Brothers of the Spear
Encyclopedia
Brothers of the Spear was a long-running backup feature in the Tarzan
comic book
series created by Western Publishing
and published first through Dell Comics
and then through Gold Key Comics
. Though published as part of a licensed Edgar Rice Burroughs
franchise, this original series was owned by Western.
The Brothers of the Spear were Dan-El and Natongo, unrelated kings by right in their neighboring countries, whose thrones had been usurped. They swore brotherhood and had adventures together. What was notable was that Dan-El was white, and whose kingdom was that of a lost white tribe in Africa (Aba-Zulu), while Natongo was black (from Tungelu). The first two years of the series dealt with them winning back their thrones. By that time, they had individually gotten married. But even being kings and husbands, they continued to have adventures together, many times with their wives.
The series was created by writer
Gaylord Du Bois and artist
Jesse Marsh
in Tarzan #25 (1951), and ran continuously through #156 (1966). Acclaimed artist Russ Manning
did some of his earliest comics work on this series, beginning in Tarzan #39 (Dec. 1952). The ending of the series was due in part to Russ Manning moving to take over Tarzan from Marsh in #154. New stories would appear in #160, 161 (by Manning), and later in #202 and #203 (by Mike Royer).
While DC Comics
licensed the rights to Tarzan in 1972, the Brothers of the Spear remained with Gold Key Comics which published their own 17-issue Brothers of the Spear title (June 1972 - Feb. 1976). Whitman Comics published an issue #18 in May 1982, with reprinted material only. Du Bois wrote the series beginning with issue #2. Jesse Santos did the artwork for the first twelve issues, followed by Dan Spiegle
.
In 2012, Dark Horse Comics
will start a hardcover archive series. The first volume will reprint strips from Tarzan #25-67. The series will probably last about 5 volumes.
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series created by Western Publishing
Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
and published first through Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
and then through Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
. Though published as part of a licensed Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
franchise, this original series was owned by Western.
The Brothers of the Spear were Dan-El and Natongo, unrelated kings by right in their neighboring countries, whose thrones had been usurped. They swore brotherhood and had adventures together. What was notable was that Dan-El was white, and whose kingdom was that of a lost white tribe in Africa (Aba-Zulu), while Natongo was black (from Tungelu). The first two years of the series dealt with them winning back their thrones. By that time, they had individually gotten married. But even being kings and husbands, they continued to have adventures together, many times with their wives.
The series was created by writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Gaylord Du Bois and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
Jesse Marsh
Jesse Marsh
Jesse Marsh was a comic book and animation artist. His main claim to fame is his work on the early Tarzan and related books for Western Publishing that saw print through Dell Comics and later Gold Key Comics. He was the first artist to produce original Tarzan comic books. Up to that time, all...
in Tarzan #25 (1951), and ran continuously through #156 (1966). Acclaimed artist Russ Manning
Russ Manning
Russell Manning was an American comic book artist who created the series Magnus, Robot Fighter and illustrated such newspaper comic strips as Tarzan and Star Wars...
did some of his earliest comics work on this series, beginning in Tarzan #39 (Dec. 1952). The ending of the series was due in part to Russ Manning moving to take over Tarzan from Marsh in #154. New stories would appear in #160, 161 (by Manning), and later in #202 and #203 (by Mike Royer).
While DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
licensed the rights to Tarzan in 1972, the Brothers of the Spear remained with Gold Key Comics which published their own 17-issue Brothers of the Spear title (June 1972 - Feb. 1976). Whitman Comics published an issue #18 in May 1982, with reprinted material only. Du Bois wrote the series beginning with issue #2. Jesse Santos did the artwork for the first twelve issues, followed by Dan Spiegle
Dan Spiegle
Dan Spiegle is an American comic book and cartoon artist and illustrator . He has had a long career in drawing comics based on movie and television characters, and has worked for companies including Dell Comics, DC Comics and Marvel Comics.-Life and career:In his second year of high school,...
.
In 2012, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
will start a hardcover archive series. The first volume will reprint strips from Tarzan #25-67. The series will probably last about 5 volumes.