Jungle Jim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jungle Jim is an American newspaper comic strip first published January 7, 1934, by writer Don Moore and artist Alex Raymond, that starred the titular jungle adventurer. Unlike the protagonists of Tarzan, Ka-Zar, Kaanga, and comics series based on jungles themes, "Jungle Jim" Bradley was based in Southeastern Asia rather than Africa, and was a hunter rather than a wild man in a loin cloth.
Other characters included the large, strong native Kolu (who served his white comrade Jim, similarly to Lothar in Mandrake the Magician) and Lille DeVrille, who appeared two years after the strip's debut.
The comic's early years generally featured stories revolving around pirates, slave traders, and other common jungle antagonists. As World War II approached America in the 1940s, Jungle Jim, like many American comics, developed a wartime theme, with Jim now fighting the Japanese.
During this time also, artist Raymond enlisted as a Marine. Successors included John Mayo (creator of Future Eye), Paul Norris (creator of DC Comics' Aquaman), and Don Moore. The strip ended in 1954.
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[edit] Comic books
From 1937 to 1947, the comic strip was reprinted in Ace Comics, a comic book title, published by David McKay. From 1949 to 1951, there were 11 original Jungle Jim comic books produced by Standard Comics. Dell Comics published 20 issues of Jungle Jim comics from 1953-1959. King Features Syndicate published a single issue of Jungle Jim in 1967. This was labeled "#5", and was a reprint of Dell Comics' issue #5 with a new cover by Wally Wood. Charlton Comics then picked up Dell's numbering for another seven issues (# 22-28) from 1969-1970.
[edit] Other media
- A weekly Jungle Jim radio show premiered November 2, 1935.
- A 12-part movie serial by Universal Pictures, starring Grant Withers, followed in 1937.
- Columbia Pictures produced a series of sixteen Jungle Jim B-movies, set in Africa and starring Johnny Weissmuller, from 1948 to 1955. Because the television series had the rights to the name "Jungle Jim", the licensed property was dropped for the last three features, and Weismuller played himself, in the same sense that Roy Rogers and Gene Autry did.
- A single-season Screen Gems television series ran from 1955-1956. There were 39 episodes, also starring Weissmuller.[1]
- Louis Marx and Company came out with a 1957 Jungle Jim playset with character figures and generic jungle figures such as hunters, natives, and wild animals
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Jungle Jim
- Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
- A database and cover gallery of Jungle Jim comic books
