REVIEW: Kong the Untamed #3

Plot: Jack Oleck
Script: Gerry Conway
Art: Alfredo Alcala
Review: Madman

My wife and I were exploring some flea markets this weekend, and I rescued this little gem. I initially snatched it from a box of Bloodstrike and Youngblood comics where it had no business being because of the kick-ass cover. It had cavemen, T-Rex, and spears for starters, and then I noticed Gerry Conway credited for the script. I became extremely intrigued, because perhaps it would actually be a good read as well. Mr. Conway, if you didn’t know, is the co-creator of one Frank Castle, a.k.a. the Punisher, and on a more personal note Conway was the guy who offed Gwen Stacy during his tenure on The Amazing Spider-Man. That reason alone probably paved his way into the comicdom hall of fame…
He wrote JLA for many, many years too, but I don’t really know anything about his run on it as I don’t read JLA books unless at gun point. Another interesting fact about Mr. Conway’s catalog is he actually wrote the first intercompany crossover pitting Krypton’s prodigal son, Superman, vs. the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Admittedly I’ve never read it, and to be honest I never knew that little tidbit until I asked Mr. Wiki for more information on Conway…the more you know.
I guess my life has new purpose now as it can’t be complete until I own said crossover...
Truth.          

Kong the Untamed only lasted 5 issues, which is kind of funny because, according to the fans that wrote into the letters section, the first 2 issues of this run were some of the greatest issues put out by DC at that time…
Five issues.
It was also noted in the letters page that Conway intended to add some realism to the “Caveman genre”. Now, I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that, but I find it hard to believe that he actually accomplished his goal. I, for one, have a few issues with his overall execution of his “realism”. For starters everyone in that book, except the blonde haired white skinned Kong, is very “cavemannish”, meaning they look like toothless hairy brutes, but not the main character. Also, one of the higher ups in the tribe trying to bring Kong down is wearing a buffalo/bull headdress…
Realism at it’s finest…

There were a few other things that seemed far from historical, but I guess we can blame that on marketing or even Alcala’s interpretation of Conway’s intentions. Either way I can see why the book only lasted 5 issues. The art was decent, pretty standard fare for the ‘70s except for one glaring detail: Alcala couldn’t draw a T-Rex to save his life. It was mind blowing how bad it actually was. I’d go so far as to say it was probably the worst professional drawing of any dinosaur I’ve actually ever seen. How’s that for realism…
Practically unforgivable.
That being said, if I ever come across the other four issues of this title haunting another dollar box at a dirt mall, I’ll probably pick them up just to own the entire run.
 I sure won’t go out of my way to hunt them down, however.