To make a splash in the comic book industry, it takes a little something special — such as a 99-cent cover price — or just something that’s plain little — such as a jaguar-print bikini.
Devil’s Due Publishing offers both in “Sheena: Queen of the Jungle” by bringing the heroine best described as “Tarzan with boobs” back to the industry that birthed her in an inexpensive promotional comic that’s at comic stores now.
Debuting in 1938’s Jumbo Comics No. 1 (issue No. 80 shown below), it wasn’t long before she went from comics, to pulp magazines to television. Back then, Sheena was played by the buxom Irish McCalla. Later she was played by the likes of “Charlie’s Angels” star Tanya Roberts and “Baywatch” babe Gena Lee Nolin. Now, she’s back to her roots, as drawn by Steven Cummings.
If you know anything about Tarzan, you know the Sheena story: An orphan grows up in the jungle, learns the ways of the beasts and battles for their cause whenever the modern world gives ‘em trouble. This version of Sheena seems to have the same story, except it moves her out of Africa and places her in South America.
Along the way, as is obligatory in any jungle woman story, the reader is treated to heaving bosoms, a shapely behind, long legs and beautiful hair.
But beyond those testosterone-boiling images, Devil’s Due Publishing’s “Sheena Queen of the Jungle” provides another great hook for trying out the comic — that oh-so alluring 99-cent cover price.
With most comics priced between $3 and $5, readers are often reluctant to try anything new, and comics with a sampler price are increasingly popular and always welcomed by this Pop Quiz, Hotshot! staffer.
The sampler pricing started a few years ago with “Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure” and has continued with dozens of others over the years. It’s now common enough that some comic-book stores have shelves dedicated to the sampler comics.
These low-priced comics are about half the page-count as a regular comic, but they still serve their purpose — teasing readers just enough to buy the full-fledged version when it debuts.
As for “Sheena: Queen of the Jungle,” consider PQH! properly teased. We’ll let you know when the regular comic arrives in June.
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