Thun'da

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Contents

[edit] Thun'Da

Thun'Da is a fictional character who was created by the artist Frank Frazetta for Magazine Enterprises, a firm that published comics.

[edit] Fictional History

Thun'Da was originally Roger Drum, an Air Force officer who was shot down while flying over a lost valley deep in the heart of Africa. After crashing in the heart of the valley, he escaped from his aircraft and was captured by hostile ape-men, but managed to escape. While wandering through the valley, he pushed himself to exercise daily and became a paragon of physical perfection. It was while he was wandering that he was spotted by Pha, the queen of the people who lived in the valley. After fighting and destroying the hostile ape-men, Thun'da rushed to their temple and rang the sacred gong, thereby summoning "the mother of all serpents," whom he killed with the last three shots from his revolver. By doing this, he won the respect of Pha's people, and they worshipped him as if he was a god. Later, after an earthquake ravaged the lost valley, Thunda was able to get Pha to safety along with their pet sabretooth tiger, but her people were killed and the lost valley was sealed from them forever.

[edit] Other Media

The screen rights to the character were bought by Columbia Pictures, who brought Thun'Da to the screen in the serial THE KING OF THE CONGO (1952), featuring Buster Crabbe as Roger Drum, who in the course of the serial becomes Thunda (hyphen removed). In the serial, Roger Drum has been assigned to take a valuable microfilm to a new location, but is shot down and crashes in the secluded lost valley. The spies named in the microfilm try to obtain it, and Thunda must try and get it back. THE KING OF THE CONGO was the last jungle serial ever produced; Thun'Da was the only Tarzan clone to ever appear in a motion picture serial.

[edit] Sources and References

THUNDA, KING OF THE CONGO #1-6

GOLDEN AGE COMIC SCANS WEBSITE > MAGAZINE PUBLICATIONS > THUN'DA, KING OF THE CONGO