The Marvel Family expands again in Captain Marvel #18 (November 1942) with the addition of the female version of Captain Marvel Jr: Mary Marvel. Mary was the newly discovered twin sister of Billy Batson. I believe Bulletgirl was the first female version of a superhero (1941), followed one month later by Hawkgirl.
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In All-Star Comics #8 (October 1941), the third of DC’s “Trinity” finally arrives: Wonder Woman! Tucked behind a Justice Society of America story (in which Hourman and Green Lantern have been replaced by Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite), Dr. William Moulton Marston, aka Charles Moulton gives us the definitive Wonder Woman origin story. This story has […]
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Although Hawkgirl‘s first appearance six months earlier was probably intended to be a one-shot gimmick, Shiera Sanders starts to suit up more regularly near the end of 1941 and even refers to herself as “Hawkwoman” in this story in Flash Comics #24 (October 1941). That’s a little confusing, because the Golden Age version of this […]
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The second superhero introduced in Police Comics #1 (May 1941) by Quality was the Phantom Lady, created by Eisner & Iger studio. Sandra Knight moonlights as a costumed adventurer with a black lantern that shines darkness onto her targets – and she has a vehicle that shines the same darkness beams out of the rear. […]
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After years of showing women as helpless romantic interests posed in alluring dresses, someone gets the idea to get women into the action. In All-Star Comics #5 (April 1941), Shiera jumps from being a simple love interest to becoming DC’s first costumed super-heroine, Hawkgirl. In reality, this first story doesn’t really have Hawkgirl doing anything […]
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Catwoman continues to evolve, now sporting a cat mask in Batman #3 (October 1940).
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In Mystic Comics #4 (June 1940), Timely Comics Inc (later Marvel) introduces the first costumed female superhero, Black Widow. Claire Voyant is a spiritual medium who is overcome by evil powers while performing a seance. She puts “Satan’s curse” on the family who later die in a car crash. The surviving brother murders Claire and […]
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The first superheroine is largely considered to be Fantomah, a woman with supernatural powers who appears in Jungle Comics #2 (January 1940). She leads these ivory raiders to their deaths, so she is more of an anti-hero in my opinion.
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Popular Comics #27 (February 1938) has Little Orphan Annie meet The Asp, Daddy Warbuck’s other Asian bodyguard.
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New Adventure Comics #22 (December 1937) featured a one-shot story of June Justis, G-Woman. June is a no-nonsense gal who is more feisty than Sandra of the Secret Service. In this story she fights the bad guys, shoots to kill and solves the case single-handedly, capturing Public Enemy No. 1, Jake Shiller.
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