Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Becky Cloonan Michael W Conrad, jumpa, kanga, trial of the amazons, wonder woman

Jumpa Returns To Wonder Woman Continuity In Trial Of The Amazons

As Scott Snyder says, everything happened, everything matters. Including Jumpa, Wonder Woman's pet riding kangaroo. Introduced in her earliest years in 1942, appearing in both Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics,  Jumpa was Wonder Woman's favoured steed on the Paradise island of Themyscria.

In 1942, William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter brought giant kangaroos to Paradise Island in Sensation Comics #6. Jumpa would first appear here, and the appear two more times in the Wonder Woman comic book.

Amazons were shown riding giant kangaroos as a common mode of transportation rather than horses. Wonder Woman had a specially trained Kanga called Jumpa who appeared in various adventures both as a pet and as an aid in her crime fighting. But generally as part of the Themyscria arena battles that so entertained the crowd…

So yes, in those early decades, Jumpa only appeared a grand total of three times. And these are those three times.

But after DC's Crisis On Infinite Earths in the eighties, mythological creatures, including kanga, were shown to be nonexistent on Paradise Island. Though during writer-artist Phil Jimenez's run on Wonder Woman, various creatures from the arctic lost-world Skartaris were taken to Themyscira  – including giant kangaroos, though none of them were shown as being ridden. Since then there have been a few nostalgic flashbacks, including an appearance in Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette's Wonder Woman: Earth One graphic novel series which aimed to celebrate Wonder Woman's long history.

And we even got a side-mention in Batman #40 – written by Scott Snyder.

There's also an appearance in the Digital First comic, The Legends Of Wonder Woman by Ray Dillon and Renae De Liz, which also was continuity-adjacent at the time of publication.

In the Johnny DC comic series, DC Super Friends, Wonder Woman's pet kanga Jumpa appeared alongside other super hero animals including Krypto, Ace the Bat-Hound, Streaky the Supercat, Terrific Whatzit, Ch'p and Topo as the Super Pets. And more recently, Capstone Kids published a series of children's books starring DC Super Pets. In The Fastest Pet on Earth by J. E. Bright and Art Baltazar, Wonder Woman's kanga Jumpa stars alongside Cheetah's pet Chauncey. And then Jumpa got her own one-shot.

And then in DC Infinite Frontier, the Young Diana nack-up strips in Wonder Woman gave us tales with Jumpa again.

But still out of modern-day canon or continuity. Well, this week, in Trials Of The Amazons #1, the new event comic crossing Themyscria with Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, and Nubia & The Amazons., we get what Jumpa fans have been craving.

And on-panel, in-continuity identified appearance of Jumpa the Kanga in a Wonder Woman comic book. For… the fourth or fifth time, depending how you count it.

TRIAL OF THE AMAZONS #1 (OF 2) CVR A JIM CHEUNG
(W) Various (A) Various (CA) Jim Cheung
Written by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, Joelle Jones, Vita Ayala, and Stephanie Williams Art by Joelle Jones, Elena Casagrande, Laura Braga, & Skylar Patridge After the events of Nubia & the Amazons, the dangers of Doom's Doorway have found their way to Man's World and garnered the attention of not one, but all three Amazonian tribes. The Bana-Mighdall consider it to be a weakness in the current regime and have decided to return to the shores of Themyscira to stake their claim over the island. Little do they know, the Esquecida are not far behind, but instead looking for help to combat the evil unleashed. Tempers rise and swords are brandished as the women argue about the best course of action. Now Queen Nubia must show them all the way to peace by calling for one of the most famous Amazon traditions…the Contest. Who among them is worthy of leading them into the future? Find out as the bravest, wisest, and fiercest warriors compete to be champion of all the Amazons! DC Comics proudly presents the first Wonder Woman crossover of its kind, brought to you by the writers behind Wonder Woman, Nubia & the Amazons, and Wonder Girl and some of the best and brightest artists in the industry. You won't want to miss this monumental story that brings all the Wonder Woman titles and characters together and changes them for good!
Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 03/08/2022

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