Korak (character)


Korak is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan novel series and its adaptations. Known by civilan name John "Jack" Clayton III, Korak is the son of Tarzan and Jane Porter.

History

Jack first appeared in the original Tarzan novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was introduced as an infant in the non-Tarzan novel The Eternal Lover, in which the Ape Man and his family played supporting roles. His next appearance was in The Beasts of Tarzan, the third Tarzan novel, in which his father Tarzan was kidnapped and taken to West Africa. The story of his youth and growth to manhood was told in the fourth novel, The Son of Tarzan, in which he returned to sub-Saharan Africa and lived in the jungle, taking for the first time the name Korak. Most references to him were as "Korak the Killer".
Half of the book relates to Meriem, the girl he rescues from a beating. The two of them run wild in the forest for years before being separated. After many adventures they are re-united and eventually marry.
Korak was later used as a supporting character in the eighth through the tenth entries in the series, Tarzan the Terrible, Tarzan and the Golden Lion, and Tarzan and the Ant Men. The last of those three also briefly mentions Korak and Meriem's young son "Jackie". The Bunduki series by J. T. Edson - authorized by the Burroughs estate - includes Korak and Meriem's granddaughter Dawn as one of two main characters.

In other media

Besides the Burroughs novels, Korak also appeared in the 1920 movie serial The Son of Tarzan, the Tarzan comic strip, in which he was a major character for many years; and the Tarzan, Korak, Son of Tarzan, and Tarzan Family comic books.
In the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films, Korak was replaced by an adopted son called Boy. Tarzan and Jane never married in these films, and the substitution was made to avoid censorship. In the Dell comic books of the 1950s, which combine material from the books and the films, Tarzan's son was also called Boy. When the Tarzan comics returned to a more faithful portrayal of Burroughs' characters in the early 1960s, Boy revealed himself to truly be called Korak, going on to later be featured in his own comic book.

Portrayal in film