Simba vs. Kimba vs. Simba.

First off, Simba means "lion" in Swahili. Not a terribly original name, but a fine one, nonetheless.

I was perusing one of my old Jungle Tales comics last night looking for Fletcher Hanks stories (it was #120 to be exact) when I found a story about a lion, Simba: King of Beasts. Thanks to the wonderful Digital Comic Museum, I discovered that Simba first appeared in Jungle Comics #1, published in 1940.

There is little doubt that Disney's Lion King ripped off Tezuka's Kimba the White Lion in many ways. There are a hundred Kimba vs. Simba sites on the intergalactic network to prove the point. However, I haven't found one site that mentions the 1940's Simba.

Another funny note is that the story in Jungle Tales #120 has Simba fall into a salt water lake and somehow get coated with enough salt that he becomes white. Very strange.

So, let's put our hands up for the "original" KING OF BEASTS! (The word 'original' is in quotes as it will undoubtedly be discovered that there was an earlier incarnation of Simba. Perhaps in an ancient story. Perhaps the Swahili word origin has a story behind it.)

Here is the story I read last night from Jungle Tales #120, courtesy of the Digital Comic Museum. If you are a fan of golden age comics, you need to check out their site, it is a treasure chest of delight.