Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute Site Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages and Webzines in Archive Comics & Collectibles  Emporium EARLY YEARS TARZAN COMICS

www.erbzine.com/comics/early1.html

Most of these early comics consisted of
reprints of the Tarzan newspaper strips

Click for large image
See the contents at ERBzine 1602

In the summer of 1929 Grosset and Dunlap published the first TARZAN story-strip in book form. It contained all 300 of the illustrations by Harold Foster which had appeared in the strip plus an additional illustration which Foster prepared especially for the book. It appears on both the cover and the dust jacket. This book was intended to be the first of a series of illustrated Tarzan books. G&D published it in the same format that Cupples and Leon was using to publish their popular series of LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE cartoon strips in book form, but THE ILLUSTRATED TARZAN BOOK NO. 1 had no sequels. The reason for this, according to a letter from G&D in the 1940s, was because TARZAN #1 was not successful. The additional illustration, used on the cover and dust jacket, visualizes the tales from one of the strips, "Terkoz turned to fight for his prize." 

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Courtesy of Michael Tierney

Jeep Comics (R. B. Leffingwell & Company)
# 1-29 mid-1940s. U.S. Armed Forces giveaways.
Tarzan strip reprints through the whole series.

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Tip Top Comics #13-24 Bound Volume (1937-38).
Sold exclusively at the 1939 World's Fair along with two other volumes.

See the Tip Top Covers at ERBzine 0822 and ERBzine 0823

A United Features 1936 - 1941 series reprinting strips. (68 pp - 10 cents)
Most issues featured Tarzan (Hal Foster colour Sunday page  reprints)
(A "T" indicates a featured Tarzan cover)
1T, 2T, 3T, 4-7, 8T, 9T, 10, 11T, 12, 13T, 14, 15, 16T, 17, 18T, 19, 20,
21T, 22, 23, 24T, 25, 26, 27T, 28, 29, 30T, 31, 32T, 33T, 34T, 35,
36T, 37T, 38, 39T, 40, 41T, 42, 43T, 44, 45T, 46, 47T, 48, 49, 50T
51, 52T, 53-62

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Larger Largest

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From the Michael Tierney and Hillman Collections
TARZAN SINGLE SERIES Nos. 5
20 reprinted 64 Tarzan Sunday pages
mainly from Tip-Top 1-13.
Click for full-size image

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Alternate cover restoration by Tangor

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Sparkler Comics :: 1940s comic books from United Features

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United Features reprinted many of their comic features in Sparkler Comics.
Included was Tarzan (Consisting of colour Sunday pages) in most of the issues.
Issues with Tarzan ~ "T" indicates a Tarzan cover.
1-13, 14T, 15-20, 21T, 22-24, 25T, 26, 27, 28T, 29, 30
31T, 32, 33, 34T, 35, 36, 37T, 38-41, 42T, 43, 44T, 45, 46,
47T, 48, 49, 50T, 51, 52, 53T, 54-82, 83T, 84-86, 90-92.
Sparkler Comics (Daily strips with colour added) Nos. 171-187

Click for full-size collage
See the Sparkler Comics Covers Featuring Tarzan at:
 http://www.erbzine.com/mag60/6030.html

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Sunday pages in colour ~ Army magazine
Nos. (-17?) 18-29, (after 29???)

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The TARZAN OF THE APES story-strip illustrated by Foster was reprinted in COMICS ON PARADE, Vol. 1, No. 1, April 1938 through Vol. 1, No. 7, October 1938. The magazine was published by United Features Syndicate, Inc., who had taken over the TARZAN story-strip distribution rights in 1930. The magazine sold for 10 cents per copy and reprinted the strip in color. None of the covers featured TARZAN but he appeared with groups of the other characters featured in the magazine on several covers. One of the better of these, by Paul F. Berdanier, appears above. A collection of COMICS ON PARADE, NO. 1 through 12, containing the Foster story-strip, were bound in illustrated boards and reissued at the New York World's Fair in 1939-40 and sold through the mail in 1940 at $2.00 per volume.

TARZAN OF THE APES by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Large Feature Comic No. 5. Dell Publishing Co. New York. 1938. Illustrated by Harold Foster and Henry E. Vallely.  Paper covers. 8-1/2 x 11-3/8". 72 pages. 10 cents. This large size volume was one of the first of Dell's "comic book" line. It reprinted the 60 story-strips by Hal Foster, one strip per page, with each page containing an additional illustration by Henry E. Vallely. In addition to these, Vallely also did 10 full-page chapter drawings, making a total of 70 new illustrations for this edition of TARZAN OF THE APES. The new chapter titles are 1. Marooned in the Jungle  2. At Home in the Jungle   3. A Captive of the Apes  4. Tarzan Victorious   5. Tarzan on the Trail!   6. Tarzan Finds His People   7. Terror Strikes   8. Tarzan to the Rescue   9. Back to Life   10. The Secret Disclosed. See the contents at ERBzine 1602

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The Egyptian Saga
The Hal Foster Sunday Pages
ERBzine 4396
ERBzine 4397
ERBzine 4398

This Dell series ran from issue 1 (June 1938) through 43 (January 1942) Tarzan was featured in many of the issues. Nos. 15-25, 27-36. ,

Larger 1  ||  Larger 2 Hi-Spot Comics #2 - November 1940 - featured an adaptation of the opening chapters of At The Earth's Core: David Innes of Pellucidar Adapted and drawn by John Coleman Burroughs. From the Michael Tierney Collection Cover art by Elmer Cecil Stoner

35 ~ 36 ~ 37 ~ 40 ~ 42 This Dell series ran from issue 1 (October 1936) thru 64 (May 1942) John Carter's first appearance in comic format was in The Funnies Issue #30, May 1939 -- Issue #56, June, 1941. Most of the art was by John Coleman Burroughs Issues 35, 36, 37, 40 and 42 had John Carter of Mars covers. See all the Funnies Covers at ERBzine 0825 Read THE FUNNIES starting at: www.erbzine.com/mag37/3720.html

Tarzan and the Devil Ogre #134 1947 Dell comic

Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr #161 1947 Dell Comic

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