I was introduced to Tarzan of the Apes through the Ballantine softcover publications of the Edgar Rice Burroughs pulp classics.
My father had collected and read collected those books during the mid-to-late 1970’s. in the early 1980’s, I found them on the shelf, dusted them off, and stared at the covers for what seemed like forever! The Beasts of Tarzan, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar, Tarzan Triumphant and Tarzan and the Leopard Men, as well as the others, are remembered very, very fondly.
Those covers by artist extraordinaire, Neal Adams, leapt off the page with thrills, menace and dramatic excitement! They introduced me to pulp adventure and fueled my imagination, leading me towards a burgeoning love of the fantasy and science fiction genres.
They also cemented a common pop culture bond between father and son.
Through Tarzan, other Burroughs classics came to my attention, chiefly, the strange and fascinating worlds of Barsoom and Pellucidar and all the characters that inhabited those continents.
Today sees a childhood imagination rekindled with the intermingling of disparate characters in the pop culture world of comic books.
Of course, that series would need to have the greatest pulp title ever devised…and it does with: The Greatest Adventure #1!
The Greatest Adventure #1
Written By: Bill Willingham
Illustrated By: Cezar Razek
Published By: Dynamite Entertainment
If you love pulp adventure like I do, we’re all in good hands.
The Greatest Adventure monthly comic book series, published by Dynamite Entertainment, is written by Bill Willingham, known extensively through his highly regarded Fables series. It’s the series that kept Vertigo Comics relevant over the past decade, in case you didn’t know. He’s joined by artist Cezar Razek (Red Sonja: The Dark Tower, Vampirella), who’s line work here evokes pulp newspaper strips, albeit with modern sensibilities.
It’s a perfect marriage of writer, artist and subject, truly.
In the series, Tarzan is recruited by Jason Gridley, another Burroughs creation, to captain the noble vessel, Venture. Along with his crew, they are in pursuit of the fabled gemstone known as the Eye of Judgment – a stone that lives up to its name as it could snuff out life throughout the entire galaxy!
In a deadly race against time (and the alien battleship known as the Resolve), Tarzan, John Carter and Dejah Thoris must retrieve the gemstone before it falls into the hands of their enemies.
The jungles of Africa!
The red deserts of Mars!
The domed horizon of the hollow earth!
So many of the greatest fictionalized pulp classic worlds and characters are together here! The Greatest Adventure is a testament to Burroughs’ lasting legacy and the timelessness of his creations.
Rekindle your childhood imagination – make the run to your local comic book shop and pick up the first issue of the greatest of pulp adventures with The Greatest Adventure #1!
Reblogged this on JP Fallavollita.