White Princess of the Jungle

White Princess of the Jungle is a jungle girl anthology comic book published quarterly by Avon Periodicals in the early 1950s.[1] Its first issue is cover dated July 1951 and its last November 1952, for a total of 5 issues. The title's creative team includes editor Sol Cohen, and artists Everett Raymond Kinstler, Louis Ravielli, Gene Fawcette, and Vince Alascia.

White Princess of the Jungle
Cover, issue 3 by Everett Kinstler
Publication information
PublisherAvon Periodicals
ScheduleQuarterly
FormatAnthology
Publication dateJuly 1951—November 1952
No. of issues5
Creative team
Artist(s)Louis Ravielli
Penciller(s)Everett Raymond Kinstler
Gene Fawcette
Inker(s)Vince Alascia

Issue 1 presents the origin of the White Princess of the Jungle, Taanda.[2] Historically, Taanda is predated in literature by Sheena, (a distaff Tarzan who inspired a number of comic book jungle girls), jungle lovely Rulah, and by Rima, the heroine of William Henry Hudson's novel Green Mansions (1904). Like most comics jungle girls, Taanda is white, intelligent, voluptuous, scantily clad in animal-skin bikinis, in possession of the ability to communicate with jungle beasts and birds, and wise to the ways of cruel men.

Her life is devoted to preserving the peace and beauty of the jungle, confronting men up to no good, dickering with hostile, superstitious tribesmen, and exposing the deceits of bone-rattling witch doctors. Other characters who share Taanda's book include The Blue Gorilla, Captain Courage, White Hunter Jack Barnum and special guest Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Readers are regaled with stories such as "Slaves of the Diamond Mines", "Coils of the Monster Snake", and "Fangs of the Swamp Beast". Copies of White Princess in Near Mint condition command prices in excess of $500. Stories from White Princess were reprinted in Jungle Adventures and Top Jungle Comics during the 1960s and 1970s.

The comic has been cited as an example of paternalistic white savior narratives, describing a story in which "'fierce fighters' who were 'such simple children' begged the forgiveness of white Princess Taanda for having been hoodwinked by an unscrupulous white man who paraded as their god and had them doing vile things."[3]

Further reading
  • Overstreet, Robert M.. Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. House of Collectibles, 2004.

References
  1. "Taanda White Princess of the Jungle". Comicvine.com.
  2. Markstein, Don. "Taanda, White Princess of the Jungle". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  3. Savage, William W. (1998). Commies, Cowboys, and Jungle Queens: Comic Books and America, 1945–1954. Wesleyan University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780819563385. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
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