Tarzan: The Joe Kubert Years, Vol. 1

Joe Kubert's Tarzan was one of the rare collaborations between character and artist that now seem definitive regardless of how many other talented creators try their hand--think also Curt Swan's Superman, Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four, and Barry Windsor-Smith's Conan. Tarzan: The Joe Kubert Years, vol. 1 collects the first eight issues of Kubert's run as writer-illustrator-letterer in 1972, encompassing Tarzan 207-214. Most significant is the first four issues, which Kubert used for an engrossing adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' first Tarzan novel. After this telling, the remaining four issues seem rather slight, but Kubert's dramatic art and stories are never less than interesting. Dark Horse's beautiful volume includes Tatjana Wood's original colors restored, and a new introduction by Kubert himself. --David Horiuchi