TARZAN and the Lost Empire (#12) - Edgar Rice Burroughs REDO

 

Two weeks ago, my Tarzan post got flagged for violating Blogger's community guidelines.  I still have no clue as to what triggered it or what the issue appeared to be, despite submitting it for review again (with no follow-up communication).  I originally took out a comment about a font style I didn't like.  And I've just now reduced the book quotes even though the novel is in the public domain.  Anyway, I'm trying again.  Here's hoping it works...because it greatly suppressed my meager, but highly valued page views.

I finished this novel a week ago, and it was another long read, taking just over a month.  However, it wasn't due to disinterest.  Quite the contrary, in fact, I was actually savoring it amidst the busyness of everyday life.  Often, reading a single chapter before bed.

TARZAN and the Lost Empire (#12) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

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TARZAN Lord of the Jungle (#11) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

 

It's a testament to my commitment to my craft and mission (kidding) that I actually finished this novel in what had to be one of the most difficult times of my life in recent memory.  Based on my last Tarzan post, I was almost a third of the way thru #11 in early December, which means I probably started it in late November. And I finally reached the end this past Tuesday (Jan 27), approximately two months later.  There was a long pause amidst Christmas, my mother-in-law's celebration of life service, New Years, and lots of "time off" [NOT a vacation] that included cleaning and packing not only my entire collection but also helping with the rest of the contents of my house as well.  As I mentioned yesterday, there are still things to be done, but not nearly as much is left, so I can enjoy a slight reprieve. That said, my thoughts on this novel will be a bit briefer than normal due to the long time span.

Tarzan and the Ant Men (#10) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

 

In the last Tarzan novel (#18) I read, he encountered some pygmies.  So I thought it would be a nice segue to see what happened in #10, when Tarzan dealt with "Ant Men"!  However, with this story, my Tarzan-wave almost came to a crashing end, and it wasn't because I'm personally dealing with a lot of losses and disruptions in my life right now.  No, this story is, to put it nicely, very problematic; and thus far, the worst Tarzan novel I've encountered.

Tarzan and the Leopard Men (#18) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

 

I finished this last Sunday morning, and I've been waiting to have time to write about it all week.  It was another great story, which had me cheering at the end.  Since ERB uses some generic names for some of the characters, we're going to have fun casting them below as a cool visual aid.

Tarzan Triumphant (#15) - Edgar Rice Burroughs [paused in progress]

Apologies, dear reader, but I wasn't able to finish this one yet.  I got through the first five or six chapters when something about the book started to bother me.

Tarzan the Invincible (#14) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

I finished this yesterday, and once again, I found the beginning and end to be stronger than the middle, but I have a theory for why that may be.  And it doesn't have to do with ERB; rather, it revolves around my work schedule.  You see, I typically finish the previous novel as my work week is winding down, and immediately dive into the next one (I've already read 4 chapters of #15 last night).  So my ability to maintain focus when reading before bed is hampered by a long day of working (when I'm in the middle of the story), and maybe I piddle out a few pages at a time, instead of whole chapters - sometimes reading several paragraphs more than once!  ...sometimes reading several paragraphs more than once! ...and maybe I piddle out a few pages at a time, instead of whole chapters - sometimes reading several paragraphs more than once! [You get the idea.]

I mean, I was really struggling yesterday to complete the novel, even though I felt rested enough and really wanted to finish it.  I had to stop, get up and move around, then come back again (repeatedly).  I even did some of my vision fusion exercises in hopes my brain wasn't shutting itself down like it was two to three years ago, before I had vision therapy (for double vision).  And I really did enjoy the story with one exception, which was both cool and a missed opportunity.

And had this book been published in the 1950s, instead of 1930-1931, it probably would've been called, "Tarzan versus the Reds".  Oh, and the dynamic Neal Adams cover has nothing to do with the story...that I can recall.

TARZAN and the Golden Lion (#9) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

 

Published in 1922-1923, with this copy being the 14th printing (from June 1988), and part of an excellent, recent eBay lot purchase that allowed me to acquire the rest of the 24 novels (in great condition).  This marks the first novel I've read with a Boris Vallejo cover, instead of Neal Adams.  And I've got to say, having a different cover artist affects your mental view of the main character.  I finished it last night...finally.  Some of it was a bit hard to get through, but I think that's more due to what I'd been going through since last week (see previous picture post for the horrifying details).

Despite being a bit exhausted from the pre-inspection moving and a case of FOMO from missing out on a couple of fall foliage out-of-town day trips, I'm going to give it my best shot at providing some comments on the book. Such as defining the meaning of "Jad-bal-ja" below...

"The Germ of Righteousness" and Balancing the Scales

Yesterday, I mentioned that there was something about Albert Werper's character arc that I wanted to expound upon.  And thanks to waking up early, and it finally being the weekend for me, I can give it a go. However, I'll have to provide more *spoiler* details about the story to do so, which means if you're inclined to read Tarzan #5, you might want to skip this post for now.

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (#5) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

As mentioned last time, this is the other Tarzan novel in my collection that I bought new back in the mid-80s.  And the opening chapters did seem familiar to me, but I know I never finished it way back when.  But I did finish it yesterday afternoon and...Wow, what a great story!

Based on the back cover copy and the front cover Neal Adams image, you're told that Tarzan is going to venture back to the City of Opar and lose his memory, returning to his pre-civilization savage ways (aka Jungle Tales of Tarzan [#6]). I was imagining that he would possibly get involved with the Priestess La in his tabula rasa condition, similar to the way Superman was cozying up to Amazing Grace on Apokolips early in John Byrne's run (Superman #3, Adventures of Superman #426 & Action Comics #586). Boy, was I wrong!  The story goes through so many twists and turns, and while La does have more than a cameo, the title is apt because it's all about the jewels...

Tarzan and the Lion Man (#17) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

You've heard it said, "You can't judge a book by its cover".  Well, I can now say that the picture is fairly accurate, but what on earth does that have to do with the title?  This is one of two Tarzan books that I bought new from a bookstore sometime around high school (1984 printing), and I've always wondered about the incongruity.  That's because I never got around to reading it, but boy does it look nice still.  I figured the Lion Man must be this Gorilla-creature with the Don King haircut, thinking that the tawny colored hair was the only thing that could possibly relate to a lion. Having finished it last night, I now know the truth...

Tarzan and the City of Gold (#16) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

 

The Tarzan wave continues!  I finished my second book, Tarzan and the City of Gold (#16) two nights ago.  Originally, published serially in 1932, this book comes 10 volumes after the last one I talked about.  For me it's been nearly two weeks, but for ERB (as a writer), a full 15 years has passed.  I have to admit I approached it with some trepidation, really wondering if I would still enjoy Tarzan out of his normal jungle context.  And the first sentence wasn't helping any...

Jungle Tales of Tarzan (#6) - Edgar Rice Burroughs

Well, I've kept you waiting long enough.  Those who've been faithfully following this latest resuscitation of Comics And... no longer need endure sleepless nights in anxious suspense.  I can now finally reveal the mystery Tarzan novel I hinted at two weeks ago.  

Deepest, darkest African Cannibalistic Tribe drumroll please...  

Jungle Tales of Tarzan

Did anyone guess?  Probably not.  You only had 12 to choose from out of the 24 novels, which you can view in all their Neal Adams and Boris Vallejo cover glory here.

I finished the book just over a week ago and have been eager to write about it ever since.  Let's take a swan dive past a towering tropical waterfall and plunge into its textural depths.

Surfing with...

Does anyone remember Joe Satriani's Surfing with the Alien CD from 1987?  It's the one spotlighting our favorite comic book surfer, Norrin Radd, as depicted by John Byrne.  Alas, the Apple Music version has replaced the Silver Surfer with a stylized guitar headstock.  It's still a rockin' instrumental Jam by one of the finest guitarists still around.  I'm listening to it right now in fact... or I was until iTunes crashed on me.

Coincidentally (really it wasn't planned), I had on the Original Television Soundtrack for Hawaii-Five-O while I was working yesterday.  It contains TWO iconic themes by Mort Stevens & His Orchestra.  The first is the main theme song, which I'm pretty sure my brother had piano sheet music too (Ventures version). And the second, entitled "Call to Danger", has portions that were used for CBS Special Presentations.  "Grumps" will be sure to recognize it.  "Mc Garrett's Theme" is now playing, and it's a smooth lounge lizard groove that would make Jackie Gleason proud.

While I don't have my own official theme music, the closest thing would be Ferrante and Teicher's "Theme to Midnight Cowboy", which I can play on repeat for hours at a time.  I just switch up whatever I'm listening to and it becomes my living soundtrack, whether it be instrumentals or anything else.  Why should Shaft be the only one living with music wherever he goes?

One of the topics today, if you haven't guessed it by now, deals with surfing.  Specifically, pop culture surfing, which is how I like to describe the ebbs and flows of my latest passions and distractions (i.e. entertainment).  Now, I know next to nothing about physical surfing, except for when it comes to the internet (double entendre).  But I like to refer to my latest craze as "riding the wave".  And while the conditions are good, I need to just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

Which brings us to my current fan focus...