How To Track Down And Read Sheena Of The Jungle Comics
Most people asking about Sheena Of The Jungle are looking for either the original Will Eisner comics from the 1940s or the later issues published through the '50s, and honestly, finding quality copies is a pain. The character started in Crack Comics #1 back in 1937 before getting her own title, and the run went through Quality Comics, then Charlton, and finally a few revival attempts. Each era has different printing qualities and preservation issues that matter if you actually want to read them and not just own something that falls apart. I spent years collecting these, mostly the Charlton-era runs from the '60s and '70s, and the first thing you need to understand is that copy condition varies wildly depending on which publisher's version you're dealing with. The Quality Comics originals from the 1940s are printed on acidic pulp paper that degrades fast. Even a nice-looking copy from that era might have brown staining on the pages or brittleness you won't notice until you actually open it. My workaround for this was simple but obvious if you think about it: I stopped buying cheap copies to read and started buying the highest grade available within my budget for display and reading, then used archive bags and boards for everything else. A $20 copy in good condition that you can actually read without worrying about the pages crumbling is worth more than five $3 copies that fall apart after the first dozen pages.
Where To Find Sheena Of The Jungle
The main sources are eBay, ComicConnect, and Heritage Auctions, but the approach matters more than the platform. eBay is where most individual collectors sell their pull boxes, and that's usually your best bet for affordability. The trick is learning to read seller photos carefully. Look for spine integrity first, then check the cover corners in the images. Most sellers will show the front cover clearly but crop out the corners and spine area. If the listing doesn't have close-ups of those spots, skip it or message the seller directly. Heritage and ComicConnect are auction houses with professional grading, which means you pay more but know what you're getting. For Sheena specifically, the Charlton runs from issues around #1 through #50 are the most collected and the most counterfeited or recovered, so professional grading actually matters there. I had a personal issue with this a while back where I bought a Charlton Sheena from a reputable eBay seller that looked fine on inspection, only to discover the coloring was slightly off when compared side-by-side with a graded copy I later purchased. The counterfeit Detectives' Guild issues from the late '70s and early '80s are another area where reproduction copies exist, though they tend to be less valuable overall since those runs aren't as sought after. If you want digital versions, Archive.org sometimes has public domain material, but most of the Sheena run isn't public domain yet since Charlton and later publishers held rights through various transitions. The official reprints and omnibus editions have come and gone over the years. Dark Horse did some collections, and there have been occasional Marvel reprints since they acquired various Charlton characters, but the availability is inconsistent. You'll find better luck tracking down individual issues through the secondary market than waiting for complete collected editions.
The 1990 Tanya Roberts movie exists on DVD and occasionally pops up on streaming platforms, but that's a completely different property from the comics. The movie borrows the character concept but changes almost everything about her origin and the world she inhabits. If you're coming from the film and want to read the source material, be aware that the comics are significantly different in tone and content. The original Eisner run was fairly standard adventure fare for its time, and the Charlton era leaned harder into the exotic adventure angle with varying degrees of quality. One thing nobody warns you about when getting into these older comics is the smell. Properly stored copies from the 1940s and early 1950s can have a distinct vinegar-like odor from acid degradation, and that smell transfers to other books in your collection if you store them together without barrier protection. I learned this the hard way when three perfectly fine Charlton issues from the '70s picked up odor damage from being stored next to a degraded Quality-era book. Separate everything by era and condition grade, and use polybags with archival backing for anything older than 1960. It takes more space but prevents cross-contamination that you can't reverse once it happens. Reading order depends on what era interests you most. If you want the Eisner material, start with Crack Comics #1 through the last issue he worked on Sheena, then track down the Sheena standalone issues from Quality. The Charlton run starting around #1 in 1968 is self-contained enough that you can jump in anywhere, though the early issues have the better artwork from people like Wood Colins and others who made the strip visually distinctive. The later Charlton issues get progressively more generic in art quality, which is common for the period but still noticeable if you're comparing issue to issue.
Get the Full Details
There's also a 2023 attempt at a Sheena film that generated some buzz and then disappeared, which tells you something about the commercial viability of the character right now. The comics themselves remain a niche collectible with a dedicated but small collector base, so prices haven't spiked dramatically like some Golden Age titles have. That makes it a reasonable time to start a collection if you're interested, but don't expect significant appreciation unless you're building something particularly complete or rare. Most Sheena issues are affordable in fair to very fine condition, with the exception of the earliest Quality Comics issues and any with notable artistic significance.
