Korak [long "O"] is the ape name of John "Jack" Clayton, Viscount Greystoke, the son of Tarzan and Jane Porter.
History[]
Jack first appeared in the original Tarzan novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was introduced as an infant in the non-Tarzan novel The Eternal Lover (later retitled The Eternal Savage), in which the Ape Man and his family played supporting roles. His next appearance (still as an infant) was in The Beasts of Tarzan, the third Tarzan novel, in which he was kidnapped and taken to Africa. The story of his youth and growth to manhood was told in the fourth novel, The Son of Tarzan, in which he returned to Africa and lived in the jungle, taking for the first time the name Korak ("Killer" in the language of the Great Apes). Most references to him were as "Korak the Killer".
Half of the book relates to Meriem, the Arab girl he rescues from a beating. The two of them run wild in the forest for years before being separated. After many adventures they are re-united and eventually marry.
Korak was later used as a supporting character in the eighth through the tenth entries in the series, Tarzan the Terrible, Tarzan and the Golden Lion, and Tarzan and the Ant Men. The last of those three also briefly mentions Korak and Meriem's young son 'Jackie'. The Bunduki series by J. T. Edson—and authorized by the Burroughs estate—includes Korak and Meriem's granddaughter Dawn as one of two main characters.
In other media[]
Besides the Burroughs novels, Korak also appeared in the 1920 movie serial The Son of Tarzan, the Tarzan comic strip, in which he was a major character for many years; and the Tarzan, Korak, Son of Tarzan, and Tarzan Family comic books.
In the Johnny Weismuller Tarzan films, Korak was replaced by an adopted son called Boy (played by Johnny Sheffield). Tarzan and Jane never married in these films (they do in the books), and the substitution was made to avoid censorship. In the Dell comic books of the fifties, which combine material from the books and the films, Tarzan's son was also called Boy. When the Tarzan comics returned to a more faithful portrayal of Burroughs' characters in the early 1960s, Boy disappeared and Tarzan's son was called Korak, who went on to be featured in his own comic book.
Portrayal in film[]
- Gordon Griffith (youth) 1920
- Kamuela C. Searle (adult) 1920
- Unknown man (adult in dress clothes at end of film), 1920
Comic books[]
- Gold Key Comics published Korak, Son of Tarzan #1–45 from January 1964 to January 1972.[5] It featured work by Russ *Manning, Warren Tufts, Dan Spiegle, and others.[6]
- DC Comics acquired the series in 1972, continuing the numbering from #46–59 (June 1972 to September–October 1975),[7] when it was renamed The Tarzan Family. The retitled series ran an additional seven issues #60–66 (November–December 1975 to November–December 1976)[8] Both series also included other Burroughs' characters. The Korak series featured work from writers Len Wein and Robert Kanigher and artists Frank Thorne, Murphy Anderson, and Rudy Florese. "Carson of Venus" by Wein and Michael Kaluta was the backup feature in issues #46–56.