FICTION HOUSE COMICS - covers galleries

For many years the backbone of the Fiction House line was the six titles illustrated in the mid-Forties advertisement at left - Wings Comics, Jumbo Comics, Jungle Comics, Rangers Comics, Planet Comics and Fight Comics.  Occasionally the publisher would change these advertisements to become the Big 7 or Big 8 as short-lived new titles like Movie Comics or Toyland Comics were added to the Fiction House catalogue.  These publications did not catch on and are largely unknown, except to avid specialists.  Consequently, they are not generally popular with collectors today.

As Sheena is the principal focus of this section of my website, I have decided to include every one of the 167 Jumbo Comics covers published between September 1938 and April 1953.  The name of the cover artist for each cover is provided in all cases, unless this information has been lost completely.

I have also decided to include every one of the 163 Jungle Comics covers published between January 1940 and the summer of 1954, for two reasons.  Firstly, the wild and primitive covers of Jungle Comics are directly related to the Sheena covers of Jumbo Comics, in that both publications used similar themes and both titles were usually illustrated by the same artist.  Secondly, they are very sexy.  While Ann was sometimes portrayed taking the offensive in battle, a la Sheena, more frequently she was a passive victim in need of rescuing.  In other words, she is to Kaanga what Bob is to Sheena.  The fact that the bondage situations she finds herself in border on the fetishistic merely adds to their charm.

Lastly, I have included samples of the kinds of artwork to be found on the other Fiction House titles so that readers can get a better sense of the Fiction House approach.  I have decided to include twenty covers each of Wings Comics, Rangers Comics, Planet Comics and Fight Comics, covering a broad range of covers from the whole history of each publication.  Publication dates and the name of the cover artist is included in all cases.

 
THE COVERS GALLERIES
 
JUMBO COMICS COVER GALLERY
Click on the image below to view a complete set of Jumbo Comics covers:

 
JUNGLE COMICS COVER GALLERY
Click on the image below to view a complete set of Jungle Comics covers:

 
WINGS COMICS, RANGERS COMICS, PLANET COMICS AND FIGHT COMICS COVER GALLERY
Click on the image below to view examples of the other Fiction House comic title covers:
 

IMAGES
• The advertisement for the Fiction House "Big 6" was taken from the inside front cover of Jumbo Comics No. 77, Jul 45 - private collection
• The three banner montages of Fiction House covers were created from a CD-Rom of comic covers in my private collection


SHEENA © is the property of Sony Pictures Corporation
This independent, nonprofit, fan-based analysis of the Sheena material is copyright © 2006 Paul Wickham