Publisher: Atlas Comics (Seaboard Periodical) Release Date: March 1975 Cover Artist: John Workman
In the sprawling world of indie comics, few characters have maintained a dedicated cult following quite like Paula Peril. Created by writer and artist James "Jim" Whiting, Paula is the quintessential "girl adventurer"—a hybrid of 1940s newsreel reporters, 1960s spy thrillers, and modern pulp heroines. For collectors and new readers alike, one issue stands as a high-water mark for the series: Paula Peril Comics #19.
Whether you are a seasoned longbox diver or a digital-age fan looking for strong female protagonists, Paula Peril Comics 19 represents a pivotal moment in indie publishing. This article explores the history, plot, artistic merit, and collectibility of this specific issue. Paula Peril Comics 19
Without spoiling every beat for those hunting down a copy, the climax involves Paula realizing that Vane cannot survive in her body if her adrenaline spikes past a certain threshold. She purposely triggers the temple’s final collapse, forcing Vane to retreat back to his decaying original form. The temple sinks into a sinkhole, seemingly taking the Obsidian Heart with it.
But the final page of Paula Peril Comics 19 delivers a twist that left fans reeling. Back in her New York apartment, Paula looks into her bathroom mirror. Her reflection smiles—but her reflection has Elias Vane’s eyes. The final caption reads: "He got what he wanted. He just didn't get all of it." Paula Peril Comics #19 Publisher: Atlas Comics (Seaboard
This ending implied that a fragment of Vane’s consciousness now lives within Paula, setting up a long-running "Jekyll and Hyde" subplot for the next twelve issues.
Before dissecting Issue #19, it is crucial to understand the landscape. Paula Peril is not a superhero. She has no gamma-ray-induced strength or alien heritage. She is, at her core, a photojournalist and adventurer who stumbles into mysteries involving lost cities, Nazi relics, Soviet spies, and preternatural phenomena. Whether you are a seasoned longbox diver or
Published sporadically by AC Comics (under their "Good Girl Art" imprint) and later by Eternity Comics, the series pays homage to the serials of the 1940s. The art style is deliberately retro, focusing on dynamic poses, chiaroscuro lighting, and the celebrated "good girl art" aesthetic—though Paula is always depicted as capable and intelligent, never merely decorative.
By the time readers reached Paula Peril Comics 19, the character had already survived voodoo cults in New Orleans, dinosaur encounters in South America, and doppelgänger assassins in Berlin.