Am I the only one who wants a Ka-zar Marvel movie? I can’t be. This character would be perfect for the big screen. Look at what Marvel did with Ant-Man and the Guardians. I can definitely see a super-hero take on Tarzan being a big hit. Tarzan plus dinosaurs equals complete Blockbuster. It may happen yet. In the mean time we have the comics to entertain us, featuring this noble savage and his trusty side-kick the tiger Zabu.
Ka-Zar the Great was originally created by Bob Byrd in an unabashed attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Tarzan of the Apes. The comic book version of Ka-Zar goes back to the Golden Age and he is actually one of the oldest of all Marvel characters. But it wasn't until he was retconned, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the sixties, that the Ka-Zar that modern comic readers are familiar with appears. This Ka-Zar began to make regular appearances in the Silver Age where, in Daredevil #12, we learn that the modern version of the character was born Kevin Plunder. He is descended from a noble English line, and his father, Lord Robert Plunder, had discovered a rare vibrating ore, later called ‘Vibranium’, in a now lost part of the globe under Antarctica. After returning to England and losing his wife, he splits up his two sons as well. Lord Plunder takes his youngest, Kevin, and travels back to the Savage Land where he meets his doom. After the death of his father, Kevin, rescued by Zabu the tiger, becomes Ka-Zar and stays in the Savage Land. In the Marvel Universe Ka-Zar is related to the villain Parnival Plunder known as the Plunderer who is his brother.
Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939)
Ka-zar (pronounced Kay-Zar) first appeared in 1939 in a magazine called Ka-Zar (cover date: October 1936), published by Manvis Publications. The character was popular enough to be re-introduced into what would become the Marvel Universe –still known at the time as Timely Comics- just three years later. Marvel Comics #1 introduces both Ka-Zar aka David Rand as well as the Golden Age Human Torch and it’s the second appearance of the Sub-Mariner. This series would later be renamed Marvel Mystery Comics starting with issue #2. Without this comic, it’s safe to say, we would have no Marvel comics whatsoever. Captain America, the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, it all begins here. Best returns on this classic and hard sought after comic are on 7.5 grades. A Heritage Auction sale of that grade of this comic sold for a record $113,525.00 in 2012. If you own a copy, please give it to me. I’ll take great care of it, I promise!
Uncanny X-Men #10 (March 1965)
Seeing a news report of an encounter in Antarctica between scientists and a wild man dressed only in a loin cloth and accompanied by a tiger, the- not yet Uncanny but just plain regular- X-Men decide to investigate (and why not?) Once there it isn’t long before the X-Men discover the lost tunnel leading to the tropical paradise known as the Savage Land. No ordinary land, the Savage Land is like a time machine, crawling with creatures long thought extinct. X-Men #10 is Ka-Zar’s first Silver Age appearance. After this story, both Ka-Zar and the Savage Land would become regular features of the X-Men and Marvel Universe. This comic is fairly easy to find in mid-grade shape where it frequently sells for just over $100.00. Best returns are on 9.8’s where a Heritage auction copy went for $7,767.50 in 2012. If a Ka-Zar or Savage Land movie arrives, all bets are off on this issue.
Astonishing Tales #1 (August 1970)
Astonishing Tales was launched in 1970 with a Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom double feature. The Ka-Zar story was by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and the Doctor Doom feature was written by Roy Thomas with pencils by Wally Wood. This comic contains the first mention of Antarctic or Savage Land Vibranium. This is a different form of Vibranium than that found in Captain America’s shield (i.e. it’s not Wakandian vibranium) and its also known as Anti-metal. The Ka-Zar story features Kraven the Hunter and in the first of a two-part saga, Kraven captures Zabu and takes him to New York. A Graded 9.0 copy of this comic has a fair market value of $100.00. Best returns, however, have been on 8.0 copies.
