Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: fiction house, golden age, sheena

Sheena's Own Series Debut, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle #1 at Auction

The 1942 debut of the Sheena series from Fiction House features a cover by underappreciated Golden Age artist Dan Zolnerowich.

Sheena is one of the most famous female comic book characters ever created, and one of the earliest in the context of Golden Age American comics. But I feel sorry for any Golden Age Sheena completists out there — because some of this material is as tough as it gets for a vintage collector.  I've never even seen a copy of her first appearance in UK weekly Wags #46, for example, and I'm not sure I know anyone who has seen one.  And as for her U.S. comic book debut in Jumbo Comics #1… that is another nearly impossible comic book to get.   But the debut of her own series in 1942 is an incredibly underappreciated Golden Age key with a beautiful cover by Dan Zolnerowich. You can get a high-grade CGC VF- 7.5 copy of Sheena, Queen of the Jungle #1 (Fiction House, 1942) from the historically important Lost Valley Pedigree up for auction in the 2025 July 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase at Heritage Auctions.

Dan Zolnerowich (1915-1995) is one of the most overlooked comic book artists of the Golden Age.  The creator contributed to over 400 comic books, including over 200 covers during a comic book career that lasted 1940-1953 during its primary era.  Zolnerowich worked for the Eisner & Iger Studio and then for both Iger Studio and Will Eisner's studio when Eisner and Jerry Iger split in 1940.  Via those studios, Zolnerowich produced work for comic book publishers including Prize, Quality Comics, and Hillman Periodicals among others, and worked with Eisner on The Spirit and P.S. Magazine.  But he might be best remembered for his work at Fiction House, where his contributions included 101 credited covers for that publisher on titles including Fight Comics, Jumbo Comics, Jungle Comics, Planet Comics, Rangers Comics, Sheena Queen of the Jungle and Wings Comics.

The feature story, drawn by Bob Webb, presents a contrast between Sheena's harmonious but active life in the jungle and the decadence of Parisian socialite Irene du Foure, who decides to go on a safari for excitement. Sheena refuses Irene's demand for native guides, and soon Irene's party is captured by a hostile tribe.  Irene then attempts to bargain for her freedom by offering to help capture Sheena. This plot depends on the capture of Sheena's companion, Bob Reynolds, who is used as bait. Sheena rescues Bob and foils the plot, and then Sheena and Bob rescue Irene and her companion. It's a classic and often-revisited type of narrative for the character, acting as a defender of her people and their land from the careless exploitation of outsiders.

The Lost Valley pedigree is one of the most famous and desirable Golden Age pedigrees. It was assembled by a young man who served as a cryptographer in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After his passing, the collection was sold by his family in 2003.  This pedigree is noted for containing a significant number of exceptionally rare comics from the 1930s, including early issues of Detective Comics #1-27.  The Sheena, Queen of the Jungle series debut feels incredibly undervalued in 2025, but there's a high-grade CGC VF- 7.5 copy of Sheena, Queen of the Jungle #1 (Fiction House, 1942) from the historically important Lost Valley Pedigree up for auction in the 2025 July 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase at Heritage Auctions.

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