Lorna the Jungle Girl, initially called Lorna the Jungle Queen, is a comic book jungle girl protagonist created by writer Don Rico and artist Werner Roth. She debuted in Lorna the Jungle Queen #1 (July 1953), published by Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics.
| Lorna the Jungle Girl | |
|---|---|
 Lorna the Jungle Girl #6 (March 1954) Art by Russ Heath. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Atlas Comics |
| First appearance | Lorna the Jungle Queen #1 (July 1953) |
| Created by | Don Rico Werner Roth |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Human |
| Abilities |
|
Publication history
editMarvel Comics' jungle-girl protagonist Lorna debuted in Lorna the Jungle Queen #1 (July 1953), published by Marvel's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics and created by writer Don Rico and artist Werner Roth.[1][2] After issue #5 (Feb. 1954), Lorna the Jungle Queen was retitled Lorna the Jungle Girl and ran 21 more issues, through #26 (March 1954 - Aug. 1957).[3] The trademarked cover logo of both titles placed a comma after the character's name, though the copyright as indicated in the postal indicia is without a comma in both cases.
A wide variety of cover artists included Carl Burgos, Vince Colletta, Russ Heath, Joe Maneely, and Syd Shores. Bill Everett contributed five of the final six issues' covers. Rico and artist Jim Mooney initiated the backup feature "Greg Knight", starring a jungle-explorer character from the lead feature, with Shores, George Tuska, and John Romita Sr. among its later artists.
While the character has not appeared in new stories since her original 1950s run, selected adventures were reprinted in the 1970s Marvel comic Jungle Action #1-4, 6 (Oct. 1972 - April 1973, Sept. 1973)[4] and in three hardcover volumes in the 2010s.
Fictional character biography
editAfter her mother had died in childbirth, young Lorna was brought to the African interior by her father, who died after being mauled by a lion known locally as Numa. Lorna then was raised by her father's friend Chief M'tuba and learned aboriginal skills, honing proficiency with knife and spear. She developed an almost mystical rapport with native animals, particularly with the chimpanzee Mikki. In adulthood she became a jungle protector, befriending natives, government authorities and explorer Greg Knight.
Powers and abilities
editLorna has no superhuman abilities. She is a survivalist. The character is a skilled hunter and tracker. Her weapons include spears.
Reception
editAccolades
editCollected editions
edit| Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Jungle Adventure, Vol. 1 | Lorna the Jungle Queen #1-5, Lorna the Jungle Girl #6-9 | January 2010 | 978-0785141914 |
| Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Jungle Adventure, Vol. 2 | Lorna the Jungle Girl #10-12 (also non-Lorna Jungle Action #1-3, Jungle Tales #1-4) | June 2011 | 978-0785150121 |
| Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Jungle Adventure, Vol. 3 | Lorna the Jungle Girl #13-16 (also non-Lorna Jungle Action #4-6, Jungle Tales #5-7) | March 2013 | 978-0785159278 |
References
edit- ^ Lorna the Jungle Queen #1 at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Lorna the Jungle Girl at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ "1957". Marvel 80 for 80: Volume 1. Marvel Entertainment. 2019. ISBN 9781302516284. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Jungle Action (Marvel 1972 series) at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ O'Brien, Megan Nicole (2020-11-08). "Marvel: 10 Best Golden Age Heroines, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
External links
edit
- "Lorna the Jungle Queen". An International Catalogue of Superheroes. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2012.