Dragon (Konga)
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The Dragons, also known as The Creature[s] of Uuang-Ni, are a species of reptilian monsters who debuted in issue #23 of Charlton Comics' Konga comic series.
Name
The issue's title refers to the monsters as "The Creature of Uuang-Ni", an indication of their habitat within the volcano on the island of Uuang-Ni.
Within the comic, the creatures are simply called "Dragons", although they are often given additional labels such as "The Inhabitant of the Fiery Crater of Uuang-Ni" or the "The Creature from the Crater".[1]
Design
The Dragons resemble antique depictions of theropod dinosaurs, possessing an upright kangaroo-like posture. A large horn rests between their eyes, which are black with small, orange pupils. Their nostrils are large and circular while their mouths have prominent gums and many sharp teeth. Their bodies are covered in black scales while a row of backwards-curving spikes run down their backs from head to tail. The Dragons also possess ventral scales similar to those seen in snakes and lizards.
On the cover of issue #23, a Dragon is shown with purple skin, green eyes with white sclera, a white horn, and grey claws.
Personality
The Dragons exhibit aggressive and territorial behavior towards Konga, attacking him on sight. The pair of Dragons work together; while the first was initially overpowered by Konga, the second arose from the volcano, and both terrorized the village below until Konga killed the first Dragon. Seeing the ape's strength, the second Dragon offered little resistance before being thrown back into the bubbling crater, where it finally retreated in submission.
Origins
Long before the Dragons emerged in the modern day, Uuang-Ni legends foretold that the reptilian monsters would appear and attack their island, only to be fought off by a prince during their bleakest hour.
History
- Konga #23 (1965)
Konga
Issue #23
In 1960, a volcano on the Melanesian island of Uuang-Ni had erupted again, revealing a monster dwelling inside. While the Uuang-Ni chieftain attempted to calm his people, who had fled to the stormy sea in rafts, Konga emerged from the depths and made landfall. After exploring the island, the mutant ape peered into the vent at the volcano's apex and discovered a Dragon inside. The reptile attacked Konga, searing his head and nearly killing him before attempting to close the distance, only to be smacked in the face. While the first Dragon collapsed, a second emerged, causing Konga to retreat down the mountainside and the Dragons to roar in victory.
Both Dragons descended down the volcano and began to raze the Uuang-Ni village while the volcano continued to erupt. Meanwhile, Konga emerged on another island with Iela, one of the Uuang-Ni, who told Konga that she remained due to a legend prophesying that the Dragons would emerge and fight a prince who would save their people. Konga proceeded to return to Uuang-Ni with Iela, watching the Dragons from a distance before the ape beat his chest and attacked the creatures. Despite the Dragons' flames and mauling, Konga grappled one and dragged it to the ocean, where the beast could not use its flames. Konga pummeled the Dragon to death and abandoned its corpse before ascending the volcano again to engage the second Dragon. While both monsters brawled, a search plane flew by and distracted the Dragon, allowing Konga to recover and knock the creature back into the volcano, which it retreated further into. With the Dragons defeated, the Uuang-Ni celebrated Konga's victory. Iela told Konga that they would always be grateful for his aid before the mutant returned back to the ocean and swam away.
Abilities
Fire breath
The Dragons' are capable of breathing fire, which razed the Uuang-Ni village and nearly killed Konga. Though the Dragons breathe fire from their mouths, the cover of issue #23 depicts a Dragon emitting flames from its nostrils, which merely produce smoke in the comic.
Physical abilities
Both Dragons are capable of going toe-to-toe with Konga, utilizing their sharp claws and powerful jaws to maul the ape. The Dragons are also facultative bipeds, capable of walking both bipedally and quadrupedally.
Durability
The Dragons can withstand the extreme heat of their volcanic habitat. They can also endure Konga's punches, while one of them survived a long fall into the volcano after getting punched in the abdomen.
Weaknesses
Even though they can survive extreme heat, the Dragons struggled during their battles against Konga, relying on their numbers to overwhelm the mutant ape. Konga managed to restrain one of the Dragons and drag it to the sea, where it was unable to use its fire breath and was brutalized by the ape.
Roar
The onomatopoeia used for the Dragon's roar is "BRROWWRR".
Trivia
- Similarly to the original Showa Rodans, the Dragons are a pair of potentially mated giant reptiles living in a volcano who emerge attack and humans.
- The Dragons' bodies share similar builds to those of Reptilicus/Reptisaurus, Gorgo, and his mother, each of whom appear in other Charlton Comics series.
References
This is a list of references for Dragon (Konga). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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