Cover art by Joe Maneely
STORY 1: “Rampage”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney; Eva Dawn; Kuba, Lakai and other Native Tribesmen; an actor, a cameraman and other film crew.
SYNOPSIS: In the heart of the African Congo, stunt-woman Jane Hastings is making a movie with ingénue Eva Dawn and director Pat Mahoney. Kuba warns Jane that it’s the time of the drought, and the animals are restless and dangerous, but she tells him that b’wana Pat has his mind made up. The natives ask Jane who she is and where she comes from, as she loves the jungle and knows its ways. She tells them she’s a former trapeze artist and animal trainer from Hollywood named Jane Hastings, but they name her Jann, which she decides to adopt as her professional name.
That night, Pat tells Jane he’s determined to finish the film, as he doesn’t get many jobs now that he’s exiled himself from Hollywood and decided to live in Africa. He asks her about the name the natives have given her, but before she can explain, a stampede of animals races toward the camp. Pat orders Ku-Ba and La-Kai to fetch guns and spears, when Jann leaps onto the back of a rhino, turning him and aside and leading the stampede in another direction, while Kuba assures Pat that Jann knows what to do.
After killing a large snake, Jane returns to camp and asks Ku-Ba to tell Pat the legend of Jann. Ku-Ba tells Pat that when he was a small child, there was another white woman like Jane, who lived as only a jungle child can. He says that her name was Jann and she served his people well, helping them in time of need, until one day she met and loved a lion-hunter, and left them, but now she as returned, young and brave as ever.
The natives begin chanting the name Jann, while Eva Dawn and her co-star decide they’re getting out of the Congo, and they can scrap the movie. Jane tells Pat that the original Jann was her grandmother, who taught her daughter all about the jungle, and that she in turn taught Jane, telling Pat that she feels she belongs in the jungle, and wants to carry on the work of the first Jann. As the film crew drives off, Pat tells Jane he’s staying to watch over the new Jann of the Jungle.
NOTE: Although there’s no flashback scene to the first Jann, Jane Hastings is actually the second person to carry the title Jann of the Jungle.
NOTE: Kuba is sometimes spelled Ku-Ba; Lakai is sometimes spelled La-Kai.
STORY 2: "Fire Spirit!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Kaba, the Chief; Lalei, his girlfriend; Bau-Bau, an elder; Mabu and other Bantu Tribesmen
SYNOPSIS: In the depths of South Africa, from his deathbed, Kaba, Chief of the Bantu, makes his son swear to be an enlightened and gentle leader, forebearing the use of violence. Waku swears, then leaves the hut, telling the tribe that his father is dead. An elder, Bau-Bau, tells Waku that before he can become Chief, he must fight and defeat their strongest young men. Mabu steps forward to be the first, but Waku refuses to fight and is banished by his people, never to return upon pain of death.
After fighting the other young men, Mabu is named King of the Bantu, but Waku does’t trust Mabu and stays close to the village, where he kills a rogue bull elephant. When the Bantu find the carcass the next morning, Mabu tells them he killed it during the night, as he protected the village. He then tells the men they will hunt for the white hunters, and he will collect the payment.
A month later, when the tribe gathers for the fire-mourning of Kaba, Lalei, Waku’s lover, disguises herself, and appears through the flames as Kaba, and tells them he releases his son Waku from the promise he made to him on his deathbed, but Waku watches from the shadows.
Waku enters the village and challenges Mabu, defeating him, but he tells them he has broken a promise to his father, and the spirit of the fire must now claim him. Taking his hand, Lalei joins Waku, and they prepare to walk through the fire together, when the real spirit of Kaba appears in the flames, saying he inspired Lalei to speak for him, and that he did release Waku from his vow. Bau-Bau leads the people in hailing Waku as Prince of the Bantu.
STORY 3: “The Challenge of the Pit”
APPEARANCES: Nuba the Lion; Nami the Lioness; their cubs; other animals
SYNOPSIS: Nuba the lion roars his joy when Nami the lioness gives birth to his cubs. He kills a young giraffe, bringing it to the cubs, but he’s cuffed away by Nami.
In time, the three cubs grow, two big and strong, but Nuba watches over the third cub, taking him hunting in hopes he will build up his strength. While out hunting, the young lion falls into a lion trap. Nuba leaps into the pit, and shows the young one how to climb out, but his son just stares at him. Nuba lashes out at the young lion in anger, but this time it fights back. Nuba breaks away and climbs out of the pit, this time followed by the young lion, and they walk away together.
STORY 4: “The Fangs of the Big Cat”
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; McNeer; Nanhour and other Hindi natives.
SYNOPSIS: In a village in India, Cliff Mason shoots at a tiger, but misses. While Cliff gets his gear ready, he sends Nanhour and other Hindi natives out to track the cat, warning them it will now be wary and tougher to track. As Cliff’s getting ready to leave, McNeer drives up, telling Cliff he’s a seasoned hunter, and wants to bag a nam-eater, but Cliff sends him on his way.
Nanhour returns, telling Cliff they’ve lost the trail on the terai, or marshes. Cliff tells him to set up a buffalo as bait, and he’ll spend the night waiting up for the tiger in a machan, or tree platform.
That night, as Cliff waits in the machan, McNeer returns and getting between Cliff and the tiger, he’s mauled by the cat, who lopes away with him into the tall grass. Believing the tiger will make for the nearest rocky ravine, Cliff heads to Kubla Pass, treacherous with gullies and caverns, when the tiger appears on a rocky outcrop not three yards away. Moving slowly, Cliff brings his rifle to bear, when the cat leaps. Cliff shoots, and the tiger falls dead.
Cliff finds McNeer alive but with some deep wounds, but when he remains obstinate about staying to hunt, Cliff starts shooting at his feet, telling him to get out of there.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Strange Valley”
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JUNGLE TALES #2 (November 1954)
Cover art by Carl Burgos
STORY 1: “Jungle Fever”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney; Eva Dawn; Kuba, Lakai and other Native Tribesmen
SYNOPSIS: Jann ventures deep into the Congo swampland to obtain a rare red orchid for Pat Mahoney, but the tree branch she’s standing on is rotten, and it breaks off, dumping Jann into quicksand. Jann snags her lasso onto a rhino’s horn and prods him to move with a toss of her knife, then returns to the native village without further incident, but finds the natives start collapsing from sickness when they’re near the orchid.
When they tell her the cure is the even more rare black orchid, Jann ventures even deeper into the swamp to obtain it. Jann swings out onto what appears to be a rock, but it turns out to be the back of a dinosaur. Other dinosaurs rise from the deep swamp, but they forget about her as they begin battling each other. Jann fights her way through a living wall of thorns to obtain the black orchid, when Pat arrives with a mob of natives, driven mad by the sickness, but as Jann is entwined in the wall of thorns, the natives throw themselves at it, freeing her, having been cured of the sickness as they drew closer to the black orchid.
STORY 2: "The Valley of the Dead!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Lalei, his girlfriend; Hoda the Ambitious and other Bantu Tribesmen; Koga the Vulture; Zombies
SYNOPSIS: A sudden jungle storm strikes without warning, and as the rivers flood, Waku leads his people out through the burial place of their long-dead ancestors, but as night falls, Hoda the Ambitious, who knows the magic of the zombie power, plans to raise the dead to defy Waku and take his place as Chief of the Bantu.
Hoda steals away from camp, watched by Koga the Vulture, and raises the dead as his obedient zombies. As the zombies approach the camp, they are intercepted by Waku, who leads them back into the valley of the dead. Hoda raises more zombies, this time of dead jungle beasts, but they attack the human zombies, who return to the safety of their graves. Looking for fresh victims, the beasts turn on Hoda, killing him, before returning to their graves.
STORY 3: “The Outcast!”
Art by George Tuska
APPEARANCES: Pada the Leopardess; Loa the Leopard; other animals
SYNOPSIS: As Loa comes looking for the cubs that Pada has just borne, she hides a white leopard cub from him, before going out to meet him with her other two cubs. Each night, Pada returns to the cave to feed the outcast cub. Full grown, large and strong, he eventually heads out into the jungle alone, but hasn’t been taught the ways of the jungle by his father, and Pada fears for him.
After encounters with a large group of monkeys, a rhino and a crocodile. The outcast slinks back to his cave, but he’s attacked by a huge python, and screams out in terror and rage. The yell is heard by Loa and Pada, and other leopards, who come to his rescue. Loa accepts the outcast into the family.
STORY 4: “The Head-Hunters!”
Art by Joe Maneely
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; Cap; a sailor; head-hunters and Ko, their Chief.
SYNOPSIS: Cliff Mason is sent to Jaffa Island to investigate rumours of a giant spider. As he’s dropped off, Cap tells Cliff he’ll return for him in a week, and warns him there were head-hunters on the island ten years ago, but Cliff has his doubts.
As Cliff makes camp, a guard returns to his village in the centre of the island to warn his tribesmen, where the giant spider is chained in a clearing, and worshipped as their god.
Next morning, Cliff discovers giant spider tracks, but becomes suspicious when they stick to the trail. The head-hunters attack, and Cliff empties his rifle into them, then uses it as a club to defend himself. When the natives get the gun away from him, Cliff pulls out his revolver and starts shooting. Ko, their chief, orders the spider-god to be released, and Cliff empties his revolver into it, then throws the gun at it (because even though bullets didn’t hurt it, throwing the revolver at it will - and it did!). The revolver hits the spider in it’s most vulnerable spot, its tiny brain, stunning it.
As the head-hunters also stand around, horrified at the apparent death of their spider-god, Cliff makes a run for it, but runs straight into the head-hunters’ village, where he’s taken captive to be sacrificed to the spirit of the spider-god. The head-hunters return the spider to the village, and stand around it, crying, as they wait for nightfall.
Not believing the spider can really be dead, Cliff starts yelling for it to wake up, and as it begins to move, the natives believe he’s called it back from the dead. Freeing Cliff, the natives begin a joyful celebration of the rebirth of their god, but the chief, jealous that Cliff will take his place, hurls a spear in his direction, but it overshoots and kills the spider. As the natives chase after Ko, Cliff takes off in the opposite direction, worried they’ll ask him to resurrect their god again. Ko races to the cliffs, and throws himself over, followed by the head-hunters, who all fall to their deaths.
A week later, Cap returns to pick up Cliff.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Fatal Return”
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JUNGLE TALES #3 (January 1955)
Cover art by Joe Maneely
STORY 1: “The Screaming Terror”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney; Kaba and other Native Tribesmen; He of the Black Beard, a Russian Agent; Commissar Booboff; Comrade Borich
SYNOPSIS: Pat films the Congo tribesmen as they corner a group of great apes, when the apes go mad with fear and turn on them. The natives run, and Jann sweeps Pat up into a tree, when he realizes he hadn’t loaded the camera! Leaving Pat in the tree, Jann goes to see what scared the apes, when Pat is swept up in the bony trunk of an animated Mastadon skeleton. Hearing him cry out, Jann heads back, but Kaba (not the same person as Kuba) loads a poison dart into his blowgun, fearing that he of the black beard will kill him if he doesn’t stop her.
Jann returns, freeing Pat, and finding the Mastadon skeleton is just a lot of bones pieced together. Kaba shoots the dart, but misses, when he of the black beard appears, holding a remote control device to animate the skeleton. Jann gets the device away from the man, and puts him in a judo hold, while Pat disarms Kaba, when Russian jets fly overhead. As they turn to land in Drago Meadow, Jann animates the Mastadon skeleton, creating a stampede of wild animals.
Leaning against a tree, Jann operates the control for the skeleton, having it crush the aircraft, while the fleeing pilots are killed in the stampede. Jann then destroys the device, and the skeleton crumbles into individual bones.
STORY 2: "Vengeance of the Fire God!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Lalei, his girlfriend; Jobu, Gukai and other Bantu Tribesmen; a Fire God
SYNOPSIS: As the wild animals flee from the Fire God, Waku tells his people to stand their ground and the fire-god won’t hurt them. Sure enough, the fires die, and the smoke vanishes. Waku tells his people to round up the wild beasts before they destroy themselves in panic. Swinging through the branches, Waku leads a team to head off the stampeding elephants before they throw themselves over a cliff. Waku thanks Jobu forhis help, but Gukai warns them they have defied the will of the Fire God.
That night in the village, sparks won’t strike, the cooking fires burn out of cotrol, and the eternal flame they keep burning goes out. Waku tells his people it is not the vengeance of the Fire God, who is a kind god, but Gukai warns them the Fire God is angry and will destroy them all. Warning his prince that the people are in an ugly mood, Jobu suggests that until they calm down, Waku step aside and allow him to take over as leader, or Gukai will proclaim himself prince. Waku agrees, and names Jobu their leader until he proves to them the Fire God is not angry with them. Lalei asks Waku if that wise, but he tells her the Fire God only appears every fifty years, destroying those who fear him, but leaving alone those who stand up to him.
Days pass without incident, the fires behave themselves, and the eternal mysteriously reappears, causing Jobu to believe that Gukai may have been right. Lalei warns Waku that the Bantu are talking about sacrificing him to the Fire God, but he tells her he has faith in the Fire God and that some enemy is behind this.
That night, Waku goes to worship at the altar, but finds Jobu there lighting the flame, and realizes he’s his secret enemy. Having lured Waku into a trap, Jobu releases maddened leopards from a cage to kill him, but when Waku can fight no more, a fire strikes up between him and the remaining leopards, and they flee in terror. Waku challenges Jobu to fight man to man, but a Jobu turns to run, he trips and falls to his death on his own knife.
As Waku wonders how the fire sprang up, the Fire God speaks to him, saying he thought he had faith, and tells him to return to his people and rule them wisely. Returning to the village, Waku finds the eternal flame burning brighter than ever, and he is once again hailed as Prince of the Bantu.
STORY 3: “Jungle Night!”
Art by Bob Forstone
SYNOPSIS: A weak and starving old lion falls prey to a boa constrictor, when flocks of birds come to his aid. Having escaped one peril, the lion falls into a man-made lion pit. A vulture flies overhead and drops some meat at the top of the pit. The lion claws his way up to the top, to find another lion standing over the morsel. He wanders off, then weary and discouraged, he lays down to die, when a wounded antelope falls before him. Finishing his meal, strength returns to the old lion.
STORY 4: “Fanged Death!”
Art by Al Hartly
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; his Chokidar and other Indian tribesmen
FLASHBACK: Cliff Mason follows the tracks of a man-eating tiger, when other tracks join it, until there are a dozen of them. Following the tracks, Cliff comes across a conclave of man-eating tigers, one of which has his jacket, and is holding it up for the others to sniff. Realizing the tigers are plotting to track and kill him, Cliff runs for it.
As he races back to camp, Cliff is attacked by a pair of cobras, who sense his predicament. Racing into camp, Cliff orders his Chokidar, or watchman, to quickly get spears and arrows, but seeing he is afraid, the natives refuse to help him. Cliff realizes he must face the tigers alone, or the natives will never work for him again. Cliff faces the tigers, who stop in their tracks, realizing he is no longer running from them. Throwing caution to the wind, the leader strikes.
SYNOPSIS: Cliff Mason finds himself facing a dozen of man-eating tigers. As they leap for the kill, Cliff fires off round after round from his rifle, when the natives come to his aid, throwing spears and shooting arrows at the tigers. Out of bullets, Cliff faces the last surviving tiger as it leaps, but Cliff’s Chokidar comes to his rescue, and armed with a knife, he helps Cliff kill the tiger. The Chokidar tells Cliff they would never have allowed the tigers to kill him, but had to make sure he had regained his courage.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “The Fatal Clue!”
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JUNGLE TALES #4 (March 1955)
Cover art by Syd Shores
STORY 1: “Fanged Fury!”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney; Kuba and other Native Tribesmen; Coga the Lion
SYNOPSIS: Jann adopts an orphan lion cub against Pat’s advice, which (very) quickly matures into an adult lion named Coga. Pat doesn’t trust the lion and asks Kuba to keep an eye on Jann’s hut. That night, Kuba is attacked by an adult male lion, but he fights him off, armed only with a knife. Pat accuses Jann’s lion, but she shows him that Coga’s in his pen. Pat tells her the lion could have jumped the fence, and that he’s going to shoot Coga, but Jann lets him escape, then follows him into the jungle to protect him.
Jann is attacked by the rogue lion, but punches him on the nose and ties him to a tree, when Pat and Kuba catch up. As Pat aims his rifle, Coga leaps out of the jungle and knocks it out of his hands. Coga frees the other lion, then battles with him. Defeating the other lion, Coga brings it to Jann and licks her face, then the two lions return to the jungle together.
Jann explains that the older lion is Coga’s father, and he was trying to rescue his son. Pat is still not convinced it wasn’t Coga who attacked Kuba, when Jann points out that Kuba wounded the lion who attacked him, but Coga didn’t have a scratch on him.
NOTE: The cub appears to be around 3-4 months old when Jann adopts it. Male lions normally take at least three years to attain full adulthood, and another three years to develop a full mane as depicted here. We’ll have to put this down to artistic licence.
STORY 2: "Jungle War!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Lalei, his girlfriend; Baja and other Bantu Tribesmen; Rakatu and his warriors; Gondo, the Great Gorilla.
SYNOPSIS: Rakatu, leader of a neighboring tribe, stirs his warriors into war against the Bantu. They beat the drums of war as they approach Waku’s village, stirring the wild animals into a frenzy. Rakatu’s warriors fall upon a Bantu hunting party, slaughtering them, as the beasts of the jungle also kill each other in their frenzy.
As the warriors approach the village, the drums beat out a warning for Waku’s people to turn on him or feel their spears. Baja advises Waku to attack quickly, before his people flee to the other side, but Waku tells him he will act when the time is right.
As his people argue with Waku, Gondo the great gorilla appears and carries off Lalei. As Waku turns to go after her, Rakatu appears with his warriors, challenging him, but Waku tells his people not to attack, and to stand fast. He then races out to face Rakatu alone, challenging him to single combat, or be branded a coward by his warriors. Rakatu accepts, then throws his spear at Waku, but it’s caught by a Gondo, who had been watching from the trees. Rakatu pulls a knife, but the unarmed Waku defeats him. Rakatu begs for his life, then deceitfully strikes out at Waku, who defeats him again, and lifts him over his head. Rakatu’s warriors cry out to Waku to trhow Rakatu onto their raised spears, but Waku throws him over their heads.
As Rakatu runs, Gondo releases Lalei and races after him, while Rakatu’s warriors tell Waku they mistook his wisdom for cowardice, but now they know better, and he tells them to go in peace.
STORY 3: “Rampage!”
APPEARANCES: Omo, the Homeless One; Pada the Leopardess and her cubs; Sima the Lion; Aga the Antelope
SYNOPSIS: Omo, the Homeless One, is a sad bull elephant who lost his herd during a tropical storm, and now spends his days searching for them. The most powerful beast in the jungle, even Pada the Leopard and Sima the Lion stay out of his way, but when he meets another bull elephant, they must battle for supremacy. Omo is victorious and continues his search, passing Aga the antelope, and Pada and her cubs.
Suddenly a fire breaks out, sweeping all of the animals ahead of it. Omo takes cover in a pond, but seeing the other animals running amuck, he leads them through a thicket of black bramble thorns.
Having saved the other beasts, but bleeding and close to death himself, Omo lays down to die, when he sees his long-lost herd, and his strength is renewed.
[I really liked this one - i’m gonna read it to my granddaughter
]STORY 4: “Hurricane!”
Art by Joe Maneely
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; Simba the Lion; a tribe of Monkey Men and their Chief
SYNOPSIS: Caught away from camp in a hurricane, Cliff must shoot a frenzied lion to save himself, but he is also being stalked by a strange tribe of Monkey Men. Finding his cartridges have swelled in the torrential rain, Cliff uses his rifle as a club to defend himself, but lightning strikes a nearby tree, which falls on him.
Tying him up, the Monkey Men prepare to return to their village to sacrifice Cliff to the hurricane god, when their chief is killed by a huge python. Cliff makes a bargain with the Monkey to kill the python and avenge their chief if they release him. They agree on the stipulation that if he fails, he will die the death of a thousand tortures.
As they hunt the python, it strikes from the trees, killing more of the Monkey Men before slithering into the jungle. Cliff takes after it, but it leads him into a nest of pythons. His cartridges having dried out, Cliff fires a few rounds into the snakes. Seeing the hunter risking his life for them, the Monkey Men come to his aid. The rains pour down again, and with wet cartridges once more, Cliff takes on the killer python, attempting to club it with his rifle, but misses. Just as the python strikes, a bolt of lightning hits a tree, and the electricity travels along the trunk, which falls on the snake, electrocuting it. True story! Read it right here!
With that, the storm abates, and the Monkey Men allow Cliff to leave in peace, but before he leaves, Cliff asks to borrow one of their leather pouches to keep his powder dry.
NOTE: In the previous Cliff Mason, White Hunter stories, Cliff was based in India. For this issue and the next, Cliff is based in Africa.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Gold”
NOTE: Pada the Leopardess appears in two issues, but this just seems to be used as a generic name for all female leapards in this series.
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JUNGLE TALES #5 (May 1955)
Cover art by Russ Heath
STORY 1: “Jungle Fangs!”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney; Comrade Kruger; Bogo and other Native Tribesmen
SYNOPSIS: Pat is getting some pics of Jann, when Bogo tells them the tribe refuses to work anymore for Pat. As they head back to camp, Jann goes after a leaf of paper, blowing in the wind. Dealing with a snake, she gets hold of the page, when it’s taken from her by a costumed man who threatens her with a blowgun.
Jann returns to camp to find the tribesmen refusing to work for an outsiders. Jann tells Pat it sounds like a communist plot, when they hear cries from Pat’s new assistant, Kruger. Jann races to his hut, finding he was being held hostage, while Pat and Bogo hold off the natives, who start burning the camp.
Jann, Bogo and Kruger rendezvous at the Bagu Plains, where Jann tells Pat that communists must have drugged the natives, having seen strange marks like those of fangs on their bodies, but Kruger takes off, telling them he’s heading for the East Coast.
Jann sends Pat and Bogo back to camp, as the drug should have worn off by now. As she heads off to learn who’s at the bottom of the uprising, Jann is attacked by the man with the blowdart gun, but she catches the dart in the handle of her knife. Examining the dart, Jann finds it’s fitted with fang-like prongs, like the marks she saw on the natives. Jann kicks him into a nest of snakes, then he finds himself surrounded by animals, and a lion swipes at him, knocking off his mask, revealing him to be Kruger.
Jann returns Kruger to camp, where the natives have settled down. He confesses his sins, telling Pat that he drugged the natives, and was hired by the Reds to spread rebellion in the jungle. Jann then shows Pat the paper that Kruger risked everything to get back, which contains his latest instructions from the Kremlin.
STORY 2: "Blood Brother to the Lions!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Lalei, his girlfriend; Kom and other Bantu Tribesmen; Naru the Lion; Chong, the Great Gorilla.
SYNOPSIS: Waku defeats Kom, a challenger to his rule of the Bantu, leaving in the jungle as an outcast, as he refuses to accept Waku’s rule. Kom warns Waku that someday he will die at his hands. When Lalei hears of Kom’s threat, she heads into the jungle alone, hoping to talk Kom into leaving Waku alone. Learming of Lalei’s intentions, Waku rides on the back of Naru the Lion, following her trail.
Lalei is grabbed by Kom, and taken up into a tree. As Waku rides his lion below, Kom throws a knife, but Waku deflects it with his spear, then climbs the tree. Kom throws Lalei off the branch, but Waku leaps, holding onto a vine, and catches her in mid-air, but the commotion wakes Chong, the Great Gorilla. Waku throws his spear at a rock, causing a spark, which starts a small fire, frightening off Chong.
As the fire spreads, Waku and Lalei are trapped between the flames and the crocodile-infested swamp. Waku speaks to Naru, promising him his freedom if he can find a way to save them. Naru roars, summoning more lions, who charge past Waku, creating a path through the flames with their own bodies. Riding Naru’s back life a surfboard, Waku tells Kom to jump, and catches him, then puts him on the back of another lion.
Riding on the lions’ backs, the three of them return to the village, where Kom bows before his prince. Waku frees Naru, who takes off to lead the other lions.
STORY 3: “The Hidden Death!”
Art by Syd Shores
APPEARANCES: Serpo the Serpent
SYNOPSIS: In the early morning, Serpo the Giant Serpent hunts fo rhis hungry family. He strikes at an antelope fawn, but its parents drive him away. He attempts to rob a birds’ nest, but is driven away by hundreds of birds, who come to protect their own. Distracted, Serpo enters the lair of a lion, and they battle for their lives, then feigning death, Serpo escapes as the lion roars his triumph.
Silently skirting the dens, caves and nests of his enemies, the Serpo slithers back to his own nest, to find his mate and offspring eathing berries and fruits from around the nest.
STORY 4: “The Trap!”
Art by Dick Ayers
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; Mr Warner; Gwen Warner; Zabo and other African Tribesmen
SYNOPSIS: Cliff takes Mr Warner on safari to hunt elephants. He lines up a shot for Warner, but he refuses to shoot, wanting to wait for the charging elephant to get closer, but Cliff shoots, bringing the bull down. Furious, Warner tells Cliff he’ll see to it he never gets another job as a guide, and he’ll drive him out of the jungle, but Cliff tells him to do what he likes.
As Warner heads into the jungle alone, Zabo warns Cliff that night comes early in the jungle at this time of year, and Warner will not survive the night alone. Sending the others back to camp, Cliff and Zabo follow Warner’s trail, when they see a young woman coming after them, Warner’s daughter, Gwen.
When they catch up to Warner, he tells Gwen she can’t stop him, and he crosses a ravine on a vine rope, cutting it when he reaches the far side. Gwen explains that her father wants to be killed, as he’s been accused of selling worthless stock to poor people, and he’s ashamed to go back and face them.
Zabo sets up a signal fire, and when the natives arrive, they form a human chain across the chasm. Cliff warns Gwen that her father is heading into gorilla country, and they cross the human bridge across the gorge. Chased by gorillas, Warner falls into a trap. He shoots the lead gorilla from inside the trap, alerting Cliff, Zabo and Gwen to his predicament. Cliff and Zabo shoot at the gorillas, then out of bullets, Cliff jumps into the trap to find Warner facing another gorilla. Cliff prepares to defend himself with the butt of his rifle, when the gorilla starts throwing gold nuggets at them, but as the gorilla digs for more ammunitions, the walls of the trap fall in on him, burying him.
Having huddled together at the far side of the pit, Clif and Warner climb out on a rope lowered by Zabo. Showing Gwen a large gold nugget, Warner tells he he didn’t swindle the investors, as there really is gold in the Kagu Provonce. He tells Cliff that he doesn’t want a cent of it, and just wants to get his good name bac, as he’s found something better than gold in the jungle, namely faith and hope.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Diplomat”
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JUNGLE TALES #6 (July 1955)
Cover art by Syd Shores
STORY 1: “The White Peril!”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney
SYNOPSIS: Jann warns Pat that he’s too close as he films a lion moving in for the kill. As it turns on Pat, Jann leaps onto the lion’s back, and steers it aside by pulling on its mane, but it ruins Pat’s film. As the lion goes back after its prey, Pat tells Jann if he doesn’t come up with some good film soon, he’ll be ordered back to the States, and that his only hope now is to get film of the elusive white rhino.
Jann leads Pat through the wilderness in search of the white rhino, warning him to keep his rifle at the ready. Pat films some charging rhinos, forcing Jann to save him and carry him into the trees. Moving on, Jann and Pat find themselves on a rocky outcrop, but when the ground moves beneath them, they realize they’re on the backs of a pair of white rhinos, part of a crash of albino rhinos (that’s right, crossword lovers!). Grabbing hold tight, they ride the rhinos as they charge across the plains to a spot where one of their herd has become bogged in the mud.
Jann cuts down some vines, which they get underneath the bogged beast, and tie them to the ends to the horns of some of the other rhinos, and pull him out, when the lion that Pat annoyed earlier appears, having followed them. Pat smacks it across the nose with his camera, then the rhinos charge at the lion, seeing it off. As they run off hand in hand, Jann reminds Pat that he didn’t get any film, but he tells her he put the camera to better use, and he’s happy just to be away from the white peril with her.
STORY 2: "The Test of the Thousand Perils!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Lalei, his girlfriend; Zabo, the Medicine Man and other Bantu Tribesmen
SYNOPSIS: As Waku heads out for his annual test to prove his right to lead the Bantu, the Medicine Man prepares Zabo to follow and destroy him. Lalei listens just outside the hut, but the Medicine Man grabs her, saying she will come in handy if his magic fails, but Zabo warns the Medicine Man not to kill her, as he plans to wed Lalei when he becomes Chief.
As Waku passes a sleeping lion, the Medicine Man gets Zabo to wake the beast with a dart from his blowpipe. Wounded, the angry lion attacks Waku, but he ties it up with vines and finds the dart. Zabo wants to kill Waku, but the Medicine Man tells him the Chief must be killed by a wild animal.
As Waku passes beneath a nest of snakes, Zabo hurls a rock to upset it, but the ever alert Waku catches it. Waku charges towards Zabo, when Lalei calls out to him, warning Waku to be careful. The Medicine Man orders Waku to walk into a river filled with crocodiles, or he will throw Lalei to them. Zabo once again warns the Medicine Man not to harm Lalei, but he uses magic to stop Zabo in his tracks. Waku yells to Lalei to leap and grab onto a vine, and together they swing out over the river, but the vine breaks and they fall in. The Medicine Man’s spell wears off and Zabo shoots an arrow at him, but it overshoots its mark. As Zabo turns on the Medicine Man, Waku reaches the shore and jumps Zabo, wrestling him to the ground. The crocs emerge from the river, and passing Waku, they chase after Zabo and the Medicine Man.
Having survived the Test of a Thousand Perils, Waku returns to the village, hand in hand with Lalei.
STORY 3: “The Hidden Death!”
Art by Syd Shores
APPEARANCES: Guro, the Bull Elephant; Kabu the Gorilla; Phanto, King of All the Elephants
SYNOPSIS: Guro, a great bull elephant, has been seized with madness, and charges through the jungle, bent on destruction, when he suddenly halts in his tracks, bellows a challenge to the jungle, and sinks to the ground. The wild animals gather around to attack, but finding an inner strength, he hurls them away.
Kabu the Gorilla is sent to find Phanto, King of all the elephants, who charges at Guro, but Guro beats him, and Phanto runs away. A tiny tick bird notices a thorn in Guro’s foot, and as he pulls it out, the madness leaves Guro’s eyes, and he sinks to the ground, exhausted. Knowing that what happened wasn’t his fault, the animals leave Guro in peace to rest and recover.
STORY 4: “Cliff Mason, White Hunter”
Art by Don Heck
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; Mr Grogg; Pop, Joe and other White Hunters
SYNOPSIS: Outside the Headquarters of the White Hunters Association, Cliff and some other hunters try to talk Pop, an old hunter, out of taking a job in the Quimba Province, as it’s filled with angry tigers at this time of year, but he tells them at his age, he can’t afford to turn down any work (i know how he feels!). Pop’s client, Mr Grogg, comes by in a Jeep and they take off for the Quimba Province.Cliff tells the other White Hunters they can’t let Pop go into danger, and if they all go along, and if they all go along and watch out for him, between them they can fight off any tiger attack, but the men make their various excuses, so Cliff heads off alone.
Having arrived in the Quimba Provonce, Pop warns Grogg to ready his rifle, when they’re jumped by a tiger. Groog is too frightened to get off a shot, so Pop steps on the gas, but the Jeep gets a blowout and crashes. As Pop crawls out of the Jeep, Grogg runs for it, pursued by the tiger.
Cliff catches up and helps Pop, then together they go after Grogg (not grog), following him deep into tiger country. Sensing a tiger in the brush, Cliff sends Pop ahead as a decoy, and clubs the tiger with the butt of his rifle as it leaps.
Going on, they find Grogg in a clearing, surrouned by an conclave of tigers. The tigers begin squabbling amongst themselves, when Pop and Cliff rush in, firing their rifles until they run out of bullets. Pop stands his ground, clubbing the animals with his rifle butt, as he tells Cliff and Grogg to run for it, but the two men join Pop in his stand, when the other White Hunters show up, and start shooting the tigers, each having gone after Cliff and Pop on their own.
Grogg tells Pop he’s starting a club for retired hunters, and asks Pop to run it for him, and to keep a place for great men like Cliff Mason.
NOTE: Cliff, who divides his time between India and Africa, has returned to India for this adventure.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Stampede”
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JUNGLE TALES #7 (September 1955)
Cover art by Carl Burgos
STORY 1: “Swamp Fever!”
Art by Jay Scott Pike.
APPEARANCES: Jann of the Jungle/Jane Hastings; Pat Mahoney; a White Man
SYNOPSIS: Jann saves Pat from a crocodile as he’s fishing in the river, but he falls in and gets knocked out. Jann grabs Pat and swings with him up into a tree, but the branch breaks and they fall onto the back of a giant turtle, while being watched from the bushes by an unscrupulous looking man, who ties one end of a rope to an elephant, and tosses them the other end.
Pat says he doesn’t know how to thank the man, but he says he’ll get his reward. When Pat and Jann start feeling ill, the man tells them it’s all his doing, the maddened creatures of the swamp, and their illness, because he drugged the swamp with Swamp Fever. He tells them he doesn’t know why he’s doing it, but he means to destroy every living thing in the swamp and the jungle.
Jann starts looking around the man’s camp for an antidote, telling the man that the swamp beasts are coming, mad with fever, when he suddenly remembers which bottle it’s in. She gives Pat and the man some of the antidote, then pours the rest into the swamp, telling the man there aren’t really any swamp beasts coming after him, and she just wanted to shock him into remembering which bottle held the antidote.
Jann reveals that she never was sick, as the drug apparently only affected the males of each species. The man explains that he must have taken some of the swamp fever drug by mistake, and that he’s actually there to cure sick animals.
STORY 2: "Trial By Fire!"
APPEARANCES: Waku, Prince of the Bantu; Lalei, his girlfriend; Todi and other Bantu Tribesmen; Kojii, Chief of the Kabi; Gooba, Moti and other Warriors of the Kabi.
SYNOPSIS: Todi warns Waku that warriors of the Kabi are coming to attack them. Waku tells his warriors to arm themselves to defend themselves, but there shall be no fighting unless he orders it. Stirred up by their chief, Kojii, the Kabi approach Waku’s village, when Waku comes out to parley with Kojii, while two of the Kabi warriors, Gooba and Moti, take off on a secret errand to kidnap Lalei.
Waku agrees to allow Kojii to lead the Bantu if he will release Lalei, but Kojii tells him he will not release Lalei until the Bantu themselves acept him as their chief. Not knowing the way to the village, Kajii has Waku lead the way, but he leads them to the Stone Mountain of the Million Monkeys. As the monkeys leap upon the Kabi, Waku frees Lalei and escapes, but Kajii is a mighty warrior and the monkeys flee from him.
Finding themselves on a ledge surrounded by the Kabi, Waku challenges Kajii to a trial by fire. When he refuses, Waku and Lalei climb onto the back of a great bird, and rising into the sky, Waku tells the Kabi that Kajii is a coward, his voice seeming to drift to them out of the smoke, and they flee in panic. Waku and Lalei then fly back to their village.
STORY 3: “Beast of Prey!”
Art by Syd Shores
SYNOPSIS: A lion chases a zebra for lunch. The zebra gets away, but the lion discovers a new watering hole, and returns to his tribe to tell them the news, and together they conspire to capture the elusive zebras.
The lions hide around the waterhole, waiting for nightfall, when the zebras, giraffes and gnus gather to drink. Choosing his prey, the lion pounces on a zebra, but this time as it tries to escape, it’s cut off by another lion. The zebra runs, but finds itself caught between the advancing lions and a rock wall. As the leader moves in for the kill, he is suddenly challenged for leadership by another male, and as they battle, the zebra leaps away to freedom. Humiliated, the lions stalk back into the jungle.
STORY 4: “Rhino”
Art by Don Heck
APPEARANCES: Cliff Mason, White Hunter; Mr Quill; Lobi and other African Tribesmen
SYNOPSIS: Lobi races into camp, telling Cliff that a bull rhino has been spotted to the north. Mr Quill is delighted, as now he’ll have his chance to bag one, but Cliff isn’t so sure, warning Quill that this may be too dangerous for an amateur like him. Quill insists on going after the rhino, when Cliff discovers the tracks of a lion on the rhino’s trail. Suddenly the lion appears, and Cliff shoves Quill aside as he shoots it.
On Quill’s insistance, Cliff sends Lobi and the bearers back to camp and the two men go on alone. As they approach the rhino, Cliff reminds Quill he will only get one shot. When the rhino turns and runs off, Quill prepares to shoot it from behind, but Cliff prevents this, telling Quill it would only wound the animal.
Quill races after the rhino, believing it’s not as ferocious as he’s been told, when Cliff grabs him and punches him on the chin. Quill tells Cliff he’ll see he gets his license revoked, when the rhino turns and charges at them. Taking cover behind a tree, Cliff takes off his shirt, and tells Quill to give him his helmet and coat. Cliff tosses the clothes out, and the rhino charges the bundle, then stalks off, believing he’s vanquished his enemy. As Quill prepares to shoot, Cliff grabs the rifle from him and starts after the rhino, telling Quill he’s going to get a lesson in animal lore.
They follow the rhino back to the spot where they first saw him, and Cliff points out that when the rhino seemed to run, it was luring them away from its family. Quill tells Cliff he’s learned a lesson today, and they head back to camp.
NOTE: Cliff is back in Africa for this adventure.
NOTE: This issue also contains a text story, “Jungle Fortress”
NOTE: “Jungle Tales” contines from issue 8 as “Jann of the Jungle”
CHRONOLOGIES (Recurring Characters Only):
KUBA/KU-BA
JT 1
JT 2
JT 4
JANN OF THE JUNGLE/JANE HASTINGS
JT 1
JT 2
JT 3
JT 4
JT 5
JT 6
JT 7
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AOATLAS 1-FB * ALREADY LISTED IN THE MCP
LAKAI/LA-KEI
JT 1
JT 2
LALEI
JT 1/2
JT 2/2
JT 3/2
JT 4/2
JT 5/2
JT 6/2
JT 7/2
MAHONEY, PAT
JT 1
JT 2
JT 3
JT 4
JT 5
JT 6
JT 7
MASON, CLIFF
JT 1/4
JT 2/4
JT 3/4-FB
JT 3/4
JT 4/4
JT 5/4
JT 6/4
JT 7/4
WAKU
JT 1/2
JT 2/2
JT 3/2
JT 4/2
JT 5/2
JT 6/2
JT 7/2