Shuna and the Lost Tribe and Shuna White Queen of the Jungle were written by British author John King, aka Ernest L. McKeag, and reached bookstores via Harborough Publishing in 1951. Shuna is exactly what she seems to be—the archetypal Western literary fantasy of a naturalistic and uncorrupted white woman maintaining semi-sexual thralldom over black hordes who look on with wonder but never, ever get to touch.
She’s also a virtual copy, right down to the form-fitting leopardskin tunic, of the character Sheena, who appeared in the 1930s, and was part of a wave of lost world literature, comics, and movies that came after the runaway success of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes.
We’re a little surprised King was able to basically steal Sheena’s name. He seems to have gotten away with it, though—we found no mention in the historical record of legal trouble. Maybe it’s like the whole Britney Spears vs. Britney Rears thing. The name is close, but juuust different enough to avoid a lawsuit. Anyway, the cover art is really the thing to focus on here. We love these. They’re two of the most striking efforts we’ve seen from the incomparable Reginald Heade, and a reminder we need to feature him more.
