A new world for the jungle lord! A hunt for his four-legged friend Zabu takes Ka-Zar beyond the Savage Land and into the ancient paradise of Pangea! From shining citadels to the lofty heights of the Aerie, it's a land filled with newfound friends - and fresh dangers! Caught between bird-people and pterons, will Kevin Plunder meet his end or find new love? Either way, things will soon get complicated between Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil. But Shanna isn't short of other suitors herself, including…Spider-Man?! And abandon all hope when Ka-Zar faces a twisted version of Dante's Inferno! This fresh hell comes complete with a Minotaur, Cerberus…and the demonic Belasco! Plus: Alien nightmares, a jungle wedding and tiger tales of Zabu in this complete collection of a series that, like the Savage Land, is a hidden gem! Collecting KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #1-34.
When I was young, I somehow came upon issues #5-9 of Ka-Zar the Savage. I was impressed by some of the stories, such as the flashback about a tribemate succumbing to rabies and the issue that revealed that their new friend Dherk was an android. Then there was a magnificent cliffhanger at the end of #9, as a portal seemed to welcome them into the depths of Hell itself. And after that Ka-Zar went direct-market only and I never got to read the rest of the story. Which is why I jumped at the opportunity to read an omnibus of the entire run of Ka-Zar.
Bruce Jones decided to offer an interesting twist from the start, moving Ka-Zar and Shanna from the Savage Land to a new locale called Pangea. The difference seems to be that the Savage Land was pulp boy's adventure, while Pangea is more swords & sorcery. This is what allowed some of the intriguing stories I read decade ago, about bird people and flying mounts and an ancient Atlantean. Usually it's quite successful, with the idea that Pangea was a Disneyland for Atlantis feeling like the only early misstep.
As for that Hellish cliffhanger. It leads to the introduction of Belasco into Marvel lore, a villain that I'd adored thanks to Chris Claremont's Magik miniseries. It was surprising here to find that he'd been a human alchemist before summoning up the Elder Gods. His story didn't quite live up to decades worth of expectation, but it was still worthwhile to find out his origins. The end of that story also marked the end of Ka-Zar's first year.
The immediately post-Belasco stories are somewhat weaker as sword & sorcery, but they're stronger when you realize that they're all about Ka-zar and Shanna's relationship. It's actually pretty stunning for a comic of this era to spend six months on such a topic, and even if there are some silly soap opera twists along the way, as Shanna gets married and then yet another woman falls for Kevin, it's still's intriguing and somewhat groundbreaking.
The trip to New York had some opportunity for fun contrasts, as the savages are taken out of the Savage Land, and bringing Spider-Man in as a supporting character who falls for Shanna is great. But the twists in Ka-Zar's story are so bizarre that it brings the whole plotline down somewhat, making it a relief when our heroes return to Pangea. (And then Jones' generally good run sadly ends with a dream-sequence issue, which does tie up some of his loose ends, but which isn't that interesting, as this type of story rarely is.)
When Mike Carlin takes over, his writing doesn't have the same interest as Jones' did, but nonetheless he gives us a few good issues returning to Pangea and its various peoples and plots, including a visit from Belasco that actually reveals the secret of the two bloodstones that were never created in Magik. Unfortunately, the stay in Pangea ends rather abruptly and meanwhile the art in Ka-zar is becoming increasingly bad.
The story is also increasingly bad by the end, as the last few issues, still by Mike Carlin, read like parody. Not a great ending for a comic that had some heights.
Happy to have finally read this whole volume, even if it took me most of a year. I can't see reading it again.
This was a bit of a slog for me to get through. Growing up, I remember buying one of these issues off of the newsstand - likely because I needed something to read and it was there. I have been working through the issues in this volume for months - one or two at a time. Sadly, they quickly lost my attention after the first dozen. While the art was gorgeous, the stories left me a bit flat. There was a reason this was a lower-tier selling title back in the day.
It's really unfortunate how this book ended. There's a lot to love about it - most of the book is fantastic, essentially a love story with a Conan backdrop, and lots of goofy Marvel in-jokes with writers, editors, and artists.
The problem is the original creative team leaves with a handful of issues left, and what happens with the new team is super cringey. It's basically the comics equivalent of the bizarre interlude in Monty Python's Life of Brian, except that's how the book ends. I was loving it up until that point, and once I finished it all I could think of is if I'd accidentally ingested a hallucinogen.
I have a soft spot for Ka-Zar. Some comics fans derisively deem him a Tarzan clone, but…he’s the Tarzan of a hidden jungle full of dinosaurs!…and he has a saber-tooth tiger named Zabu as a constant companion! Something about that concept brings out the kid in me, and I admittedly think that Zabu in particular is very cool.
Marvel has published several short-lived Ka-Zar comic book series since 1970. I haven’t read them all, but I would guess that KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE (1981-1984) is the best of them. All 34 issues are neatly presented here, in this hefty 1,040 page “omnibus” volume. I balked at the $125 price tag, but I caved when Amazon decreased its asking price to about $70. Finally, this little gem from my youth came to me, complete between two covers.
Collectors are the main purchasers of such items, so I’ll cover some details that interest them. As I noted, all stories from the original 34 issues, along with the original covers, have been reproduced here. The volume includes no original letters pages but does include some “fumetti” (i.e. comics produced with photos, rather than illustrations) gag stories from the original inside covers. Other “bonus material” includes some 1980s pin ups and house ads, a penciled page from artist Brent Anderson and some pages from the 1983 OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE.
Naturally, the original comics are reproduced on glossy, brightly colored pages. Some purists complain about the coloring in reprint collections not matching that of the originals. I don’t have the original issues available for comparison, but then, I’m also not a purist about comic coloring. I’ll take those modern, bright colors over the originals printed on cheap paper anyday (I’ll note here, for the record, that the last nine issues of KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE were printed on heavier, better quality Mando paper, but again, I don’t have those issues handy for comparison.).
Despite the hefty price tags, Marvel omnibus collections are a bargain when you consider the amount of content. Again, this one includes 34 issues and some bonus material totaling 1,040 pages. According to the Amazon listing, it measures 7.6” x 1.9” x 11.17” and weighs 6 pounds! As a fan, I love having this whole series in one package, but that package can admittedly be cumbersome to carry.
Yet, I carried it, and I read it…and I enjoyed it immensely. I came to the book with a sense of nostalgia, and I’m sure that that colored my reactions. My best guess, though, is that people reading sans nostalgia will still have a quite enjoyable experience. Writer Bruce Jones excels at hooking a reader, and many installments left me eager to see what will happen next.
Some healthy genre-mixing helps with variety. KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE begins as a pulp adventure series - in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, and Alex Raymond and Don Moore’s FLASH GORDON, albeit with a modern twist (Ka-Zar, for example, no longer speaks like a Johnny Weismuller Tarzan and instead utilizes 1980s slang.). In the early issues, we learn about the lost land of Pangea, adjacent to Marvel’s Savage Land, and Jones provides a new mythology to accompany the discovery. From there, Jones delves into science fiction, horror (with stories of the demonic villain Belasco), soap opera, noir, super heroics (with a tale involving Spider-Man and villain Kraven the Hunter in New York) and globe trotting espionage.
Jones also provides some solid soap opera/character drama. Ka-Zar and Shanna (Marvel’s answer to Sheena and Ka-Zar’s significant other) are hardly a typical couple. They bicker often and rivals for one or the other’s affections figure into several tales. Shanna’s rivals contrast with her in that they tend to be cold, manipulative femme fatales, whereas Ka-Zar’s rivals tend to be basically decent men. Ka-Zar himself can be a stubborn jerk, and at times, you wonder what Shanna sees in him, but he also displays great bravery upon occasion, and he matures somewhat during Jones’s writing tenure. Sometimes, Ka-Zar’s and Shanna’s bickering becomes a little tiresome, but I suspect that that’s at least somewhat a symptom of binge-reading the issues, rather than waiting a month between them.
Jones introduces some new, interesting characters, as well. I’m particularly fond of Dherk, the ancient Atlantean who has had his mind transferred into an android body. Buth, the Aerian (Aerians are bird people reminiscent - perhaps deliberately - of the Hawk Men from FLASH GORDON) also proves memorable, and there are some great villains, particularly the demonic Belasco and the delightfully evil, scheming Ramona (one of those aforementioned rivals for Shanna’s affections).
While Marvel is renowned for the shared continuity between its titles, KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE stands alone for the most part. Spider-Man does appear in a story that spans several issues, but he’s often out of costume, and much of his “screen time” concerns his growing friendship with Shanna. Certainly, this isn’t a typical Spider-Man guest star stint. Spider-Man’s enemy, Kraven the Hunter, also appears, as does the villainous organization A.I.M., but readers not up on Marvel continuity needn’t worry; Jones tells them all that they need to know. Even as a longtime Marvel reader, I found this refreshing.
In the first issue, Jones introduces two themes - concerning Ka-Zar’s longing for civilization and his reluctance to commit to a relationship with Shanna. Jones brings closure to these themes before departing after issue #27. While his departure seems somewhat abrupt, it nonetheless feels that he finished his job.
Mike Carlin pens those last seven issues, and in retrospect, the transition from Jones to Carlin is surprisingly smooth. Jones is credited with plotting ideas on issue #28, and Carlin’s first issue isn’t too dissimilar from Jones’s last one. That aside, the series’ quality does take a dip in those last issues. Carlin is a competent writer, and he does sometimes imbue his stories with a certain charm lacking in Jones’s work (A two-part tale featuring Ka-Zar’s scheming supervillain brother, for example, is mostly quite fun.), but his plots aren’t nearly as propulsive. This may not completely be his fault, as he may have known that the book’s days were numbered (The publishing frequency changed from monthly to bimonthly shortly after his arrival.), and he perhaps didn’t want to begin a long epic. Regardless, he does a creditable job wrapping up the series and giving the characters a proper send off.
Brent Anderson, Ron Frenz, Armando Gil and Paul Neary are the main artists (at different times) within the 34 issues. Of these, I liked Anderson best. He has a nice, photodynamic style reminiscent of Neal Adams but different enough to stand on its own. Frenz, in contrast, is something of a standard “Marvel workhorse” (Sal Buscema comes to mind for comparison), and he’s known for his collaborations with writer Tom DeFalco on Spider-Man, Spider-Girl and Thor. Gil has an elegant, lush style that I enjoyed, although he utilizes more panels than the others, causing his art to feel more cramped. Neary, who pencils the last four issues, provides lanky, sometimes scratchy looking figures, and it took me longer to warm to him, although I eventually did. He’s a good storyteller, capable of rendering dynamic action scenes.
Of those artists, one - Armando Gil - has since become a problematic individual. A google search tells me that he’s currently serving a prison sentence for rape. The details of his alleged crime are disturbing and can also be discovered via Google, if one wishes to do so. I don’t know if Gil receives royalties for sales of this book (For what it’s worth, I was unaware of his criminal record when I purchased it.). While I completely understand customers not wanting to support Gil, it’s worth noting that other creators provide fine work, and have not, to my knowledge, been accused of any wrongdoing.
That note aside, I had a blast reading KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE OMNIBUS and highly recommend it to anyone willing to pay the hefty price tag or perhaps borrow a copy from a library or a friend. It contains fun, rollicking adventure tales with memorable characters - plus dinosaurs and a saber-tooth tiger companion. I don’t know how anyone can beat THAT combination!
The art is great! The original writing team made a tremendous effort and 1/2 of this run was well planned. The change in the writing and art teams made the final 1/2 of the run fall short. This is the 3rd time marvel took on this character and it really helped in his evolution. This would be a book for a select few collectors because it deals with obscure characters. Spider-Man and Belasco make guest appearances.
(Zero spoiler review) 2.25/5 I get that this isn't the original Conan the Barbarian comics, but... Why can't it be more like the Conan the Barbarian comics. Sigh. I wanted to like this. I really wanted to like this. It started out somewhat promisingly enough, although quickly went off the rails, and never ever found its way back onto the tracks during its 30+ issue run, all of which is collected here. During that time we get a veritable revolving door of creators. It's initial (relative) stability, quickly giving way to an ever increasing number of pencillers, inkers, and even writers who get a crack at this title before it was eventually canned. And boy, does it show in the narrative. The art is mostly fine, and was improving with each and every change until the last few issues where it goes off a cliff... The initial storylines were hokey, although not without their charm, but about halfway through, a brick wall was clearly hit, and someone or someone's decided to basically just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Answer: very little. Neither character was particularly likeable, and the 'will they/ won't they' aspect of their relationship was contrived, and about as enjoyable as a bad dose of diarrhoea at a pool party. That and Zabu's ability to magically be wherever he was needed at the drop of a hat, or the complete lack of explanation as to how, when , where, why Kazar and others get to the Savage Land... I'm stopping myself before I start listing all the ways this book not only didn't make sense, but actively frustrated me whilst doing so. I barely even read any of the last 300 pages, such was my willingness to be done with this. It had well and truly lost me by that point, and nothing it was doing was getting me back. I could only recommend this for people who read this in their youth and want to relive it, and even then, I imagine it won't be as good as you remember. 2.25/5
If I could fault anything in this collection, it's that some of the plot points drag on a bit too long. Besides that, it's a fun read. This was a premium series that ran for about 4 years in the early 80's. Was a similar format to Moon Knight at about the same time. With nice wraparound covers, and no ads. Some great art here too, from Brent Anderson, Ron Frenz, and Paul Neary. Armando Gil is the inker for most of the series and takes over from time to time as artist. His inks are very detailed, but kind of loose. But he improves throughout. The issues he draws solo remind me of Gene Day. Cool and weird, but a little stiff.
As for the stories, they are anything but episodic. One event leads into another. And they are pretty creative. What starts off as fantasy becomes very sci fi. This doesn't happen to me often, but I was honestly sad when the book ended. Did a little research and it turns out that once this series was cancelled, they did not resurrect it until many years later. It's a shame because Bruce Jones' writing really made me love these classic Marvel characters.