Number 2552: From immortal goddess to everyday queen

Camilla the Jungle Queen was introduced in Jungle Comics #1 (1940), and was seen in that comic book until the publisher, Fiction House, closed shop in 1954. The curious part of this back-of-the-book jungle girl is that she was introduced as one thing, and then became someone else. Don Markstein, in his Toonopedia blog, describes her first appearances as a “knock-off of H. Rider Haggard’s” 19th century Ayesha. ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed,’ who ruled a lost kingdom hidden from European explorers in a previously little-visited part of the world.”

After awhile Camilla had a re-origin, if there is such a word. She became a typical comic book jungle girl, who was descended from an heiress. During those comic book days jungle queens were readily available. Fiction House had a few of its own as regular features of issues of comic books coming off the presses every month. Did anyone wonder why Jumbo Comics had “Sheena the Queen of the Jungle” and Jungle Comics featured “Camilla, the Jungle Queen” in the same line of comic books? Fiction House was its own universe, and each comic they produced had no relationship to the other Fiction House comics. Did anyone care? It is obvious to me why the guys buying these comic books liked beautiful women in abbreviated costumes, and sex appeal was part of the Fiction House appeal.

This entry in the Camilla saga is from Jungle Comics #88 (1947), and is drawn by Fran Hopper, one of the female stars of Fiction House.

  

Number 2484: When “Rosie” drew some riveting comic art

The character, Rosie the Riveteer, was the symbol of females working in the defense industry during World War while men were in the armed forces. There was no symbolic muscle-flexing woman who represented the women who were drawing comic books during that time.

In one issue of Planet Comics (#39, 1945) two women are for sure represented: Lily Renée and Fran Hopper. Renée drew the cover and “The Lost World;” Fran Hopper drew “Mysta of the Moon.” (There is possibly a third, Ruth Atkinson, but because the Grand Comics Database equivocates with a question mark after her name, I have decided not to show the “Space Rangers” story. I am also not showing “Gale Allen,” because of the question mark from GCD when listing Hopper with the drawings of Gale in an art job otherwise credited to Joe Doolin.) I am sure that both women helped morale of the male readers of Fiction House comic books by drawing pin-up Fiction House beauties, but also eye-candy to the younger male readers.

Lily Renée stayed in comic books for a few postwar years, mostly drawing Abbott and Costello for publisher Archer St John, but Fran Hopper left comics in 1948.

 

Number 784


Science Fiction Week: Three by Two


Science Fiction Week continues with this entry from the waning days of World War II, and the inimitable Planet Comics.

When the guys were at war, the gals helped by stepping in. That was true with Rosie the Riveter, her part in war production, and to a much lesser degree in comics. Some of the women who got into the male bastion of comic books during this time drew as well as, if not better, than many of the men. These three stories, "The Lost World" by Lily Reneé, "Mysta Of the Moon," and "Gale Allen" by Fran Hopper, are good examples.

After the war Lily Reneé worked for several years in the boys' club of comics, but Fran Hopper eventually left to go into another field.

I think Planet Comics was at its peak at this time. Bug-eyed monsters, beautiful leggy babes, and even if some--did I just say "some"? I meant "most"--of the stories are ridiculous, they sure are fun to look at. Pure pulp, through-and-through. These three stories are from issue #37, 1945: