Friday, June 18, 2021

He-Man and Tarzan

 



This cover serves as a prequel to STF #528...

I remember getting a kick out of the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies that would sometimes play on TV after school when I was a kid.  I'm still a sucker for movies that feature lots of animals.  We even named one of our many cats Tantor after Tarzan's trusty Elephant - I'm betting we aren't the only ones who did that.

24 comments:

  1. H. H. H. with sun blockJune 18, 2021 at 6:28 AM

    Without knowing the how or why, Tarzan wakes up on The Planet of the Apes!

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  2. loved marvel's version of tarzan and dc's version of tarzan too! i wish dc comics would get back the rights to do a tarzan book again.

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  3. Wow! That's a gorgeous cover, and it's a great team-up idea. I hope Battle-Cat doesn't get jealous that He-Man's got a new ride.

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  4. @3H: Didn't BOOM!Comics already do that mini-series?

    @Ross: why would Skeletor want to kidnap Jane? Unless he mistook her for La of Opar! That barbarian queen has such a big cache of gold and jewels, I can well imagine one of the latter being a magic crystal of some kind. One desperately needed by Skeletor. So, he abducts "La," demanding Insert-Your-Own-Melodramatic-Item-Name-Here for her safe return!

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  5. @betajoe: I think Tarzan is public domain.

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  6. @betajoe: The first Tarzan novel came out in 1912; it and its first eight or nine sequels have fallen into Public Domain. DC could revive its Tarzan comic if they wanted to; they apparently just don't want to.

    @Ross: As I've been exploring streaming services to discover interesting new programs, I've also found new characters that I'd like to see here. Most notably, I think General Amaya from The Dragon Prince would be a great addition to the Silent Partners.

    Similarly, Kanan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels would be a good addition to Blind Justice. (Captain Villads from The Dragon Prince wouldn't be unwelcome there either!)

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  7. Hyram H. Horsefeathers to ground controlJune 18, 2021 at 10:16 AM

    @Carycomic I have never seen or heard of it. But even if so, Superman teamed with Spider-Man twice but Ross still did his take on it. Creativity.

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  8. Where is Battlecat? Maybe he's off on an adventure with Krypto...

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  9. @Cary & HHH: it was actually a 2016 crossover mini-series. Jointly published by Boom! and Dynamite Entertainment Comics. I think Boom! also co-published a King Kong/POTA crossover that same year.

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  10. @Bob Greenwade The situation is a bit more complicated than that. Although a number of Tarzan novels are indeed in the public domain, the character of Tarzan is still protected under trademark law, with that trademark held by ERB, Inc. That's what allowed them to sue Dynamite Comics in 2012 over miniseries' featuring both Tarzan and John Carter. ERB,Inc. still holds the trademarks and licenses to those character and other associated creations (like Dejah Thoris) despite the copyright status of certain novels. Some see this as ERB, Inc. using trademark law to circumvent copyright law, others see it as a legitimate property owner defending their legitimate interests, but I suspect this is why Marvel or DC haven't renewed their comic book series, as they find either the license is too expensive or that they hesitate to wade into such a legal minefield.

    @Ross We named one of our cats Numa, after the word for Lion in the Tarzan's language of the Great Apes. I wonder how Tantor and Numa would get along?

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  11. @John: Dang! Thank you for clearing that up. Trademarking characters does tend to complicate these things.

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  12. @Bob & John: I regard "trademark" and "copyright" as two different names for the same thing. simlar to "actor" and "pro-wrestler!"

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  13. @Anonymous; The Bella Twins are going to get you for that.

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  14. While a wrestler needs to be sturdy and strong, an actor could be in any physical condition. A copyright may protect only a story but a trademark prevents every Tom, Dick or Harry from making their own toy or product of Superman or Spiderman.

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  15. @Cary and She-Woman: "tomato/potato."

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  16. "The Bella Twins will get you for that."

    But, what a way to go! ;-D

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  17. How about having Tarzan confront 'M'Baku, the Man-Ape' (the original comic-book villainous version, not the later MCU form...)?

    Maybe even team-up Tarzan, the Black Panther, & Solovar, against Grodd, M'Baku, & -- (mentally controlled by Grodd?) -- Kong?

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  18. @Simreeve: wouldn't that make him...Grodd-zilla?

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  19. Give that last poster a Grape Ape.

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  20. No doubt he was just being sour.

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  21. Anonymous said...
    @Simreeve: wouldn't that make him...Grodd-zilla?

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    Well, the makers of the first 'Godzilla' film originally did plan to make the monster a gigantic Ape and only switched to a Dinosaur (of sorts) instead due to costume availability... Its original Japanese title, 'Gojira', actually means "Gorilla"...
    :D

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  22. So that's where that song came from- Gorilla My Dreams.

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  23. As sung by Buddy Clark-Savage?

    ;-D

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  24. @Simreeve: actually, it was originally the nickname for a rather hefty prop man at Toho Studios. The nickname being a portmanteau of "Kujira" (= whale) and "goriru" (Japanese pronunciation of the loan word).

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