jungle heroes in comics

[stelok]

There seems to be a lot of white jungle saviours/heroes in fiction such as Tarzan, Ka-Zar, Lee Falk's Phantom and Shanna. There are lot of other jungle heroes from different ages like Golden Age, Silver Age, that I am not knowledgeable about.

Don't you find it strange that the jungle heroes like Lee Falk's Phantom in Africa have to be white/Caucasian?


In the 1960's there came a black jungle hero who is called Black Panther. He was so different from the other jungle heroes because he not only didn't wear a loincloth like Tarzan or Ka-Zar but he was also scientist, warrior and leader of a technologically and socially advanced society populated by fierce, proud, unconquered warriors who make Vietnamese look like French and who have an untainted cultural heritage free of European colonization, Islamic influence and other African tribes' encroachment, while the rest of Africa was carved by Europeans and Arabs like a christmas Turkey. Black Panther's home country is called Wakanda, whose only hostile intent was the defense of its borders and has never made an alliance with any other nation, even a superpower.

[Lone Ranger]

The only 'African' jungle hero to pre-date T'Challa that comes to mind right now, is Natongo - one half of the Brothers of the Spear.

I think that the comic book 'jungle' hero was normally a reflection of what was happening in Hollywood, as publishers were obviously looking to cash in on the popularity of the Tarzans and Nyokas of the world.

[Rod G]

There seems to be a lot of white jungle saviours/heroes in fiction such as Tarzan, Ka-Zar, Lee Falk's Phantom and Shanna. There are lot of other jungle heroes from different ages like Golden Age, Silver Age, that I am not knowledgeable about.

Don't you find it strange that the jungle heroes like Lee Falk's Phantom in Africa have to be white/Caucasian?


In the 1960's there came a black jungle hero who is called Black Panther. He was so different from the other jungle heroes because he not only didn't wear a loincloth like Tarzan or Ka-Zar but he was also scientist, warrior and leader of a technologically and socially advanced society populated by fierce, proud, unconquered warriors who make Vietnamese look like French and who have an untainted cultural heritage free of European colonization, Islamic influence and other African tribes' encroachment, while the rest of Africa was carved by Europeans and Arabs like a christmas Turkey. Black Panther's home country is called Wakanda, whose only hostile intent was the defense of its borders and has never made an alliance with any other nation, even a superpower.


Well,before Black Panther,there was Waku,Prince of the Bantu.He appeared in issues #1-7 of Atlas/Marvel's Jungle Action.

[Greg Hatcher]

I don't usually do the gratuitous plug thing, but I DID do a couple of pretty extensive columns on this very subject. Part one (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/11/17/friday-in-the-jungle/) and part two. (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/11/24/another-friday-in-the-jungle/)

[Hintermann]

[QUOTE=stelok;5321195]
Don't you find it strange that the jungle heroes like Lee Falk's Phantom in Africa have to be white/Caucasian?

I suppose when comics were first introduced in the 1930s (including The Phantom), most of the readers were white/Caucasians and the artists probably thought that they would find it easier to identify with a white hero. In the Phantom's case, there is at least a rational explanation, him being the son of an English Sea Captian and gets shipwrecked on a remote African coast.

The othe Jungle Hero creation of Lee Falk, Lothar, is black.

You could call Turok, the Son of Stone as a Jungle warrior. He was Native American.

Then there is Kona, the Monarch of Monster Isle , Naza, the Stone Age Warrior and Toka, the Jungle King.

[benday-dot]

I'd wager there are as many if not more jungle heroines than heroes. And yes these are mostly leopard skin clad white women who have for one reason or other made the jungle their home. The jungle girls are usually among the "good girls" of comics, are rather noble in bearing, and gifted with a grace and facility for communication with the native beasts. They are tough gals, but only engage in violence when necessary. And somehow in the jungle they keep their hair and complexion looking like a million dollars. The whole sub-genre (for that is what it is) is utterly far fetched, but this being classic comics I rather suspect that's the point. There are some great jungle girl titles out there with some wonderful art to match. You don't have to be a genius to know why adolescent boys made jungle girl books so popular. Hell, I don't mind saying I'm a huge fan of the jungle queens still!

Some of the best, many of which I've had but little personal exposure too: the much imitated, but seldom equalled Sheena from Fiction House's Jumbo Comics; Marvel's lovely duo of Lorna and Jann (true jungle queens both); Fawcett's Nyoka (who never went quite as native as the others, but sported some fine cover art), and late in the game, but one of my favourites, was DC's very lush saga of Rima, whose title was a brief gem of the 70's.

[Rob Allen]

I can't remember where I saw it, but I recall a Fawcett Comics parody that included a house ad for "Nok'kers the Jungle Girl".

[Angry_Guy]

I think you have to remember that comics are a business, not high literature. At the time, comics were written by white guys, targeting a white, middle class and mostly male audience. The characters were designed to be 'identified with', so a muscular white male lead who got the girl was most effective from a marketing standpoint. Or if the lead was a nubile white female, scantily clad, with large breasts, well even better!

It does no good to demonize the creators - they were (a) trying to make a buck, and (b) writing from a white, middle class perspective. In the 1940's-
50's-60's, I doubt many of them even lived in a neighborhood with minorities, much less been to Africa.

[Agentum]

About Tarzan or The Phantom not beinng black is not hard to understand they are old heroes for white men.

It's no use to try put our values today on characters that is so old, everything was diffrent then, it was not possible to have a black lead character in a comic.

But i see that many others has said the same thing.

A person told me that she thought Tolkiens Lord of the rings was sexistic and racistic as there is really not many able women and all the evil creatures is black or and comming from the east.

You can't think like that, it was written almost for more than 50 years ago in another time, it's no use to try to force our values upon those old movies/comics/books or whatever.

[matt levin]

"one of my favourites, was DC's very lush saga of Rima, whose title was a brief gem of the 70's."

Hey, I'll second that! A beautiful, beautiful comic book, which still reads well despite being such a long-past publication.

Matt

[Hintermann]

About Tarzan or The Phantom not beinng black is not hard to understand they are old heroes for white men.



Also, there was a logical explanation to their presence in Africa. The Phantom was shipwrecked and Tarzan - Lord Greystoke - was marooned as a baby with his parents who soon died themselves. In both comic series, there have been comments by outsiders about the incogruity of finding those white men living in the heart of Africa.

[stelok]

Not to mention that in 1930's to 1950's Africa has not yet had AIDS epidemics, Ebola outbreaks, higher crime rates, politically unstable corrupt governments, and clashing ethnic and religious strifes, etc.

[Aaron Kashtan]

Not to mention that in 1930's to 1950's Africa has not yet had AIDS epidemics, Ebola outbreaks, higher crime rates, politically unstable corrupt governments, and clashing ethnic and religious strifes, etc.

On the other hand, it did have colonialism...

[Aaron King]

On the other hand, it did have colonialism...

This may be the funniest thing I've ever read here.