An all new web comic in our subscription lineup
Plotters moved toward the assassination of an old King and his grandson and heir, Michael, in a remote European Kingdom. But the old Monarch was wise and saw what was coming. Before he was killed, the King arranged for Prince Michael to be spirited away on a ship. But, there was a shipwreck and the injured Prince is swept overboard. Climbing aboard an empty lifeboat, with his memory gone, the Prince is rescued by a mad, epileptic old man piloting a tramp steamer. Also aboard – a caged lion. For years the old man kept them prisoner on his ship – beating the Prince and torturing the lion.
The Lad and the Lion, written in 1914, is an adventure story by Edgar Rice Burroughs®. The story was first published as a three-part serial in the All-Story Weekly. The Lad and the Lion is also the first story by ERB to be adapted to film – a five-reel, black and white, silent movie released in 1917. As of now, this film is officially missing from any archive. Do you have a copy? The Lad and the Lion didn’t appear in book form until the film was remade as The Lion Man in 1937 – 20 years later. The Lad and the Lion was also the first book edition published by ERB’s own publishing firm, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Meanwhile, on the ship, Michael befriends the lion and they eventually break free as the lion pays his tormentor back, in the ultimate way, for the years of mistreatment. Michael and the lion eventually land ashore on the Northern African coast, where they live and hunt together in the wild, at the margins of the jungle and the desert. Encountering a band of Arabs, Michael meets and falls in love with Nakhla, an Arab princess, but her father does everything he can to keep them apart.
Prince Otto – the King’s brother and one of the conspirators who murdered the King – becomes King. But he and his son are disliked by the people. Jealousy and wealth intersect in the Kingdom as power plays and marriages of convenience are the norm – where no real love exists for any of the conspirators who have seized power.
The day comes when Michael regains his memory and realizes who he is. Will he announce his survival – taking his rightful place on the throne of his Kingdom? Subscribe to our new web comic strip, and be thoroughly entertained by the twisting adventure that only Edgar Rice Burroughs can create.
Best Regards,
The Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Team
THE LAD AND THE LION TEAM
WRITER Martin Powell
Martin Powell has been a professional writer since 1986, having written hundreds of stories in numerous genres, for Disney, Marvel, DC, and Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics, among others. Nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award for his work with Sherlock Holmes, he has written for some of the most popular characters in the industry, including Superman, Batman, Popeye the Sailor, and Tarzan of the Apes. He’s also the author of many children’s books and is co-creator of the acclaimed Halloween Legion, with illustrator Diana Leto. Powell’s The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan won the coveted Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Best Graphic Novel of 2010.
ARTIST Tomas M. Aranda
Tomas M. Aranda studied at the School of Art in Huesca, Spain in the specialty of Graphic Design. He finished his studies in Barcelona at the Comin in the Joso School. He found his passion for and dedication in the development of comics. Thomas is a teacher of Comic and Manga in Joso Comic School. He has done drawings for television pages, covers and cartoons; short stories for erotic magazines for Editorial Megamultimedia; artist for Comicon Agency, Plano International, Dude Comics; inking of Conan The Conqueror for Marvel Italy; comics on line with animation in flash for Wanadoo Comics; pencils and inks for illustrations for MTJ Publishing; several files for game characters for New Fantasy Games; concepts and storyboards for TV spots for Saatchi & Saatchi; artist in short story for anthology for “Once Upon a Time Machine” for Dark Horse Comics; and many, many more.
LETTERER Oscar H. Gonzalez
Oscar Humberto González Montoya was born in Colombia, South America. After graduating from a technical industrial high school he became very interested in the comic book field thanks to a few comic books from Image Comics, D.C and Marvel that he found in a small magazine store. In Oscar’s country there are no comic book stores. You may find a couple of comics here and there but they are pricey.
In 2013, he met Pablo Marcos, a renowned comic book artist, who has been a role model, a teacher and tutor in drawing and comics illustrations. Mr. Marcos has been sharing his knowledge with Oscar and Oscar in turn shows him digital coloring at Pablo’s studio. Oscar considers the encounter with Pablo Marcos the opportunity of a lifetime. He feels honored with his support. Pablo first asked Oscar to color some of his personal art then introduced him to the company Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. to color the series Pablo is working on today.
See the all our Comic Strip Samples
As with all the series featured at edgarriceburroughs.com/comics, the first four episodes 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.
About the Edgar Rice Burroughs Digital Comic Strips Service
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 LAD AND THE LION™ by Martin Powell, Tomas M. Aranda, Oscar H. Gonzalez
THE GIRL FROM HOLLYWOOD™ by Charles Santino and Joel Zain Rivers
THE OUTLAW OF TORN™ by Tom Simmons, Jake Bilbao and L Jamal Walton
JUNGLE GIRL™ by Martin Powell, Will Meugniot and Jo Meugniot
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