Four Color #161
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFour Color #161 — 'Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr' — is the final stepping-stone in the two-issue tryout run that convinced Dell to give Edgar Rice Burroughs' jungle hero his own dedicated ongoing series, launching with Tarzan #1 in January–February 1948. As the second of only two Four Color Tarzan one-shots, it confirmed that the writer-artist team of Gaylord DuBois and Jesse Marsh had the commercial and creative legs to sustain a long-running title, which ultimately ran for 131 issues through 1962. The issue also introduced the city of Tohr and its queen, Ahtea, original locations that became part of the distinctive 'Jungle World' geography that Dell's Tarzan line would build upon for decades. In this way, #161 is less a standalone curiosity than the direct catalyst for one of Dell's most enduring adventure franchises.
In "Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr," Tarzan and his friend Paul D'Arnot stumble upon Professor James Barton and his daughter Ruth abandoned in the jungle, only to be pursued by hostile natives and forced into a perilous journey down an uncharted river. Emerging from a mysterious rock tunnel, the group finds themselves in the hidden realm of Queen Ahtea and the lost city of Tohr, where the Queen has her own plans for Tarzan—plans he’s determined to escape. Written by Rob Thompson and illustrated with dynamic energy by Jesse Marsh (who also handled the cover), this 1947 adventure from Four Color #161 delivers a classic jungle mystery with a touch of intrigue and danger, all rendered in crisp, period-accurate art.
In "Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr," Tarzan and his friend Paul D'Arnot stumble upon Professor James Barton and his daughter Ruth stranded in the jungle, only to be chased by hostile natives and swept into a hidden river that leads through a mysterious rock tunnel. Emerging into the forgotten realm of Queen Ahtea and the lost city of Tohr, Tarzan finds himself the Queen’s unexpected suitor—though he has no intention of becoming her king. Now trapped in her dungeons, he and his companions must find a way to escape before their fate is sealed.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 17 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Dell's first licensed deal for all-new Tarzan stories — as opposed to reprinted newspaper strips — began in early 1947 when Western Publishing (operating under the Dell imprint) paired writer Gaylord DuBois with artist Jesse Marsh on Four Color #134 ('Tarzan and the Devil Ogre,' February 1947). That debut enjoyed enough success that Dell immediately commissioned a follow-up from the same team, resulting in Four Color #161, published in August 1947. Marsh, who had worked at Disney Studios from 1939 onward contributing to productions such as Pinocchio and Fantasia, brought a fluid, animation-influenced line to the character; DuBois, a prolific Dell scripter who would go on to write thousands of comic stories, consciously blended elements of Burroughs' novels, the newspaper strip, and the then-popular Hollywood film version of Tarzan into a style that was accessible to young postwar readers. The story's synopsis was approved by Edgar Rice Burroughs himself with no requested changes, and its thematic inspiration was drawn loosely from Burroughs' novel 'Tarzan and the City of Gold.'
Trivia · 8 facts
- Full indicia title: 'Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr, No. 161,' published August 1947 by Dell Comics; copyright registered to Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
- This is the second — and final — Tarzan tryout issue in the Dell Four Color series; it directly precedes and led to the launch of a dedicated Tarzan ongoing series (Dell, 1948, #1, January–February 1948).
- Written by Gaylord DuBois and illustrated by Jesse Marsh, the same creative team that produced the first Tarzan Four Color (#134, February 1947).
- The issue contains two stories: the lead adventure 'Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr,' featuring the original villain Queen Ahtea of the city of Tohr, and a backup story titled 'Tarzan and the Black Panther,' featuring Arab slave trader Sidi Ben Yemlik.
- Jesse Marsh — a former Disney animator who contributed to Pinocchio and Fantasia — was the first artist to produce original (non-reprint) Tarzan comic art; he continued drawing the character for Dell until his death in 1966.
- The story for 'Fires of Tohr' was loosely inspired by Burroughs' novel 'Tarzan and the City of Gold,' and Edgar Rice Burroughs himself approved the story synopsis without requesting any changes.
- DuBois' scripts for this and subsequent Tarzan issues deliberately blended Burroughs' source novels with the newspaper strip continuity and the Hollywood film version of the character, creating a distinct 'Dell Tarzan' interpretation.
- The contents of Four Color #161 were later reprinted in Dark Horse's 'Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years' (2009) and the subsequent Jesse Marsh Years Omnibus (2017), preserving the work for modern readers.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years #1 (2009), Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years Omnibus #1 (2017)
Key issues in Four Color
★
★
★
★
★
★
★Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.