Jungle Comics #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeJungle Comics #2 (February 1940, Fiction House) holds a foundational place in comics history as the debut of Fantomah, 'Mystery Woman of the Jungle' — widely regarded among scholars as the first female comic-book character to wield genuine supernatural powers, predating Wonder Woman's debut by nearly two years. Created by the idiosyncratic Fletcher Hanks under his pseudonym Barclay Flagg, Fantomah introduced a genuinely uncanny template for the superhero genre: a beautiful blonde guardian whose face transformed into a grinning skull to mete out brutal, moralistic justice against poachers, mad scientists, and other exploiters of nature. The issue also launched the Red Panther feature, making it a double debut that significantly expanded Fiction House's anthology roster in just its second month of publication. Together these launches cemented Jungle Comics as one of the defining venues of the Golden Age jungle-adventure genre, a training ground for artists including Will Eisner, who both drew interior stories and provided the cover.
In "Terror of the Bush," a 1940 Jungle Comics staple, the savage tribes of central Africa rise under the fierce leadership of Dawambo, igniting a rebellion against European colonial forces. When movie producer John Abbot brings his star, Joan Sarret, to Africa to document the uprising, their expedition is captured—only to be freed through a daring mix of Hunter Roy Lance’s strength and Abbot’s clever use of his film projector. Cover by Will Eisner, this issue delivers a gripping blend of adventure and tension, rooted in the era’s bold storytelling.
In "Terror of the Bush," Jo is taken by the mad scientist Dr. Wratt, who uses hypnotism to control a band of man-apes. Kaänga must fight through the jungle's dangers to rescue her, leading to a desperate escape that ends with Wratt's downfall at the hands of his own creatures.
In this 1940 Jungle Comics tale, the ruthless Sanders murders an explorer to claim his map to the fabled elephants' graveyard. When the explorer's son arrives in the wild, it's the enigmatic Tabu who guides him through the perilous jungle, leading toward a long-hidden sanctuary—and a reckoning with the man who betrayed the land.
In "null," ivory hunter Stanley is taken prisoner by Camilla, the enigmatic ruler of a hidden jungle city, who offers him command of her forces. When he refuses, she threatens him with deadly flexodium rays—only for Stanley to turn the weapon against her city, unleashing destruction. Camilla, unyielding, chooses to remain among the ruins as the world around her collapses.
In "null," a cunning slaver manipulates a village into attacking the nearby British garrison, hoping to clear the way for unchecked slave trading. When Wambi learns of the assault, she races to the next, larger garrison and returns with reinforcements who repel the attackers.
In "The Revolt of the Black Continent," tribal leader Dawambo rallies central Africa’s savage tribes in defiance against European colonial forces. When movie producer John Abbot brings his star, Joan Sarret, and guide Roy Lance into the heart of the uprising, their safari quickly turns into a perilous capture—only to be freed through a mix of Lance’s strength and Abbot’s clever use of his movie projector.
In "The Elephants' Graveyard," the ancient elephant Maula journeys to the fabled graveyard to die, trailed by two ruthless hunters chasing a fortune in ivory. Guided by the enigmatic Fantomah, the Mystery Woman of the Jungle, Maula crosses the perilous Arch of Death, where the hunters’ bloodhounds collapse in terror. As the hunters press on to the hidden valley of ivory, Fantomah reveals her skull-faced form and traps them in a deadly secret—greed turning them against one another as the earth itself swallows them whole.
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Jungle Comics was launched by Fiction House in January 1940 under the editorial oversight of Malcolm Reiss, with the Eisner & Iger studio — co-run by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger — serving as the primary production pipeline that packaged stories for the title. Fletcher Hanks, who was unusually old for the industry and handled his own writing, penciling, inking, and lettering entirely solo, contributed the Fantomah feature in issue #2 under his 'Barclay Flagg' pen name; Hanks was also active at Fiction House as 'Henry Fletcher' on the Tabu feature. The on-sale date for issue #2 is formally documented in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 35 (January–December 1940), and carries copyright number 440629. Issue #2 also notably featured an early Kaänga story with interior art by Will Eisner himself — an indication of the high-caliber talent Fiction House was drawing upon even in the series' infancy.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Fantomah, 'Mystery Woman of the Jungle,' created by Fletcher Hanks under the pseudonym Barclay Flagg — one of the earliest, and arguably the first, superpowered female comic-book protagonist, predating Wonder Woman's debut by approximately 22 months.
- Fantomah's debut story, 'The Elephants' Graveyard,' has her stopping two ivory hunters from plundering the elephants' graveyard by using their own greed against them — establishing her characteristic moralistic and supernatural brand of justice from the very first installment.
- First appearance of the Red Panther feature, which continued in the series as a regular backup strip.
- Will Eisner — already credited as art director on the Jungle Comics masthead alongside editor Malcolm Reiss and feature editor S.M. Iger — drew pencils and inks for the Kaänga story 'Terror of the Bush' inside this issue.
- Kaänga's story involves Ann Mason being kidnapped by the mad scientist Dr. Wratt, who controls man-apes through hypnotism; Kaänga rescues her and Wratt is killed by his own apes — the kind of pulp-science villain scenario that became a recurring formula for the series.
- Roy Lance, introduced as a character in this issue, later became the subject of intellectual property questions when subsequent publishers had to avoid using that name, suggesting Fiction House retained rights to him.
- Fantomah continued as a backup feature in Jungle Comics through issue #51 (March 1944); Fletcher Hanks personally wrote and drew 14 of her stories before departing the industry in mid-1941, after which the strip was continued by an uncredited writer under the pseudonym H.B. Hovious.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Vooda #20 (1955), You Shall Die by Your Own Evil Creation! #[nn] (2009), Fletcher Hanks : œuvres complètes #[nn] (2018), Vint Age Press Presents… Leading Ladies #[nn] (Premiere Edition) (2025)
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