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Post by beccabear67 on Feb 25, 2020 17:21:04 GMT -5
If there was a thread for this earlier it's buried in search results, so hopefully not too much a re-run for what must be a fairly often asked question. Up to now I've thought the first superheroine in comics was Bulletgirl, first appearing in Master Comics #13, April 1941 (well before Wonder Woman in Sensation Comics #1 dated January 1942).  However... reading American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944, there is Owl Girl in Crackajack Funnies #32, dated February 1941. So is the answer really Owl Girl? She doesn't even get a mention on the cover of that issue...  I'm not counting Sheena, as important as she is, because you wouldn't count Tarzan before Superman although Sheena was original to comic books. In comic strips Miss Fury dates to April 6, 1941, originally billed as the Black Fury, and makes it to Marvel comic books with her first issue dated December 1942. I checked on Flame Girl appearing with The Flame in Wonderworld Comics (first appears in: #30 October 1941). And then... when I checked Ma Hunkle from Sheldon Mayer's Scribbly feature... The Red Tomato, er, I mean, The Red Tornado, I find the date on All-American Comics #20 is November 1940! Is the cooking-pot helmeted DC godmother to Forbush Man really the first superheroine?  *  *One of the highlights of The Smithsonian Book Of Comic Books Comics was the sequence of Mayer's Red Tornado stories it reprints. |
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Post by profh0011 on Feb 25, 2020 17:31:36 GMT -5
"The Smithsonian Book Of Comic Books Comics"
I have that. It has the HIGHEST-QUALITY reprint of Batman's debut, apparently shot photographically from the original comic. Every one of DC's own reprints looked like C*** !!!
I remember the RED TORNADO stories being a lot of fun.
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Post by Phil Maurice on Feb 25, 2020 17:31:40 GMT -5
The Golden Age Black Widow (Claire Voyant) debuted in Mystic Comics #4. That gets us to August, 1940. Someone here will surely find an earlier character. Her MO is similar to the Spectre's, although she delivers evil souls directly to Satan, cutting out the middle man.  |
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Post by foxley on Feb 25, 2020 17:32:58 GMT -5
Fantomah is often cited as being the first superheroine in comics. She first appeared in Jungle Comics #2, cover dated Feb. 1940. She ran, in one form another, until 1944, so she had some legs, and has had recent revivals, including appearing in Hack/Slash. She was created by Fletcher Hanks, so her early adventures are completely batsh*t insane. Perhaps not quite Stardust levels of insanity, but she is up there. Fantomah had poorly defined but god-level powers, and when she uses her powers, her normally beautiful face turns into a blue skull (though her curly blonde hair remains unchanged). Imagine a female Spectre protecting a jungle and you're not to far off.  |
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Post by beccabear67 on Feb 25, 2020 18:25:43 GMT -5
I only ever had one Jungle comic with Fantomah, and by that point she was just another jungle monarch type. Those early ones I've seen just a little of look pretty screwy!  Black Widow I should've checked out as I'm sure I did run across something about the golden age character. She would've been before the Silver Scorpion (Daring Mystery Comics #7, April 1941) too. |
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Post by beccabear67 on Feb 25, 2020 18:35:23 GMT -5
Here's another thing I didn't know before Kurt's book, the cover of Sheena #4 was a re-drawn version of Jumbo #20. I used to have the 1948 Sheena and it was a favorite; it collected a bunch of earlier Jumbo stories. First costumed lead female character in comics I think? Wags #1 in January 1937... earlier than Supes himself.   |
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Feb 25, 2020 19:17:24 GMT -5
If I'm remembering right, Trina Robbins called The Woman in Red (Nedor Comics March 1940) the first superheroine. I forget the reasoning, but I suspect this is because Fantomah (A) was called "Mystery Woman of the Jungle" tying her to the Sheena-esque archetypes and (B) was so damn weird. Sad this comes up when Cei-U is off the internet.  |
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Post by beccabear67 on Feb 25, 2020 20:44:10 GMT -5
If I'm remembering right, Trina Robbins called The Woman in Red (Nedor Comics March 1940) the first superheroine. She certainly looks to be costumed and fighting crime.  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Feb 25, 2020 21:13:36 GMT -5
The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, in newspapers, clocks in June 1940; so, not the first; but another early one.
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Post by Farrar on Feb 25, 2020 23:58:44 GMT -5
There was also the Magician From Mars, who first appeared in Amazing-Man Comics #7 (1939), with her feature continuing for a few more issues of A-M. As her name suggests, she was half-Martian. Her powers included super-strength, immortality and super-intelligence.  A bit earlier, but perhaps not technically a comic book superheroine (since she appeared in a comic strip in Spicy Mystery Stories, a pulp) was "Olga Mesmer, the Girl with X-Ray Eyes", in 1937. I first came across her in Les Daniels's Wonder Woman book. A while back some of us had a discussion about her; here's some info I'd found that I included in a post:  |
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Post by tartanphantom on Feb 26, 2020 0:52:31 GMT -5
If there was a thread for this earlier it's buried in search results, so hopefully not too much a re-run for what must be a fairly often asked question. >snip< And then... when I checked Ma Hunkle from Sheldon Mayer's Scribbly feature... The Red Tomato, er, I mean, The Red Tornado, I find the date on All-American Comics #20 is November 1940! Is the cooking-pot helmeted DC godmother to Forbush Man really the first superheroine? * *One of the highlights of The Smithsonian Book Of Comic Books Comics was the sequence of Mayer's Red Tornado stories it reprints.God, I hope so. Ma Hunkle never got the respect she deserved! |
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Post by beccabear67 on Feb 26, 2020 1:43:05 GMT -5
There was also the Magician From Mars, who first appeared in Amazing-Man Comics #7 (1939), with her feature continuing for a few more issues of A-M. As her name suggests, she was half-Martian. Her powers included super-strength, immortality and super-intelligence. Wow, dated at November 1939, this might be the winner! I was hoping once for Canada's Nelvana Of The Northern Lights but she debuted in August 1941. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Feb 26, 2020 4:01:48 GMT -5
The Golden Age Black Widow (Claire Voyant) debuted in Mystic Comics #4. That gets us to August, 1940. Someone here will surely find an earlier character. Her MO is similar to the Spectre's, although she delivers evil souls directly to Satan, cutting out the middle man. The original Black Widow was a kick-ass character. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Feb 26, 2020 5:10:40 GMT -5
God, I hope so. Ma Hunkle never got the respect she deserved! QFT. Ma Hunkel is the only Red Tornado I like. |
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Post by rberman on Feb 26, 2020 9:48:45 GMT -5
Fantomah is often cited as being the first superheroine in comics....she had some legs... A key superpower of female characters in any decade. |
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