Thun’Da began late in the Jungle Lord game. Roger Drum, air force pilot literally falls into the position of vine swinger to become Thun’Da of a lost land. Not alone but with the beautiful Pha, the high priestess of Shareen and his companion the sabertooth, Sabre (what else would you name such a big cat?) Thun’Da defends the weak and defies the evil in his jungle world. The first issue was published by Media Enterprises in 1952, a good twelve years after the explosion of titles that produced Sheena, Jungle Comics and a host of others. That first issue was scripted by Gardner F. Fox and drawn by the master, Frank Frazetta. Stone age antics with dinosaurs and cavemen, Frazetta had much to showcase his amazing talents.
Only there was a snake in the jungle garden of paradise. Editor, Ray Krank, decided to remove the prehistoric stuff and have Thun’Da be just another jungle lord, a Tarzan clone in a “modern” world of elephants and big game hunters. Frazetta left after the first issue to be replaced by Bob Powell, who stayed with the comic for the remaining five issues. It’s hard to judge Powell’s Thun’Da fairly. Frank Frazetta and his Pellcudarian first issue is a tough act to follow, but we can try to see issue 2-6 in an unbiased light. Powell’s art is better than most having experience on Sheena, Queen of the Jungle and later would produce Cave Girl. As a Golden Age jungle artist, Powell is not as vibrant as Frazetta but perhaps more important.
What caused the decision back in 1952 to change Thun’Da’s story-line? It may have been that Thun’Da was used as the basis King of the Congo, starring Buster Crabbe in his final serial performance. The fifteen chapters features Gloria Dea as Pha and a host of typically villainous outsiders. The plot of the film involves microfilm with a secret military weapon as well as the usual jungle goings-on. The success of the serial was not sufficient to keep the comic afloat more than six issues.
Thun’Da might have slipped into B&W serial oblivion except Dynamite Comics brought Roger and Pha back for a five issue re-release in 2012-13. Written by Robert Place Napton and drawn by Cliff Richards, best of all, they went back to the Frazetta version, using dinosaurs and cavemen. This should not be surprising since of all the people involved with Thun’Da (comics and films), Frank Frazetta remains best remembered. Gardner F. Fox, despite creating Batman’s utility belt, creating Hawkman and much of the Justice League of America, remains largely forgotten. Buster Crabbe is best remembered for Flash Gordon and a late career in Westerns. Bob Powell is slowly gaining a reputation for his work on such classic strips as Sheena and Blackhawk but perhaps is best known for his garish artwork on the Mars Attacks bubblegum cards.
Cover by Frank Frazetta
