Jun-Gal

Real Name: Joan Teal

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Ruler of the Togomas

Affiliations: Gooma

Enemies: Mogam

Known Relatives: John Teal (father, deceased), Marion Teal (mother, deceased)

Aliases: None.

Base of Operations: "Equitorial" Africa

First Appearance: Blazing Comics #1 (Rural Home, 1944)

Powers/Abilities: Strong, fast and agile, perhaps superhumanly so.

History: In 1926 toddler Joan Teal accompanied her parents on an expedition from their home in Kolumbi, Africa, to the heart of Africa, where her parents were seeking radium, hoping it could be used for the betterment of mankind. Unfortunately, the Togoma tribe who guarded the "Pit of Death" (an open hole in the ground full of radium) attacked, killing almost all of the expedition, including Joan's parents. However, Gooma the Witch Doctor spared Joan, renaming her Jun-Gal, and raising her. As years passed, Jun-Gal's exposure to the radium rays from the Pit of Death imparted great and strange powers to her body. When Gooma died, Jun-Gal was made goddess and supreme leader of the savage tribe, earning her the enmity of Mogan, Gooma's son, who felt he should be leader and tried unsuccessfully to kill her. After Mogam died, falling into the Pit as he fled pursuit, Jun-Gal pledged to fight and destroy all evil which threatened her people.

Comments: Apart from the dodgy depiction of the natives (actually better than much art of the period, despite giving them all ridiculously large lips), and the usual horrendous stereotypes, the strip is also unintentionally hilarious with the comments about how growing up exposed to the "radium rays" gave Jun-Gal (what a name to give the kid!) strange powers, as opposed to debilitating cancer, bleeding gums, etc.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

Back to US Independents Page

Home

All images and characters depicted on this site are copyright their respective holders, and are used for informational purposes only. No infringement is intended and copyrights remain at source.