Sheena (July 12, 1938) This Day In Comics

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle (July 12, 1938) This Day In Comics

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle was the first female comic book character with her own title.

She was created by Will Eisner and S. M. “Jerry” Iger. Eisner said an inspiration for the character’s name was H. Rider Haggard’s 1886 jungle-goddess novel She. Sheena first appeared stateside in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics #1 (July 12, 1938).

She appeared in every subsequent issue of Jumbo Comics as well as in her groundbreaking, 18-issue spin-off title, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Sheena was an orphan who grew up in the jungle, learning how to survive and thrive there, she possessed the ability to communicate with wild animals and was proficient in fighting with knives, spears, bows, and makeshift weapons.