Jungle Action 1-6 (1954-55)

[StrayLamb]

JUNGLE ACTION #1 (October 1954)

Cover art by Joe Maneely

STORY 1: “The Trail of Sudden Death”

Art by Joe Maneely

APPEARANCES: Lo-Zar; Gata the Elephant; Pete and another mercenary; Bubov, Serge, Ivan and other communist soldiers; Matubi tribesmen.

SYNOPSIS: Deep in the jungle dwells Lo-Zar, protector of the Matubi tribe. Sensing murder in the jungle, Lo-Zar comes across a pair of mercenaries. He disarms them and hands them over to the Matubi to be sent to the town police. Lo-Zar finds a map to a uranium mine in one of their satchels, south of the North Jungle Matubi Province, past the black swamps and the plains of Karaki, hidden in a valley in the Dead Hills. Vowing that the Reds shall never take possession of the mine, Lo-Zar heads south. Passing through the black bogs, Lo-Zar is confronted by a pair of dinosaurs, but he tricks them into battling each other.

At the mine, Bubov, a communist soldier, detects a disturbance miles away, and warns his colleagues to keep their eyes open. Skirting the area, Lo-Zar looks down on the mine-site from a high point, then he calls Gata the elephant, and has him roll boulders down the cliff, causing the Reds to seek shelter in the mine. Lo-Zar enters and starts belting them, until he’s hit on the back of the head and tied up, when Gata charges into the mine, and starts throwing the soldiers around. Gata unties Lo-Zar, then places his foot on one of the soldiers as Lo-Zar forces him to talk. The man explains that they’re Red agents, who’ve been battling each other to be the first to secure the uranium mine for their chiefs. Lo-Zar returns to the town with the Reds in a make-shift cage, being pushed along by Gata.

NOTES: Lo-Zar, a blonde-haired white man, who wears a scarab beetle pendant, can see in the dark, has enhanced hearing, and a sixth sense that can warn him of trouble from miles away. In later reprints, Lo-Zar is renamed Tharn the Magnificent.

The Matubi are a tribe of pygmies.


STORY 2: "Survival of the Mighty"

Art by Paul Hodge

APPEARANCES: Man-oo the Mighty; Numa the Lion; Tondo the Great Antelope; Riba, his mate; Wabbi, their son

SYNOPSIS: Numa the lion, driven from far-off Batabi Province by drought and hunger, stalks Wabbi, the young fawn of Tondo and Riba, when he’s attacked by Man-oo, but the gorilla’s great strength is no match for the angry power of the lion, who is fighting for his very life; Man-oo is overpowered by Numa, who then turns on his prey, but the slight reprieve is all Man-oo needs, and he leaps onto the lion, breaking his back. Man-oo leans weakly against a tree and falls asleep. A snake slithers up to Man-oo, envious of his power, and taking the opportunity to strike, but Tondo, the great antelope, makes swift work of the reptile, repaying Man-oo for saving his fawn.

NOTES: Man-oo the Mighty is the greatest gorilla of the wild, protector of the weak things of the jungle.


STORY 3: “The Skulls of Bleak River”

Art by John Forte

APPEARANCES: Jungle Boy/Jack Spears, Jr.; Jack Spears, Sr., his father; Kasuba, Chief of the Kadubi tribe; Kusaba’s imposter; Borelli; Babu and other Kadubi Tribesmen

SYNOPSIS: Kusaba pronounces a death-sentence upon members of his tribe who have sold their lands to their mortal enemies, the Waqui, telling them their skulls shall rot in the bed of the Bleak River, when Jungle Boy arrives with his tribe of monkeys, ordering them to stop. While Kusaba tells Jungle Boy that he has no business interfering in tribal justice, the 100 condemned men run away. Jungle Boy swings away, but waits just out of sight to see what Kusaba will do, when Kusaba leads his men into a hidden tunnel, telling them their master waits for them.

Realizing that Kusaba’s up to no good, Jungle Boy tells his monkeys to wait for his signal, and he returns to the settlement where he lives as Jack Spears, Jr., son of a great white hunter, only to find his father talking to Kusaba. When Jungle Boy asks how he got there before him, Kusaba tells him he’s been there all day, which is confirmed by his father, who tells Junior he wants him to stay out of the jungle.

Wondering if his father is the master that Kusaba mentioned, Jungle Boy sneaks out of the settlement that night to search for Kusaba’s hidden way of escape. He calls on his monkeys, who lead him to the secret tunnel. Racing into the tunnel, they encounter a giant spider, spinning a web from wall to wall, but together, Jungle Boy and his monkeys battle their way through.

They come to an underground part of the Bleak River, it’s bed filled with skulls, when they’re confronted by Kusaba and his master, Borelli, who pays Kusaba for the gold he finds in the Kudabi Province. Jungle Boy realizes this is why Kusaba was furious with his tribesmen for selling their land. Kusaba warns Borelli not to shoot, for fear that the tunnel will give way, and tells him that his men will take care of the boy and his monkeys. When the tribesmen fail, Borelli prepares to shoot, when Jack Senior arrives with the real Kusaba, who kills the imposter. The Bleak River claims its last victims, as it carries away the bodies of Borelli and the imposter.

Kusaba explains that his tribesmen didn’t really sell their land, they just told the imposter they did so that he couldn’t give their gold to Borelli. He tells Jungle Boy that he could have exposed the imposter at any time, but he wanted to trap his master, Borelli, as well, and that they succeeded due to him, as they followed him when he snuck out of the settlement.

NOTE: Jungle Boy, a dark-haired, white skinned teenager, is the leader of a tribe of wild monkeys.


STORY 4: “The Snake Ring”

Art by Al Hartley

APPEARANCES: Leopard Girl/Gwen; Peter; his fiancée; her father

FLASHBACK: Leopard Girl and her cats deal with a gang of criminals.

SYNOPSIS: Leopard Girl swings past a jungle house, where Peter is entertaining his fiancée, Sandra, and her father, Mr Danning. Peter’s reaction to the lovely vision causes Sandra to remind him that he’s already engaged, and he’s there to learn her dad’s trading business, so he can take over after they’re married. Peter assures Sandra that it was just curiosity, as he’s never seen a leoapard girl before. Mr Danning tells Peter he’s heard of the Leopard Girl, but it’s the first time he’s seen her.

Meanwhile, Leopard Girl changes behind a tree, then presents herself as Gwen, Peter’s secretary and cook. They tell her she just missed seeing the Leopard Girl, and since she’s been in Africa a long time, Danning asks Gwen to tell them about her.

Gwen heads off to bed, but before long, she heads out into the night as Leopard Girl. Alone with his daughter, Danning tells her it’s time to pull their scheme. Sandra assures him that as the true daughter of America’s top con-man, she’ll make him proud. After listening at the window, Leopard Girl turns in for the night, believing they’re nothing she can’t handle, but Sandra has murder in mind and loads her revolver.

Next morning, the Danning’s put their plan into action, getting $5000 from Peter for supplies, and promising to repay him as soon as the bank opens. They take off in a Jeep, leaving Peter with the store and their debts, but they encounter Leopard Girl, who punches out Sandra, and drives the Jeep into a tree, and they fall into a pit of man-eating snakes! Sandra promises to confess if Leopard Girl will save them, but once Leopard Girl has pulled them both out of the pit, Sandra shoots at her, but it has no effect. Leoaprd Girl shoves the Danning’s back into the pit, when Peter races up. Leopard Girl tells them to talk, or she’ll let the snakes have them. Sandra confesses, and hands back the money, when Leopard Girl tells her the snakes were really harmless, and that she exchanged their bullets for blanks while they slept. Peter is thankful that he’s finally met Leopard Girl.

NOTE: A blurb at the end of the story tells us that in another part of the jungle, Lorna the Jungle Girl goes in search of adventure in her own magazine.

NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Elephant Boy”


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JUNGLE ACTION #2 (December 1954)

Cover art by Joe Maneely

STORY 1: “Red Poison”

Art by Joe Maneely

APPEARANCES: Lo-Zar; Pabai and other African Tribesmen; Serge

SYNOPSIS: Finding his cattle have died after drinking from the river, Pabai calls Lo-Zar for help; Lo-Zar spreads the word that the river has been poisoned. On a bend of the river, Mr Egres, an agent for the Kremlin, pours more poison into the water, hoping to drive men and beasts from the area, then he returns to his camp, where he receives a visit from Lo-Zar, who warns him of the poisoned river. Egres tells Lo-Zar he always carries his own water, and Lo-Zar notes he’s more careful than any of the other hunters he’s seen.

Pabai finds Lo-Zar and tells him the crocodiles have gone mad, leaving the river and raiding the villages. Rounding up some of the tribesmen to help, Lo-Zar and Pabai head off the crocs. Taking advantage of the distraction, Egres pours more poison into the river upstream, but a news clipping falls from his sack and floats downstream. Lo-Zar discovers the clipping, learning that Mr Egres is really Serge, arch-spy of the communists. Lo-Zar battles Serge, who falls into the river and is taken by the maddened crocs. Pabai finds the antidote to the poison at Serge’s camp, and they pour it into the river.


STORY 2: “The Mystery of Kula Mountain”

Art by John Romita

APPEARANCES: Jungle Boy/Jack Spears, Jr.; Jack Spears, Sr., his father; Kadubi Tribesmen; a Communist

SYNOPSIS: Jungle Boy examines a strange footprint in the Kadubi swamplands, when a giant bat makes off with a tribesman. Jungle Boy races back to his father’s encampment to tell him what happened. Jack Sr tells Junior to guard the camp while he leads the other hunters after the creature, but when he’s alone, Jungle Boy is grabbed by the creature and carried to the top of Kula Mountain. The creature drops Jungle Boy above a pit, but his sharp reflexes allow him to grab onto a rocky crag, from where he sees the pit is filled with dozens of natives, being lorded over by a trogladyte. The cave-man climbs up to attack Jungle Boy, charging at him, but Junior steps aside, and the cave-man stumbles over a cliff.

Finding himself caught between a wild boar and a leopard, Jungle Boy slips into a crevice in the rocks, and the two animals battle each other, but as he escapes, he’s confronted by a man who points a rifle at him. The man explains he’s an ex-circus man and animal trainer, who landed his animals and helpers there by helicopter, and that he intends to wipe out the whole native population and take over this part of the jungle in order to control the export of animals from the region. He goes on to say that he’ll inject each of the animals with a serum, which will cause them to go berserk and turn on American soldiers when the call comes for the Communist revolution. He explains that the pterodactyl and the cave-man are really freaks from the circus, and that the giant bat will carry the boy off to the Valley of Skeletons, the burial place of the native dead. As the commie raves, Jungle Boy kicks a boulder onto his foot, pinning him, when the giant bat returns and carries the commie off to the Valley of Skeletons.

Jungle Boy rescues the natives from the pit and leads them back down the mountain.


STORY 3: "Cry in the Night"

Art by George Tuska

APPEARANCES: Man-oo the Mighty; Kago

SYNOPSIS: Man-oo tries to get some sleep in his tree abode, when he hears a scream. As he goes to investigate, Man-oo sees his arch-enemy, the marauder Kago, swinging below him towards his tree, in order to take Man-oo’s place. Man-oo hesitates for a moment, torn between his duty as jungle protector, and his desire to defend his position against Kago, but continues with his task. Finding a young ape trapped in a pit, and surrounded by hyenas, Man-oo throws himself into the midst of the animals, scattering them, but when he picks up the young ape, it screams, and it’s parents come running. They attack Man-oo, who tries to fight them off without hurting them, then he places the infant before them and leaps away to safety.

His first scheme having failed, Kago sets a noose for Man-oo, but he’s wary of Kago’s tricks, and returns cautiously by an indirect route, surprising Kago from behind. As Kago flees, he’s caught in his own noose.


STORY 4: “The Flames of Terror”

Art by Al Hartley

APPEARANCES: Leopard Girl/Gwen; Peter; Dr Hans Kreitzer; Coga, a great Cobra; The Flame Witch; Numa the Lion

SYNOPSIS: Hans Kreitzer, renowned scientist and philosoper, has retired to the Matawata Jungles to stury and write. Peter and Gwen, who’s now working as Kreitzer’s typist, help the old man unload his books and equipment, when he tells them he hopes to track down the elusive Leopard Girl.

Kreitzer sets up his lab, and tells Gwen to take down some notes, explaining that he intends to bring together certain nuclear reactions in hopes of rejuvenating the spirit of the Flame Witch, the goddess of evil and flame. When the lab catches fire, Gwen steps out, returning as Leopard Girl, and carries Kreitzer to a nearby cave.

Forced up a tree to escape a charging herd of fear-stricken elephants, Leopard Girl is threatened by Coga, the great cobra, but she escapes by swinging away on Coga’s tail. Leopard Girl is confronted by the Flame Witch, who is seeking retribution on Kreitzer for disturbing her eternal rest. Leopard Girl escapes by grabbing the feet of a condor as it flies just above her. As she is carried aloft by the condor, Leopard Girl sees the animals are heading for the safety of Tagai Lake, then she drops down near the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, Leopard Girl finds the Flame Witch leaning over the unconscious Kreitzer. As the Flame Witch creates a barrier of fire across the entrance, Leopard Girl discovers Numa’s cubs are also in the cave. When Numa the Lion races in, Leopard Girl jumps on Numa’s back as he leaps through the flames to reach his cubs. Leopard Girl removes a rock from the cave wall, releasing a spring of fresh water, which engulfs the Flame Witch, dousing the fire and sending her back to her eternal rest.

Kreitzer wakes up, telling Leopard Girl all he remembers is a blinding flash before passing out, then he chides her for leaving in a cave with a lion, but she assures him that Numa wouldn’t hurt anyone she left there with him. He tells her it’s dangerous to trifle with jungle things that way, and it’s a wonder she wasn’t killed, when she takes off. When Gwen returns, Kreitzer tells her to get rid of his lab equipment as he doesn’t think he’ll try any more experiments for a while.


NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Magic”


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JUNGLE ACTION #3 (February 1955)

Cover art by Syd Shores

STORY 1: “Swamp Fire”

Art by Joe Maneely

APPEARANCES: Lo-Zar; Numa the Outlaw; Mort and his boss; Hako, a giant hawk

SYNOPSIS: Lo-Zar sees a plane flying towards the Black Swamp and his instincts tell him it spells trouble for the jungle, but while he’s distracted, Numa the Outlaw, a man-killer lion, takes the opportunity to strike. Lo-Zar kills the old lion, and turns his attention to the plane. Mort and his boss release an igniting fluid over the swamp, setting fire to a long range of swamp grass, with the intention of scaring out all the natives and animals in the region so they can clean out the diamonds from hidden mines.

Lo-Zar seeks out Hako, the giant hawk of the swamp, who carries him up to the plane, but he’s knocked out when the plane lurches. Hako conveys a Lo-Zar’s plight to the creatures of the wild, who take off after the plane. When the plane lands, the wild animals attack Mort and his boss and free Lo-Zar, who belts both men, knocking them out, and the fire burns itself out.


STORY 2: “Drumbeats of Doom”

Art by Al Hartley

APPEARANCES: Leopard Girl/Gwen; Peter; Dr Hans Kreitzer; Giboga, the High Priest; Robo, a tribesman

SYNOPSIS: Hearing the sound of jungle drums, Peter assures Kreitzer it’s just the natives whooping it up, but Gwen knows better and changes into her Leopard Girl costume to look into it. Peter and Kreitzer both make their excuses, each also knowing the true meaning of the drums, and not wanting to alarm the other.

In the village of Giboga, the high priest, Robo beats the drums, as a tied-up Giboga begs him to stop. Robo tells Giboga that he knows the drums are only to be beaten in times of great trouble to summon their gods, but that he doesn’t believe in the gods, and just wants to draw Leopard Girl to the village, to get revenge upon her for sending him to prison. As Leopard Girl passes the totem of the gods, it rocks to the sound of the drums, and the gods are summoned from their tombs in the form of apparitions.

Leopard Girl confronts the masked man, believing him to be Giboga, when he reveals that he’s Robo as he snares her in a net. Meanwhile, Peter and Kreitzer both make their way towards the village, both falling into the same pit. Leopard Girl warns Robo that the gods have been awakened, but he tells her he doesn’t believe in the gods. Robo is charged by a rhino, but from inside her net, Leopard Girl helps Robo get into a tree.

Robo lunges at Leopard Girl with his knife, when the ghost of the man he murdered appears between them, Giboga the High-Priest, telling Robo he was freed from his grave by the angry gods so he could avenge his death. Trying to get away from the ghost, Robo falls to his death. The ghost of Giboga tells Leopard Girl his spirit has joined those of the great warrior-gods, and asks her to help his people find some other high priest to lead them.

As she returns, Leopard Girl notices Peter and Kreitzer in the pit. She returns as Gwen and throws down a vine to them, telling them she heard their cries for help all the way from the hut.

NOTE: Either i lost the plot during this one or the writer did. Giboga first appears alive while Robo bangs the drums, then later as the ghost of the man Robo was sent to prison for murdering, risen from the grave. When Leopard Girl finds Robo, she first believes him to be Giboga, even though she apparently had Robo sent to prison for killing the high priest. It can’t just be a different high-prist, because the ghost of Giboga tells Leopard Girl to help his people find a new high priest.


STORY 3: "Scream Terror!"

Art by Syd Shores

APPEARANCES: Man-oo the Mighty; Adawna the Antelope; a hunter; Serpo, the Great Snake

SYNOPSIS: Sensing a hunter in the jungle, Man-oo leads him away from Adawna the antelope and her newborn. The hunter shoots at Man-oo, wounding him in the shoulder. For a moment, Man-oo is dazed, then he bellows a great cry, and even the hunter flees in terror. When Man-oo grows silent, the small animals of the jungle warily approach, and working together, they tend his wound, but winding its way through the branches comes Man-oo’s deadliest foe, Serpo the great snake.

Man-oo regains consciousness to find his jungle friends battling Serpo, and bringing all his strength to bear, he crushes Serpo in a vice-like grip.


STORY 4: “Red Spears at Dawn”

Art by John Romita

APPEARANCES: Jungle Boy/Jack Spears, Jr.; Jack Spears, Sr., his father; Chief Dabawaba; Dr Aram; Kadubi Tribesmen; Serpo, the Great Snake

SYNOPSIS: Jungle Boy and his monkeys find Serpo, the great snake, robbing a nest. They kill the snake and return to camp, where Jack Sr is warning Chief Dabawaba not to have anything to do with the treacherous Communists, but the chief won’t listen, and warns Jack that his people will attack at dawn. As Dabawaba leaves, he’s shot in the back, and Jack Sr sends Junior after the shooter, but the man knocks him out with the butt of his gun. Leaving his son to watch over Dabawabi, Jack Sr heads to town to warn the authorities and bring back a doctor.

A few hours later, Dr Aram arrives at the camp, but the monkeys warn Jungle Boy against him. Finding the doctor intends to treat his patient by slipping him poison, Jungle Boy belts him. He warns Aram to call off the attack, but the Red agent tells him it’s too late, as it’s already dawn. As Chief Dabawaba leads his men across the Nobra Plains, Jungle Boy races off to stop the natives before they encounter the soldiers, but he’s cut off by stampeding elephants, lions and other animals, frightened by the advancing horde. Jungle Boy leaps in front of the animals, surprising them, and causing them to veer away (don’t try this at home, kids!).

Jungle Boy heads off the tribesmen, when Chief Dabawaba appears with Dr Aram, telling his people they were betrayed and to return to their homes. They all hail the Jungle Boy, when Jack Sr appears, telling him he didn’t call the soldiers, as it would have led to terrible trouble, and that the jungle itself would find a way to handle the problem.


NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Lost Valley”


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JUNGLE ACTION #4 (April 1955)

Cover art by Syd Shores

STORY 1: “Elephant Charge!”

Art by Joe Maneely

APPEARANCES: Lo-Zar; Bowzer and another Communist Agent; Communist soldiers; Coga the Leopard; Serpo the Great Serpent

SYNOPSIS: Lo-Zar leads a herd of elephants to the Haven of the Elephants, when Coga the Leopard strikes, but Lo-Zar deals with the cat as the elephants continue to their haven. They are watched by Bowzer and his accomplice, who are determined to get through Lo-Zar to get to the Elephant Haven, and return to Moscow with ivory to fund the Communists. Bowzer takes a shot at Lo-Zar but misses, when Lo-Zar circles around and punches him out. They protest that they thought he was a wild-man, and are only there to take photos of elephants.

Lo-Zar agrees to take them to the Elephant Haven, and Bowzer warns his female companion not to get too friendly with the jungle man. As they approach the haven, Lo-Zar is attacked by the guardian, Serpo the Great Serpent, but nost wishing to hurt it, Lo-Zar applies pressure to the base of its brain, putting it to sleep.

Entering the haven, Bowzer and his woman are thrilled at the sight of all the ivory. Bowzer sets up a radio transmitter, signalling their location. The woman shoots at Lo-Zar with her camera-gun, but he leaps out of the way, and the bullet ruins the radio, while Lo-Zar leads the elephants into a charge against the pair. Bowzer is killed by Serpo as he flees, and the woman is picked up by one of the elephants. As a helicopter lands, depositing a number of communist soldiers, Lo-Zar leads another charge, and they’re trampled by the elephants. Lo-Zar tells the woman that he suspected they were Reds, and when he heard the Morse-Code message, he knew what he had to do. He tells the woman the jungle may be dark, but it will never be Red.


STORY 2: “Challenge in the Night”

Art by John Romita

APPEARANCES: Jungle Boy/Jack Spears, Jr.; Jack Spears, Sr., his father; Chief Dabawaba; Serge Rubochov

SYNOPSIS: Jungle Boy knocks a gorilla off balance for his father to get a shot at it, then does the same with an elephant, giving the hunter a pair of clean kills (he better not let Lo-Zar, Man-oo, or Leopard Girl catch him at it!). Mr Smith tells them that was too much for his weak heart, and aks if they can continue their journey to the quiet place where he was told he could study plant life. Jack Sr assures Mr Smith that no wild animals enter Baguna Territory, then as father and son walk ahead of him, they discuss Smith’s eccentricities. When Smith realizes they’re being followed by Jungle Boy’s monkeys, he demands they be sent back.

They make camp for the night, telling Smith that the Baguna Territory is over the next hill. Once they’ve bedded down for the night, Smith grabs Jack Senior’s rifle, revealing he’s really Serge Rubochov, mass-murderer of anti-communists, wanted by police the world over, who wants to hide out in Baguna where no one will find him, until he’s ready to come out and continue his work. Serge fires the rifle, but discovers it wasn’t loaded, so he tosses a grenade, which is caught by one of the monkeys. He tosses it back at Serge as he runs, killing him.


STORY 3: "Man-oo the Mighty"

Art by Syd Shores

APPEARANCES: Man-oo the Mighty; Yayu the Hyena; Numa the Lion

SYNOPSIS: In the early dawn, Man-oo lets out a battle cry as he goes after Yayu the hyena. Man-oo grabs Yayu by the tail to dahs his brains out on a boulder, but Yayu escapes death by a fraction, and races off through the briars.

His supremacy sneered at by the hyena, Man-oo must now prove himself once again, taking on all challengers, including Numa the lion. Gorilla and lion lock themselves in battle, when Man-oo is felled by a mighty swipe from Numa’s paw. Believing Man-oo to be defeated, Yayu ventures out of his hiding place, but this is what Man-oo has been waiting for, and why he allowed himself to be defeated by Numa. Man-oo reaches out quickly, siezing Yayu by the throat, and strangles the life out of him, then tosses the dead body aside. Man-oo lets out another battle cry, but this time there is no one to challenge him, and even Numa slinks away.


STORY 4: “Killer Bait!”

Art by Vince Colletta

APPEARANCES: Leopard Girl/Gwen; Peter; Dr Hans Kreitzer; Numa the Lion; Todo and other African Tribesmen

SYNOPSIS: With Peter’s leg injured, and a lion approaching them, Leopard Girl applies pressure to a nerve on the lion’s nose to subdue him. She then carries Peter back to the village, where Dr Kreitzer gives Peter a sedative and tells her he will be alright, but he can’t be moved any further. Leopard Girl warns him that the lion will be coming after Peter, and he has to get him out of there, but Kreitzer assures her the natives will watch over him. Todo tells Leopard Girl they will guard Peter, but the important task is up to her, explaining that Numa is now so mad with rage and cunning, that spears and bullets won’t stop him, and that even his fangs and claws are poisoned, so he can kill at a touch. He tells Leopard Girl that she must set herself up as bait for the killer.

That night, Numa enters the camp and lunges at Leopard Girl, who leaps onto his back at the last second, and tries once again to put him out with pressure to the nerve in his nose, but this time the lion is too quick for her. Leopard Girl backs away from the lion, who turns his attention to the sleeping Peter, when she lets out the battle cry of the leopard. The tribesmen want to go to her aid, but Todo tells them to stay put, as she wants to fight the lion alone. Seeing the cry came from Leopard Girl, the lion turns his attention back to Peter, when another battle cry rings out, this time from real leopards, who heard Leopard Girl’s call.

The lion falls beneath the leopards’ attack, but Leopard Girl tells them not to kill him as it’s not his fault. Releasing the pressure on the nerve, Leopard Girl has Todo take the unconscious lion back into the jungle. After the sedative wears off, Peter has a cup of tea and tells Leopard Girl modern medicine’s agreat thing, but it took a miracle to pull him through. She agrees.


NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Drums”



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JUNGLE ACTION #5 (June 1955)

Cover art by Joe Maneely

STORY 1: “The Challenge of the Flaming Spear!”

Art by Syd Shores

APPEARANCES: Lo-Zar; Wagu; Co-Bah, his daughter; other Gabubi Tribesmen; Saba the Elephant; Flaming Spear; a tribe of Gorillas

SYNOPSIS: The Flaming Spear strikes again, setting a village aflame. Co-Bah tells Lo-Zar that her father, the old chief Wagu, is still inside one of the burning huts, and leaps through the wall of flame to save him. Wagu tells Lo-Zar he shouldn’t have bothered, as once the Flaming Spear strikes at a person, he’s doomed to die, and it will strike again, so Lo-Zar has Wagu and Co-Bah they shall stay with him.

Lo-Zar keeps watch as the village is rebuilt, when a bull elephant charges in, leading a stampede of other frightened animals. As a storm builds, Lo-Zar goes to find the source of their fear, finding the Flaming Spear behind it, an old man carried around by a dozen huge gorillas, who throw his flaming spears for him. The gorillas capture Lo-Zar and tie him to a totem, to be sacrificed at a ritual of the gorilla tribe, but he convinces the old man to allow him to show off his strength, telling him he can throw a flaming spear higher than any of his beasts. Lo-Zar throws the flaming spear straight up into the air, and it comes down in the midst of the gorillas, scattering them, and setting fire to other oil-soaked spears, then he grabs the old man, and carries him off to the judgment of the Gabubi.


STORY 2: “Lost Tribe!”

Art by John Romita

APPEARANCES: Jungle Boy/Jack Spears, Jr.; Jack Spears, Sr., his father; Kagago and other African Tribesmen

SYNOPSIS: When Jack Spear Sr shoots a water buffalo he thought was endangering his son, the tribesemen who work for him leave, as he killed their sacred beast. Jack Sr blames his son for the situation, telling him the jungle is no place for a boy. When a lion approaches from the bush, Jungle Boy leaps into action to make it up to his dad, stunning it with a sharp blow to the nose with his stone hammer. Finding the lion is weak and starved, Jungle Boy gives him a chunk of meat, then he races off to bring back the workers, but he finds the village has vanished, and believes it’s the curse of the water buffalo.

As he fights off a huge snake, Jungle Boy is captured by Kagago, pretending to be the god of the water buffalo. As Kagago’s men take him deep into the jungle, Jungle Boy accuses Kagago of wanting to take over leadership of the tribe on behalf of the Reds. Kagago prepares to have Jungle Boy thrown into a river filled with water buffalo, when half a dozen male lions appear, and Kagago runs for his life. Jungle Boy goes after him, telling the tribesmen to stay still and the lions won’t harm them. He grabs Kagago and swings on a vine above the pit of water buffalo, forcing him to confess. As the lions gather at Jungle Boy’s side, the tribesmen believe him to be the god of the lions, but he tells them he’s no god, and the lions are kind to him because he was kind to one of them. Kagago refuses to lead them back out of the deep jungle, but the lions lead the way out. Jungle Boy returns to Jack Senior’s camp with the workers, and a pair of lions at his side. He tells his dad he’s caught a Red agent and found the lost tribe, and asks if he’s man enough now to be in the jungle.


STORY 3: "Jungle Vengeance!"

Art by Syd Shores

APPEARANCES: Man-oo the Mighty; Babu the Gorilla

SYNOPSIS: The leadership of Man-oo the Mighty has been challenged by a young strong bull gorilla. Man-oo leaps into action, accepting the challenge. He defeats Babu, but spares his life, although he knows that he now has an ever-lasting enemy.

Babu goes to the lair of a savage lion, and using the universal language of the jungle, tells him that Man-oo no longer kills in combat. He continues through the jungle, telling the hippo, the rhino, and the serpent the same thing, but they don’t believe him, as Man-oo was always more powerful than any beast, so Babu tells them to follow him and see for themselves.

Babu returns to challenge Man-oo again, with the the other animals watching. Man-oo once again defeats Babu, but still refuses to kill so brave a gorilla, and instead throws him into the midst of the animals. Knowing now that Man-oo has lost the ill to kill, they charge at him, but Man-oo stands his ground, thumping his chest, and they turn and flee back into the jungle.


STORY 4: “Leopard Girl”

APPEARANCES: Leopard Girl/Gwen; Peter; Oku; Hartley

SYNOPSIS: While out hunting, Peter shoots at Leopard Girl, mistaking her for a wild leopard that’s gone mad and is attacking all of the tribesmen’s beasts. Oku blames Leopard Girl, telling her that she is guardian of the leopards, and if one has turned wild, she has failed. Leopard Girl tells Peter it’s true that she’s responsible for each of the leopards, and if she doesn’t do something about the wild one, she might as well leave the jungle. Oku warns her it’s even worse than that, and if the other leopards learn she can no longer command them, they will turn on her.

Leopard Girl tells Peter she must meet the wild one in combat and defeat him, and follows him deep into the jungle, where she’s attacked by several leopards. Unable to fight them all, Leopard Girl swings above them on vines and follows the wild one to the Hartley Plantation, where Peter is already warning Hartley to be on his guard. Leopard Girl warns Pete and Hartley to hide, as dozens of leopards follow her into the plantation. When the wild one attacks her, both the leopards and the two men stop to watch the battle.

Seeing that Leopard Girl isn’t trying to strangle or knock out the leopard, Pete rushes in, trying to get a shot at the beast, but she warns him he’s just in the way. Getting the leopard down, Leopard Girl removes a thorn from its paw, which was driving the animal wild. All of the leopards calm down and return to the jungle, led by the one who had once been the wild one. Leopard Girl hugs Peter for trying to save her.


NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Behind the Lines”



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JUNGLE ACTION #6 (August 1955)

Cover art by Joe Maneely

STORY 1: “Menace from the Past!”

Art by Syd Shores

APPEARANCES: Lo-Zar; Papai and other African Tribesmen; Princess Keah, her High Priest, and other Egyptians; Serpo the Snake

SYNOPSIS: Lo-Zar is told by Papai that he and his people are fleeing their village, running from men from the past. He investigates to find Ancient Egyptians walking along a jungle trail. Seeing Lo-Zar, their high priest points him out as the blonde monarch of evil, and orders him to be siezed. Before Lo-Zar can move, he’s imprisoned by a dozen spears.

The High Priest tells Princess Keah that Lo-Zar is the Blonde God of Doom, ancient enemy of their people, explaining that centuries ago, their forefathers escaped from Egypt to hide in the jungle from him, and he points out the similarity between Lo-Zar and an effigy they carry of the Blonde God.

Seeing a snake about to attack the princess, Lo-Zar breaks free of his chains and kills old Serpo, then tells them they can chain him up again. Confused, the Egyptians hesitate, when Lo-Zar that he hears stampeding zebras heading their way. The Princess walks staright toward the stampede, when Lo-Zar grabs her. The High Priest orders his men to grab Lo-Zar, accusing him of playing every trick he knows, when the Princess says she’ll free him the only way she knows, and steps off a cliff. Once again, Lo-Zar swings to her rescue. When the High Priest asks the Princess why she wants to die, she tells him that Lo-Zar didn’t save her out of trickery, but out of bravery, asking why he should die for her. The High Priest tells them the Princess has spoken, and allows Lo-Zar to go, when the effigy of the Blonde God of Doom cracks into pieces.


STORY 2: “Jungle Boy”

Art by John Romita

APPEARANCES: Jungle Boy/Jack Spears, Jr.; Jack Spears, Sr., his father; Mr Haskel; Carney and other men in Haskel’s employ; African Tribesmen

SYNOPSIS: Jungle Boy helps corral animals for his father, for shipment to an American zoo, even though he doesn’t like the idea. His father explains that Mr Haskel’s there to take some animals back to his zoo for study, which will help them to survive, but Jungle Boy tells him he doesn’t trust Haskel.

That night, Jungle Boy watches over the animals, when he sees Carney pouring something into their water troughs, and he jumps him. As his father, Haskel, and other men race over, Carney explains it was just a medicine to prevent sea-sickness.

Later that night, the animals start howling in pain, and Jungle Boy races into the pen. Carney grabs his rifle to take a shot at him, but Jack Sr and Haskel get in his way, when Jungle Boy, riding a zebra, leads the stampeding animals out of the pen. Jack Sr pushes Haskel out of the way, telling him to hea for the hut. Carney takes off, but he’s jumped by Jungle Boy ahead of the stampede, but the animals stop at the stream and start drinking. Carney confesses he gave the animals something that would drive them wild with thirst in order to ruin Haskel, so he could take over the expedition. As Carney is taken into custody, Haskel has his men round up the animals.


STORY 3: "The Test of the Mighty!"

Art by Syd Shores

APPEARANCES: Man-oo the Mighty

SYNOPSIS: Man-oo leaps to meet the challenge of a bull elephant, but tricks him into falling head-long into thick mud. The beasts of the jungle howl and snarl at Man-oo, telling him was no victory, and that he has shown no strength in combat.

Knowing that he must prove himself once more, Man-oo rips down a sturdy rope of jungle vine, coils it around the elephant, then tosses the other end up around the brach of a nearby tree. The creatures watch as he pits his strength against the elephant and the mud, getting the elephant up onto its legs. With Man-oo’s strength all but gone, the elephant lifts his trunk in a cry of thanks, and having gained the elephant’s friendship, Man-oo rides it back into the jungle.


STORY 4: “The Lair of the Fang!”

Art by Tom Scheuer

APPEARANCES: Leopard Girl/Gwen; Peter; Numa the Lion

SYNOPSIS: Leopard Girl stops Numa the Lion from stalking an antelope and her young, telling him she’ll see he gets something to eat. In his anger, he chases Leopard Girl, but she leads him to a cache of meat she found, belonging to an outlaw leopard.

The outlaw watches Leopard Girl, following as she heads to the safety of the Village of the Leopards, where she reigns supreme as the dispenser of justice, but when she arrives, the leopards shy away from her. The outlaw jumps Leopard Girl, who lies still as he roars his defiance to the leopard tribe. Thinking the outlaw has beaten Leopard Girl, the leopards accept him as their new ruler.

Leopard Girl comes across Peter, and tells him that unless she can bring them back, the leopards will all turn outlaw and wreck the jungle. Pete offers to go with her and shoot the outlaw, but she tells him she must prove herself the outlaw’s better, and do it alone. Pete decides to tag along anyway, and he heads off a stampede of elephants, telling her to go on ahead, but she grabs him, pulling him out of harm’s way. Pete says he knows she likes him, and that maybe one day she’ll let him see what she really looks like.

They find the lair of the outlaw, guarded by other leopards. Leaving Peter in a tree, Leopard Girl leaps into the lair, but finds the old outlaw has no fangs. She pats him on the nose and tells him she’ll make sure he gets his share of the hunt, and that she’ll also keep his secret. The old cat follows her out like a kitten, and when the other leopards see that he obeys her, they accept her back as their leader. Peter asks her how she does it, but she says it a secret she promised not to tell.

NOTE: Leopard Girl later appears in Ant-Man: Last Days 1 as a resident of Valhalla Villas.


NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Search”


CHRONOLOGIES (Recurring Characters Only):

KREITZER, DR HANS
JA 2/4
JA 3/2
JA 4/4

JUNGLE BOY/JACK SPEARS JR
JA 1/3
JA 2/2
JA 3/4
JA 4/2
JA 5/2
JA 6/2

LEOPARD GIRL/GWEN
JA 1/4-FB
JA 1/4
JA 2/4
JA 3/2
JA 4/4
JA 5/4

LO-ZAR II/THARN
JA 1
JA 2
JA 3
JA 4
JA 5
JA 6

MAN-OO
JA 1/2
JA 2/3
JA 3/3
JA 4/3
JA 5/3
JA 5/3
JA 6/3

PETER
JA 1/4
JA 2/4
JA 3/2
JA 4/4
JA 5/4
JA 6/4

SPEARS, JACK SR
JA 1/3
JA 2/2
JA 3/4
JA 4/2
JA 5/2
JA 6/2

NOTE: Numa the Lion is used generically for any male lion, and Serpo is used generically for any great serpent throughout this series. There are several Serge’s in Lo-Zar’s stories, but they don’t appear to be the same individual.