Tarzan

Tarzan
Real Name	John Clayton II, Lord Greystoke
First Appearance	The All‐Story vol. 24, no. 2 (Oct. 1912)
Created by	Edgar Rice Burroughs

Origin

When John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke are marooned on a jungle shore, they make a treehouse wherein to live while awaiting rescue. There, they have a son. Around the time of the child's first birthday, the Claytons are killed by Kerchak, leader of the Mangani (great apes). The baby survives and is adopted by an ape named Kala. Kala names him Tarzan ("white skin"), and he eventually kills Kerchak in a fight.

At around the age of 20, Tarzan meets an American woman named Jane Porter, and her father. He travels to the United States to find Jane, but soon returns to Africa, becoming the chief of the Waziri tribe, and leading his men to find the lost city of Opar. After learning that he is actually Lord Greystoke, Tarzan marries Jane and returns to his ancestral home in London. Tarzan and Jane have a son named Jack who takes the ape name, Korak ("killer"), Son of Tarzan. Eventually, Tarzan becomes unhappy with civilization, and the family returns to Africa.

Tarzan as seen in the 1929 "Tarzan Of The Apes" comic strip by Hal Foster.

Tarzan possessed nearly superhuman strength and agility, and fought in the ferocious style of the apes. He was an expert climber, diver, swimmer, and was proficient swinging on vines. He often carried a knife, spear or bow. He was able to speak to apes and some other animals using the Mangani dialect, but he also learned to speak fluent English and at least some Waziri, French, Swahili, and Arabic.

Public Domain Appearances

All published appearances of Tarzan from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

Public Domain Literary Appearances

• Tarzan of the Apes (1912)
• The Return of Tarzan (1913)
• The Beasts of Tarzan (1914)
• Eternal Lover (1914)
• The Son of Tarzan (1914)
• Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916)
• Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1916)
• Tarzan the Untamed (1919)
• Tarzan the Terrible (1921)
• The Son of Tarzan (1921) (novelization)
• The Adventures of Tarzan (1921) (novelization)
• Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922)
• Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924)
• The Eternal Lover (1925)
• The Tarzan Twins (1927)
• Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927)
• Tarzan the Mighty (1928) (novelization)
• Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1929)

Public Domain Film Appearances

• Tarzan of the Apes (1918)
• The Romance of Tarzan (1918)
• The Revenge of Tarzan (1920)
• The Son of Tarzan (1920)
• Adventures of Tarzan (1921)
• Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927)
• Tarzan the Mighty (1928) (lost film)
• Tarzan the Tiger (1929 - 15 episodes) (Notable for being the first film to first include the "Tarzan yell" sound effect.)
• Tarzan the Fearless (1933)
• New Adventures of Tarzan (1935 - 12 episodes)
• Tarzan's Revenge (1938)
• Tarzan and the Trappers (1958) - In this film, Tarzan and Jane are the adoptive parents of Tartu, who is the successor of Korak and Boy (an adopted son from the films starring Johnny Weissmuller).

Public Domain Animated Appearances

• Three's a Crowd (1932): An old man in a rocking chair is reading Alice in Wonderland. He blows out his candle, puts his book aside and heads towards his bedroom. Alice comes out of the book, runs across the table, and turns on a radio to hear a crooner performing the title song. Dozens of book characters get up and dance. While Alice is watching Tom, a very scary Mr. Hyde sneaks out of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and snatches Alice away. Tarzan, Crusoe, Friday, Robin Hood, and the Three Musketeers all attack Hyde, who leaps into a box for safety. The characters close up the box and throw it into a trash can.

Public Domain Comic Appearances

• Tarzan Comic Strip (1929)
• The Illustrated Tarzan Book No. 1
• Tip Top Comics #1-188
• Popular Comics #41-43
• Tarzan #1-131
• Tarzan's Jungle Annual #1-7
• Crackajack Funnies #15-36
• Comics on Parade vol 1 #1-29, vol. 2 #12, vol. 3 #5
• Dell Giant #25, 37, 51
• Four Color #161
• Sparkler Comics #
• 4Most Boys Comics #38 - Biography of Johnny Weissmuller
• Jungle Tales of Tarzan #1-4

Notes

• Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. currently owns the trademark on the name. For info on dealing with trademarks, see our FAQ.
• On anuary, the original Tarzan comic strips originally published in 1929 entered the public domain.
• Hal Foster's Tarzan strip debuted in 1928 in the British weekly magazine Tit-Bits (some sources say October 20, others November), and debuted in the United States on January 7, 1929.

See Also

• International Hero
• Wikipedia
• Comic Vine
• Erbzine
• Danton Burroughs.com
• ISFDB
• SF Encyclopedia