Number 2552: From immortal goddess to everyday queen

Camilla the Jungle Queen was introduced in Jungle Comics #1 (1940), and was seen in that comic book until the publisher, Fiction House, closed shop in 1954. The curious part of this back-of-the-book jungle girl is that she was introduced as one thing, and then became someone else. Don Markstein, in his Toonopedia blog, describes her first appearances as a “knock-off of H. Rider Haggard’s” 19th century Ayesha. ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed,’ who ruled a lost kingdom hidden from European explorers in a previously little-visited part of the world.”

After awhile Camilla had a re-origin, if there is such a word. She became a typical comic book jungle girl, who was descended from an heiress. During those comic book days jungle queens were readily available. Fiction House had a few of its own as regular features of issues of comic books coming off the presses every month. Did anyone wonder why Jumbo Comics had “Sheena the Queen of the Jungle” and Jungle Comics featured “Camilla, the Jungle Queen” in the same line of comic books? Fiction House was its own universe, and each comic they produced had no relationship to the other Fiction House comics. Did anyone care? It is obvious to me why the guys buying these comic books liked beautiful women in abbreviated costumes, and sex appeal was part of the Fiction House appeal.

This entry in the Camilla saga is from Jungle Comics #88 (1947), and is drawn by Fran Hopper, one of the female stars of Fiction House.

  

Number 2315: Camilla: you just gotta have faith

At a later time Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire, became a typical jungle girl, dressed in a two-piece zebra skin costume, with her origin re-written. But at the time of this early story she was still the Queen of the Lost Empire, and in the episode, having an adventure outside the usual realm of jungle beauties. She and the hunchback, Caredodo, encounter Satan, but first they meet Mephistopheles, the servant of the devil. Satan is portrayed as a two-headed ogre, which I believe is unique for stories featuring the devil.

The story also features the “angel of faith,” who looks like a standard angel with wings. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Camilla carves a cross out of stone with her sword. The whole story is based on religious belief, and while comic books sometimes used religious elements in their plots, the plot here hinges on the most potent symbol of the Christian faith.

The story appeared in Jungle Comics #7 (1940)> Grand Comics Database credits Bob Powell with the artwork. No writer is listed, but the script bases the usual comic book “magic” on faith in the Christian deity, and for Caredodo a miracle.

Number 640


Camilla is a thrilla


This is day three of Pappy's Jungle Girl week. Are these chicks swingers, or what?

Camilla is from Fiction House's Jungle Comics, one of the secondary characters to Ka'a'nga, a Tarzan-type, who was the book's star. She actually had an intriguing start, based on H. Rider Haggard's Ayesha (She), but eventually Camilla settled in to being yet another jungle queen. Camilla had several artists, but I've chosen a story by Fran Hopper, one of the fantastic female cartoonists of the 1940s.

Chuck Wells is also showing jungle girls this week at his Comic Book Catacombs blog.

This story is from Jungle Comics #70, 1945.





TOMORROW: Two "Foxes," Nimba and Tangi!