Jungle Action 1

"The Trail of Sudden Death!" is the title to the first story presented in the first issue of the Jungle Action adventure anthology series published by Atlas Comics. The story was written by Don Rico with artwork by Joe Maneely. The second tale features the gorilla Man-Oo the Mighty and is written by Don Rico with artwork by Paul Hodge. The third story features Jungle Boy and is drawn by John Forte. The fourth and final vignette stars Leopard Girl and is called "The Snake Ring". It is illustrated by Al Hartley. All stories are edited by Stan Lee. This issue shipped with an October, 1954 cover date and carries a cover price of .10 cents per copy.

"The Trail of Sudden Death!"
Lo-Zar swings through the trees of the Black Swamp, north of Matubi Province. He avoids the path of two dinosaurs wandering through the swamp and comes upon a hunter named Pete. Lo-Zar apprehends Pete, and turns him into the Matubi police.

Lo-Zar discovers that the hunters are searching for Uranium and are in connection with the Soviet Red army, who are likewise in the jungle.

Lo-Zar begins tracking the Reds, but must avoid being eaten by the dinosaurs of the swamp. Landing atop a tyrannosaur, he baits it into fighting a brontosaurus. While the two animals are distracted, he finds the Reds.

The Soviets capture Lo-Zar and keep him bound inside their camp. Lo-Zar lets out an animal cry that summons Gata the elephant. The elephant obeys Lo-Zar's commands and demolishes the camp. It tosses two soldiers about with its truck, and presses its foot down upon their leader, Ivan, trapping him. Once Lo-Zar is freed, he has Gata release Ivan and he is turned over to the district police.


 * Lo-Zar


 * Matubi


 * Bubov
 * Ivan
 * Pete


 * Gata, the elephant


 * Matubi District Police


 * Dinosaurs
 * Brontosaurs
 * Tyrannosaurs


 * Elephants
 * Humans
 * Lions


 * Black Swamp
 * Dead Hills
 * Matubi Province
 * North Jungle
 * Plains of Karaki


 * Knife
 * Machine gun
 * Revolver
 * Rifles
 * Spear


 * Head injury
 * Jungle

"Survival of the Mighty!
Tondo, the Great Antelope tries to protect his mate, the doe Riba, and their newborn fawn, Wabbi. Life is dangerous in the jungle, but is Tondo is put at ease when he hears the thumping sounds of the jungle's protector, Man-Oo the gorilla, pounding his chest in the far off distance.

Numa the lion, having been driven from his natural hunting grounds because of drought, stalks the jungle looking for fresh food, and eyes Tondo and his family. Man-Oo spies him and leaps from the trees to protect the antelopes. Numa gets the upper hand (or paw) at first and overwhelms Man-Oo, but Man-Oo comes back and catches Numa from behind, gripping the lion so tightly that he snaps its back.

Exhausted from the fight, Man-Oo slumps down against a tree. A snake emerges, posing to strike the slumbering prey. Tondo leaps out from the brush and uses his antlers to scoop up the snake and cast it away. Man-Oo awakens and is grateful to tondo and then goes off to swing through the trees.


 * Man-Oo


 * Tondo, the Great Antelope


 * Numa, the lion


 * Riba, a doe
 * Wabbi, a fawn


 * None


 * Antelopes
 * Apes
 * Gorillas


 * Birds
 * Parrots


 * Lions
 * Monkeys
 * Snakes


 * Unidentified jungle
 * Batabi Province


 * None


 * Dead animals

"The Skulls of Bleak River!"
Chief Kasuba of the Kadubi Tribe rounds one-hundred members of his village who have sold their land to foreigners, thus disgracing the tribe and its ancient traditions. He intends on having them executed, but before his loyal warriors can strike down the offenders, Jungle Boy descends from the trees with his monkey tribe. As Jungle Boy argues with Kasbua over his right to execute these perceived criminals, the poor workers flee the scene.

As the accused are now longer in immediate danger, Jungle Boy takes off, but keeps a wary eye on Chief Kasuba. He returns to his settlement, where he lives with his father, Jack Spears, Sr., but is surprised to see Chief Kasuba with him. He cannot understand how Kasuba could have gotten to the camp before him. Kasuba tells Jungle Boy that he had been with his father all day. Jack tells his son that he doesn't want him traipsing about in the jungle with his monkey friends any more.

That evening, Jungle Boy disobeys his father, and his monkey friends and he find a dark tunnel that he had seen Kasuba using earlier that day. As they descend into the cavern, they come across a giant spider. The monkeys tear down the webbing, and Jungle Boy kills the spider with his hatchet.

As they press on, they find an underground river filled with human skulls. He comes upon Kasubi, who is league with a white fortune hunter named Borelli. Kasubi has an arrangement with Borelli to sell him gold from the tunnels. Borelli goes to shoot Jungle Boy, but Kasubi warns off him, citing that the gunshot might cause the cavern to collapse. He orders his warrior Babu to spear him instead. Borelli ignores Kasubi's warning, and aims to shoot Jungle Boy anyway.

From out of nowhere, Jack Spears arrives. He shoots Borelli before he can open fire on his son. Oddly, he is attended by another Chief Kasuba. The real Chief Kasuba unmasks the other, who was impersonating the chief, and killing off his own people so he could get his hands on the gold on their land.

The real Kasuba and the impostor fight with one another, while Jungle Boy's monkeys leap upon the impostor's followers. The impostor falls into the river and cracks his head on the skulls of his previous victims. The river's current washes the impostor and Borelli away.


 * Jungle Boy, Jackie Spears


 * Jack Spears, Sr.


 * Borelli
 * Chief Kasuba


 * Babu


 * Kadubi Tribe
 * Monkey Tribe
 * Waqui Tribe


 * Humans
 * Monkeys
 * Spiders


 * Illinois
 * Chicago


 * Kadubi Province
 * Bleak River


 * Hatchet
 * Pistol
 * Skulls
 * Spears


 * Giant animal
 * Warrior

"The Snake Ring!"
In a small house in the jungles of Africa lives man named Peter, who is betrothed to marry a woman named Sandra Danning. Sandra is there with her father at the house and they spot the elusive Leopard Girl a short distance away.

Leopard Girl darts away and changes into her civilian guise as Gwen - secretary to Peter. Gwen professes to be an expert on Leopard Girl and regales the others with tales of Leopard Girl's exploits, how she was raised by Leopards and has an uncanny knack to ferret out any wrongdoing taking place in the vicinity. When a job proves to be more than she can handle, she summons her pet leopards to aid her.

That night, Leopard Girl prowls around the house. She overhears Sandra Danning conspiring with her father to con Peter out of all his investment money. She decides to wait until dawn to take action.

Leopard Girl follows Sandra and her father in their jeep and springs upon them, causing the vehicle to crash into a tree. They fall into a nest of poisonous snakes and Sandra begs for Leopard Girl's help. She tells her that she will confess to trying to swindle Peter. Leopard Girl scoops up Sandra and brings her to the safety of a tree branch, then returns to scoop up her father. Sandra produces a gun and fires it at Leopard Girl, but it has no affect.

Peter, having heard all of the commotion, arrives on the scene. Leopard Girl forces Sandra to confess to Peter her intent to con him. She then reveals that she anticipated Sandra's treachery, which is why she replaced the bullets in her gun with blanks the previous evening.


 * Leopard Girl, Gwen


 * Peter


 * Sandra Danning
 * Mister Danning


 * None


 * None


 * Humans
 * Leopards
 * Snakes


 * Africa


 * Jeep
 * Pistol
 * Revolver


 * Cook
 * Criminal
 * Secretary
 * Smoking

Notes & Trivia

 * This issue is reprinted in its entirety in the Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Jungle Adventure, Volume 2 hardcover collection, released in May, 2011.


 * This issue includes a two-page text story called "Elephant Boy".


 * This is the first appearance of Lo-Zar, Lord of the Jungle.


 * This is the first appearance of Man-Oo, the magnificent gorilla.


 * This is the first appearance of Jackie Spears, aka Jungle Boy, and his father.


 * This is the first appearance of Gwen, the Leopard Girl.