Clash of the Comic Book Heroes

Clash of the Comic Book Heroes by Bowen12a 

Batman (to Korak):  You and Tarzan are not in the same league as Robin and I.

Korak (to himself):  Speaking of Robin, where is he?

Clash of the Comic Book Heroes 2 by Bowen12a

Korak (to himself):  There he is.

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Clash of the Comic Book Heroes 4 by Bowen12a

Robin (to Batman):  Holy Inappropriate Costume!

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Clash of the Comic Book Heroes 6 by Bowen12a

Robin (to Batman):  Holy Helpless Third-Rate Hero!

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Clash of the Comic Book Heroes 8 by Bowen12a 

Robin (to Batman):  Holy Jungle Boy Beatdown!

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Clash of the Comic Book Heroes 10 by Bowen12a

Robin (to Batman):  Holy Bedtime for Bonzo!

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Robin (to Batman):  Holy Squash Job!

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Robin (to Batman):  Holy Humiliated Hero!

Korak is the Honorable Jack Clayton, son of English Lord John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke, also known as Tarzan, lord of the jungle.  He is the hero of a 1915/6 magazine serial and 1917 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and a 1920 silent movie serial, as well as a character in several other Tarzan stories from 1914 to 1924.  He experienced a revival in 1964 as the star of his own comic book series and as a major character in various Tarzan comic books, pages, and strips from 1966 to 1978.

Batman and Robin are the Dynamic Duo, the vigilante crime-fighting aliases of millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne and his youthful ward Dick Grayson.  Batman starred in his own DC comic book series since 1939, and Robin was introduced in 1940.  Batman and Robin were played by Adam West and Burt Ward, respectively, in the 1966 television series on ABC.

Korak strives to emulate the heroics of his legendary father but lacks his strength, maturity and experience.  Therefore, he is more likely to enter into dangerous situations and more vulnerable to being defeated.

The setting is a comic-book convention.  Because the superheroes tend to dominate them, Tarzan decided to stay at home.  However, despite his father's warnings, Korak thought that, inasmuch as he is a handsome, athletic, shirtless, peak human, teen-aged jungle boy, that his debut would be a success and that he would attract a lot of fans, meet a lot of other heroes, and learn a lot of techniques from them.  What he found was a busy, competitive, hierarchical environment where a simple jungle hero tended to be ignored by both fans and more popular heroes.

This 12-part picture series "Clash of the Comic Book Heroes by Bowen12a" was commissioned from an artist through DeviantART in 2015.  

Due to his greater size and strength, Korak should be able to handle the athletic, acrobatic Robin by himself.  However, he would be no match against both the Boy Wonder and the Caped Crusader, a mature, peak human adult with super gadgets.

This series is also meant as a commentary on the inability of traditional heroes to compete in the superhero era in terms of fame, fan base, television viewership, and movie-ticket, comic-book, and toy sales.  When Batman debuted in 1939, Tarzan was already a successful star of movies and comic books.  Over the next several decades, as the Caped Crusaders' fan base grew, the jungle lord was still able to remain competitive.  However, as special effects progressed from the depths of cheesiness to greater heights of realism, they facilitated the rise of the superheroes in film and television.  With cross marketing, superheroes flourished while traditional heroes declined.  

Although I personally prefer handsome, shirtless underdogs Tarzan and Korak, the Caped Crusaders Batman and Robin have clearly won the battle of the comic book heroes.

These pictures are fan art and intended to raise interest in and appreciation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs character Korak.  I introduced Batman and Robin as potential antagonists.  These are original scenes and did not appear in any comic book, page, or strip.

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