Sunday, November 10, 2024

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 656: CAMILLA, QUEEN OF THE LOST CITY

(Jungle Comics 002, 1940)

What's this? Another Camilla? Yes, for some reason, the story of the lost Norse city in the African jungle was retold one issue later as one of a lost Mongol city in the African jungle. The two Camillas look the same but where the original was 600 years old Camilla II seems to not be superannuated at all.


Camilla II is also far less classically villainous than her predecessor: sure she claims that her city has the power to wipe out Western civilization but there's no indication that she intends to do anything about it. Likewise, her people raid ivory caravans for trade capital but let's face it: robbing an ivory trader is at worst a morally neutral act. Hell, I'm surprised that this high-tech Mongol-descended people bother to pay for anything at all!


Captain John Stanley, technical protagonist of the story, doesn't see things like I do, probably because he is an ivory trader. He blows up Camilla II's entire city rather than be her consort, then has the gall to come on to her in the glow of her burning civilization. What a jerk.

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