Returning to the spotlight for the first time in a century, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic rough ‘n tumble man of action, The Mucker, is making a  digital debut this Saturday, January 18, 2014, in an all-new adventure strip written by Ron Marz and drawn by Lee Moder. The strip will be available on the Burroughs website.

Marz is a long time Burroughs fan. In a release he explained:

I grew up on the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs and, to a large extent, I’m the kind of writer I am because of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I’m following not only in his footsteps, but in those of so many other creators who have left their mark on these concepts and characters. My job is to make these stories worthy for existing fans and completely accessible for new fans.

Though not as well-known as Burroughs’ other works of science fiction, fantasy and adventure, like Tarzan of the Apes and John Carter of Mars, The Mucker is a unique story about the exploits of Burroughs’ only anti-hero – Billy Byrne, a brash and brawling street tough from Chicago’s West Side – grounded in the harsh realities of life in the slums of the early 1900’s. Decades before Indiana Jones uncovered the Lost Ark and Rambo fought his personal guerrilla wars, the ruthless Mucker would find himself on whatever side of the law suited his savage nature, taking on crooked fight promoters, brutal gangsters, sinister kidnappers, ferocious headhunters and a femme fatale or two.

Artist Lee Moder, known for his work on Legion of Superheroes, Wonder Woman and Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., combines a classic sense of design, setting and anatomy with a flair for exciting storytelling.

The first four strips will be available for free and upcoming episodes will be available anytime, anywhere for just $1.99 a month with a subscription to the official Edgar Rice Burroughs Digital Comic Strips service. The service includes numerous other series to enjoy including:

• The Mucher™ by Ron Marz, Lee Moder, Troy Peteri and Neeraj Menon
• Tarzan of the Apes™ by Roy Thomas, Pablo Marcos and Oscar Gonzalez
• Thew New Adventures of Tarzan™ by Roy Thomas and Tom Grindberg
• Carson of Venus™ by Martin Powell, Thomas Floyd and Diana Leto
• The Eternal Savage™ by Martin Powell and Steven E. Gordon
• The War Chief™ by Martin Powell and Nik Poliwko
• The Cave Girl™ by Martin Powell and Diana Leto
• Pellucidar™ by Chuck Dixion and Gary Kwapisz
• The Land That Time Forgot™ by Martin Powell, Pablo Marcos and Oscar Gonzalez­