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ZARA

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Normal human (WWII era)

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Jeff Graves, chiefs of local indigenous tribes

Enemies: Gombo, Bedouin slavers

Known Relatives: Father, mother (names unrevealed, both deceased)

Aliases: Jungle goddess (by indigenous local tribes and slavers)

Base of Operations: West African jungles

First Appearance: Mystic Comics I#2/9 (April, 1940)

Powers/Abilities: Zara is an expert hunter and tracker with excellent survival skills. She is a formidable archer and unarmed combatant. She usually carries a spear, bow and quiver of arrows. Zara has athlete-level fitness and is nimble climbing trees and swinging from vines.

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

History:

(Mystic Comics I#2/9 (fb) - BTS) - Zara's mother had died and her father (who had an English-speaking background) took her into the west African jungles to raise her away from what he perceived as crime-ridden civilization.

(Mystic Comics I#2/9 (fb)) - Zara's father taught her archery and survival skills. Eventually he died and told Zara that the jungle was her home, and that she must protect it from cruelty and crime.

(Mystic Comics I#2/9) - Captain Jeff Graves, white commissioner of the territory, investigated increased war among neighboring tribes. Zara swung in and warned him away. Graves persisted ahead and Zara kept an eye on him. Graves was captured by the greedy white man Gombo, who sought to rule the area by weakening the nearby tribes by seeding war among themselves and supplying guns. Zara stopped Graves' execution with arrows and Gombo was disarmed. The villain was bound and turned over to Graves for punishment back in civilization. Zara swung over by vine between the warring tribesmen and stopped further fighting. Together with Graves, they explained there was no need for war. Peace restored, Zara declined Graves' request to return with him and stayed in the jungle.

(Mystic Comics I#3/8) - Graves returned to the jungle to investigate Bedouin slavers kidnapping local indigenous men for work, but he was forced to continue solo by scared assistants. He was nearly killed by a giant python until Zara intervened and slew it with an arrow and spear stab. Graves chose to continue alone, but he was attacked by men disguised as ghouls (to frighten people away from the slave camp). Zara swung in and felled one, rescuing Graves. The "ghouls" fled when they saw Zara, whom they feared, but Graves kept one for interrogation. They found the location of the slave camp; however, Graves was captured and chained with the African slaves. Zara waited until nightfall and stealthily took the lone key to free the slaves, who then overpowered the Bedouin with Zara's help.

Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Newt Alfred.

The closing text box of her last appearance stated that more adventures were promised "in the next issue of Mystic Comics", but these never materialized.

The collected and wonderfully remastered stories in Marvel Masterworks' Mystic Comics includes an introduction by Will Murray, who asserts "Zara of the Jungle was Timely's first jungle heroine, and a precursor to Jann of the Jungle and Lorna the Jungle Girl from the Atlas era. Sheena, of course, preceded her."

The Mystic Comics' artwork of Zara has a certain movie style to it, almost as if Newt Alfred were taking inspiration from movies or maybe had a vision for it on the screen. Did he have an actress in mind?

Zara received a profile in the Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special (2009) & Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14 (2010).

This profile was completed 09/14/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Zara has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special, Zara entry (main image, art by Gus Vazquez)
Mystic Comics I#2/9, p1, pan1 (headshot)
Mystic Comics I#3/8, p2, pan3 (as archer)

Appearances:
Mystic Comics I#2/9 (April, 1940) - uncredited writer, Newt Alfred (pencils),uncredited inker, Martin Goodman (editor)
Mystic Comics I#3/8 (June, 1940) - uncredited writer, Newt Alfred (pencils & inks), Martin Goodman (editor)

First posted: 09/16/2026
Last updated: 09/14/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!

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