Holland meets ERB : Interview with Bane Kerac

Did you have to read the Tarzan books before you started to create the comics?
Of course I am. I read ERB books, Yugoslav edition in 10 books. Most I liked was Tarzan and Golden Lion. Interesting is, that covers for those books made another famous Yugoslav (now Croatian) comics artist - Jules Radilovic. I liked Tarzan movies with Gordon Scott, also. But, the most I liked was Yugoslav reprint of Russ Manning in ''Golden Lion'' series. I liked Hogarth, of course, but never accept Celardo.

What is your favourite Tarzan story you created and why?
Five Parts CALLONGA STAR before all others because I made episode with my own characters Kobra and Cindy in Mannings world with Tarzan as sidekick :). Names are changed to Bob (original Kobra's nick name and Mindy) because copyrights. Also, my favourite is THE STARBOY, where I drew my elder son as main character. I really injoyed to work Tarzan upon my scripts because I was free to make it humorous more than other scriptwriters dared to do. One of my favourites was THE MOVIE STAR where I spoofed early Tarzan movies. THE TIGER was experiment in making episode without real dialogues. I hated ''ERB rules'' and when I worked on scenarios by other writers I was really bored. But, I was very careful to not go under proffesional level.

What is your favourite Tarzan story you created and why?
Five Parts CALLONGA STAR before all others because I made episode with my own characters Kobra and Cindy in Mannings world with Tarzan as sidekick :). Names are changed to Bob (original Kobra's nick name and Mindy) because copyrights. Also, my favourite is THE STARBOY, where I drew my elder son as main character. I really injoyed to work Tarzan upon my scripts because I was free to make it humorous more than other scriptwriters dared to do. One of my favourites was THE MOVIE STAR where I spoofed early Tarzan movies. THE TIGER was experiment in making episode without real dialogues. I hated ''ERB rules'' and when I worked on scenarios by other writers I was really bored. But, I was very careful to not go under proffesional level.

Were you also Tarzan fan or was it just a job?
For the truth, I like to think about it as a job. There was a nice moments, of course, but real Bane Kerac is only in Cat Claw, Kobra and Billy the Speed. By the way, I worked on Cat Claw and Tarzan simultaneosly all those years.

Is there a funny story about the team of you while you were working on Tarzan?
Not too much. One of them is when, in epilogue of Callonga Star, I put arabian ''manual for cassette deck'' as dialogue for sheikh Jaffad. And Terminators face on gate of Opar's treasure room. And Sledge Hammer's Magnum 357

Was there a special moment or event which is inserted into a comic?
There is a bunch of Marketprint editors, my friends, my kids and other omages to my favourites comics, movies and heavy metal bands. Of course not so much as in Cat Claw.

In episode BLACK OLSEN you can see Slavko Dragincic as guardian on boat.
Svetozar Tomic is one of bandits in episode The UNDERWATER BEAST. In this episode was one and only complain of atlantic. They didnt like THONG weared by main female character, and we retoushed it on their demand :).

In TARZAN AND THE BARBARIANS I was drawing sort of fantasy same as CONAN, for my own pleasure. Bad Guy in one of Meseldzija episode is Prince Valiant with beard and moustaches. Prince Valiant appears also in Tarzan and Barbarians.

THE GREAT RACE is omage to Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis in movie with same name.

RIDERS IN DISGUISE is omage to Lyman Young's TIM TAYLER'S LUCK.

In TIMEPORTER, one page is made in strictly style of Hermann Hupen, belgian artist. Even my signature is like his signature. Hermann himself is depicted as peasant who is angry on Tarzan. Cover for the first part of Callonga Star is actually remake of Kobra cover.