For Your (Re)Consideration: Andrew Stanton’s John Carter (2012)

Posted on May 20, 2014

One hundred years after its original serialization in The All-Story magazine, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ pulp classic A Princess of Mars found itself in an incredibly strange position when the film adaptation finally reached movie theatres. The movie was saddled with a terrible, bland title that makes sense only to people who’d read the book and a marketing campaign that utterly failed to stir viewers’ interests. According to Hollywood lore, the director, Andrew Stanton, thought that the character John Carter was much better known than it turned out he was, and also that teen males wouldn’t want to go see a movie called “A Princess of Mars” (which, for the record, was a really stupid idea). In addition to this bungling, the book’s storyline had been so influential since its publication, referenced by dozens of works like Flash Gordon, Dune, Star Wars and, most recently, 2009’s Avatar, that the audiences who actually did end up seeing it must have thought they were being ripped off.

Full Article at The Pulp Press

Edgar Rice Burroughs Classics nominated in Retro-Hugo Prize to Honor Science Fiction of 1938

Posted on May 17, 2014

Have you ever found yourself engrossed in a science fiction classic – say, John Wyndham’s “Sleepers of Mars,” C.S. Lewis’s “Out of the Silent Planet” or Edgar Rice Burroughs’s “Carson of Venus” – and thought what a pity it is that they were published before 1953, when the Hugo Awards, one of science fiction’s most prestigious prizes (along with the Nebula Awards) were first given?
You are apparently not alone. The World Science Fiction Society, which awards the Hugos annually and also runs Worldcon – formally, the World Science Fiction Convention, at which the prizes are given – decided in the mid-1990s that the creators of great sci-fi in the pre-Hugo years should have a shot at the prize. Their solution was the Retro-Hugo, a prize the society has awarded only three times – in 1996, 2001 and 2004, in each case honoring works published 50 years earlier.

Full article at New York Times

New Tarzan Online Strip – Read Golden Age Comics Online!

Posted on May 14, 2014

Just added the lasted Tarzan Sunday Comic, among all the other strips and Bonus Material original art added over the weekend. The King of the Jungle is once again back for savage adventures and romance!

comics online

Online Comic Book Subscriptions

Numerous Golden / Silverage comics inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs classics and Bonus Materials such as artist sketches and older comics are available immediately online for just single subscription of $1.99/ month or $21.99 /year!

Don’t wait, Sign up Now!

Carson of Venus Comic Book nominated in 1939 Retro-Hugo Awards

Posted on May 3, 2014

Edgar Rice Burroughs “Carson of Venus” is one of five books nominated last month for best novel in the 1939 Retro Hugo Awards. The winner will be announced at Loncon 3 in London, U.K., on August 14.

I think this is a real credit to ERB’s staying power, especially considering that “Carson”–unlike “Princess” and other ERB works–isn’t generally considered particularly influential in the genre.

See the full nomination at The Hugo Awards!

New Comic Book Art added to Bonus Materials!

Posted on May 2, 2014

As always we strive to make our online comic service better and better, and we’ve just added new artist sketches in our Bonus Materials!

A few early drafts of the Mucker characters, as well as an early work-in-progress drawing of a full strip! Something to chew on as you wait for the weekly comic update tomorrow. If you’re already a subscriber, make sure you check out the Bonus Materials / Artist Sketches!

Not subscribed yet? What are you waiting for!

Read Comics Online

If you want to see more of the comic book art and are a fan of silver age comics or golden age comics, head over to our Comic Book Subscriptions page and sign up!

Daybreak: Kellan Lutz on becoming Tarzan

Posted on April 24, 2014

How many times can Aled Jones say ‘loincloth’ in an interview? I ended up losing count…
The presenter was talking about the iconic outfit worn by Tarzan, who is again being brought to life in a new 3D digital movie, with ‘Twilight’ star Kellan Lutz creating the motion capture and voicing the titular character.
Lutz proved that he was ready to joke with the ‘Daybreak’ presenters, despite an early start, as he mocked Ranvir Singh for getting the time wrong. Singh is used to presenting the earlier news segment of the show and, as a result, she got the time wrong quite a few times this morning when she covered the rest of the programme. The ‘Daybreak’ team are used to correcting puzzled viewers on Twitter when they don’t realise they’re watching the show on itv1+1, but I’m sure they didn’t expect Ranvir to get confused!
When Lutz finally stopped teasing her, he spoke about his happiness at getting the opportunity to portray two popular figures in films this year. He said, “For me, growing up, I loved watching Disney movies… It’s a little boy’s dream come true playing Tarzan and Hercules.”

Read the full story at: Yahoo News

New Korak the Killer Online Comics and Artist Sketches!

Posted on April 20, 2014

The second strip of our latest online comics series “Korak the Killer” is now up, and available as a free sample!

Carrying on in the family business of jungle adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Korak – the son of Tarzan – swings into action!

On top of that, we have added some new artist sketches bonus materials – Night Crwaler original drawing by Nik Poliwko, among others. So if you already subscribed make sure you check them out!

Interested? Subscribe and read 10 different comics strips, updated weekly!

A comparison of Tarzan and Transcendence by the Hindu

Posted on April 18, 2014

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan was the very epitome of manliness. With his “straight and perfect figure, muscled as the best of the ancient Roman gladiators must have been muscled, and yet with the soft and sinuous curves of a Greek god, told at a glance the wondrous combination of enormous strength with suppleness and speed,” Burroughs was underlining the godliness of his creation. With long dark hair and steel-grey eyes, John Clayton, Lord Greystoke aka Tarzan is quite a hottie. Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes was published in a magazine in 1912 and in book form in 1914. The story tells of Tarzan’s parents marooned in the deepest Africa. His mother dies of natural causes when he is one year old and his father is killed by Kerchak an ape. Tarzan is brought up by a she-ape, Kala. The way he teaches himself to read is fascinating—referring to alphabets as black bugs!

Read the full story at: The Hindu

“Spooked” Artist Sketch by Nik Poliwko

Posted on April 17, 2014

A little preview panel from Nik Poliwko’s comic. Find out more comic art here!

“Korak the Killer” Makes his Digital Comic Strip Debut

Posted on April 9, 2014

Fabled Son of Tarzan Returns in New Weekly WebStrip by Marz and Leonardi

Tarzana CA (9 April 2014) Carrying on in the family business of jungle adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Korak – the son of Tarzan – swings into action beginning Wednesday, April 9, 2014 in an all-new digital adventure strip written by Ron Marz and drawn by Rick Leonardi.

The announcement of this latest addition to the EdgarRiceBurroughs.com/comics service was made today by representatives of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., the company founded by the author himself to protect and maintain his works for generations.

Korak the Killer Digital Comic
See the new strip…

“One of the first comics I remember getting as a kid was the second issue of the Korak series from DC,” said Ron Marz, the award-winning scribe known for Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Witchblade and, most recently, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The Mucker web comic. “That cover of Korak fighting a huge crocodile made a lasting impression on me. I was fascinated that Tarzan had a son – and he was wholly different than the little kid I knew from the movies. I’m utterly thrilled to be able to tell new Korak stories very much in the mold of what Edgar Rice Burroughs intended for the son of his most famous creation.”

Though many of the entries in MGM’s Tarzan movie series featured an adopted son called “Boy,” the character bore only a passing resemblance to Korak, who was written by Burroughs as the natural born offspring of Tarzan and Jane.

Extremely popular among fans of the original novels, Korak frequently appeared in the panels of the now classic Tarzan newspaper comic strip, in addition to headlining comic books published at various times by Gold Key and DC. Korak the Killer represents the first time the character has been featured in his own weekly adventure strip.

Illustrator Rick Leonardi, known for his work on Spider-Man 2099, Cloak and Dagger, Nightwing and Batgirl, brings a raw, dynamic tension to the figures and composition in every panel of Korak the Killer.

Based on stories from the original novels, the first strips of the series will be available online for free at www.edgarriceburroughs.com/comics. beginning Wednesday April 9, 2014. Return weekly beginning April 19th to view additional, new Korak strips. Subsequent episodes may be enjoyed anytime, anywhere for just $1.99 a month with a subscription to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Digital Comic Strips service. Regularly updated and expertly crafted, the service currently features a variety of all-new adventure strips based on classic Burroughs creations including Tarzan, Pellucidar, The Eternal Savage, The Mucker, The Land that Time Forgot and Carson of Venus.

“A generation of fans grew up on DC’s ‘Korak’ comic, with those great interiors by Murphy Anderson and Frank Thorne, as well as amazing Joe Kubert covers. Rick and I are thrilled be to carrying on that tradition for returning fans, as well as those just discovering Korak the Killer,” added Marz.

Regularly updated and expertly crafted, the Edgar Rice Burroughs Digital Comic Strips service offers all-new web comic adventures based on the classic characters and stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs – all for just $1.99 per month.

Current offerings include:

KORAK THE KILLER (TM) by Ron Marz, Rick Leonardi, Neeraj Menon and Troy Peteri
THE MUCKER (TM) by Ron Marz, Lee Moder, Troy Peteri and Neeraj Menon
TARZAN OF THE APES (TM) by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN (TM) by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg
CARSON OF VENUS (TM) by Martin Powell, Thomas Floyd, and Diana Leto
THE ETERNAL SAVAGE (TM) by Martin Powell and Steven E. Gordon
THE WAR CHIEF(TM) by Martin Powell and Nik Poliwko
THE CAVE GIRL (TM) by Martin Powell and Diana Leto (A Bi-Weekly)
PELLUCIDAR (TM) by Chuck Dixion and Tom Lyle
THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (TM) by Martin Powell, Pablo Marcos and Oscar Gonzalez

AND THERE ARE MORE TO COME!