On the 100th anniversary of the creation of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars, John Tibbetts looks at the career of fantasy writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the enduring popularity of his most iconic characters.

Burroughs’ story Under the Moons of Mars was serialized in 1912 and introduced the swashbuckling John Carter of Mars. That same year Burroughs also created Tarzan.

A critic, broadcaster, and author of many books about film and classical music, Tibbetts is an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Kansas.