When other publishers were in the process of dispatching many of their Golden Age costume heroes into the comic book void during the late 1940s, Marvel did something different. Martin Goodman's company decided to go with girls.
During 1948, nobody published as many heroines as Marvel produced. Blonde Phantom,
Venus, Namora, and Sun Girl had their own titles. Miss America was a backup strip
and Golden Girl appeared in several Captain America stories.
None of these characters was ever big, although Venus was commercially successful enough to run 19 issues over 1948 – 52 while somehow surviving the Marvel implosion of 1950. That was the year almost all of Marvel's multitude of titles were published only four or five times. Many were cancelled and none of them were monthly.
These Marvels with heroines are all lots of fun to read and collect, but you'd better have big bucks. It's rare to see any Marvel from the 1940s go for less than $200 in "very good" or less than $100 in "good" except, ironically, for
Venus. She can be found for a little less, although the values of
Venus have steadily risen in recent years. Even so, all the Marvel women are worth considering.
Venus, Goddess of Love, was a fantasy title and ran the gamut from humor and romance to science fiction, horror, and crime in her 19-issue run (she did not appear in any other Marvel titles). She appeared in 46 stories in all. Few Golden Age characters had such a variety of interpretations in such a short time. Although many collectors love the Bill Everett art in the later issues, my favorite is #9, a 52-page gem with two romance stories spiced by battles between the mythical gods. It's one of the most bizarre comics of all time. My suggestion is that before you buy an issue of
Venus, check it out carefully unless you're a completist.
Well before
Venus, Marvel came up with two of the last significant super heroes to be created during the Golden Age, Miss America and Blonde Phantom.
Miss America, apparently a knockoff of Wonder Woman, debuted as a backup strip in
Marvel Mystery #49 (Nov. 1943) and ran in short stories every issue through #85 (Feb. 1948). Marvel gave her an undated 1944 issue of her own title, which is one of the prettiest comics of the late World War II period. It's one of my Golden Age favorites — there are three long stories and 44 pages of Miss America — and I highly recommend it. Patsy Walker debuted in
Miss America #2 (Nov. 1944), though there was a 14-page Miss America story, and the title had begun its conversion to a girls-interest comic. But Miss America stories also appeared in #3, 4, and 5, making those scarce issues highly collectible. She was destined to appear in 48 stories. Miss America also appeared as a member of the All-Winners Squad in
All Winners #19 and 21, along with backup strips in
All-Select #11,
Blonde Phantom #12 – 14, and
Sun Girl #1.
Blonde Phantom was Marvel's answer to Fox Phantom Lady (who actually began her career in Quality's
Feature Comics). Blonde Phantom's debut in
All-Select Comics #11 (Fall 1946) actually pre-dates Fox's version of Phantom Lady. One never knew how Marvel would handle a character and not many first stories are 17 pages long! But such is the case for Blonde Phantom in
All-Select #11. The title became
Blonde Phantom with #12 (Winter 1946/47) and ran through #22 (March 1949), making it one of Marvel's final Golden Age titles. Blonde Phantom stories were invariably fun. She appeared in 50 stories in all, also including
Marvel Mystery #84 – 91,
Sub-Mariner #25 – 28 and 30,
Sun Girl #2 – 3,
Namora #2,
Blackstone the Magician #2 – 4, and the one-shot
All-Winners #1 second series (Aug. 1948).
Six of the most difficult Marvel issues to find — especially at bargain prices — are
Namora #1 – 3 and
Sun Girl #1 – 3. They ran concurrently (Aug, Oct., and Dec. 1948), along with the first three issues of
Venus. All six are beautiful comics, although each is only 36 pages including the covers. I've known a few well-heeled collectors who became extremely frustrated trying to find these. They apparently didn't sell well and they're all scarce, especially considering that most of the extant issues have long since been socked away in collections.
Namora, who emerged as an integral part of the Sub-Mariner legend, also appeared in Sub-Mariner stories in
Marvel Mystery #82, 84 – 93,
Human Torch #31, and
Sub-Mariner #33 – 42 (the 10-issue revival from 1954 – 55). She also may have appeared in other Sub-Mariner stories. Sun Girl was a supporting character in late Human Torch stories, but she also appeared in her own strip in
Marvel Mystery #88 – 90 and
Human Torch #34. She also has the odd distinction of being the last hero or heroine from the Marvel Golden Age to appear in a strange 2-page short in
Marvel Tales #97 (Sept. 1950).
The sixth female costume heroine to appear in 1948 from Marvel was Golden Girl, who never earned her own title but appeared in several stories in
Captain America #65 – 73. I feel these late Cap issues are more difficult to locate than his World War II appearances. I don't think any of these stories with Golden Girl have ever been reprinted, so if you can find any at reasonable prices, snap 'em up!
Marvel also came up with original heroines in The Black Widow and The Silver Scorpion, but these are part of the plethora of short-lived characters in the 1941 – 43 era. Black Widow appeared in
Mystic #4 – 5 and 7, plus
USA #5 and
All-Select #1. Silver Scorpion appeared in
Daring Mystery #7 – 8 and
Comedy Comics #9 (the continuation of
Daring Mystery).
Incidentally, if you're interested in finding out more about the Golden Age of Marvel, Roy Thomas has just reprinted my old Timely Comics Index from 1969. Roy did an amazing job of illustrating the index in
Alter-Ego #57 (March 2006). It takes up 62 pages, and adds valuable reprint information. I can't say enough about what a great job he did, so be sure to pick up this issue. If it sells out, he may consider reprinting my Nedor Comic Index from 1968 and my MLJ Comic Index from 1969.
Yes,
it's finally arrived: summertime. Soon, the kids will be out of school
and everyone will be thinking of vacations and travel…and comic
book conventions. Yes, summertime is also the time for the big comic
cons like Heroes Con in Charlotte NC, the San Diego Comic-Con International,
and Wizard World Chicago!
It's been interesting watching the requests for the prestigious CGC Signature Series
increase since this time last year, as more and more fans and collectors are taking
advantage of this service at their favorite comic cons. We've already seen some
record-breaking submissions for the yellow label at conventions like the New York
Comic-Con, Wizard World Los Angeles, and the Paradise Toronto Comicon, but the
rush for requests we received at Wizard World Philadelphia was overwhelming! 2006
is becoming the year of the yellow label!
Heroes Con (June 30 – July 2) has the best comic book professional guest list you will ever see outside of San Diego or New York, as hundreds of professionals will be descending on Charlotte, NC for the convention that the pros have been saying is one of their favorite — if not THE favorite — convention of the last 25 years. Shelton Drum and his crew have an amazing array of professional guests lined up, and it's a dream come true for the Signature Series collector — a smorgasbord of potential double, triple, even quadruple signatures! For more information on the Heroes guest list, please check out
www.heroesonline.com/con-guests.htm.
San Diego Comic-Con International (July 20 – 23) is the big daddy of comic book conventions and the Mecca for genre fans and collectors. Everyone has to experience the SDCCI at least once in his or her life! And this year will be no exception, as comic creators will also be flocking to San Diego for the biggest comic book party of the year. My only concern with SDCCI is that it is hard to figure out who will actually be there as the convention has only a few dozen or so Special Guests that get featured on the SDCCI Web site. Other pros will be based in artist's alley or the guest area, but even more will be based out of the company booths, where they are sponsored by their publishers — and nearly every publisher in comic books will be present. I work under the assumption that just about everyone will be there and work my way down.
SDCCI is also a tougher show for Signature Series than some other events, as the sheer size makes it tough to plan properly. You could be halfway across the room from your home base and encounter that tough-to-find creator and not have your books — then you have to fight your way across the room to get your books and hope the creator doesn't leave in the 45 minutes it takes for you to get your books and get back. Not impossible, but pretty close! Always check the schedules for panels and the signing schedules at the publisher booths! For more information on guests, visit
www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.shtml.
Finally, summer would not be complete without Wizard World Chicago (August 3 – 6), the crown jewel in Wizard's convention schedule. Wizard World Chicago 2006 promises to be larger then ever with huge guests like Kevin Smith, Geoff Johns, Adam and Andy Kubert, Joe Quesada, Paul Jenkins, and this year's Guest of Honor, Jeph Loeb. There are sure to be many more guests to be announced. Remember, CGC will be doing on-site grading at Wizard World Chicago for Moderns only! Get your books in for the Signature Series by FRIDAY (August 3rd) in order to get your Signature Series done on-site! For more information, check out
www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/chicago.cfm.
Start getting your books ready and see me at the CGC booth at all three of these upcoming conventions! I'll be there working to get your requests completed to the best of our abilities. If you can't attend any of these upcoming shows, we suggest you contact one of the many CGC member dealers who will accept books in advance for Signature Series and get them signed and submitted on your behalf!
For more information on upcoming CGC events, check out
www.cgccomics.com/events.
For more information on the prestigious CGC Signature Series, visit
www.cgccomics.com/signature.
