LORD OF THE JUNGLE #1, from Dynamite Comics on November 9th, 2022, ushers in a new era for Tarzan as the King of the Apes recalls his formative years while he travels to meet an old friend.
The Details
- Written by: Dan Jurgens
- Art by: Benito Gallego
- Colors by: Francesco Segala
- Letters by: Carlos M. Mangual
- Cover art by: Gary Frank (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: November 9, 2022
Is It Good?
Sometimes it’s good to start from the beginning, and Dan Jurgens does just that. LORD OF THE JUNGLE #1 begins a new era for Tarzan, set in the 1950s, as an urgent situation forces him to seek out an old friend. Filled with fantastic art and a reasonably faithful retelling of the Tarzan origin story, Edgar Rice Burroughs fans will be very happy with this issue.
There are two strong highlights in this first issue – the origin story and the art.
Dan Jurgens does the Lord’s work by spending the majority of the issue retelling a faithful version of Edgar Rice Burrough’s story about a boy raised among the apes of the jungle. All the original story beats are present, the classic characters are named and given a moment to establish their importance, and Tarzan’s rise to become Lord of the Jungle is given all the weight and reverence this famous character deserves.
When starting a new Tarzan series, there are a few directions Jurgens could have gone to introduce new readers to the titular character. By choosing a faithful origin retelling, Jurgens establishes the character perfectly for the new adventure by giving new readers a solid foundation and giving readers familiar with Tarzan the confidence that Jurgens fully intends to respect the spirit of the source material.
That said, some readers may see this first issue as retreading familiar ground by retelling a story Tarzan fans already know. We don’t consider retelling Tarzan’s origin as a negative because it’s done so well here, so consider this point a matter of personal taste.
Gallego’s art style is fantastic in this issue. The use of heavy shadows and copious hatching lines homages Joe Kubert’s Tarzan art beautifully. Tarzan is powerful, his fights with humans and apes are gripping, and the panel compositions push the dramatic mood to the breaking point. In every sense, this looks like the best of classic Tarzan comics.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with an older gentleman standing alone on the deck of a ship headed for an undisclosed location on a dark and stormy night. We later learn that man is the older yet still formidable Tarzan.
We flash back to years earlier as the comic recounts Tarzan’s birth to Lord John Clayton and his wife, Alice, after they were stranded by mutineers off the African coast. Both parents died when the child was still an infant, but the child was found and raised by Kala, a benevolent ape who still grieved the loss of her own ape child.
As the years passed, Tarzan became part of his ape family, using his human brain to figure out ways to compensate for his comparative physical shortcomings. We conclude the issue with Tarzan’s realization of his human heritage and a visit to an old friend.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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LORD OF THE JUNGLE #1 starts a new adventure for Tarzan with a faithful and gorgeous retelling of his origin story. The art is a perfect homage to Kubert’s classic Tarzan comics, and Jurgens’s adaptation of the source material is as engaging as it is faithful.
Related Information
Is Tarzan based on a true story?
No, Tarzan is a completely fictional character, created by author Edgar Rice Burroughs.
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Thanks for the review, Gabriel. However, please note that the artist is Benito Gallego and that Francesco Segala is the colorist.
Thank you, Benito. The credits section has been updated accordingly.
Thank you!