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The Woman in Red (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Woman in Red is a fiction
al character
who first appeared in the period known to comic book
historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books
. Created by writer Richard E. Hughes
and artist George Mandel, she first appeared in Thrilling Comics
#2 (March 1940), published by Nedor Comics
. The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore
for America's Best Comics.
The Woman in Red made her debut in Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940). Comics historian Trina Robbins
has claimed that the Woman in Red is the first female costumed superhero, preceding such better known characters as Wonder Woman
, Phantom Lady
, and Mary Marvel
, though the non-costumed Fantomah
debuted one month earlier. While the Woman in Red never made a cover appearance, she continued to appear regularly in issues of Thrilling Comics. Her last Golden Age appearance was in issue #46 (February 1945).
revived the Woman in Red, along with many other Nedor Comics characters that had entered the public domain
, for his Tom Strong
series. In Tom Strong #11 (January 2001), the Woman in Red is revealed to be a member of SMASH
, a superhero team that had been placed in suspended animation after an alien invasion from the moon in 1969. She is revived 30 years later thanks to the efforts of Tom Strong. SMASH disbands shortly thereafter. When SMASH reforms three years later, the Woman in Red rejoins the team.
Moore also changed the Woman in Red's history for this revival. Sometime after World War II
, the Woman in Red came into the possession of a mysterious ruby crystal. This crystal gives her the powers of flight and energy projection. Prolonged contact with the crystal eventually turns her skin a shade of crimson. At first embarrassed by her skin color, she begins wearing a leather costume that covers her from head to toe. She eventually comes to terms with her condition and adopts a costume resembling a one-piece bathing suit.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who first appeared in the period known to comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
. Created by writer Richard E. Hughes
Richard E. Hughes
Richard E. Hughes was an editor of the American Comics Group during its entire history from 1943 to 1967. He also authored most of their stories from 1957 to 1967, under a variety of pseudonyms. His best-known character was Herbie Popnecker, created under the pseudonym "Shane O'Shea", with artist...
and artist George Mandel, she first appeared in Thrilling Comics
Thrilling Comics
Thrilling Comics is the title of a comic book series published by Standard Comics for 80 issues from 1940 and 1951.It was used again in 1999 by DC Comics as the title of one of the issues of the Justice Society Returns storyline.-Characters:...
#2 (March 1940), published by Nedor Comics
Nedor Comics
Nedor Publishing was a comic book imprint of publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines under a variety of company names that he also used for the comics...
. The character was later revived by writer Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
for America's Best Comics.
Nedor Comics
The Woman in Red is the secret identity of policewoman Peggy Allen. Frustrated by the limitations of her job, Peggy creates a secret identity. As the Woman in Red, she wears a red, floor-length coat, hood, and mask.The Woman in Red made her debut in Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940). Comics historian Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins is an American comics artist and writer. She was an early and influential participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the few female artists in underground comix when she started. Both as a cartoonist and historian, Robbins has long been involved in creating outlets for...
has claimed that the Woman in Red is the first female costumed superhero, preceding such better known characters as Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first female superhero characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book companies, and a new version of the...
, and Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
, though the non-costumed Fantomah
Fantomah
Fantomah is a fictional character, best remembered as the first comic book superheroine. Created by Fletcher Hanks, the character first appeared in Jungle Comics #2 , published by Fiction House.-Publication history:...
debuted one month earlier. While the Woman in Red never made a cover appearance, she continued to appear regularly in issues of Thrilling Comics. Her last Golden Age appearance was in issue #46 (February 1945).
America's Best Comics
Alan MooreAlan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
revived the Woman in Red, along with many other Nedor Comics characters that had entered the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, for his Tom Strong
Tom Strong
Tom Strong is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division.-Background:Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero"...
series. In Tom Strong #11 (January 2001), the Woman in Red is revealed to be a member of SMASH
SMASH (comics)
The Society of Modern American Science Heroes, or SMASH, is a team of fictional superheroes whose adventures are published by America's Best Comics and take place on the parallel world of Terra Obscura.- History :...
, a superhero team that had been placed in suspended animation after an alien invasion from the moon in 1969. She is revived 30 years later thanks to the efforts of Tom Strong. SMASH disbands shortly thereafter. When SMASH reforms three years later, the Woman in Red rejoins the team.
Moore also changed the Woman in Red's history for this revival. Sometime after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Woman in Red came into the possession of a mysterious ruby crystal. This crystal gives her the powers of flight and energy projection. Prolonged contact with the crystal eventually turns her skin a shade of crimson. At first embarrassed by her skin color, she begins wearing a leather costume that covers her from head to toe. She eventually comes to terms with her condition and adopts a costume resembling a one-piece bathing suit.
External links
- The Woman in Red at Don Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...
- The Woman in Red at SMASH fansite
- The Woman in Red at International Hero