If you missed the last one…
Beyond the Farthest Star (1942) is not Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most famous book. In fact, it is a bit of later novel for completists or Science Fiction fans. The book lacks the usual color and adventure of earlier works though it gives great detail of an alternative society, one dedicated to war. The book is made up of two novellas: “Beyond the Farthest Star” (Blue Book, January 1942″ and its unpublished sequel, “Tangor Returns” (Tales of Three Planet, 1964). The two segments provide a beginning to the Tangor series that was never continued.
The comic book version of the “novel” was done by DC back in the Joe Kubert days, when anything Burroughs was fair game. It appeared as a back-up feature with Tarzan #213-218 (October 1972-March 1973) and a last appearance in Tarzan Family #61 (January-February 1976). Through these seven chapters the roll call varied.
The first three episodes: “Adventure on Poloda”, “The Naming of Tangor”, “The Merman” began the adaptation with Marv Wolfman writing and Dan Green drawing.
With the fourth unnamed segment Howard Chaykin took over the art.
With the fifth and sixth, “The Forest of Peril!” and “Princess of Doom!” the writing may have shifted to Denny O’Neil and the art was now Murphy Anderson’s.
The story-line was dropped but one last foray for Tangor appeared in Tarzan Family #61 with “Incident on Tonos” written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Rudy Florese. Our planet-bound crew has gone out into space for fresh adventures. (I remember this one as a kid. I had no idea of the 1972 adaptation so I was surprised to realize this was a new story of Tangor.) This story could have been one of Kanigher’s Space Voyagers strips.
Artists jumping around was not unusual in the back pages of Tarzan. The main feature was usually done by Joe Kubert with other Burroughs books getting Sal Amendola, Mike Kaluta, Gray Morrow, Murphy Anderson, Alan Weiss, Dan Green or whoever, depending on the issue. With “Beyond the Farthest Star” Murphy Anderson drew the lucky straw. He got the part of the novel where Tangor crashes in the forest and has to face a monster. This was the scene that Frank Frazetta did for the cover of the paperback. It is the only memorable part for me as someone who read the book decades ago.
Next time…The Alien Invasions of Captain Marvel!
I have a warm place in my heart for “Beyond The Farthest Star” as well as “The Outlaw of Torn” and “The Lost Continent” as those were the first ERB books I recall reading. I knew Tarzan from watching the Weismuller movies on TV but I didn’t read the books until much later and I didn’t start reading the Barsoom series until I discovered John Carter in comics.
I feel that way about The Lost Continent too. Also the Caspak novels. I came to BtFS later.