Our friends at the ERBZine have added a wonderful tribute page to the recently deceased Denny Miller. As we mentioned before, miller was an accomplished author and actor starring in 237 television programs and over 20 different movies. He has also played the lead role in “Tarzan, the Ape Man” from 1959, soon becoming an important member of the Edgar Rice Burroughs family.
The ERB Zine page has a more in-depth biography, as well as several pictures from Miller’s life. Check out out here!
Recent news published by Nature website has been making headlines around the web, looking at the reason behind chimpanzee violence against each other. Some theories previously claimed the “chimp murders” were a product of human interaction; that is, the chimps learned violent tendencies from us. The latest study, however, disproves this theory. Nature website showed that the “murders” are better explained via natural causes such as competitiveness and adaptation.
Jane Goodall’s studies have previously shown that, for the most part, chimps were ” generally peaceful, playful, sophisticated and easygoing” as The New York Times wrote back in 1988. Despite that, further research showed that the males do occasionally engage in active killing of others. An anthropology professor at Indiana University Kevin D. Hunt further concluded that the persistent thread of violence was part of the reason for the social bonding, as chimps would have to “hang together to protect against extra-group murderers.”
If the chimps are our evolutionary ancestors, what does this speak of the human nature as well? Could violence thus be an inherent trait of our (and many other) species? Studies have already pointed out that some aggression can be beneficial, promoting the survival of the most powerful individuals. After all, “survival of the fittest” is one of evolution’s guiding principles.
Sources
Junkee just posted a great article about what attracts the modern filmmakers to the ageless story of the king of the jungle:
Yet, 15 years after Disney’s animated version – which sparked a lame stage musical adaptation – there’s renewed interest in the Tarzan story. Another live-action Tarzan movie is slated for 2016, starring Alexander Skarsgård (who also looks really nice with few clothes on) alongside Margot Robbie as Jane.
Read the full story at Junkee
The British Film Institute is running an open-ended poll in the search of The Greatest SciFi Character out there! Checking their result, it seems several votes were already cast for John Carter of Mars. So why not contribute and pitch in your voice?
The iO9 website known for a variety of tech gadgetry and Scifi topis is also asking its readers for their thoughts. You can leave a comment about your favorite choice here.
The Idaho Comics Group is a small, regional and independent comic book publisher located in Boise, Idaho. They are now officially licensing “Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho” series which you can purchase for just $3 (+ shipping/handling) by sending an email to idahocomicsgroup@yahoo.com. As their official blog explains:
Why did we license Tarzan for our comic book anthology? Edgar Rice Burroughs used to live in Idaho on three separate occasions in his life and first started writing notes for his Tarzan first draft here in the Gem State. You can read more about this in an article on the history of comic books in Idaho contained within the pages of Idaho Comics #1.
Check for more details on their Official blog on Tumbr!
Another good write up about the passing of Denny Miller, courtesy of Review Journal
(September, 13 2014 – Tarzana, CA) The world of 2137 was half known and half unknown – at least as far as the Pan-American Union was concerned. Having stayed out of the Great War over 200 years before, the entire eastern hemisphere – east of the 30th Meridian West and west of the 175th Meridian East [essentially, all of Europe, Africa and Asia] – had become ravaged by war and descended into chaos and barbarism. The eastern hemisphere served as no example for nations in the western hemisphere to follow. So, it became illegal for anyone, or any nation, in the Western Hemisphere [both Americas] to go BEYOND THIRTY. For two centuries, the peace that followed in the western hemisphere, as nations voluntarily united, was unprecedented.
There was steady vigilance to ensure all was well. And then, disaster struck during a routine patrol aboard the aero-submarine, Coldwater, commanded by the Pan-American Navy Lieutenant Jefferson Turck. The submarine was patrolling from Iceland to the Azores, along the 30th meridian, when the storm-tossed vessel’s anti-gravitation screens and engines failed. And as its wireless radio had also failed, Turck could not summon help while his vessel drifted uncontrollably BEYOND THIRTY. With all these calamities happening at the same time, Tuck asked himself if there was a saboteur aboard. His suspicions were borne out when he and three crewmen boarded a small craft to catch some fresh fish for the crew. While the men were fishing, the Coldwater suddenly ascended and headed due west – back inside the 30th meridian to the safety of the Pan-American Union.
With knowledge of his grandfather’s old maps and his upbringing on how to navigate by the sun and stars, Turck concluded they were much closer to old England than New England. The unsettled crew reluctantly agreed to sail east. When they landed, they saw no civilization – only jungle. War-torn Europe was just a distant memory to these Pan-Americans, but to see no humans at all was unexpected.
Eventually contact is made – and not for the better. Turck discovers a queen of Grabritin, Victory, whose few subjects spend most of their time evading man-eating lions who have taken over the island nation. Then, Turck and Victory fall into the hands of the Abyssinian Empire, a black super-state ruling all of Africa, most of Europe, and the Arabian peninsula. While the Abyssinians’ technology is roughly equivalent to that of the nineteenth century, the white savages that populate Old Europe, in Turcks’ time, are no match for them. The Abyssinians consider whites a lower order and take them as slaves, including Turck and Victory. Turck succeeds in rescuing Victory amid exciting adventures and senseless, tragic deaths. And now Turck has only one alternative: to make his way with Victory to the rival empire of China, which now rules all of Asia. But will China consider him, an officer in the Navy of the Pan American Union, a friend or foe?
As the grandfather of science fiction, Edgar Rice Burroughs was an innovator and ahead of his time. See Burroughs’ flying boat [illustration and strip #1 below] which traveled sub-marine, on the marine surface, and in the air. Written in 1916, this Burroughs’ book, The Lost Continent is an adventure from the past about the future that might have been!
As with all the series featured at edgarriceburroughs.com/comics, the first four episodes of “The Lost Continent” will be available at no charge. Fans can gain unlimited access to the entire site and all the strips from the beginning for only $1.99 per month or $21.99 per year.
Regularly updated and expertly curated, 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. Current offerings include:
THE LOST CONTINENT™ by Martin Powell and Oscar Gonzalez
THE MONSTER MEN™ by Tom Simmons, Erik Roman, L Jamal Walton and Cristian Docolomansky
JOHN CARTER WARLORD OF MARS™ by Roy Thomas, Pegaso, Salvador López, Carolina Sánchez, Guadalupe Rivera and Olivia Peña
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
It is always a sad news to see a great talent pass away. Denny Miller was an accomplished author and actor, appearing in 237 different television programs as well as 20 movies. He has starred in 1959’s “Tarzan, the Ape Man,” soon growing to be a big member of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Community.
The Examiner just wrote a great article about Miller’s life and accomplishments, from his early days at UCLA, through unsuccessful dreams of becoming a professional ball player, all the way to his fame on the big screens. Read the full report here.
Yahoo News just reported a very interesting yet disheartening story about the truth of South African game breeding. As it turns out, many of the elite in the country can bring in millions of dollars by raising rare game such as buffalo, stable antelope, impala or wildbeest. The deputy president of South Africa, for instance, made over $2 million selling just three of his white-flanked impala at a bidding auction. Some say raising game is even more profitable than investing in stock or property.
The full article can be found here
Charles Babalola, a former St Bonaventure’s pupil finishing his program at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, has just scored a supporting role in the upcoming Tarzan movie. The lucky break came during the last week of school, when an agent pushed him for the audition. Babalola already visited Warner Bros Studios to have his costumed fitted. He also met with David Yates, director of the previous four Harry Potter movies, who personally offered him the role in the newest Tarzan.
The filming of the movie has already begun, but young actor cannot reveal much at this point. Charles expressed his excitement over this “biggest break” he has ever had, as well as a number of “surreal” experiences such as chatting with Samuel L Jackson. He has also met Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie.
The movie is scheduled to release in 2016.
Source: New Ham Recorder
