Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: fiction house, golden age, Jack Kamen, Jumbo Comics, Matt Baker, sheena

Sheena and Matt Baker's Sky Girl in Jumbo Comics #102, at Auction

Fiction House's 1947 release Jumbo Comics #102 features Sheena by Bob Webb, ZX-5 by Jack Kamen and a Sky Girl story by Matt Baker.

Published Thu, 05 Oct 2023 17:57:08 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, was a comic book jungle girl heroine, originally published primarily by Fiction House. Eisner cited H. Rider Haggard's 1886 novel She as a primary inspiration, though Iger stated that Eisner had nothing to do with her creation and that her name came from an insult given to Jewish people in New York, "sheenies". Sheena was the first American female comic book character with her own title, in 1941, a year before Wonder Woman #1. Her success inspired many more comic book "jungle queens" and helped popularise the "bondage" theme of certain comic books that had lead women characters – also before Wonder Woman. The character was an orphan (aren't they all) who grew up in the African jungle, learning how to survive, wield weapons and communicate with wild animals. She would mostly deal with slave traders, hunters, locals and wild animals.

Jumbo Comics was an adventure anthology comic published by Fiction House that ran for fifteen years from 1938 to 1953. Fiction House's first comic book title after previously specialising in pulp prose magazines, the lead feature for Jumbo Comics' entire run was Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

Jumbo Comics #102 was like the other issues, named for its size, but on this cover, also having an elephant as the setting for the scene gives it added aptness. Robert Webb wrote and drew the lead strip, Viper Gods of Vengeance Veldt, as well as Hawk strip, The Return of Captain Claw, with Sky Girl from Matt Baker and Diogenes from Jack Kamen. Heritage Auctions has a copy of Jumbo Comics #102 up for auction right now. Take a look and see how high she'll go…

Jumbo Comics #102 (Fiction House, 1947) featuring Sheena.

Jumbo Comics #102 (Fiction House, 1947) Condition: VF/NM. Bondage cover. Matt Baker, Robert Webb, and Jack Kamen art. Overstreet 2023 VF/NM 9.0 value = $263; NM- 9.2 value = $365.