The comic was initially a reprint-only title, containing short stories from Marvel's predecessor Atlas Comics - many of which came from the Atlas comic of the same name. However, issue #5 instead reprinted a more modern Avengers story guest-starring the Black Panther, and was billed as Jungle Action Featuring: The Black Panther on its cover.
With issue #6, the reprints stopped and the series became a Black Panther solo title, written by Don McGregor and illustrated by Rich Buckler and Klaus Janson.
T'Challa, the Black Panther, had previously appeared in other Marvel Universe titles and the Jungle Action stories begin with his return to his home nation of Wakanda after adventures in America. He immediately finds himself confronted by unrest, fuelled by the actions of new antagonist Killmonger, who would go on to become one of his most prominent enemies.
The first issue was released July 18, 1972. Issue #6, the first new Black Panther story, was released June 26, 1973.
The series ended abruptly with issue #24, released August 17, 1976, but T'Challa's adventures continued in a new Black Panther series, launched two months later.
The Black Panther stories in Jungle Action provide examples of:
- Aborted Arc: The Black Panther's struggle with The Klan and the Dragon Circle is Cut Short and Angela Lynne's murder remains unsolved. The subsequent Black Panther series initially ignores all of this, only referencing the plot again in the final two issues - it eventually gets resolved in a Marvel Premiere story.
- Almost Dead Guy: The first story begins with T'Challa finding two of Killmonger's minions holding an injured man prisoner in a cage. When rescued, he lives just long enough to say that he never lost faith in T'Challa.
- Big "NO!": Killmonger sets his leopard, Preyy, on T'Challa. But when T'Challa starts winning there's a loudly shouted "No!" and he abruptly intervenes to save the cat.
- Butt-Monkey: Killmonger’s minion Tayete, who has a bad habit of boasting just before the Black Panther flattens him. Even after his Heel–Face Turn at the end of the Killmonger arc, things keep going wrong for him.
- Cut Short: The series ends abruptly midway through an arc, with The Klan plotline and murder mystery unresolved, and T'Challa and Wind Eagle facing each other again on the final page. The first issue of the subsequent Black Panther series, by a different creative team, ignores it in favor of a new storyline.
- Early Instalment Weirdness: Wakanda, as portrayed in Jungle Action, has vibranium mines but none of the ultra-high technology or cities seen in later stories. Only T'Challa's royal palace seems to include technology.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Kilmonger's ally Venomm has a horribly scarred face. This is also part of the reason he turned to villainy, seeking respect.
- Heel–Face Turn: Venomm turns against Killmonger's forces in the final battle, saving Taku.
- My Nayme Is:
- Venomm spells his name with an extra m
- Killmonger's leopard is Preyy with an extra y.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Killmonger is just as murderous as his name suggests.
- Not a Mask: After successfully unmasking the monstrous Baron Macabre, revealing that he was actually a normal human, T'Challa tries to do the same to Macabre's grotesque ally King Cadaver. In Cadaver's case it's not a mask, though.
- Right Behind Me: In the first issue Killmonger's hapless minion Tayete brags about how he's going to beat the Panther when he gets his rematch, only to find that T'Challa's already perched on a rock behind him. His rematch goes predictably badly. This becomes a theme in later issues.
- Shout-Out: Monica jokingly compares T'Challa to Shaft.
