Amazona the Mighty Woman was a one-shot character from Planet Comics #3 (March 1940). From her name you’d expect a jungle girl dressed in leopard skin. Nope. Amazona comes from the Arctic and wears a red leotard. (Go figure.) The character was created by Toni Blum, using the pseudonym “Wilson Locke“. The comic was drawn by her father, Alex Blum, and inked by Dan Zolnerowich and others in the shop.
This comic is a strange Northern in the Pulp tradition. Not surprising since Planet Comics was created by the Pulp publisher, Fiction House, to be a companion to their SF Pulp, Planet Stories. Again you would expect all the comics in this series to do set in space, but the reality is sometimes more down-to-earth. As long as the stories were exciting and incredible, they belonged in Planet Comics.
The tale begins in the frigid Arctic. The S. S. Walrus is caught in the ice. Blake Manners, reporter, survives the loss of the ship.
Manners discovers a strange castle in the snow. Inside it are a race of ancient survivors, grown strong with the terrible climate.
The Arctic people cannot help the castaway to return to civilization. They know nothing of the outer world. Amazona begs Manners to take her along, for she is lonely in her world of ice and snow.
Using her incredible strength, Amazona frees the ice-bound ship so Manners can return.
When Blake Manners returns home, his boss, Hennigan, the editor of his newspaper, assigns him to the Social pages so he can rest. Blake takes Amazona along to a soiree.
On the drive over, the cab driver makes a fresh remark. Amazona’s punishment is swift and complete. The cabbie wisely asks for forgiveness.
Amazona promises to behave at the dance. The couple have a good time until stick-up men show up. Blake and Amazona punch them out.
Amazona swings on a chandelier in pursuit of the bad guys. Together Blake and Amazona follow the crooks.
Blake drives after the getaway car, with Amazona hanging off the running board. She leaps to the villain’s car…
The getaway driver is distracted and….
The car goes over the cliff with crook and Amazona. Blake rushes to help, pulling the driver from the burning wreck. He can’t find Amazona!
The wily Arctic goddess is in a tree, safe and sound. Blake Manners hurries to a phone to call in his scoop to the paper. Not such a dull gig ion the Social Pages. The couple drive home and Amazona asks, “Are all Society parties so exciting?” What adventures Blake and Amazona would have gotten into after this, we’ll never know.
Like many a comic, the action starts in the Arctic but moves to warmer climes. Amazona is descended from a line of Strange Northern females, from the works of A. Merritt to Weird Tales‘ “Wolf Woman”. Even though Amazona’s name doesn’t come from the jungle, her origin is quite similar to those who do. Like Wonder Woman she grows up in secret to reveal her amazing gifts later.
This comic is available free at DCM.
Conclusion
Amazona the Mighty Woman only appeared in that one issue of Planet Comics. (Obviously not popular enough to be continued.) But that isn’t quite the end of her story. Antarctic Press revived her for one more tale in 2020. Written and drawn by Kelsey Shannon, “Amazona Returns” appeared in Planet Comics #2 (February 2020). This time she got the cover!
