Tarzan has a lot to answer for - or at least his creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs, does. When Tarzan of the Apes appeared in All-Story magazine in 1912, Burroughs not only created a memorable character; he also spawned an army of imitators.
Soon the treetops of Africa were filled with vine-swinging and knife-throwing jungle men - all of them orphans who'd been raised by packs of wild animals. When the Tarzan comic strip appeared in the Australian comic book Wags during the late 1930s, Australian artists began to create their own jungle heroes. Some, like Diana Queen of the Apes, unashamedly copied nearly every aspect of the story of Tarzan's origins. Others, like The Panther, adopted elements of the Tarzan legend, but soon became unique characters in their own right. |
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Kazanda straddled the worlds of science fiction and jungle action. When technology failed her friends in their battle against evil, Kazanda enlisted the help of allies from the animal kingdom to save the day. |
Big-game hunters were often cast as villains, but some, like Rhino Beresford, were portrayed as brave heroes. Char Chapman was a big-game hunter whose home was the jungles of Asia. But when danger loomed, he swapped his pith helmet for his Phantom of the East costume.
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Perhaps the best-known jungle hero in Australia is The Phantom. The 'Ghost Who Walks' first appeared in The Australian Woman's Mirror in 1936 and has thrilled generations of Australians in his own comic book since 1948. Although The Phantom was an American creation, he has been adopted by local fans as an 'honorary Australian' comic-book hero. |
Illustrations
Top Keith CHATTO (cover artist, 1924–1992), The Phantom No 951A, Sydney, Frew Publications, 1990
Middle Reg Pitt (writer, born 1929), Stanley PITT (artist, 1925–2002), Yarmak Jungle King No 24, Sydney, Young’s Merchandising Co, 1951
Bottom and Right Shane FOLEY (cover artist, born 1957), The Panther No 5 (Second series), Camberwell, Buzz Productions, May 2002
