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Super-Heroine and Part-Time SuperFriends Team Member

Rima (River of Doom)

Rima the Jungle Girl was a superheroine and a part-time member of the SuperFriends.


Background Information[]

Earth-One’s Rima, The Jungle Girl[]

Earth-One’s Rima, The Jungle Girl

In the parallel-universe of Earth-One, a man named Abel was a rebel fighting against the military regime in the Venezuelan Revolution on the streets of Caracas. He alone escaped when his rebel group was captured and executed. Weak from fighting and blood loss, he to took to the jungle, following the Orinoco River upstream until civilization was a faint memory. After days of walking, he came across the Runi tribe. They welcomed him and fed him, but warned him not to venture any further into the jungle, for it is an evil place guarded by a witch. The next morning, before anyone awoke he set out on his adventure, drawn like a magnet. While in the jungle, he observed its beauty and found a majestic ancient tree. Then he heard it. A strange sound, like a bird. Then he saw her. She was not afraid of him. Instead she seemed to beckon him. As she allowed him to draw near, he saw a snake. Wanting to protect her, he shoved her out of the way and the snake bit him. He awoke in the hut of an old man. He thanks the old man for saving his life and says that he must of dreamed of the beautiful girl, only to have her appear. The old man laughs and says that he did not save him, his granddaughter did.[1]

Abel learns the old man is named Nuflo and that he brought his granddaughter Rima to the forest after her mother died. Growing up there, the animals have come to accept her, and the birds taught her to sing. Abel and Nuflo venture into the forest kill an animal and eat. Rima is upset at this because of her oneness with the animals and because she is a vegetarian. Abel decides to head back to the nearby Indian village of the Runi. They are very surprised that Abel made it back alive. Abel tells of his adventure, but the Runi warns him that Rima is an evil witch who will capture his soul. Abel, of course, decides that his soul is already captured, and that he is in love with Rima. He returns to her, apologizes, and is forgiven. With Abel by her side, she tells her grandfather that she “wants to go beyond the forest! Beyond the mountains! To the place my mother came from!”[2]

Abel travels with Rima and the old man, Nuflo, to the land where Rima was born – Rio Lama! Along the way, Nuflo tells how her name comes from her home land and how seventeen years ago, he was freedom-fighter. On the run, he and his men set up camp in the Rio Lama mountains. It was there he caught a glimpse of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The men with him raced out towards the girl before he could even move. When he finally mustered up the courage to follow, he found all his comrades dead and the young woman trapped. Her leg was broken and she passed out from the pain. He took her back to his camp and nursed her back to health. Sadly though, she remained crippled. Soon a new problem presented itself – the unnamed jungle woman is pregnant! And so Rima was born. Over the course of time, Nuflo discovered that unnamed jungle woman could command wild beasts with just a word. When Rima was 4, almost 5 her mother died. Nuflo buried her in a valley in Rio Lama and ventured down until they found a safe place to live. As the years passed, it became obvious that young Rima had the same gifts her mothered possessed and that she was more at home in the jungle than any man ever could or would be. Nuflo concludes his story by saying that the local savages feared her and called her the ‘daughter of the Didi’ (or evil one). Rima, in turn, detested them because they hunted and killed animals.[3]

Soon, they come to a familiar place – Rio Lama! Upon arrival, Rima tells them that wait here and she runs off with speed that amazes them both.[4] As Rima travels on alone to her birthplace, Abel is captured by the Malagar, a tribe of head hunters. They claim that the white man is brother to the Runi (his native friends) and he consorts with the Didi. Nuflo apparently escapes. The head hunters leave Abel with one savage to guard him and head out. By the following morning, Abel is able to kill his captor and escape. After a long trek, he comes upon Nuflo’s cabin only to find Nuflo and his dogs dead. Abel heads to the heart of the jungle – a great and majestic tree. He hopes Rima is there. Instead he finds the tree has been set a fire, with ashes all around. Fearing Rima was tied to the tree, he runs to the Runi for help, arriving just before the sun sets. “With a strength of anger and vengeance, Able becomes more brute than human.” Soon, with the help of the Runi, the Malagar village is quiet. As the new day dawns, Abel stands over a new grave mourning the loss of Nuflo and Rima. Suddenly Abel’s heart leaps with joy!. It’s Rima. She was tied to the tree, but escaped. His arms embrace her. They then turn and walk toward the jungle, ready for their next adventure.[5]

Rima and Abel come across a jungle man frozen in ice. When they investigate, they discover a man running a secret training camp.[6] Soon they move on and come across a safari seeking to capture jungle legends – one of which turns out to be Rima.[7] Next, Rima and Abel must each deal with trouble caused by a boy and his mother traveling with a safari.[8]

Earth-1A’s Rima[]

Earth-1A’s Rima

On the parallel-universe of Earth-1A, Rima the jungle girl joins the SuperFriends on (some sort of regular) rotation for patrol at the Hall of Justice. On the first of three known rotations, she helped Batman and Robin contend with a spreading forest fire. She also helps the Dynamic Duo search for a pair of escaped prisoners who have stolen a forestry truck filled with dynamite. Rima's main contribution was to call upon a nearby bear to push down some trees for an emergency bridge across a wide gap.[9]

On her second rotation, she was at the Hall of Justice when they received a distress call stating the three geologists have gone missing in the upper Amazon. Wonder Woman and Rima take the call. They arrive in the Amazon and search for archaeologists who have accidentally stumbled onto a burial ground of angry natives. The archaeologists are captured and sentenced to death on the River of Doom. The superheroes find the would-be victims by using indigenous animals to scout them out at Rima's command. They later rescue the scientists. Rima's main contribution is summoning crocodiles to attack their pursuers' canoes.[10]

Finally, on another known rotation, Rima and Wonder Woman team-up again after Aquaman has been captured by Queen Ocina. One of Atlantis' lost cities has risen from the sea. The Queen, Ocina, has plans to conquer the surface world with her female warriors. Wonder Woman and Rima are on patrol over the Brazilian jungle when they receive the distress call from the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard officials tell them that an uncharted island has appeared off the coast of Maryland and is heading towards shore. The mysterious island arrives in Washington, D.C.. Ocina emerges with her all-female army and begin to head to the U.S. Capital. They engage the army as Wonder Woman and Rima arrive. The pair is captured. Wonder Woman sends a mental distress signal to Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons of Paradise Island. Hippolyta receives the message and gathers the Amazon armies together to confront Ocina. Arriving in Washington on their invisible sky-chariots, Hippolyta and the Amazons quickly rout Ocina's forces, while Divina, one of the other Amazons, frees Wonder Woman, Rima and Aquaman. They join the battle and Ocina is defeated.[11]


Powers and Abilities[]

Super Powers[]

Abilities[]

Episode Appearances[]


Notes[]

  • Rima sprang from a Victorian adventure novel, 'Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest', published in 1904 by the Argentine-British writer W. H. Hudson. He based Rima on a persistent South American legend about a lost tribe of white people who lived in the mountains.[14]
  • This story found it's way into Classics Illustrated #90 (December, 1951), with the adaptation being written by George Lipscomb, and art by Alex A. Blum.
  • Actor and director Mel Ferrer adapted the story of Rima into a 1959 film entitled Green Mansions with Audrey Hepburn in the title role and Anthony Perkins. Although the ending was left ambiguous as to Rima's fate, with an eye open to a potential sequel, it was neither a commercial nor critical success, with Hepburn seen as an inappropriate choice to play Rima.
  • In 1974, the character was published by DC Comics in 7 issues of ‘Rima the Jungle Girl.’[15] Whilst the comic largely mirrored the novel as far as issue 4, this time Rima was only slightly injured by the flames and recovered. Issues 5-7 then told stories re-cast Rima as a Tarzan or Sheena-type of character.
    • Rima the Jungle Girl is published on a bi-monthly basis.
    • Joe Kubert designed the cover on all seven issues and the pencil work and ink was done by Nester Redondo.
    • The first four issues adapted the novel closely. This adaptation was done by an uncredited writer.
    • Starting with issue #5, DC writer-editor Robert Kanigher is given credit.
  • Following the cancellation of the comic, this version of Rima made appearances in three episodes of Hanna-Barbera's Saturday morning cartoon series the Superfriends.
    • In the DVD commentary on Season 2 vol. 1., they explain that Rima is not intended to be a Tarzan type character, rather she was intended to be portrayed as: [1] goddess of the forest, [2] preserver of the forest and [3] preserver of the animals.
  • Rima the Jungle Girl is sometimes confused with the unrelated Hanna-Barbera animated character called Jana of the Jungle. This is most likely beaceuse Jana's design is similar to Rima's design when she appeared on the SuperFriends animated TV show.


Trivia[]

  • Rima was mentioned in Ray Bradbury's 1950 short story, "The Veldt".
  • Rima was also mentioned in "Watcher in the Shadows" by Geoffrey Household (1960; reissued 2010) and also in "Vane Pursuit" by Charlotte MacLeod (1989).
  • Dornford Yates mentioned her in Chapter I of his 1931 comic-detective novel Adele and Co., in connection with the Hudson Memorial.


SuperFriends Team Members[]

Members of the Justice League

Justice League:
Aquaman (founding member) • Batman (founding member) • Superman (founding member) • Flash (founding member)
Green Lantern (founding member) • Martian Manhunter (founding member) • Wonder Woman (founding member)


Comic Book JLA Team Members:
Black CanaryElongated ManRed TornadoZatanna Zatara
Phantom Stranger (part-time Leaguer) • Sargon, The Sorcerer (honorary Leaguer)


Other Known Justice Leaguers:
The HuntressBlack OrchidCaptain MarvelSupergirlGreen FuryPlastic ManAtomGreen Arrow


SuperFriends Founding Members:
SupermanBatmanWonder WomanAquaman
HawkmanSamuraiGreen LanternFlashBlack Vulcan


Other Known SuperFriends Members:
HawkgirlApache ChiefEl DoradoRima


Junior SuperFriends:
RobinCyborgFirestorm
ZanJayna
Marvin WhiteWendy Harris


Mascots:
GleekWonder Dog


External Links[]


Appearances in Other Media[]


References[]

  1. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #1 (May, 1974). Part 1 of Rima’s origin story.
  2. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #2 (July, 1974) . Part 2 of Rima’s origin story.
  3. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #3 (July, 1974). Part 3 of Rima’s origin story.
  4. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #3 (July, 1974).
  5. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #4 (July, 1974). Part 4 and conclusion of Rima’s origin story.
  6. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #5 (July, 1974).
  7. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #6 (July, 1974).
  8. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #7 (April/May, 1975).
  9. As revealed in the SuperFriends TV Show, Season 2 episode: 2d - Fire (October 1, 1977).
  10. As revealed in the SuperFriends TV Show, Season 2 episode: 7d - River of Doom (October 22, 1977).
  11. As revealed in the SuperFriends TV Show, Season 5 episode: 7c - Return of Atlantis (October 25, 1980).
  12. As revealed in both her Earth-One and Earth-1A appearance.
  13. As revealed in Rima the Jungle Girl, #3 (July, 1974).
  14. Rima the "Native" white girl in Newspaper Rock.
  15. Go to the DC Database for more on Rima the Jungle Girl vol.1, #1 (May 1974)
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