OK, I have to admit this--to my great shame, Slay Monstrobot has slipped to the #2 Google result for "man-on-animal action."

Unforgivable, I know.

Well, this week's Friday Night Fights won't help much, as instead of "man-on-animal action," I go straight for the "animal-on-animal action."

Wambi The Jungle Boy was a completely forgettable character for Fiction House Comics. The strip never aspired to be anything more than a straight-up rip-off of The Jungle Book, with the orphan "man-cub" having adventures with his ape best friend and constantly fighting the evil tiger.

So join as as Sidrah the Tiger comes after Wambi and Ogg the Ape:




WAM!!!!!

Spacebooger can't stop humming The Bare Necessities now...

Jungle slapdown from Jungle Comics #113 (1949), by Roy L. Smith and Henry Kiefer

Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Why? Because no one else this week gave you a gorilla smacking the crap out of a tiger, that's why!! So go and vote!!

You can keep your Jungle Book, because by far the most jungley jungle action comes from...

We don't know a ton about Wambi. We have no idea how he wound up being a jungle boy. His turban and loin cloth make him look vaguely Indian, and sometimes his adventures include tigers. But then there's all the animals exclusive to Africa. Perhaps it just takes place in the ur-jungle of our collective subconscious...

It's also never explained how Wambi communicates so completely with every animal, and they "speak" to him without saying a word. He's like a regular Doctor Doolittle!!

But he had adventures that put Mowgli to shame!

For example...

Yes, Haga the Hyena tricked the apes into kidnapping Wambi so he can be their king! And he also convinces them to set of Wambi's throne on a flimsy mid-river hut. Unfortunately...




Well, that's a sticky wicket!!

And then a swan and her brood swim by...they'll get eaten!!



Phew...

But the swans flight disturbs the hippos (who have never heard birds fly before...??)


Uh-oh...

Meanwhile, back at the animal council (yes, really):



In the nick of time?!?

Ah, but the animals have a plan!




Yes, today I've brought you apes riding elephants while throwing coconuts at hippos. Please don't forget to mail me my Pulitzer.

Anyway, the apes were too late:





So all's well that ends well!!

But what about our villain?


Yow!!

And that was a typical day with Wambi!!

From Wambi, Jungle Boy #6 (1950)