Warning: contains a preview of Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land #1!
Marvel’s Lord of the Savage Land, Ka-Zar, is the anti-Iron Man in a sneak peek at his new book. Much like Iron Man, Ka-Zar has a luxurious and opulent house, but it is the epitome of low-tech. In a four-page preview for Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land #1, on sale in print and digital September 9, readers are introduced to Ka-Zar’s new status quo, complete with a mysterious, plant-based tech reminiscent of that found on the X-Men's island nation of Krakoa.
There have been two versions of Ka-Zar in the Marvel Universe, the most notable being the second version introduced in 1965’s Uncanny X-Men #10, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. An homage to Tarzan, Ka-Zar was born Lord Kevin Plunder, but was marooned in the Savage Land (a mysterious jungle habitat in Antarctica) as a child and raised by the sabretooth tiger Zabu. Growing to adulthood there, Ka-Zar became the master of the Savage Land, and most Marvel heroes who travel there cross paths with him. Ka-Zar is aided in his adventures by his wife, Shanna the She-Devil. Recently, the character died and was resurrected in Marvel's Empyre event, following his affiliation with Black Panther’s Agents of Wakanda. Now, Ka-Zar returns in a brand-new miniseries from writer Zac Thompson, artist German Garcia and colorist Mat Lopes.
Marvel announced the book last month, with Zac Thompson recently taking to Twitter to share unlettered preview pages showcasing Garcia’s art. The pages feature Ka-Zar awakening in a magnificent jungle house, high in the trees. It is furnished, but with nothing too high-tech. Ka-Zar then swings down on a vine to meet Shanna, who appears to be working with some kind of fast-growing plant. Readers also see some of the Savage Land’s wildlife in all their prehistoric glory.
The preview ends there, and with a lack of lettering, there's plenty of mystery still to uncover, but the preview does make it clear that Ka-Zar is living large: his mansion, despite lacking modern amenities such as high-definition televisions and streaming services, is incredibly impressive. Living a life without modern technology that Tony Stark couldn't bear for more than a few hours, Ka-Zar is a hero who doesn't depend on gadgets or armored suits, but on his body and his connection to the living world - a distinction encouraged by Shanna, who loathes many elements of modern tech.
No explanation is given for the quick-growing seeds Shanna seems to be sowing, but the X-Men's mutant home of Krakoa recently brought the idea of natural technology to the forefront of Marvel comics in a big way, so it wouldn't be surprising to find out that Ka-Zar and Shanna have discovered or developed some equivalent in the infinitely surprising Savage Land. Information on the series so far has suggested Ka-Zar will become even more bound to the wild world he calls home, with abilities that dabble in body horror, moving him even further away from Iron Man's preferred lifestyle of luxurious modern-day living, but hopefully no further away from the heroism both have shown time and again.
Source: Zac Thompson