WATERLOO -- One of the most popular fictional characters of all time will be swinging into Waterloo the weekend of July 25-26 when the national Tarzan convention, known as a Dum Dum, arrives at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

The convention celebrates the most famous creation of Edgar Rice Burroughs, a prolific author who wrote 26 Tarzan novels. The Tarzan event will be held in conjunction with the Iowa Comic Book Collectors Show in the same facility. Both events will be free to the public except for the closing banquet on Saturday night.

The main guest will be Denny Miller, who played Tarzan in the 1959 feature film, "Tarzan, the Apeman," and has appeared in more than 25 movies and 100 television shows.

Other guests are Jack Bender, a native of Waterloo and former Courier cartoonist who draws the nationally syndicated Alley Oop newspaper strip; Dave Fury, author of a new book on the late actress Maureen O'Sullivan, "No Average Jane"; and Mike Chapman, author of two books on movie Tarzans, Herman Brix/Bruce Bennett and Glenn Morris.

A Dum Dum is what Tarzan called a gathering of great apes. Chapman has hosted previous Dum Dum conventions in Newton in 1997 and Fort Collins, Colo., in 2004. He played the key role in lining up the 2008 Dum Dum, pitching Waterloo as the 2008 site at the 2007 convention in Louisville, Ky.

"The Dum Dum has been in existence for 30 years and has been in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Fort Worth, Texas," said Chapman, director of the Dan Gable Wrestling Institute and Museum and a lifelong Tarzan fan. "Most of the movie actors who have played Tarzan -- from Johnny Weissmuller to Gordon Scott -- have been the special guests, and Denny Miller is certainly a favorite of the Dum Dum group. He is such a down-to-earth guy and great with the fans. I think the Cedar Valley is in for a real treat."

The schedule of weekend activities includes a discussion led by Bender on Tarzan comic book art. Bender and his wife, Carole, have drawn the Alley Oop strip since 1991, and Bender is well known in Iowa and athletic circles for his sports artwork.

The Alley Oop strip is carried by over 600 newspapers around the world. Bender has an extensive collection of original art and has been a Tarzan collector and enthusiast for decades.

Fury is the author of a new book on Maureen O'Sullivan, who played Jane in five Weissmuller films. Fury will also be the keynote speaker at the Saturday night banquet, offering behind-the-scenes stories on his favorite Jane.

Chapman has been the featured speaker on several occasions and will act as the emcee for the dinner.

The convention will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 25 and 26, with numerous Tarzan collectors from around the country showcasing rare Tarzan movie and book items. Many of the items will be for sale.

The comic book show will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 26 in an adjoining room. Exhibitors will have comic books and comic art on display and for sale.

Other events planned are an ERB-Tarzan Jeopardy game at 11 a.m. July 25; a panel discussion led by Bender on Tarzan comic book art at 11 a.m. July 26; an auction of rare Tarzan and ERB items at 3 p.m. July 26, serving as a fundraiser for the not-for-profit group sponsoring the Dum Dum; and a banquet at 6:30 p.m. July 26.

Tickets for the banquet are $25 and must be ordered by noon on July 24.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau at 233-8350.