Tarzan Archives: The Russ Manning Years Volume 1 by Russ ManningMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Tarzan: The Russ Manning Years collects issues #155-161, 163-164, 166-167 of Tarzan of the Apes, published by Gold Key in the 1960s.
While I enjoyed watching reruns of the Ron Ely Tarzan show on Sunday mornings before church, I'm not a tremendous fan of Edgar Ric Burroughs' Tarzan novels but Russ Manning has been cited as one of Steve Rude's big influences so I decided to give this a shot.
First off, this book adapts Tarzan of the Apes, the Return of Tarzan, The Beasts of Tarzan, The Son of Tarzan, Tarzan and the Jewls of Opar, Tarzan the Untamed, and Tarzan the Terrible. I've never found Edgar Rice Burroughs to be a particularly good writer and adapting the stories into comics makes them even more choppy than the novels. The stories are also rooted in the racism of the time period in which they were written but we'll sweep that under the rug.
That being said, Russ Manning knocks this out of the park with his slick linework and attention to detail. Edgar Rice Burroughs' version of Africa comes alive, complete with lost civilizations and creatures that time forgot. That's really underselling it. Manning made it a joy to see Tarzan taking on jungle creatures, raiding settlements, and plundering the ancient city of Opar. Manning's style is right in my wheelhouse, reminding me of Alex Toth, Wally Wood, Steve Rude, and others.
While not the best read, Tarzan Archives: The Russ Manning Years is a gorgeous book. Four out of five stars.
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