Ka-Zar the Savage

The first character called "Ka-Zar" came from the pulps, but when Martin Goodman decided to publish comic books, he moved that character over to his very first, Marvel Comics #1. The first Ka-zar was a boy whose parents' plane crashed in the African jungle when the boy, David Rand, was only three years old. His mother, Constance, died shortly after of the fever, but his father, John, lived until he was killed by hostile natives when David was about 12 or 13. He learned to communicate with the animals and blah, blah, blah... When Lee and Kirby revived the character in 1965 it was a complete reboot, but it was the pulp adventures of Ka-Zar which inspired young Kevin Plunder to... but wait. I'm getting ahead of myself.

There has been talk on this board, from time to time, of someone starting a Ka-Zar discussion for as long as I have been a member. The 80th anniversary of the first appearance of the comic book version of the first Ka-Zar seems as good of a time as any to finally do so. Some of the earliest comics I acquired as backissues were the "King-Size" Ka-Zar reprint series and the issues of Marvel Tales reprinting the issues of Spider-Man in which Spidey met Ka-zar. when I was in high school I read Ka-Zar the Savage, and when I was in college I began collecting his early appearances, previous series and reprints via backissues. One of the latest of the early appearances I acquired was his very first from X-Men #10. Up until that time I had been pronouncing his name as I had since I was a child: Kuh-ZAR.

X-MEN #10 - p1
DAREDEVIL #12, 13-14, 24 - p2
TALES TO ASTONISH #95-98 - p3
SPIDER-MAN #57 - p4
HULK #109-111 - p4
MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #19 - p4
X-MEN #62-63 - p4
SPIDER-MAN #103-104 - p5
SAVAGE TALES #1 - p5
ASTONISHING TALES #1-18 - p5
ASTONISHING TALES #19-20 - p6
MARVEL TEAM-UP #19 - p6
SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL #1-2 - p6
SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL #3-5 - p7
KA-ZAR #1-2 - p7
DAREDEVIL #110-112 - p8
KA-ZAR #3-5 - p8
SAVAGE TALES #5-11 - p16
KA-ZAR #6-20 - p17
X-MEN #115-116 - p9
MARVEL SUPER-ACTION #1 - p8
MARVEL TEAM-UP #95 - p8
MARVEL TEAM-UP #104 - p11
MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #6 - p11
MARVEL FANFARE #56-59 - p9
MARVEL FANFARE #2 - p10
KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #1 - p11
KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #2-6 - p12
KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #7-16 - p13
MARVEL FANFARE #4 - p10
KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #17-23 - p14
KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #24-31 - p15
KA-ZAR THE SAVAGE #32-34 - p16
AVENGERS #256-257 - p10
IRON MAN #202 - p10
X-MEN ANNUAL #12 - p10
X

KA-ZAR #6-20:

Savage Tales #11 closes MMW Ka-Zar v3, but the volume led off with four color comics, written by Gerry Conway, drawn by John Buscema, and inked by Alfredo Alcala, Bob McLeod and Sonny Trinidad.

#6: Ka-Zar befriends a youth named Kem Horkus, whose brother, Bar Horkus, is essentially Captain Ahab, seeking revenge against the sea monster which maimed him years before. He is betrayed by his second in command, Ghakar, and Bar Horkus' plan for revenge works out about as well as Ahab's did in Moby Dick.

#7. Ka-Zar accompanies Kem down th Tabarr river to the floating city of Tandarr-Kaa, where Ghakar has already poisoned chieftain Kuurak Ghodar's mind against Bar Horkus. Ka-Zar and Kem are captured, but Ken's cousin Jira helps them escape. Zabu is (apparently) killed. Ka-Zar and Ken survive the "pruging ritual" (being sent down the rapids tied in a canoe), and Ka-Zar kills Ghakar. Then he sets out to find Zabu's body, but finds his tracks instead.

#8. The wounded Zabu was captured by a hunting party led by Sandratha, a priest of the god Ghor-Ha-Klan. He is taken back to the city of Gondora (think the Biblical Gomorrah), built at the foot of the volcano Gondor, but Ka-Zar is tracking them). Zabu is turned over the High Priest, but not before he kills Sandratha. Ka-Zar sneaks into the city and is befriended by Tul, his wife and two daughters (think the Biblical Lot and his family). The High Priest is revealed to be Montgomery Ford, a scientist who worked for the Allies during WWII. He invented the world's first laser beam (some 15 years before it was invented in reality), but it wasn't accepted because, after the war ended, the world was then at peace. Ka-Zar throws him into the volcano, which causes it to explode. Tul and his family flee, but his wife looks back and is turned into a pile of ash by the heat.

#9. Gerry Conway must have been drawing from the Bible for inspiration at this time, because this issue is the story of Tomas (Cain) and Gregor (Abel).

And that is all of MMW Ka-Zar v3. Moving on to v4, Doug Moench wrote all of the eleven remaining issues of Ka-Zar (#10 from a plot by Gerry Conway), but the art side of the team was initially inconsistent: John Buscema, Don Heck and Russ Heath, followed by two issues by Larry Hama. After that, the artist for #15-20 was Val Mayerick, who inked his own work throughout, except for the final issues, which was innked by Ernie Chan. (It is Mayerick, incidently, who provides the informative and insightful introduction to MMW v4.)

#10. After a fight with a gorilla, Ka-Zar and Zabu are taken by a woman named Illyanna to the hidden city of Tordon-Na to recuperate. there he meets Sanda, the high priest of the Temple of Ilak-Aron, and his son Duron, but becomes involved in political intrigue and a power struggle with Sylitha, one of the lesser priests. Knowing that priests generally control of what their "gods" say and do (and having been befriended by Sanda), Ka-Zar submits to judgement by Ilak-Aron. To his surprise, the idol actually speaks. It declares that Ka-Zar is innocent, but that Sanda is guilty of allowing an outsider in Tordon-Na in the first place, and demands that Duron be sacrificed in atonement.

#11. Ka-Zar denounces the ceremony and Illyanna (who is betrothed to Duron) helps him escape (in a scene reminescent of La helping Tarzan escape from Opar from The Return of Tarzan, adapted into comics for by Joe Kubert a year or two earlier). Ka-Zar reveals Sylitha's tickery, and Duron and Illyana are to be married.

#12. Charn and Sharka, two Zebra warriors of the Swamp tribe, seek out Ka-Zar and Tongah for help. The swamp tribe is bi-racial, with the white members painting blacl strips on their skin and the black members painting white. The tribal Shaman, Zaurai, has come to power and introduced a new faction of Lizard men. The Lizard men have overthrown the Zebra warriors, and Charn and Sharka were the only ones to have escaped. But Zaurai's lover Sheesa is the real power behind his rule. when Ka-Zar and his allies attack, she seizes the mantle of power and raises an army of living dead.

#13. Ka-Zar pretends to surrender and switch sides to buy time. Sheesa doesn't trust him, though, and locks them up overnight, along with Zaurai. The next day they are to march on the Fall People, Tongah's tribe. During the night, a warrior named Karanda is able to break out and sneak away. Zaurai approaches Ka-Zar saying he wants revenge on Sheesa. He is actually from the outside world, and came to power in the Savage Land through trickery. The next day, Sheesa marches her forces directly into an ambush. (Karand got through.) Zaurai begs her forgiveness, but she kills him. after a battle, Sheesa and her army of undead are defeated, and the Lizard men are given the opportunity to rejoin the tribe, and the Swamp people reunite.

#14. This issue is touted as launching "A New Era of Excitement." Ka-Zar journeys to London on the pretext that vibranium has seemingly induced temporary madness in his friend Tongah. there he meets reporter Tandy Snow, who reccommends that he consult a radiologist named Peter Harkins. The press conference is interrupted when Klaw attacks. Tandy is injured and Klaw escapes.

#15. This issue is touted as "Phase Two of the New Adventures." Klaw is rescued by Shauran, a green-skinned alien from another dimension. Tandy introduces Ka-Zar to Peter Harkins, who theorizes that sonic bombardment might cause vibranium to induce a "delayed reaction manifestation of temporary dementia." That's pretty far-fetched and not based on a shred of evidence, but it moves the plot along so just go with it. As it happens, Shauran needs Klaw to sonically bombard the mountain of Savage Land vibranium in order to open a dimensional gateway through which his people can attack Earth. By the time Ka-Zar and company get to the Savage Land, the invasion is already under way. A tribesman named Konsah warns that the Fall People are under attack, but he is killed by Traikar, who introduces himself as "commander of this conquest." Tongah kills him in turn, but but another green-skinned alien named Saxtur appears and threatens to kill Tongah.

#16. Saxtur orders Quann to kill Tongah, but Zabu has other ideas. A full-scale melee breaks out, and Ka-Zar goes Biblical on the invaders with the jawbone of a dinosaur. Klaw appears and the tide turns against Ka-Zar and company. They are defeated, but Ka-Zar breaks away. Saxtur orders six of his men in pursuit. He implies that the dinosaurs which populate the Savage Land come from his dimension, a notion which intrigues Bernard Kloss, the stuttering paleontologist who is a member of their party. Tandy's affections begin to turn away from Peter Harkins (although now his name is "Kirk Marston") and toward Ka-Zar. Meanwhile, Ka-Zar leads his pursuers into a trap, then doubles back to free his comrades. They turn the tables on Saxtur, then proceed through the dimensional gateway to shut it down from the other side.

#17. This issue is touted as "The Final Phase in the Incredible New Adventures of Ka-Zar." We at last learn the name of the race of other-dimensional invaders: Sheenarians. Their enemies are the reptillian Quarlians, whose "sharkers" ride flying wing-sharks. The Sheenarians are immediately attacked by the Quarlians, a battle ensues and Kirk flees. In the confusion, Ka-Zar captures a wing-shark, and he and Tandy ride it back to where it came from, hoping to find allies against the Sheenarians in the Quarlians. Meanwhile, back in the Savage Land, the Sheenarians march on the peaceful Zebra-men. Elsewhere, Tongah's wife, Seesha, thinks her husband is dead.

Back in the other dimension, Marston has returned and led Tongah and Kloss to "safety" but he actually plans to betray them. The village he has led them to is populated antirely by extremely old people, with no children or other adults in sight. That night, Ka-Zar and Tandy make camp. She makes a play for him, but he doesn't respond. The next day they reach the Quarlians' home city, but find no allies there. Ka-Zar is thrown into a cell with a gnome named Zartros (later "Zartos"). Next they they are brought before the queen, who turns out to be (wait for it)... Tandy Snow! Apparently she fulfilled some sort of prophecy and now thinks of herself as Queen Tandylla. She proposes that Ka-Zar become her consort, but he rejects her. She then sentences Ka-Zar and Zartros to death in the dragon arena.

#18. Ka-Zar notes how totally out of character Tandy's behavior is. He refuses to fight and is taken back to the dungeon. Elsewhere, Marston betrays Tongah and Kloss, is taken to a mandala known as the "power stone," and undergoes a ritual, led by one of the elderly inhabitants of the ancient city, to "make him one of them." The next day, Ka-Zar and Zartros are led into the arena. There they are sentenced to fight each other to the death, but Ka-Zar refuses. Then "Queen Tandylla" pits both of them against Markum, who is the second fiercest warrior of the Quarlians. The most fierce, Zartos explains, is Raknor, Markum's father, but he is away on a dragon purge. They fight, and Ka-Zar kills Makrum. Then he slices the support of the canopy covering Queen Tandylla. Ka-Zar and Zartos scurry up it and escape. First, though, Ka-Zar gives Tandy one last chance to come with them, but she refuses. Later, Zartros reveals that Tandy has likely been subjected to the Quarlians' "Fires of Submission," which would have brain-washed her. Just as Ka-Zar resolves to go back for her, Raknor appears, back from the dragon purge.

#19. This issue was touted as the "dead-on blockbusting conclusion," but there are at least three chapters (including this one) to go. Big-mouthed Zartos lets slip that Kazar killed Raknor's son. They fight, Ka-zar is knocked unconscious, and Raknor takes Ka-Zar back to the city aboard his sky-shark, leaving Zartos behind. Zartos follows on foot. Back at the ancient city, Tongah, Kloss and Zabu are being drained of the life force by Marston and his new allies. In the Savage Land, Sheesa and a warrior named Kronak attempt escape from their Sheenarian captors. Sheesa succeeds, but Kronak is killed. Sharka has warned the Zebra people of the Sheenarians' approach. Elsewhere, Charn spies on them.

Back in the other dimension, Queen Tandylla's real personality is beginning to emerge. Her ministers, Brokar and Spartran, conspire to expose her to the "Fires of Submission" once again, but she refuses. It's clear they manufactured the whole scenario in order to rule through her. Just then, Raknor enters with the unconscious Ka-Zar as captive. We learn that their reptillian appearance is a curse. Tandy and Raknor get into an argument just as Ka-Zar begins to recover. Brokar and Spartran take this opportunity to forcibly subject Tandy to the Fires of Submission again. Then Zartos drops through the skylight and all hell breaks loose. Ka-Zar defeats Raknor in hand-to-jand combat just as the palace guard arrives. Ka-Zar grabs Tandy, still not quite herself, and heads for the wing-shark corral.

#20. It takes the first four pages for Ka-Zar, Tandy and Zartos to effect their escape from Quarl. Tongah, Kloss and Zabu are almost completely drained of the lifeforce, while the other are revitalized and youthful agin. they immediately decide to march on their ancient enemies, the Sheenarians, who have been preying upon their people and stealing their life force for generations. Elsewhere, a Sheenarian skycraft is on a reconnaissance mission, searching for resources to rebuild the dimensional gateway destroyed in #17. Suddenly, the skycraft seems to crossover into the Savage Land, but what has really happened is that the fragmented dimensional matrix created an area of inter-dimensional displacement, in which a certain area of both dimensions "switched places." The Sheenarians soon find the six menbers of the conquest party Ka-Zar trapped in #16.

Back in Sheenar, Saxtur tells Klaw of an "energency shuttle chamber" which is capable of sending one person at a time across the dimensional rift. It is of no use in an invasion, but that's all right with Klaw. Now that he's not in line to become governor of a conquered Earth, he's ready to cut his losses and resume his criminal career. Elsewhere, Ka-Zar, Tandy and Zartos come across those who stole Tongah, Koss and Zabu's life force marching toward Sheenar. Zantos identifies tham as the Kramen, a race thought to have died out generations ago. Ka-Zar dismounts and allies his party with them, not knowing what they did to his friends. In the Savage Land, Seesha sees Charn captured by the Sheenarians. Ka-Zar helps the Kramen gain entry into Sheenar, then the Sheenarian defenders couter-attack. Then the story is "To Be Continued... Somewhere" as the title is cancelled.

Ka-Zar next appears in X-Men #115-116 (also included in MMW v4), already covered on page nine of this discussion, in which this plotline is wrapped up in two panels. Ka-Zar: "I was leading an attack on the city of Sheenars. at the time, I thought I and my friends had been transported to the sheenar dimension. whereas, in reality, parts of their world had been transported into ours. Suddenly, in the midst of battle, the city around me -- the flying shark beneath me -- faded away... as if the had never been." that explanation still leaves some plot threads dangling, but that's all we're going to get.

I have read these Moench/Mayerik issues before, once, back when I collected them as backissues in the '80s. Even though I have occasionally gotten a wild hair to read Ka-Zar since then, I either start with the later Ka-Zar the Savage series or my intention peters out before I get to this point. But these issues are jam-packed with plot and action! I guess I didn't realize just how much when I decided to handle #6-20 in a single post. I thought I'd be able to dash off these stories in a sentence or two per issue. And if you are unfamiliar with this stories and ever have the opportunity to read them yourself, you may be surprised to learn how much I left out of my summaries. The Doug Moench/Val Mayerick run is every bit as good as the Bruce Jones/Brent Anderson "Pangea" stories that are to follow (see pages 11-16 of this discussion).

After Ka-Zar #10-20 and X-Men #115-116, MMW Ka-Zar v4 moves on to the Shanna stories in Rampaging Hulk #9 and Marvel Fanfare #56-59 (see page 9 of this discusssion). I've read them all and I'm still not certain how she came to be back in the Savage Land for Ka-Zar the Savage #1. In that issue, her origin is trucated into a brief summary which leaves on with the impression that she went directly from civilization to the Savage Land: "Before I left civilization eight years ago, I was a veterinarian for a famous zoo. I noticed how neurotic even the sanest of animals became when caged... and realized that the city -- civilization itself -- was a cage of sorts. I knew that if I'd hung around and become any more 'civilized' I'd have gone nuts. So I chartered a chute plane to fly me as far away as I could get. I discovered tow things: the Savage Land and a new me. From that day on I became Shanna of the Jungle and I've never known a moment of regret."

After the Ka-Zar the Savage series, the Savage Land is destroyed in Avengers #256-257, and resored in X-Men Annual #12 (see page 10 of this discussion).

I have been commenting lately about how certain volumes of the soon-to-be-discontinued Marvel Masterworks line are coming to an end one volume short of a logical stopping place, but MMW Ka-Zar is perfect in that respect (of course, v4 was released in 2024. Other series were published through to completion as well.)

Replies

Luke Blanchard July 17, 2025 at 4:17am

Thanks, Jeff. It wasn't those, though: I didn't know them! I think the Green Lantern one is likely to have been the model for the Shazam! cover.

The Ka-Zar cover is visually close to The Brave and the Bold #141. It also reminds me of Action Comics #567 (which in turn recalls The Flash #165), but checking, I find that came later, as did the even closer Green Lantern #197. The creators may have been mimicking Thor #126, which does have Jane between the guys trying to get them to stop, although she's easy to miss.
Jeff of Earth-J July 20, 2025 at 2:27pm

KA-ZAR #6-20:

Savage Tales #11 closes MMW Ka-Zar v3, but the volume led off with four color comics, written by Gerry Conway, drawn by John Buscema, and inked by Alfredo Alcala, Bob McLeod and Sonny Trinidad.

#6: Ka-Zar befriends a youth named Kem Horkus, whose brother, Bar Horkus, is essentially Captain Ahab, seeking revenge against the sea monster which maimed him years before. He is betrayed by his second in command, Ghakar, and Bar Horkus' plan for revenge works out about as well as Ahab's did in Moby Dick.

#7. Ka-Zar accompanies Kem down th Tabarr river to the floating city of Tandarr-Kaa, where Ghakar has already poisoned chieftain Kuurak Ghodar's mind against Bar Horkus. Ka-Zar and Kem are captured, but Ken's cousin Jira helps them escape. Zabu is (apparently) killed. Ka-Zar and Ken survive the "pruging ritual" (being sent down the rapids tied in a canoe), and Ka-Zar kills Ghakar. Then he sets out to find Zabu's body, but finds his tracks instead.

#8. The wounded Zabu was captured by a hunting party led by Sandratha, a priest of the god Ghor-Ha-Klan. He is taken back to the city of Gondora (think the Biblical Gomorrah), built at the foot of the volcano Gondor, but Ka-Zar is tracking them). Zabu is turned over the High Priest, but not before he kills Sandratha. Ka-Zar sneaks into the city and is befriended by Tul, his wife and two daughters (think the Biblical Lot and his family). The High Priest is revealed to be Montgomery Ford, a scientist who worked for the Allies during WWII. He invented the world's first laser beam (some 15 years before it was invented in reality), but it wasn't accepted because, after the war ended, the world was then at peace. Ka-Zar throws him into the volcano, which causes it to explode. Tul and his family flee, but his wife looks back and is turned into a pile of ash by the heat.

#9. Gerry Conway must have been drawing from the Bible for inspiration at this time, because this issue is the story of Tomas (Cain) and Gregor (Abel).

And that is all of MMW Ka-Zar v3. Moving on to v4, Doug Moench wrote all of the eleven remaining issues of Ka-Zar (#10 from a plot by Gerry Conway), but the art side of the team was initially inconsistent: John Buscema, Don Heck and Russ Heath, followed by two issues by Larry Hama. After that, the artist for #15-20 was Val Mayerick, who inked his own work throughout, except for the final issues, which was innked by Ernie Chan. (It is Mayerick, incidently, who provides the informative and insightful introduction to MMW v4.)

#10. After a fight with a gorilla, Ka-Zar and Zabu are taken by a woman named Illyanna to the hidden city of Tordon-Na to recuperate. there he meets Sanda, the high priest of the Temple of Ilak-Aron, and his son Duron, but becomes involved in political intrigue and a power struggle with Sylitha, one of the lesser priests. Knowing that priests generally control of what their "gods" say and do (and having been befriended by Sanda), Ka-Zar submits to judgement by Ilak-Aron. To his surprise, the idol actually speaks. It declares that Ka-Zar is innocent, but that Sanda is guilty of allowing an outsider in Tordon-Na in the first place, and demands that Duron be sacrificed in atonement.

#11. Ka-Zar denounces the ceremony and Illyanna (who is betrothed to Duron) helps him escape (in a scene reminescent of La helping Tarzan escape from Opar from The Return of Tarzan, adapted into comics for by Joe Kubert a year or two earlier). Ka-Zar reveals Sylitha's tickery, and Duron and Illyana are to be married.

#12. Charn and Sharka, two Zebra warriors of the Swamp tribe, seek out Ka-Zar and Tongah for help. The swamp tribe is bi-racial, with the white members painting blacl strips on their skin and the black members painting white. The tribal Shaman, Zaurai, has come to power and introduced a new faction of Lizard men. The Lizard men have overthrown the Zebra warriors, and Charn and Sharka were the only ones to have escaped. But Zaurai's lover Sheesa is the real power behind his rule. when Ka-Zar and his allies attack, she seizes the mantle of power and raises an army of living dead.

#13. Ka-Zar pretends to surrender and switch sides to buy time. Sheesa doesn't trust him, though, and locks them up overnight, along with Zaurai. The next day they are to march on the Fall People, Tongah's tribe. During the night, a warrior named Karanda is able to break out and sneak away. Zaurai approaches Ka-Zar saying he wants revenge on Sheesa. He is actually from the outside world, and came to power in the Savage Land through trickery. The next day, Sheesa marches her forces directly into an ambush. (Karand got through.) Zaurai begs her forgiveness, but she kills him. after a battle, Sheesa and her army of undead are defeated, and the Lizard men are given the opportunity to rejoin the tribe, and the Swamp people reunite.

#14. This issue is touted as launching "A New Era of Excitement." Ka-Zar journeys to London on the pretext that vibranium has seemingly induced temporary madness in his friend Tongah. there he meets reporter Tandy Snow, who reccommends that he consult a radiologist named Peter Harkins. The press conference is interrupted when Klaw attacks. Tandy is injured and Klaw escapes.

#15. This issue is touted as "Phase Two of the New Adventures." Klaw is rescued by Shauran, a green-skinned alien from another dimension. Tandy introduces Ka-Zar to Peter Harkins, who theorizes that sonic bombardment might cause vibranium to induce a "delayed reaction manifestation of temporary dementia." That's pretty far-fetched and not based on a shred of evidence, but it moves the plot along so just go with it. As it happens, Shauran needs Klaw to sonically bombard the mountain of Savage Land vibranium in order to open a dimensional gateway through which his people can attack Earth. By the time Ka-Zar and company get to the Savage Land, the invasion is already under way. A tribesman named Konsah warns that the Fall People are under attack, but he is killed by Traikar, who introduces himself as "commander of this conquest." Tongah kills him in turn, but but another green-skinned alien named Saxtur appears and threatens to kill Tongah.

#16. Saxtur orders Quann to kill Tongah, but Zabu has other ideas. A full-scale melee breaks out, and Ka-Zar goes Biblical on the invaders with the jawbone of a dinosaur. Klaw appears and the tide turns against Ka-Zar and company. They are defeated, but Ka-Zar breaks away. Saxtur orders six of his men in pursuit. He implies that the dinosaurs which populate the Savage Land come from his dimension, a notion which intrigues Bernard Kloss, the stuttering paleontologist who is a member of their party. Tandy's affections begin to turn away from Peter Harkins (although now his name is "Kirk Marston") and toward Ka-Zar. Meanwhile, Ka-Zar leads his pursuers into a trap, then doubles back to free his comrades. They turn the tables on Saxtur, then proceed through the dimensional gateway to shut it down from the other side.

#17. This issue is touted as "The Final Phase in the Incredible New Adventures of Ka-Zar." We at last learn the name of the race of other-dimensional invaders: Sheenarians. Their enemies are the reptillian Quarlians, whose "sharkers" ride flying wing-sharks. The Sheenarians are immediately attacked by the Quarlians, a battle ensues and Kirk flees. In the confusion, Ka-Zar captures a wing-shark, and he and Tandy ride it back to where it came from, hoping to find allies against the Sheenarians in the Quarlians. Meanwhile, back in the Savage Land, the Sheenarians march on the peaceful Zebra-men. Elsewhere, Tongah's wife, Seesha, thinks her husband is dead.

Back in the other dimension, Marston has returned and led Tongah and Kloss to "safety" but he actually plans to betray them. The village he has led them to is populated antirely by extremely old people, with no children or other adults in sight. That night, Ka-Zar and Tandy make camp. She makes a play for him, but he doesn't respond. The next day they reach the Quarlians' home city, but find no allies there. Ka-Zar is thrown into a cell with a gnome named Zartros (later "Zartos"). Next they they are brought before the queen, who turns out to be (wait for it)... Tandy Snow! Apparently she fulfilled some sort of prophecy and now thinks of herself as Queen Tandylla. She proposes that Ka-Zar become her consort, but he rejects her. She then sentences Ka-Zar and Zartros to death in the dragon arena.

#18. Ka-Zar notes how totally out of character Tandy's behavior is. He refuses to fight and is taken back to the dungeon. Elsewhere, Marston betrays Tongah and Kloss, is taken to a mandala known as the "power stone," and undergoes a ritual, led by one of the elderly inhabitants of the ancient city, to "make him one of them." The next day, Ka-Zar and Zartros are led into the arena. There they are sentenced to fight each other to the death, but Ka-Zar refuses. Then "Queen Tandylla" pits both of them against Markum, who is the second fiercest warrior of the Quarlians. The most fierce, Zartos explains, is Raknor, Markum's father, but he is away on a dragon purge. They fight, and Ka-Zar kills Makrum. Then he slices the support of the canopy covering Queen Tandylla. Ka-Zar and Zartos scurry up it and escape. First, though, Ka-Zar gives Tandy one last chance to come with them, but she refuses. Later, Zartros reveals that Tandy has likely been subjected to the Quarlians' "Fires of Submission," which would have brain-washed her. Just as Ka-Zar resolves to go back for her, Raknor appears, back from the dragon purge.

#19. This issue was touted as the "dead-on blockbusting conclusion," but there are at least three chapters (including this one) to go. Big-mouthed Zartos lets slip that Kazar killed Raknor's son. They fight, Ka-zar is knocked unconscious, and Raknor takes Ka-Zar back to the city aboard his sky-shark, leaving Zartos behind. Zartos follows on foot. Back at the ancient city, Tongah, Kloss and Zabu are being drained of the life force by Marston and his new allies. In the Savage Land, Sheesa and a warrior named Kronak attempt escape from their Sheenarian captors. Sheesa succeeds, but Kronak is killed. Sharka has warned the Zebra people of the Sheenarians' approach. Elsewhere, Charn spies on them.

Back in the other dimension, Queen Tandylla's real personality is beginning to emerge. Her ministers, Brokar and Spartran, conspire to expose her to the "Fires of Submission" once again, but she refuses. It's clear they manufactured the whole scenario in order to rule through her. Just then, Raknor enters with the unconscious Ka-Zar as captive. We learn that their reptillian appearance is a curse. Tandy and Raknor get into an argument just as Ka-Zar begins to recover. Brokar and Spartran take this opportunity to forcibly subject Tandy to the Fires of Submission again. Then Zartos drops through the skylight and all hell breaks loose. Ka-Zar defeats Raknor in hand-to-jand combat just as the palace guard arrives. Ka-Zar grabs Tandy, still not quite herself, and heads for the wing-shark corral.

#20. It takes the first four pages for Ka-Zar, Tandy and Zartos to effect their escape from Quarl. Tongah, Kloss and Zabu are almost completely drained of the lifeforce, while the other are revitalized and youthful agin. they immediately decide to march on their ancient enemies, the Sheenarians, who have been preying upon their people and stealing their life force for generations. Elsewhere, a Sheenarian skycraft is on a reconnaissance mission, searching for resources to rebuild the dimensional gateway destroyed in #17. Suddenly, the skycraft seems to crossover into the Savage Land, but what has really happened is that the fragmented dimensional matrix created an area of inter-dimensional displacement, in which a certain area of both dimensions "switched places." The Sheenarians soon find the six menbers of the conquest party Ka-Zar trapped in #16.

Back in Sheenar, Saxtur tells Klaw of an "energency shuttle chamber" which is capable of sending one person at a time across the dimensional rift. It is of no use in an invasion, but that's all right with Klaw. Now that he's not in line to become governor of a conquered Earth, he's ready to cut his losses and resume his criminal career. Elsewhere, Ka-Zar, Tandy and Zartos come across those who stole Tongah, Koss and Zabu's life force marching toward Sheenar. Zantos identifies tham as the Kramen, a race thought to have died out generations ago. Ka-Zar dismounts and allies his party with them, not knowing what they did to his friends. In the Savage Land, Seesha sees Charn captured by the Sheenarians. Ka-Zar helps the Kramen gain entry into Sheenar, then the Sheenarian defenders couter-attack. Then the story is "To Be Continued... Somewhere" as the title is cancelled.

Ka-Zar next appears in X-Men #115-116 (also included in MMW v4), already covered on page nine of this discussion, in which this plotline is wrapped up in two panels. Ka-Zar: "I was leading an attack on the city of Sheenars. at the time, I thought I and my friends had been transported to the sheenar dimension. whereas, in reality, parts of their world had been transported into ours. Suddenly, in the midst of battle, the city around me -- the flying shark beneath me -- faded away... as if the had never been." that explanation still leaves some plot threads dangling, but that's all we're going to get.

I have read these Moench/Mayerik issues before, once, back when I collected them as backissues in the '80s. Even though I have occasionally gotten a wild hair to read Ka-Zar since then, I either start with the later Ka-Zar the Savage series or my intention peters out before I get to this point. But these issues are jam-packed with plot and action! I guess I didn't realize just how much when I decided to handle #6-20 in a single post. I thought I'd be able to dash off these stories in a sentence or two per issue. And if you are unfamiliar with this stories and ever have the opportunity to read them yourself, you may be surprised to learn how much I left out of my summaries. The Doug Moench/Val Mayerick run is every bit as good as the Bruce Jones/Brent Anderson "Pangea" stories that are to follow (see pages 11-16 of this discussion).

After Ka-Zar #10-20 and X-Men #115-116, MMW Ka-Zar v4 moves on to the Shanna stories in Rampaging Hulk #9 and Marvel Fanfare #56-59 (see page 9 of this discusssion). I've read them all and I'm still not certain how she came to be back in the Savage Land for Ka-Zar the Savage #1. In that issue, her origin is trucated into a brief summary which leaves on with the impression that she went directly from civilization to the Savage Land: "Before I left civilization eight years ago, I was a veterinarian for a famous zoo. I noticed how neurotic even the sanest of animals became when caged... and realized that the city -- civilization itself -- was a cage of sorts. I knew that if I'd hung around and become any more 'civilized' I'd have gone nuts. So I chartered a chute plane to fly me as far away as I could get. I discovered tow things: the Savage Land and a new me. From that day on I became Shanna of the Jungle and I've never known a moment of regret."

After the Ka-Zar the Savage series, the Savage Land is destroyed in Avengers #256-257, and resored in X-Men Annual #12 (see page 10 of this discussion).

I have been commenting lately about how certain volumes of the soon-to-be-discontinued Marvel Masterworks line are coming to an end one volume short of a logical stopping place, but MMW Ka-Zar is perfect in that respect (of course, v4 was released in 2024. Other series were published through to completion as well.)
Jeff of Earth-J July 30, 2025 at 9:10am
After finishing MMW Ka-Zar v4 I was still in the mood to read Ka-Zar, so I moved directly on to Ka-Zar the Savage. It has been only four years since I last read this series (it's a good series), but because I already posted about it in 2021, I didn't bother posting about it this time through. I did want to clear up one point of confusion, however (my own), and that is exactly where Marvel Fanfare #2 & #4 fall relative to Ka-Zar the Savage (and vice versa). Before I get to that, though, I would like to point out that I went back and edited some of the relevant posts as well as corrected and reformatted the index on the initial post.

First, Marvel Fanfare #2 must take place before Ka-Zar the Savage #1; second, Marvel Fanfare #4 must take place betweene Ka-Zar the Savage #16 & #18. Furthermore, the flashback in Ka-Zar the Savage #5 must take place between Marvel Fanfare #2 and Ka-Zar the Savage #1. Essentially, the chronology goes like this:
- Marvel Fanfare #2
- Ka-Zar the Savage #1-16
- Marvel Fanfare #4
That's not perfect because the X-Men's side of the story (Marvel Fanafre #3) spanned days, whereas Ka-Zar the Savage #1-16 spanned months. Actually, it would have been easier if the whole of Marvel Fanfare #1-4 were placed before Ka-Zar the Savage #1, but Marvel was all about "continuity" in those days. (If Spider-Man sneezed in his own title, Mr. Fantastic would say "gesundheit" in Fantastic Four.) This is not the only time editor Al Milgrom sacrificed a logical chronology in the name of "continuity." Take Jim Starlin's two-part Hulk/Thing slugfest from Marvel Fanfare #20-21 for example, which was published during the time the Hulk was stranded in the so-called "crossroads" dimension. It was so obvious that this story took place at some point before that happened (including a line-up of Defenders which had disbanded by that point), yet lip serive was paid to a gathering of former members and Dr. Strange finding a way to temporarily free Hulk from his exile and restore his mind.

Okay, I'm off to read Ka-Zar the Savage #18-34 (already covered on pages 14-16 of this discussion).
Jeff of Earth-J August 1, 2025 at 11:08am

I've read them all and I'm still not certain how she came to be back in the Savage Land for Ka-Zar the Savage #1.

Although I have read these issues many times (including as recently as four years ago), I had completely forgotten that a flashback sequence in Ka-Zar the Savage #21 completely fills in the gap (regarding Shanna) between the "Shanna" back-up feature in Rampaging Hulk #9 and Ka-Zar the Savage #1.

That's why it pays to re-read these things from time-to-time.

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