MISS VICTORY "Epidemic"

Since it's Memorial Day weekend, let's look at a patriotic heroine...

...whose secret identity was Joan Wayne!

(and this was in the 1940s, when John Wayne was at the height of his popularity)

This never-reprinted story appeared in the one-shot Veri Best Sure Fire Comics (1945) which apparently came out between #10 & #11 of Captain Aero Comics, where Miss Victory (and all the other strips in this book) normally-appeared!

Miss Victory was the first patriotic-themed superheroine, predating Wonder Woman and her star-spangled outfit by several months.

Art by Charles M Quinlan, who illustrated a lot of superheroes, but the only heroines he rendered were Miss Victory and Kitten in Cat-Man Comics.

Pity, since he was pretty good at them...

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BLACK ANGEL "Baroness Blood"

During the Golden Age, characters were often introduced without an origin story...

...such as this aviatrix who premiered in the male-dominated pages of Hilman's Air Fighters Comics #2 (1942).

Considering next issue's Black Angel story is called "Return of Baroness Blood", what do you think?

Though the writer is unknown, the art is by John Cassone, a journeyman artist who worked for practically everyone at one point or another doing everything from Westerns to war to pirates, during the Golden Age.
Trivia: Black Angel is one of the few British heroines in Golden Age comics!
When the Air Fighters characters were revived by Eclipse Comics in the 1980s, a  Black Angel was part of a team of female aviatrix, Air Maidens, led by Airboy's nemesis Valkyrie.
But it was a different character, Holly McCovey, replacing the now-elderly Sylvia Lawton as Black Angel.

Cover of HTF b/w reprint from early 1990s

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SOUTH SEA GIRL "Aliani"

After World War II, jungle-based heroes and heroines were very popular...

...but this series took the concept from Africa to the Pacific islands and made the heroine a native woman who could go hand-to-hand with any man, or even a shark (which would be hand-to-fin, I suppose)!

Story by Ruth Roche with art by legendary "good-girl" artist Matt Baker, who also illustrated most of the legendary Fox Comics Phantom Lady series (which we're currently running HERE).
This strip ran for all six issues of Seven Seas Comics and some of the stories have been reprinted, usually renaming the heroine or changing the story title.
Though she wasn't originally the cover feature on Seven Seas Comics, once Aliani had the cover (as of #3), she stayed until the end of the run.

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MISS ESPIONAGE "Origin"

Here's the intriguing intro to an unfortunately short-lived series about...

...with a story that spans two World Wars and the beginning of the Cold War!

It's interesting there's no discussion as to who her father is...

This introductory tale from Power Comics #3 (1944) was illustrated by Rudy Palais, who had over 300 stories in various genres from 1941 to 1974 to his credit.

The writer is William Woolfolk, one of the most prolific writers of the Golden Age, who later left comics to write tv dramas and novels, including a pair of Batman novels based on the 1960s tv series and feature film.

Power Comics was the only title ever published by "Narrative Publishers".

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