infinity Gauntlet. Here you have a loincloth style hero taking on a cosmic being…and winning! It is a fun little twist on Thanos who at the time was still recovering from character burnout from overuse in the early ’90s.
Unfortunately, I think that Waid does hit the skids a bit in the second half of the book with the High Evolutionary and Shanna storyline flipping the scenarios from the beginning of the book. It is a bit clunky, rushed, and suffers from Kubert leaving first. These all combine to really bog down a solid book.
Ka-Zar by Mark Waid & Andy Kubert—Volume 2 does have the fun of Thanos, but lacks the cohesion of the first volume. Surprisingly the series did not just end with Waid’s leaving and continued on for another six issues with a couple of different writers and artist teams…it was a rather slow death to a series that started so strong.
Written by Mark Waid (with additional writing by Brian K. Vaughan) and art by Andy Kubert (with additional art by Walter McDaniel, Louis Small, Jr., and Aaron Lopresti), Ka-Zar by Mark Waid & Andy Kubert—Volume 2 is the second and final volume of Mark Waid and Andy Kubert’s series of the late ’90s.
Ka-Zar was a launch series after the whole Onslaught storyline which “killed” a number of the Marvel Universe’s major characters and relaunched them in a pocket universe. Ka-Zar and Thunderbolts developed from this, but Ka-Zar struggled while Thunderbolts remained strong.
Ka-Zar’s struggles really aren’t necessarily from the writing or art, but from the character. Waid does a great job crafting a story for the character, but Ka-Zar just doesn’t have the mass appeal of bigger superheroes and with characters like Turok treading on similar ground at the time, he feels a little redundant.
I love that Waid has Ka-Zar going up against Thanos who slaughter a majority of the Marvel Universe’s heavy hitters during The Infinity Gauntlet. Here you have a loincloth style hero taking on a cosmic being…and winning! It is a fun little twist on Thanos who at the time was still recovering from character burnout from overuse in the early ’90s.
Unfortunately, I think that Waid does hit the skids a bit in the second half of the book with the High Evolutionary and Shanna storyline flipping the scenarios from the beginning of the book. It is a bit clunky, rushed, and suffers from Kubert leaving first. These all combine to really bog down a solid book.
Ka-Zar by Mark Waid & Andy Kubert—Volume 2 does have the fun of Thanos, but lacks the cohesion of the first volume. Surprisingly the series did not just end with Waid’s leaving and continued on for another six issues with a couple of different writers and artist teams…it was a rather slow death to a series that started so strong.
April 10, 2018
Well well well....
Bad story
Meh artwork
You're a fan of Ka-Zar? Read it... I guess.
You're not? Do NOT read this.
You're like me and you want to read everything that includes Thanos? OH BOY OH BOY:
The Thanos stuff, even if the story about the whole thing is interesting, it raises MANY oh SO many questions as to Who the FUCK is Ka-zar compared to Thanos? No one.
A simple dude with no powers against a fucking GODLIKE CREATURE with actual super powers. But yet..... Ka-Zar or sorry should I say Kevin.. (pffft) was like yeah I'm going to hit him and shit and make him angry... Thanos... angry?! A fucking HUMAN made Thanos ANGRY. Because of the stupidest reasons ever. Thanos being angry at someone, especially for the reasons in this book, is like, beyond me. Did Waid even read the Starlin stuff? Oh well. Dunno. Doubt it. Or forgot how Thanos was and acts and speaks and all of that but yeah, I don't care and I didn't care in this one cuz this wasn't Thanos.
And I don't even want to get into the whole "why Thanos is guest-starring here" and why the fuck would THANOS need the help of a "villain" Ka-Zar's BROTHER that's at best a Z-lister, who makes fun of Thanos and he's just a human too. Ugh. I give up. Don't. Just don't. Do NOT read this.
This is a Thanos completely out of character. This is NOT a Starlin Thanos. I'm sorry but no.
I liked the artwork of him though. It was nice seeing him from another artist. Another point of view and another style from the 90s. But yeah.. the bad stuff are way more than the good stuff.
Oh, also... DINOSAURS INSIDE THE FUCKING BUILDING IN NEW YORK. Courtesy of KA-ZAR's wife. Because let's make little Kevin aka Ka-Zar feel like home. HA! Are you for fucking real? The was a FUCKING Dreadnoughtus INSIDE THE APARTMENT what the fuck was the writer and the whole team was smoking?
Anyway... read this if you're a Ka-Zar fan. Or Kubert fan. Do NOT read this if you're a Waid fan!
January 16, 2025
Flat follow
While it starts off well the story declines as it goes on. The Thanos arc ends flatly and the Evolutionary arc is even flatter. The little monkeying around thing doesn’t save the story. This wrapped up Waid and Kubert on Ka-Zar but it wasn’t a good way to go.
While it starts off well the story declines as it goes on. The Thanos arc ends flatly and the Evolutionary arc is even flatter. The little monkeying around thing doesn’t save the story. This wrapped up Waid and Kubert on Ka-Zar but it wasn’t a good way to go.
April 29, 2019
Annual '97, Foreshadows, ☆☆☆
8-11, Urban Jungle, ☆☆☆
12-14, Evolution, ☆☆☆
8-11, Urban Jungle, ☆☆☆
12-14, Evolution, ☆☆☆
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews