Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Webzine Site Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webpages in Archive Volume 7383  |
ERB 100-Word Drabbles
MAY III Edition :: Days 1 - 15
See Days 16 - 30 at ERBzine 7383a
by Robert Allen Lupton
With Collations, Web Page Layout and ERBzine Illustrations and References by Bill Hillman
WHAT'S NEXT
May 1: On this day in 1949, the Burne Hogarth / Rob Thompson Sunday comic storyline, “Tarzan on the Island of Mua-Ao” came to an end after 51 weeks. It was preceded by “Tarzan and N’Ani” and followed by “Tarzan and the Ononoes.” https://www.erbzine.com/mag69/6975.html
Tarzan has encountered a tribe who dresses like Vikings, but appear to be Polynesian or from the Thailand / Cambodia area. The phrase ‘Mua-Ao, when reversed means “slicker” or “sleeve.” Certain members in the tribe are in revolt and Tarzan becomes involved and, as the panel from the last Sunday page of the story shows, “Princess Thena” who was loved by all is declared Queen of Laht and the harbinger of Peace. Tarzan moved on to his next adventure.
A complete list of the Hogarth Sunday pages is available at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag66/6600.html
There are two series of excellent hardcover reprints of the Hogarth pages available on Amazon, EBay, and other online sources.
The drabble for today is “What’s Next,” and it was inspired by “Tarzan on the Island of Mua-Ao.”
WHAT'S NEXT
“I got caught up in a revolution on the island of Mua-Ao and helped a young woman named Princess Thena become the rightful Queen of Laht.”
“Did that make the Lahtian people happy?”
“Briefly. I left the day the conflict ended. I’ve
found that while people can agree to revolt, no one agrees on what to do
once the fighting stops and it’s time to for peace and prosperity.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Hannah Areudt, a political philosopher, said, ‘The
most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the
revolution.” Once in charge, they want to stay in charge.
HEDDA SAYS
May 2: On this day in 1885, actress turned gossip columnist Hedda Hopper was born as Edna Furry in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. She didn’t want people to know her real age so she told people she was born on June 2, 1890.
Before her career as a columnist, she played Eleanor Holm’s mother, Penny Reed, in the 1938 film, “Tarzan’s Revenge.” She appeared in over 100 films and television shows before and during her career as a gossip columnist. Perhaps, my favorite quotation by her is, “I wasn’t allowed to speak while my husband was alive, and since he’s gone no has been able to shut me up.
The drabble for today is “Hedda Says,” and it’s a combination of quotations by her, not directed at any specific individual, or maybe they were!
HEDDA SAYS
Two of the cruelest, most primitive punishments our town deals out to those who fall from favor are the empty mailbox and the silent telephone.”
DREAM VAULTS OF OPAR
April 3: On this day in 1956, D. Peter Ogden published the first issue of his fanzine, “Erbania.” The 20 page issue included the article “The American Tarzan Strip” and a bibliography of Burroughs’ novels. Erbania appeared sporadically, but just over 100 issues were published. Some issues were double issues – 53/54, 64/65, 67/68, 76/77, 95/ 96 and 97/98 are some of those. I obtained back issues of numbers 1-7 and 9 through 19 and became a faithful subscriber while in high school. I either missed or lost, most likely lost, issue 48, so I’m still missing three issues – 4, 8, and 48. One of the days, I’ll find all three of those issues.
100 plus issues were spread over 60 years, an average of a little less than 1.5 issues per year, but a true work of love. It was always a nice surprise when an issue arrived in the mail.
Early covers featured the art of Jim Cawthorn and several articles by Maurice Gardner, author of the Bantan books. A number of members of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, past and present, contributed articles, including by not limited to Patrick Adkins, Ken Webber, Robert Barrett, Mike Chapman, Henry Franke, Scott Tracy Griffin, Alan Hanson, Paul Spencer, Jim Thompson, and Jim Van Hise. Anyone I left out is unintentional, my apologies.
The cover included with this is for number 20, and it’s by Roy Krenkel, from the December 1966 issue and the first one I received with my subscription.
All the covers and contents may be reviewed at https://www.erbzine.com/mag64/6412.html
I mention the “Dream Vaults of Opar,” articles by Pat Adkins, in today’s drabble. Those articles are online at: http://strangeexcursions.com/vaults/
The drabble for today features my old friends Pat and John from New Orleans. Pat was a frequent contributor to Erbania.
DREAM VAULTS OF OPAR
“John, I wrote the article. It’s on my website and Ogden asked if he could publish it in his magazine. I told him yes.”
“But, he used your name. That’s not right.”
“John, I wrote the article. I’m pleased that he used
my name.”
“If you won’t complain, I will.”
“You’re confused. It’s my article.”
“I’m not the one confused.”
“Okay, John. Have another cup of coffee.”
YOU HAVE TO APPLY
May 4: On this day In 1928, artist, Nester Redondo, was born in Candon, Ilocos Sur, Phillipine Islands. Redondo drew hundreds of comic books for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and other publishers during the 1970s and 1980s. A complete list would be exhaustive. However, he illustrated “Rima, the Jungle Girl,” “Savage Sword of Conan,” “The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” “Aztec Ace,” and “Solarman.” He drew one page of DC’s Tarzan #232 in 1974.
Redondo furnished front and back covers for ERB fanzines, including beautiful illustrations for the magnificent ERBdom. He passed away in 1995.
He was one of the first foreign artists to find work with American Comics, certainly one the most prolific. His work ethic was astounding. He formed his own publishing company and started a training program for young artists. One of his messages was that people have to see your work in order to buy it. Submit it as many times as necessary in order to sell it. As ERB once said about his own work, “I don’t have to fool all the editors, I only have to fool one of them.”
The drabble for today is “You Have to Apply,”
YOU HAVE TO APPLY
Most other artists I know are barely surviving.”
“It’s something I learned from reading the Tarzan
books. “If you want to eat antelope, you must hunt where the atelopes live.”
A lot of my friends wish that they worked for American
and European publishers.”
“Wishing doesn’t get you a job. I sent dozens of samples
to Marvel Comics before they hired me. No one reads an application that
is never submitted.”
DON'T BE KOI
May 5, 2021 ~ Cinco de Mayo: On this day in 1940, Edgar Rice Burroughs began writing the first part of “Escape on Venus.” The working title was “Captured on Venus,” and it was published in the March 1941 issue of “Fantastic Adventures,” under the title, “Slaves of the Fish Men,” compete with a cover and two illustrations by J. Allen St. John.
Other writers with stories in the issue included Duncan Farnsworth (David Wright O’Brien,” John York Cabot (also David Wright O’Brien) who also had a story in the issue under his own name, “”Beyond the Time Door." O’Brien wrote three of the eight stories in the issue. William P. McGivern’s story was “Adopted Son of the Stars.” and Cleo Eldon Wilcox, under the name Don Wilcox, contributed the story, “Adopted Son of the Stars.” Wilcox used the non de plume, Buzz-Bolt Atomcracker. for a later story, “Confessions of a Mechanical Man.”
Interestingly ERB and McGivern were the only two contributors to the issue not publishing under assumed names.
Publishing details and numerous covers for “Escape on Venus” are at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0751.html
The drabble for today is “Don’t Be Koi,” inspired by the Fishmen of “Escape on Venus.”
DON'T BE KOI
“That’s not just a fishcious rumor, Carson, they have gills, big eyes, and fins. I’ve haddock with the way their treating us. We should escape as soon as possible. Do you have a plan?”
“I’m not a brain sturgeon, but I’ll think of something after I mullet over. The other prisoners don’t like us, and it would be a turtle disaster if they mussel in on our plans. We need to keep them octopied.”
Duare nodded. “Keep your friends close and you anemones closer.”
CHEERS
May 6: On this day in 1919, L. Frank Baum, writer of the “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” and several other books died in Hollywood, California. Baum wrote 14 Oz novels, 41 other novels, and 83 short stories.
Baum and Edgar Rice Burroughs met in 1916 and became friends. They had a lot in common. Both became writers late in life, and created beloved and enduring characters. Both aggressively pursued film productions of their worth, and both established their own short lived movie studios. Baum welcomed Burroughs to California and invited him to join a prestigious men’s club, “Uplifters.” Baum’s estate, “Ozcot,” was near ERB’s “Tarzana.”
Fans of both writers have active organizations, “Burroughs Bibliophiles,” and “The International Wizard of Oz Club,” which publish regular magazines.
Unlike Burroughs, Baum used pseudonyms, Edith Van Dyne and Laura Bancroft, to publish some of his novels, ones about women in risky and action filled occupations, the Mary Louise series and the Aunt Jane’s Nieces series.
His works predicted the development of future technology, including cell phones, television and laptop computers. Some would argue that “Til-Tok” predicted robots and artificial intelligence.
Like Burroughs, I collected “Oz” books and other books by L. Frank Baum. “Several writers, including Philip Jose Farmer, have written Oz books. I have almost 350 different ones. Robert A. Heinlein’s most recently published book, “The Pursuit of Pankera,” an alternate version of “The Number of the Beast,” features visits to both Barsoom and Oz. Unfortunately, Dejah Thoris and Dorothy never meet.
The drabble for today is "Cheers,"and it’s based on the friendship of Edgar Rice Burroughs and L. Frank Baum.”
CHEERS
“My son, Harry, loves Tarzan. He didn’t read “A Princess of Mars” until he was 25 years old, but he joined a fencing club the day he finished the book.”
“A. C. McClurg publishes it in hardback next year.
I’ll sign one for him.”
“Very kind of you. There’s a men’s club of gentlemen
who work to improve life around here, the Uplifters. You should join.”
“What will my responsibilities consist of?”
“Mostly, buying me drinks.”
“Perhaps, an Ozmopolitan or an Ozmanaut? You bet.
SELF-INFLICTED DEMISE
May 7: On this day in 1968, Nora Louise Kuzma was born in Steubenville, Ohio. Nora grew up to become actress Traci Lords and played Dejah Thoris in The Asylum film, “Princess of Mars,” an unauthorized version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first novel, “Under the Moons of Mars.” The film, which starred Antonio Sabato, Jr. as John Carter, was also released under the title, “John Carter of Mars,” and in the UK as “The Martian Colony Wars.” The title “Avatar of Mars” was also used, no doubt, to take advantage of the James Cameron film, “Avatar.”
Nora, after changing her name to Traci Lords, became an adult film actress at the age of 16, thus exposing everyone involved in the production and distribution of her films to prosecution. She left the industry the week she turned 18, and enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. She appeared in several main stream films and television episodes including, “Cry-Baby,” “The Tommyknockers,” “Serial Mom,” “Blade,” and “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.” She also had a recording career. Her song, “Love Never Dies,” was on the soundtrack to ‘Pet Sematary Two,” and her single “Control” reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and was on the soundtrack of “Mortal Kombat. Her autobiography, “Traci Lords: Underneath It All” reached #31 on the New York Times Best seller list.
The drabble for today is “Self-Inflicted Demise’, and it’s based on the foolish attempt to destroy the atmosphere plant, foretold by Edgar Rice Burroughs over a hundred years ago.
SELF-INFLICTED DEMISE
Dejah replied, “This is the air cleaning station. Without it, the entire planet would be inhabitable. Everyone would die.”
“Everyone would die?” Then why did Sarka and his minions
damage it. They’ll die, like everyone else.”
Stupidity. We have a saying, “Don’t cut off your ears
so you can’t hear the truth.”
Carter smiled. “My people have a similar one. We say
‘Don’t chop off your nose to spite your face.”
ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE
May 8: On this day in 1949, the Rob Thompson / James Freeman written and Burne Hogarth illustrated story arc, “Tarzan and the Ononoes,” began. The story is available online in ERBzine at:
“Tarzan and the Ononoes” ran for 25 weeks. Hogarth would only draw the strip for 47 more weeks after “Ononoes” came to end. He was replaced by Bob Lubbers during the story, “Tarzan and the Wild Game Hunter” in September of 1950.
The Ononoes are round ball like creatures, not unlike the Kaldanes of “The Chessmen of Mars.” They don’t have surrogate bodies (Rykors) to control, and are forced to manuveuver around by rolling or with their arms, if they have legs, they are vestigial and never shown in the illustrations. The creatures live in a secluded village surround by a forest filled with “tree-men,” natives who live in the trees (duh). The Ononoes have a captive woman, Barbara Ransome,” who they worship as a priestess. She and Tarzan decide to escape from the roly-poly people, angering the king and high priest. Battles follow and Tarzan and Barbara, with the help of the tree-men escape.
The drabble today is "All Downhill From Here," inspired by the strip.
ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE
Tarzan looked at the humanoid, who was built like a large sphere about a yard in diameter. The priest had two long powerful arms, bulbous eyes, and large teeth. “Ball boy, do you move like a wagon-wheel and roll across the ground?”
“I’m a mighty warrior. You can’t outsmart me. I challenge you to contests of mind and body. You choose one and I choose the other. Win either and go free. Lose both and die.”
Tarzan said, “Race me uphill."
WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING
May 9: In 1937, the very first Burne Hogarth Tarzan Sunday Page appeared. The page was titled “A Long Chance” and it was an instalment of “Tarzan and the City of Gold,” a story arc that had begun under Hal Foster. Hogarth took over the Sunday pages from Hal Foster, who left to write and illustrate his own Sunday comic, a little thing called “Prince Valiant.” Hogarth would stay with the strip until 1950, over 13 years except for break of about 80 weeks in 1946 /1947 when Ruben Moreira drew the strip.
Here’s the very first panel of the very first Burne Hogarth Sunday Page.
In the story, Tarzan assists Queen Nakonia in her battle against the military renegades who fight to capture her city, the City of Gold.
Read all about it at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag71/7131.html
The drabble today is “Watch Where You’re Going,” and it’s based on that story arc.
WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING
“Do as I say, and we’ll kill them all,” said Tarzan.
Nakonia’s men built hot-air balloons and hung nets
between them. When the devil birds attacked at night, Tarzan released the
balloons and their nets entangled the propellers and all the aircraft crashed.
“Amazing,” said the Queen. “I didn’t believe it possible.”
Tarzan said, “Their arrogance killed them. One lesson
of piloting is that when you can’t see where you’re going, going faster
won’t improve the situation.
STARKVILLE
May 10: On this day in 1965, author, actor, and archivist Scott Tracy Griffin was born in Starkville, Mississippi, the home of Mississippi State University. Griffin researched and wrote two books, “Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration” and “Tarzan on Film.” Griffin has written numerous articles about Edgar Rice Burroughs and his creations for www.erbzine.com, ERBAPA, and the Burroughs Bibliophiles. He even authored one Tarzan Sunday story arc, which was illustrated by Gray Morrow. “La’s Plight” ran for 13 weeks from June 16, 1996 until September 8, 1996.
Scott appeared as himself in two video documentaries, “Tarzan, Silver Screen King of the Jungle,” and “Investigating Tarzan.” He portrayed Navy Commander Brian Haber in the NCIS episode, “Squall” in 2013 and Stephen Meyers in the 2005 episode of Num3rs, “Sniper Zero.”
His two books are available in finer bookstores and online at https://www.amazon.com/
The drabble for today is “Starkville,” and it features my old friend John from New Orleans in an imaginary conversation with Scott.
STARKVILLE
“No, John, I was nine years old when O’Keefe was in
Starkville.”
“How about Johnny Cash. He spent a night in the Starkville
jail.”
“No, I was only two days old.”
“Jerry Rice was from Starkville.”
“Older than me. Never met him.”
“Did you meet anyone while you lived there?”
“Two friends, John Carter and John Clayton.”
HERO
May 11: On this day in 1935, actor Douglas Osborne McClure, was born in Glendale, California. Doug McClure starred as Trampas in the multi-season run of the television western “The Virginian. He appeared in numerous television shows, and he played two Edgar Rice Burroughs heroes in three films, playing Bowen Tyler in “The Land That Time Forgot” and “The People That Time Forgot,” as well as David Innes in “At the Earth’s Core.”
He also appeared in “Humanoids of the Deep,” and “Warlords of Atlantis.” While it was only one of his many appearances, another McClurg film from 1973 is including here only for its title, “The Bloody Vultures of Alaska.” Vultures was released under several titles, no doubt to confuse the potential audience, including “The Hellhounds of Alaska.”
The drabble for today is “Hero.” Thanks and apologies to Bonnie Tyler for the lyrics from her song and to Edgar Rice Burroughs who understood what a hero was over 70 years before she recorded the song. Burroughs created heroes that were certainly larger than life – and Doug McClure played two of them.
HERO
“I’ve read the script. “At the Earth’s Core,” is a morality play, like a western. Good guys always win. Evil, whether it be renegade soldiers or monsters, always loses. People need real heroes.”
“Yes, Doug, they need a hero, but he’s gotta be strong and he’s gotta be fast, and he’s gotta be fresh from the fight. He’s gotta be sure, and it’s gotta be soon and he’s gotta be larger than life.”
HISTORICAL FICTION
May 12: On this day in 1939 was the copyright date for the pulp magazine “Fantastic Adventures,” Volume 1, Number 2 – the cover date was July 1939. The magazine featured the appearance of “The Scientists Revolt,” which was written by ERB as “Beware in 1922. The story of intrigue in the small European kingdom of Assuria, was rejected regularly until it was purchased by editor Raymond Palmer for Fantastic Adventures. Palmer payed Burroughs “$245.00 for the story, and rewrote it almost beyond recognition. Burroughs’ mystery story of political intrigue was now a science fiction story, which in my opinion, barely holds together. Palmer was a particularly heavy handed editor, perhaps even more so than I am.
That issue also contained “The Golden Amazon” by John Russell Fearn, the first book in the Golden Amazon (Violet Ray) series.
Both story versions are available at www.erbzine.com. “Beware” was published as issue #49 of the Burroughs Bulletin in 1974. The Scientists Revolt was published in ERBdom in issues #42, 43, and 44 in 1971 and three years later in Burroughs Bulletin #40, August 1974.
The drabble for today is “Historical Fiction,” and it was inspired by Palmer’s rewriting of the Edgar Rice Burroughs works that he purchased publishing rights to.
HISTORICAL FICTION
“Dad, it’s 1939, not 1922 when you wrote the story. Times have changed. Maybe it need a rewrite to make it fit the times.”
“Tales of political intrigue, treachery, and betrayal in European monarchies are timeless. Palmer also bought “Giant of Mars.” Only the gods know how he’ll change that one around. If he wants to rewrite things so much, he should have been a historian, not an editor.”
PROTECT MY OWN
May 13: On this day in 1915, Edgar Rice Burroughs began writing “Ben, King of Beasts,” a 37,000 word novella, that would also be known as “The Man-Eater.” The story didn’t see its first publication in a pulp magazine, but rather was serialized by the New York Evening World newspaper over six consecutive days from November 15, 1915 through November 20, 1915 inclusive.
The story then remained out of print until Lloyd Arthur Eshbach published an edition of 300 copies in 1955. It was thereafter combined with “Beyond Thirty” and published in 1957 by Science-Fiction and Fantasy Publications” with a cover by Gil Kane.
Publishing details are at: https://www.erbzine.com/mag7/0762.html
The story has similarities to the George Bernard Shaw play, “Androcles and the Lion.” However, in this case, the man, Robert Gordon, owes a long overdue debt to a lion, who twice saves him and his beloved Virginia Scott. Gordon returns the favor by saving “Ben,’ the lion, from a hunting party, and buys him from a circus. Gordon intends to donate the lion to a zoo, but the story ends before that issue is resolved.
The drabble for today is, “Protect My Own,” and it was inspired by “”Ben, King of Beasts,” aka “The Man-Eater.”
PROTECT MY OWN
“He should, he’s the man-eater we saw at the circus. He escaped.”
“I wonder why he saved us.”
“Look closely. He’s the same lion that killed the men who were going to rape you all those years ago in Africa.”
“Why would he help us?”
“The men who were going to rape you, killed his mate and captured him. I freed him.”
“So lions are like elephants, they never forget?”
“Exactly. The lion sees us as foolish and slow members of his pack. Unlike humans, a lion protects his own.”
JOB DESCRIPTION
May 14: On this day in 1927, Argosy All-Story Weekly published the fifth and final installment of “The War Chief.” The novel, which had the working titel, “The War Chief of the Apaches,” had a print run of approximately 79,000 words.
Authorized book editions of the book have been few and far between, a first edition by McClurg in 1927, reprinted By Grosset and Dunlap in 1928 (four variants), and Ballantine paperbacks in 1964, 1973, and 1975 (six variants).
The May 14, 1927 issue of Argosy All-Story Weekly had a cover illustration by Paul Stahr, illustrating either “Night Hawk’s Gold” by Kenneth Perkins or “The Freedom of the Shes” by George F. Worts. The War Chief isn’t mentioned on the cover. The title of the issue is “Blather Sheehan of the Wide World” by Will McMorrow.
The drabble for today is “Job Description,” and it was inspired by the book, “The War Chief,” which was itself based on Edgar Rice Burroughs experiences in the U. S. Cavalry.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Shoz-Dijiji, the Black Bear, crossed his arms. “Look to your own behavior. We simply follow your example. Your President Cleveland relies on advice from Mister William Endicott, a man who bears the title, Secretary of War?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Claiming a difference, doesn’t make it so.”
WOMAN'S WORK
May 15: On this day in 1944, the Rex Maxon illustrated Tarzan daily strip began the story arc, “The Prisoner of the Cadi,” which only ran for 18 days, making it one of the shortest Tarzan daily stories published. Also, more than 150 Allied political leaders and military officers, including Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, Churchill, and even King George met for the final joint briefing for D-Day in a school near London.
“The Prisoner of the Cadi” (spelled Caid on some pages) features Tarzan’s efforts to free a young boy from the nomadic desert tribe. At the end of the feature, the Cadi are going to execute the youth, even though he saved the chief’s life. Tarzan defends the boy, who quickly reveals himself to be the chief’s daughter, Nadia, in disguise.
Read all 18 episodes at https://www.erbzine.com/mag54/5448.html
The drabble for today, inspired by that storyline, is “Woman’s Work.”
WOMAN'S WORK
Tarzan said, “The young man has just saved your life. You can’t reward him with death.”
“His people are not my people. He is our enemy and must die.”
The boy uncovered his face and revealed himself to be a young woman. “Father, it is I, Nadia, your daughter. I disguised myself to fight alongside of you.”
“Why would you think you needed to save me?”
“I know you and I know your methods. I had to step
in. You’ve never learned not to send your men to do a woman’s work.”
See Days 16-30 at ERBzine 7383a
MAY IIIa ILLUSTRATIONS COLLAGE
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