Gods aplenty! Tyalpo: The god worshipped by Ibis the Invincible villain Piang the Terrible. Probably real, in that Piang has real magical power that he calls upon Tyalpo to activate, even if the god himself shows up only in idol form. God Style: Idol (Real?) (Whiz Comics 009, 1940) Goddess of the Jungle: Sandor is a jungle hero who doesn’t so much adventure as get into one long series of scrapes and situations in Northern India, the second most popular location…
(The Spirit Section, 7 July, 1940) Our first Mr Mystic foe! Mystic’s old pal Mr Cooper brings him in because he’s worried about his daughter Erica’s involvement with a religious group (cult) called the Temple of Lin. It’s always a real toss-up whenever this kind of thing crops up as a comic book plot, between the cult being a total con job and it having some legitimate but sinister basis, and in this case it’s the latter. Mr Mystic goes…
(Jungle Comics 001, 1940) Camilla, Queen of the Lost Empire! I love a lost ancient kingdom, especially in a jungle comic as it cuts down on the constant flow of racism. This particular ancient lost kingdom was founded by Norsemen, probably some time between 900 and 1100 CE going by the random dates thrown out at various points in the series. We encounter the Lost Empire through the eyes of explorer Jon Dale, who I will tell you now I…