BETTIE, THE JUNGLE PRINCESS by Dave Goode

Do you remember certain DC Comics of the Silver Age where the editors, writers, and artists would come up with a cover image and then create a story built around it? The adage you cant judge a book by it's cover was often true when applied to these comics. I got the distinct impression this was also the case for the 10 page lead story found in Bettie Page Comics No.1 from Dark Horse in 1996. You start with the cover illustration by the late, great Dave Stevens that itself looks like a homage to Frank Frazetta's cover to Thun'Da No.1 from the 1950s.

With a script by Jeff Gelb and Dave Steven the story is penciled by Bret Blevins with inks by Blevins, Mike Manley, and Dave Stevens. The story itself is a hilarious tribute to B-Movie jungle adventures. And features thinly disguised cyphers for Ed Wood Jr. and Johnny Weissmuller.

The whole thing was most likely inspired by a photo shoot with pin-up model turned pin - up photographer Bunny Yeager and model Bettie Page done at the Africa U.S.A theme park in Boca Raton, Florida in 1954. The sexy "jungle girl" outfit Bettie is wearing was in fact made by Miss Page herself.

I like to believe there is an alternate universe where a B-Movie producer like a Sam Katzman decided to make a jungle adventure flick starring Bettie Page. Maybe even co-starring Johnny Weissmuller. As Johnny Weissmuller and not Jungle Jim. And Steve Calvert as Bettie's faithful gorilla companion. Something that was missing from the photo shoot with Miss Yeager.

And don't forget the comic!

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ONE MAN'S NOSTALGIA PART TWO by Dave Goode

Do you remember the television series LOVE THAT BOB/THE BOB CUMMINGS SHOW (1955 to 1959). It starred Bob Cummings as Bob Collins, a suave ladies man and photographer working in Hollywood, and his interactions with his models, family and secretary. Bob Collins was the first pin-up photographer that I was introduced to. And though he was a womanizer he was still depicted as being more or less a nice guy.

Art by Dave Stevens

That wasn't always the case for glamour popular fiction where they were quite often depicted as "sharp-shooters" taking advantage of innocent young girls from "Small Town, America" who come to big cities with stars in their eyes. This was often the case in exploitation paperbacks and grind house movies.

 

This made for interesting reading and movie viewing. But there was probably nothing further from the truth. How much business would a pin-up photographer get once they got a reputation as being a skirt-chaser? But of course that's what young boys fantasized about. Scoring with the models they saw in "girlie mags". And of course teenaged boys were under the impression that these photogs were getting this action. This was reinforced by Russ Meyers who had married two of his models and dated a number of others.

And then there was the fantasy of saving some naive young model from the clutches of an unscrupulous photographer who was in fact a (gasp) pornographer. I've used this story line in comics with both my Dr. Judo and Mr. Incognito characters. But this is seldom the case. In fact in the Mr.Incognito strip the model berates the American luchador for his rescue. And is worried that she's not going to get paid for the session that the masked man broke up. The models are adults who have made a grown up decision. And they're also quite able to take care of themselves when it comes to handling a lech as Miss Ginger Snaps does in the new comic by myself and Vance Capley.

Dave Goode copyright 2019

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