DELL TARZAN’S JUNGLE ANNUAL #1-7 1952 ~ 100pp. 25 cents

Art interior: Jesse Marsh
Cover Painting: Morris Gollub

Writer: Gaylord Du Bois
Cover: Painting of a leopard and a black panther fighting. Small Lex Barker insert.
Inside Front Cover: “Tarzan’s Friends” - black and white drawing of Tarzan and two apes.

1st story - Tarzan’s Jungle World - “Tarzan Returns to Opar ” - 23pp.
Type -- White Pygmies - Shifta Slavers - Rescue Pygmies - Opar

Tarzan and Buto, chief of the Bamwe tribe, are having an archery contest when they hear rifle fire. They witness Shifta slavers carrying off little people and being pursued by little people on antelopes. Prince Nikon, white pygmy leader, has his mount shot out from under him. Tarzan greets the Prince and introduces Buto. Yanol, a pygmy warrior, gives his mount to the Prince. Nikon explains that they were looking for Tarzan when Shiftas captured his wife, Princess Lilana, and the other pygmy women. He asks Tarzan for help. Tarzan asks why they were seeking him in the first place. The Prince explains that his homeland has become overcrowded so his brother, the king, has sent him in search of a new place to live. Tarzan and Buto shoot arrows at the Shiftas from a distance. Buto is wounded by return rifle fire. The Shiftas head to the rocks for cover. Tarzan develops a plan. He says he will return at moonrise.

Tarzan enlists Jad-bal-ja’s help. The pygmies continue to harass the Shiftas. Tarzan directs the pygmies to start a grass fire and to shoot arrows through the smoke. Tarzan, Buto, and Jad-bal-ja will attack from the rear. They charge into the camp. During the battle, a rifle butt knocks down Tarzan from behind. Jad-bal-ja saves him. The Shiftas are defeated. Tarzan gives the victory cry of the bull ape. The women are reunited with their men. Tarzan has Jad-bal-ja carry himself, Lilana, and five other pygmy women back to their camp.

The next day Tarzan tells the Prince that he will take them to Opar. However, he must first rid the ruins of the Apes of Opar. Tarzan has Buto and the pygmies pick leafs for a sleeping potion, which he brews. They take feathers and inject the potion into a bunch of bananas. Tarzan leads them to the “Rock,” the mountain that holds Opar. Tarzan climbs the mountain, braids a rope out of vines, and pulls the bananas to the top of the Rock. He goes to the ruins and allows the mangani to see him. As the apes give chase, Tarzan casually drops the fruit. Nugak, the leader of the apes, yells at his tribe to leave the bananas and chase the tarmangani. As they follow Tarzan across an archway, it crumbles and the apes fall. Tarzan runs them around until they get tried. Nugak catches Tarzan when he slips on a banana peel. The other apes stop to eat the fruit. Tarzan slips away from Nugak and knocks him out with one mighty blow. He binds Nugak’s arms. The ape-man pulls Buto to the top of the Rock. They carry the apes to the edge of the cliff and lower them down the mountain. They raise the pygmies and their antelopes up to the top. Tarzan shows the pygmies around Opar and where the treasure is hidden. Tarzan and Buto sit at the top of the Rock and wait for the angry apes to leave. End.

The first Jungle Annual uses some familiar people in the featured story. Buto Matari, Tarzan’s ‘Little John’ type friend from Dell #11 and 32.1, returns. His brawn is needed to help the white pygmies find a new home. The pygmies are referred to as ‘little people.’ (A political correctness of the 1950’s?) The Shiftas are again used as the evil slavers who must be defeated. And indeed, this time they are wiped out to a man. This is pretty unusual for Dell comics to be so brutal. Jad-bal-ja has a minor role. Once again we get to see the Apes of Opar but under a different leadership than seen in Dell #28. Interestingly enough, in Dell #5 the apes were friendly with Tarzan, but now Du Bois has decided to depose them from Opar. It is a consistent story and opens lots of new possibilities for story lines. (Readers of Dell #38 that did not read Annual #1 might wonder how the white pygmies came to Opar.) The overhead shot looking down the Rock to the people below is a fine perspective panel. The ruins of Opar keep the same look of ancient Greek buildings used in previous Opar panels. The parting panel of Tarzan and Buto looking down at the apes is rather amusing. It can be compared to two young boys looking down at the girls they have just played a trick on, waiting for them to leave.

Jungle Skies - 2pp. Constellations are diagrammed. Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Draco, Cetus, Cassiopea, Southern Cross, and Orion.

Tarzan’s Transportation - 2pp. in color. Tantor, Jad-bal-ja, Dyal, Giant Eland, Trees, Dr. MacWhirtle’s helicopter.

2nd story “Tarzan Fulfills a Promise ”- 16pp.
Type -- Cathne/Athne - Rescue Prince Jathon

Boy rides Jad-bal-ja to Tarzan, who is resting with Bara. Boy pressures Tarzan into fulfilling his promise to take him to Cathne. After the third day of travel they are on the outskirts of Cathne. Tarzan helps Boy and the golden lion descend the cliff. Across the river a battle is taking place. Tarzan leaves Boy and the lion behind as he joins the battle between Cathne and Athne. Tarzan jumps on King Gemnon’s chariot. A horrific downpour stops the battle. Tarzan goes to check on Boy and the lion. The ledge where he left them is covered by floodwaters. He searches underwater. Believing they are dead, Tarzan goes to the King before returning home. The King informs him that Prince Jathon was captured by the Athneans and will be subjected to the Elephant Ordeal. Not caring whether he lives or dies, Tarzan will attempt a rescue. Princess Elaine, Jathon’s wife, encourages Tarzan.

He reaches Athne as the ceremony begins. Jathon stands on a high pole, surrounded by mounted war elephants. Tarzan takes one of the Athneans elephants and rides it into the middle of the ordeal. Jathon jumps to Tarzan’s mount. They crash through a wall and make it to a river. The Athnean spears cannot find their marks. When they are close to Cathne, Tarzan catches the scent of Boy and Jad-bal-ja. In his rush to follow the scent, he falls in a hole. Jathon goes for help. Meanwhile, Boy and the lion awake in the cave, which they used to escape the floodwaters. There is no safe exit by the river so they go deep into the cave where they find an unconscious Tarzan. The ape-man manages to reach the top of the hole and uses vines to pull up Boy and Jad-bal-ja. Jathon returns to find them safe. Tarzan and Boy go to Cathne, thus fulfilling Tarzan’s promise to Boy. End.

The second story also uses some familiar characters from previous issues in a new story line. It starts as a simple trip to Cathne with Boy and turns into a disaster when a flash flood hits the area. Tarzan becomes distraught when he thinks Boy and Jad-bal-ja have been killed. Towards the end of the story, Tarzan loses his reserved nature when he catches their scent and falls into a hole. Actually, it looks as if he jumps in the hole, but the reader is informed later that he fell. It is a tightly woven story that follows its premise logically. The Cathne/Athne scenes are more interesting, and it could have been a stronger tale with more of a concentration on the two warring cities. Tarzan obviously is riding the Giant Eland, but for some reason it is referred to merely as Bara. Both Cathne and Athne use a triangular battle formation. The Cathnean uniforms consist of a blue tunic, green cape, yellow leggings, and a helmet with a red plume. The drawings of the terrific downpour of rain are very nicely handled. Jathon, standing on the pole during the Elephant Ordeal, is a three-panel page, which gives the artist a chance to make it very dramatic. The panels involving elephants have some of the best compositions. It is an above average story.

Jungle Home - 2 pp. in color. Pictures and text on how to build a tree house.

Boy’s Letter and Diary - 2 pp. text

3rd story “Tarzan Brings Aid to Alur”- 16pp.
Type -- Empire Restored - Argus

Jane and Boy ask Tarzan why the Waziri are catching so many fish. Tarzan shows him his secret, a giant eagle he has named Argus. He has used growth drugs from Doctor Mervin to create the King of Birds. He gives a flying demonstration. Boy wants a ride, but Jane won’t permit it. Tarzan decides to fly to visit King Jadon. He flies over the Great Thorn Desert, teases a crocodile in the Great Swamp, flies over Pastar-ul-ved, high peak in Pal-ul-don, and over the waters of Jad-ben-lul, a lake near Alur. Over Alur, he sees Torodons mounted on gryfs have taken over the city. He flies to Jalur and sees that it too has also fallen to the Torodons. Seeing smoke on a large island, he flies there to discover King Jadon, Prince Ta-den, and the remainder of the Ho-don army. The King explains what happened. Tarzan asks for fish to feed Argus.

Tarzan tells the Ho-dons to take their boats towards the shore to draw the Torodons and their gryfs out into the open and to be prepared to attack when help arrives. Tarzan flies over the Lake of the Pteranodons, passed Thipdars, over the Valley of Dinosaurs, over the Forest of Wild Hogs, to the village of Jorah. He greets Jorah and Red Flower. Tarzan asks Jorah and his dyal riding men to help retake Alur. Flying overhead, Tarzan directs the dyal mounted army around a group of Garths.

The Ho-dons ships head towards the mainland. The Torodons and their gryfs prepare to drive them back into the water. Jorah’s troops swoop down on the Torodons. The dyals easily handle the gryfs. Jadon’s troops land. The battle pushes the Torodons back into the city. A Torodon grabs Jala, Jadon’s sister, and climbs a statue. He throws her towards the ground. Argus’ wing knocks the Torodon off the statue as Tarzan catches Jala. The city is saved. Jathon wants to give Tarzan a feast. Tarzan says the feast should be for Jorah and his people. Tarzan flies home on Argus, promising to return. End.

The third new story continues to reintroduce characters from previous issues. Jane, Boy, and the Waziri have their usual minor parts. Doctor Mervin’s growth pellets are used to create yet another giant beast, an eagle named Argus. Tarzan flies over many of the usual locations but also two areas are added from the actual novels of ERB: Pastar-ul-ved and Jad-ben-lul. Pastar-ul-ved looks very much like D?rer’s watercolor of a mountain. The city of Alur must have very poor defense. This is the third time that Tarzan has had to rid the city of invaders who have taken over the city. The city, itself, has made great improvements since last seen in Dell #24.2. It now looks like an ancient Greek city. A terrific drawing is the half page panel on page 52. King Jadon is now a white man with brown hair and normal shaped ears. Prince Ta-den is also now a white man. Ironically, Ta-den once helped Tarzan (Dell #24.2) teach the Waziri how to control the gryfs. Evidently the Torodons came so fast and furious this time that the Ho-dons could not stop the gryfs. Jorah and Red Flower are now drawn as black people. In Dell #19.2 they were drawn as white people. The Torodons lack the hyphens in their name, and their clothing no longer is drawn as furry. The Dyals appear to be invincible. The ships of King Jadon are quite elaborate. They hold about twenty soldiers and have three oars on each side. There are some great drawings in this story. Despite the changing of peoples races at will, it is quite an enjoyable tale that rates far above average.

Tyrannosaurus Teaser - 1 p. crossword puzzle.

Jungle Safari - 1p. picture word story

Tarzan’s Ape-English Dictionary - 8 pps. in color - 48 words (Pacco, the ape word for zebra, is included in with the ‘D’ words. Apparently, the paste-up artist thought the ‘p’ was a ‘d.’)

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4th story -Tarzan’s Jungle World - “Boy Rides into Trouble” - 8 pp.
Type -- non-Tarzan story - Boy

Thorak accompanies Boy as he uses his trained hawk to attract the attention of a zebra, which he ropes and breaks. While riding the zebra, a lion attacks. Boy is thrown from his mount and has to hide from the lion in a pool of water. Thorak uses Boy’s rope to help him up the side of a cliff to safety. End.

The fourth story is a non-Tarzan story that features Boy.

Jungle Treasure -- 2 pp. Colored pictured and text about jewels. None of the stories are from the novels nor are they from the Dell comics.

Map of Pal-ul-don, The Lost Land -- 2pps in color. (Solution to Tyrannosaurus Teaser) [The color map of Pal-ul-don is quite helpful. It is similar to the map in Dell #20.]

5th story “Chako and the Collar of Shame” - 11pp.
Type -- Non-Tarzan Story - Baboon

Chako, the baboon is captured by Jock and Noddy, traders. They place a collar on the baboon, which contains diamonds they are trying to smuggle out of Africa. Chako escapes. They track him down but cannot get close. At night the baboons trash their camp and steal their rifles. Chako accidentally shoots the collar off his neck. End.

The fifth story is a non-Tarzan story that features a baboon.

Inside Back Cover: Jungle Chants - Words and music to “Zulu Love Song.”

Back Cover: Color mask of the Bushongo tribe. Circa 1870 the Barmbe, a secret society for men, used the mask to scare away women. You are asked to cut it out and punch holes for a string to wear the mask.