In
an earlier MHA posting I mention how ubiquitous that Jungle strips
were in the Golden Age and the inherent racist elements that they
feature. It’s a bitter irony that the pioneering black cartoonist,
Matt Baker wound up producing so much work in the milieu. He guided
the adventures of Sheena, Jo-Jo, Camilla, Tiger Girl and Voodah at
various times. But of all the serial character strips he worked on,
it was Rulah, Jungle Goddess that he spent the most time on.
According to the GCD he is believed to have done over 500 pages of
art on the strip between 1947 and 1949.
Rulah
debuted in the Fox title ZOOT COMICS issue 7, in June of 1947. The
following year that comic book was remained RULAH, JUNGLE GODDESS in
honor of it’s most popular strip. Rulah also saw some page time in
the concurrent, sister magazine ALL TOP COMICS.
Here
is the Baker drawn origin story from ZOOT COMICS #7.
Again
let me extend an apology about the racism. But I gotta tell you,
there is a lot of charm exuding in this tale and I found more
memorable than most in the genre.
Pat
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