Sun Girl #1Issue(s): Sun Girl #1 Review/plot: This is the first appearance of Sun Girl. The issue features three Sun Girl stories, all with art by Ken Bald and an unknown writer. The issue also has a Miss America story, which the GCD says is written by Stan Lee but for which the artist credits are unknown. None of the Sun Girl stories are an origin, and they also don't seem to be deliberately crafted as an introduction. We're just thrown into some adventures that Sun Girl is involved in. The first features a crimewave that happens while the police chief is out of town; the culprit turns out to be the chief's secretary. Ken Bald's art has a quirky, cartoony quality to it, and he also experiments with panel shapes. I like it. As for Sun Girl, her fighting abilities are on display. The "sun" aspect comes from a wrist-flashlight. It's not much of a super-power, but it's also all that the original Marvel Boy will get and quite a legacy managed to get built up around that. In Sun Girl's first story, however, she doesn't even use it as a weapon. It's more of a way to identify herself. And that continues in the second story. But later in the second story, she uses it to blind a sea monster. Note also that the bag that she carries around is an "emergency pouch" with various useful gadgets in it, not just her purse. Things get pretty psychedelic when she goes after the scientist that summoned the creature. Another thing about Sun Girl is that she doesn't seem to be much for criminal rights. In her third story (skipping the Miss America story for a minute), she scares a juvenile delinquent straight by beating up the gang that he wants to join. That last panel brought to you thanks to the Marvel Compressed Timeline. Sun Girl doesn't use her wrist-light at all in the third story. As for Miss America, this takes place during the period where she is wearing glasses, which is notable just because it's so rare for a super-hero. Miss America investigates the suspicious suicide of a popular singer and learns that she faked her death. Quality Rating: D+ Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A References: N/A Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: Bootleg Inbound References (1): showCharacters Appearing: Miss America, Sun Girl Box 1 / Golden Age / Post-WWII CommentsProbably just a coincidence, but Sun Girl's last phrase ("Crime Doesn't Pay") is the name of a Lev Gleason comic that was published at that time. Posted by: Luis Dantas | May 23, 2017 9:34 PM Some sources claim Lin Streeter did the Golden Girl stories. Posted by: Mark Drummond | May 24, 2017 10:52 AM Wow this is very nice art! I must admit, if a guy took an oath to destroy the world after getting out of prison, I'd have to think long and hard about paroling him. It would have to be VERY good conduct. Posted by: S | May 24, 2017 4:03 PM Yeah, this is fantastic. That underwater sequence is especially vibrant, the colors work well, Ken Bald was great. I wish Marvel would collect the later forties Golden Age material as it was a bit more polished than the earlier stuff and might translate better to a modern audience more curious about that period. So long as they don't insist on re-coloring it with a computer. Posted by: Wis | May 26, 2017 2:09 AM My guess would be that Sun Girl was meant to be Timely's answer to the popular Phantom Girl character (who moved around a few different publishers in the Golden Age). Both of them had gizmos that blinded their opponents as their only regular weapon. Posted by: Gary Himes | May 27, 2017 7:53 PM Sun Girl must have been modeled after Veronica Lake, right? Looks just like her Posted by: Andrew F | June 3, 2017 12:46 PM I think this is one of the most beautiful art pieces i´ve ever seen in a comic book... Posted by: Jay Gallardo | December 6, 2017 6:55 PM Comments are now closed. |
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