Tarzan #210
Published by DC and © Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., DC, July 1972
Title: “Completion: Origin of the Ape-Man! Book 4: Civilization”
Synopsis: Tarzan travels to America to reunite with his lost love, Jane – but will he arrive too late?
Writer: Joe Kubert
Artist: Kubert
Review: Joe Kubert created comic art at a high level for seven decades, and much of his oeuvre remains surprisingly vibrant even today. But if this reviewer had to pick just one high point, it’d probably be Kubert’s excellent adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes. Kubert’s storytelling is solid throughout, and his scratchy, kinetic style adds new energy to a classic story. This final chapter feels a little rushed – it would have been nice to air out Tarzan’s journey to America – but it provides a fitting conclusion to a very strong four-part arc.
Grade: A-
Second opinion: “(Tarzan #207-210) became one of the most beautifully crafted and true-to-the-original Tarzan pieces ever done, never equalled or surpassed yet.” – Michal Jacot, Comic Effect #27, Summer 2001 … “4 out of 4 stars.” – Michael Tierney, Comics Buyer’s Guide #1609, October 2005 … Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: High-level work from a timeless master of the form. Hard to get much cooler than that.
Not-so-cool factor: William Clayton is the new Lord Greystoke? How the heck did that happen?
Character quotable: “A girl is lost … in that green hell!” – William Clayton, Tarzan’s chief rival for the affections of Jane
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on March 11, 2010.
