BD-Basiliensis

volume15B 1946-1947

série:	Tarzan Sunday Pages
dessinateur / scénariste:	Rubimor
éditeur:	Flying Buttress EO 1996
genre:	Aventure
classement:	biblio1
date:	1996
format:	cartonné, N&B avec jaquette
état:	TBE
valeur:	20 €
critère:	*
remarques:	with the title 15B being an extra volume edited by NBM/Flying Buttress (NBM being America's first publisher of graphic novels since 1976 located at New York with imprints such as Flying Buttress Classics Library, Amerotica, Eurotica and ComicsLit) under the supervision of Bill Blackbeard out of a series of 18 volumes, all being accurate reproduction of the Sunday Pages in their full colour and in full size, each volume having about 52 pages, n.b. the sources of these Sunday pages are mainly from the Los Angeles Times and from the Milwaukee Journal edited by UFS (United Features Syndicate) volume 15B 1946-1947 with dust jacket from 10.2.1946 (779) to 6.4.1947 (839) = 61 pages drawn by Rubimor based on the novel of Edgar Rice Burroughs, in total Rubimor illustrated 88 pages of Tarzan by popular demand, this special extra volume bridges the gap not covered by the regular volumes when Hogarth left Tarzan for about two years; with this volume, the complete story can be preserved without break the volume includes following episodes (number of pages): - Tarzan and the vampire queen: 17 - Tarzan and the scourge: 44 1/ Rubimor's analysis by Robert Barrett "following in Foster's and Hogarth's footsteps" - when Hogarth left because of disagreement with UFS = United Feature Syndicate, the reason being that Hogarth discovered that his Tarzan's work had be reprinted in Europe by Hachette edition taking some nice drawing from Hogarth (although with text under the picture severely cut-down) and he had received no compensation for it, the syndicate found a new illustrator in the person of Rubimor = Amilcar Ruben Moreira working then with Fiction House n.b. Fiction House would over the coming years furnish several artists who would illustrate the Tarzan feature such as Nick Cardy, Bob Lubbers and John Celardo among others - while Rubimor was already drawing the series of Ka'anga, a Tarzan ripp-off of jungle comics, there was also a story in which Rubimor was possibly confused by UFS with another artist: "Reed Crandall" who seemed to have been a better illustrator than Rubimor - Rubimor was born in Puerto Rico 1922 and died 1984 from cancer, he entered the comic art 1942, it was admitted that Rubimor did an acceptable job with Tarzan although he did not reach Hogarth's ability, his drawing presented a more realistic milieu than the one of Hogarth featuring a twisted and tormented world (Baroque in nature) - Rubimor's strips can be broken down into four distinct stories lasting one and a half years producing 86 pages: a) Tarzan and the Tartars (end of Hogarth's Tarzan against Orizu Khan) b) Tarzan and the vampire queen (based on the novel "She" of Haggard) and published by Hachette with the title "Tarzan et les Egyptiens" c) Tarzan and the scourge being the longest strip of Rubimor based on the unpublished novel of Burroughs "the lost land of Pal-Ul-Don" with Tarzan's wife brought back into the strip d) Tarzan and Dallas Doyle (which was somehow finalized by Hoggarth) - the reasons for Hogarth's return are not quite clear, but it was after his new adventure strip with "Drago" which somehow failed to attract readers' interest; Rubimor after having rejected a further contract with UFS worked together with Warren Tuft on "Casey Ruggles" (1994) n.b. it was stated that Hogarth wrote his own stories, whereas UFS provided Rubimor with scripts but in any case the plot and narratives of Rubimor's strips are quite different and often naive and simple-minded; Rubimor had indeed a fine line brush style with some talent in drawing men and women's faces as well as for form and texture, but he had real problems with the perspective and the proportions as well as with the physique of Tarzan that could often fluctuate and not for the good >> a rather good analysis by Barrett who must have been a kind of admirer of Rubimor the story: 2/ Tarzan and the vampire queen (an episode with Egyptian people) p. 779 (10.2.46) to 795 (2.6.1946) = 17 pages after having left, Kurdu and on his way home, Tarzan is charged by a mad buffalo then faced with a more formidable enemy: a horde of giant African ants, a fire bush will help Tarzan to get rid of those carniverous and herbiferous scourge of the jungle n.b. scourge = a) danger of suffering b) person regarded as an instrument of vengeance such as Attila fight with Ke-Lak, king of a ape-tribe, during the fight, Tarzan is this time severely wounded and is only saved from death by the lucky intervention of Tantor, the elephant, afterwards Tarzan makes peace with Ke-Lak Tarzan discovers a dead warrior and is puzzled about the cause of his death, during the night, Tarzan is attacked by giant bats which try to kill Tarzan by sucking his blood, unconscious, Tarzan is captured by ancient Egyptian warriors to which the bats obey (however the dead warrior was erroneously killed by the bats) >> p. 788 Tarzan understands the language of the ancient Egyptians because he had studied it at Oxford university! Tarzan is led to Ptah-Nak, city of the vampires and of the mummy-men and presented to queen Tula, the vampire-goddess, Tarzan is mistaken for the reincarnation of Ranak, the brave dead lover of Tula who now asks Tarzan to marry her, but Tarzan refuses and is condemned to death, however he will be salvaged by his jungle friends Ke-Lak and Tantor and by desperation the 1000 years old vampire-goddess will be changed into a hideous old woman and will die >> p. 790 Tarzan cannot marry queen Tula because he has already Jane as a wife! 3/ Tarzan and the scourge (Tarzan on the search of Jane) p. 796 (9.6.46) to 839 (6.4.1947) = 44 pages >> p. 796 Tarzan recovers after his almost (and first) desastrous adventure, Tarzan meets with an old witch-doctor who can foretell the future and advises Tarzan that Jane, lady Greystoke, wife of John Clayton, lord Greystoke, better known as Tarzan, lord of the apes, has crashed in a plane during a travel from the USA to Africa, however, according to the witch-doctor, Jane is still alife in the near of a rock looking like a gorilla-head, Tarzan immediately leaves on the research of Jane >> p. 802 Tarzan shed his first tears since childhood meeting British officers, Tarzan learns from major Bradfield that strange things happen in the unexplored region where the plane crashed >> p. 803 Tarzan is often referred to as Greystoke among British soldiers and people >> p. 804 asked to take anything he wants for his mission, Tarzan answers "my bow, my knife and my rope are all what I need" on the trail to the region of the crash, Tarzan discovers an undercover organization with the sambol of a squared circle! taking a plane, Tarzan jumps by parachute and finds himself in a strange prehistoric world: Pal-Ul-Don where he meets an old friend Om'At the pithecanthropus Waz-Don >> p. 808 a black forest's scenery in the jungle >> p. 810 the pithecanthropus people have a tail >> p. 811 to continue his voyage, Tarzan succeeds in taming a fearsome monster: the Gryf after some adventures, espc. in Alur, city of light, which has now been taken over by Jato-Lur, the jade priestess, Tarzan and Om'At finally discover the wreckage of Jane's plane, they also come across a hidden airport and a secret base >> p. 817 Om'At quickly caught the priestess with his tail! they are being surprised by gunned soldiers but Om'At with his tail captures one guard (page 822), having been able to penetrate the secret base, Tarzan enters the laboratory of the scientists where a super-bomb is being developed, at the end Tarzan meets his wife Jane but it was a trap to capture him; taken prisoner, Tarzan is going to be experienced by No. 1, the scourge and commander of the squared circle who advises Tarzan about his secret organization and his secret plans which aim to create a new world order of the science >> p. 825 the two wild men climbing the rock of the gorilla's head >> p. 829 Tarzan face-to-face with the scourge >> p. 830 Tarzan used as a human guinea pig Tarzan is miraculously delivered by his mate Jane who has been able to liberate herself with the aid of two other prisoners and after a final fight (espc. on a helicopter), the scourge is eliminated and the base destroyed by a huge explosion >> p. 832 Tarzan does not kiss Jane on the mouth contrary to Kurda and Lurelai on Hogarth's vignette p. 756 (see volume 14) >> p. 834 Tarzan can fly a plane but not a helicopter >> not a very exciting volume, if the design is just acceptable (although it lacks the nervosity, the dynamism and the quality of Hogarth's style), the plot and text are of real poor quality >> p. 813 a typical exemple of Rubimor's poor narrative: "our brother Ta-Den, son of Ja-Don, the king and O'Lo-A the princess will welcome Tarzan-Jad Guru with open arms Om'At said with a smile" n.b. the line style is fine but the physique of Tarzan is often badly drawn, proportions and perspectives are also mostly not respected and of course the lack of colour in this volume makes the design even more unattractive, espec. the episode of Tarzan and the scourge which is of real little interest
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