 Run above Flash Gordon , Raymond 's Jungle Jim is described by Armando Mendez as " a thing of beauty ... always more than just a topper or a shallow response to Hal Foster 's exquisite Tarzan " . The companion strip evolved over time , morphing from an initial " two tiers and up to six panels [ layout ] , with speech balloons " into " a single row , of four very tall panels with declamatory text and static , vertical composition " . Raymond 's skill and artistic dexterity , however , kept the storytelling constant and the artwork vibrant . Jungle Jim was " set in contemporary times and the exotic Malay peninsula of islands , [ but ] was intended to hark back to the original tales of Kipling , Haggard and Burroughs " . 
