The Ultus series

The Ultus series needs a lot of international attention for how well written it is even today. Frankly, although various ethnic groups are unfortunately stereotyped very often in the books, it should be noted that Ultus does have a few acquaintances from the African continent. 

The first books originally under both The Invincible Ultus (Ultus el Invencible) and The Mysterious Ultus (Ultus el Misterioso) series do not usually have their own names yet. Since there are just ten rather chauvinistic chapters (bear in mind that they’re thankfully not as extremely racist as the chapters of every book featuring Dankichi or even Bomba the Jungle Boy!) for each of the future 14 books, they do need to contain some warnings of Spanish history’s impact on both European and African shores (at least after its Latin American scramble), rather than being overtly censored by succeeding corporations. The posthumous goal will still be 14 books in the original line since Ultus is still a historically important but rather unsung character in both Spanish pop culture and literature history. However, the comics themselves are in a somewhat different continuity, so I don’t think they’re considered fully canon to the books either. 

The whole prequel series, also consisting of 14 books, will be released in 2029. Before the final series comes in, it will focus just on Ultus, whose early life will be revealed in stark detail. His parents were adventuring entomologists and he was a young boy, while the nascent saga makes a stride when they were travelling to the jungles of southern Nigeria. Unfortunately, the latter two were maimed by the most corrupt of people, which means the child has become a wild fugitive on the run. As a result, a community of jungle animals found him crying alone and took him in. From then on, thanks to a series of battles and workouts, Ultus grows into a strong armed, wild half-Galician/half-Calo young man in his mid twenties, by the time the original series had begun. 

The final 14 books (set after the first 28) will be made a year later. Unlike with the prequel novelettes and original novellas, the rest will come in lengthy books which can be read on their own. The twists and turns are going to be bigger than in the first fourteen. Because of what likely happened to Spain (during its most famous period of tyranny), Ultus has unhappily been left behind by his own friends while facing a series of new threats! 

Another big reveal is that his father and mother’s grave is in the southern Nigerian jungle (near what was then British Cameroon), which he finally visits and looks respectfully upon. He meets his Cameroonian pen pal Lucina, who in turn rescues him from the most horrible enemies they will face. He gets infatuated with her, while she slowly falls in love with him. Despite her parents being disrespectful to her job, they’ll eventually marry, becoming a war couple, with Ultus himself finally showing both a goatee and a moustache. At the very end, they also have 3 children, all girls, after marriage. 

It’s going to be an interesting finale indeed, mainly because not every Tarzan Boy can survive the exploits of Tarzan himself and a few other exceptions. 

An anime based on all the first 14 books will be adapted via an OEL manga by the Italo-Canadian merchandising icon Camilla D’Errico, if she can and does want to make it.