Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays

Miss Fury : Sensational Sundays #2

by Tarpe Mills, Trina Robbins (Editor)

The first female superhero created and drawn by a woman cartoonist.

Catfights and crossdressers, mad scientists and Gestapo agents with swastika-branding irons-it's one lurid and exciting adventure after another in this lavish, full-color collection of the first female superhero created and drawn by a woman. Miss Fury was a sexy adventurer clad in a skin-tight panther costume-complete with sharp claws on her hands and her feet! By day, she was socialite Marla Drake. By night...Miss Fury.

The strip was populated by a cast of memorable characters who were connected to each other by far less than six degrees of separation and whose paths were interwoven like a complicated tapestry. They include: The one-armed general Bruno, a Rommel-esque figure who is a German patriot, but plots to overthrow the Nazi party.

Marla's recurring nemesis, the Baroness Erica Von Kampf, her platinum blonde bangs cut into a V-shape to cover the swastika that was branded on her forehead. Gary Hale, the all-American man who doesn't necessary marry the right woman. Albino Jo, a Harvard-educated, loincloth-wearing albino Indian in the Brazilian jungle who resurfaces a year later as a pipe-smoking criminologist dressed in a well-tailored suit. Whiffy, a French transvestite smuggler of stolen European art! Miss Fury's friend Era, who falls for one of two seemingly young and handsome men who actually are 200 years old, and have been drinking an elixir to stay young!

Eisner- and Harvey-nominated writer and historian Trina Robbins has chosen the best Miss Fury stories for this oversized collection, which also features a biographical essay about Tarp� Mills that places her within the history of women cartoonists, and includes pages from an unpublished and unfinished Miss Fury graphic novel by Mills from 1979.

2012 EISNER AWARD NOMINEE!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Womens

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Tarpé Mills was the pseudonym of comic book creator June Mills, one of the first major female comics artists. She is best known for her action comic strip, "Miss Fury", featuring the first female action hero created by a woman.

She also created "Devil's Dust", "The Cat Man", "The Purple Zombie" and "Daredevil Barry Finn".

She died on 12 December 1988 in Brooklyn, New York, and is buried in Forest Green Park Cemetery in Morganville, New Jersey.

June Tarpe Mills was inducted into the ComicCon Eisner Hall of Fame on July 19, 2019.

On the Radical, Popular Creator of the First Female Superhero
How June Tarpé Mills Captured Audiences

Hidden women of history: Tarpe Mills, 1940s comic writer, and her feisty superhero Miss Fury

Reviews

[Bob Fish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful indeed!
My favorite Femme Fatale / Dauntless Dame from the 1940s!
I even enlarged and hung her on the wall :
https://youtu.be/Oj5ldwoHtC0

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Miss Fury was the first female superhero drawn by a woman and actually preceded Wonder Woman by a number of months. It was a syndicated strip that appeared in newspapers and the introduction did a great job giving an overview of the strips life, history and how Mills worked at it. The strips start a couple hundred strips in but they do explain her origin so that's not so bad. It doesn't read like a superhero strip in so much as it reads like a soap opera strip that happens to include a superhero. I don't mean it as a negative though. The strip doesn't only follow Miss Fury, it follows many of the villains and other side characters as well. The occasional appearances of Miss Fury were neat, and I do wish there had been more but the mob stuff and soap operaness was interesting enough that I didn't mind so much. The strip also had tons of sex appeal for it's day and the art style speaks to the period it was from. I do wish that more of Mills later graphic novel attempt had been found b/c it looked interesting in the same way Miss Fury was and I felt like her art style really shined there.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this was current material, I'd probably only give it two stars, but I believe you have to give a nod to the birth of any industry, when creators are just beginning to understand how to best use the medium.

It's fairly sexy at times, and I have great regard for Tarpe Mills, because I know how female artists were treated at the time period, so she had an extra weight on her shoulders, and still produced readable, if somewhat clunky material.

And, since I admitted I was giving an extra star due to the era the comic strips were produced, I should throw in that I probably mentally deleted one, due to the way over the top hyperbole of the introduction, which makes the strip sound like the most fondly remembered comic strip of all time, and Tarpe Mills as a "master storyteller" (umm, no) and her art as which "many feel has not been equaled before or since"...a statement which sends me into extreme "WTF" mode.

Lastly, unconnected to anything else, "Tarpe" is a great name.

[Mark Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely stellar collection of stories. I could talk forever about how much I enjoyed every second of this.

Despite jumping into the middle of Marla Drake's adventures - and how many of the antagonists are faceless mobster goons - it's surprising how quickly and intensely you get caught up in the adventures. Not much time is spent with Marla Drake (and even less is spent with her in costume) but it's an engaging story throughout.

As the foreword so aptly forewarns, Tarpe Mills loves her villains. More time is spent showing you the lives of the villains "behind the curtain" that you might argue that you understand them more than the titular hero. However, allowing this level of dramatic irony builds the anticipation for the moment when Marla eventually does get involved because of how shrewdly she puts the pieces together.

The art itself is so gorgeous from start to finish, you start to forget that she was putting this out on a consistent weekly basis for many years. The level of emotional expression makes everyone feel three-dimensional in behaviours as well as presence; also, the sense of fashion is unparalleled.

The only real criticism that I have of this book is that it was finite. The foibles of living a mortal life, I guess.

[Fredrik Strömberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read. Tarpé mills was a real pioneer. Not only did she create her female lead Miss Fury before the creation of Wonder Woman, but she was herself female, a feat in the all-male comics business in America in the 1930s and 1940s. Supposedly, she used her middle name, Tarpé to conceal her gender, but as Miss Fury gained popularity, the truth got out and the public got to know that the creator was a woman.

I've seen panels form this strip and I've read about it, but this was the first chance I've had to actually read a whole story of the strip. This seems to be the origin strip, as the main character Marla Drake, dons the catlike costume for the first time for a fancy dress party and then gets more or less forced to take up the role of masked hero. Her main enemies are established as two shady Germans (remember, this was set during WWII), who have different plans for aiding their country in the war, something that Drake/Miss Fury, or The Black Fury as she is called here, tries to foil.

The story is told very quickly, and you get a feeling that Mills needed to have a lot happen in each strip, in order to keep the attention of the readers of the daily newspapers where it was published, This means that reading it in a collection like this, is a bit like seeing a crime movie shown at double speed. Despite this, there is much to like. The art is gorgeous, the era of the 1940s is beautifully captured in car models, fashion etc. and above all else, the main character is a strong, intelligent and resourceful woman, a rarity in the 1940s and only just now starting to become more common in popular culture.

I found this copy of the 1979 collection, for which Mills made an original cover, as well as a back cover illustration, in an antique book shop, and I'm glad I did. Good to see that Mills was still active in the late 1970s. There are brand new collections out there now, with introductions by the first and foremost "herstorian", Trina Robbins, and after having read this first part, I'm quite likely to get those values to get to keep reading.

[Brynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun. The introductory essay could've been longer.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great artwork, suspenseful, romantic, interesting plots dealing with the Nazi's in Brazil and America throughout the war years. Has to be one of the most fabulous comic strips of the 1940's.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful.

[C.J. Bunce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published online at BORG.com.

Miss Fury was ahead of her time. The superhero moniker and nickname of Marla Drake, she was less a femme fatale, cast aside by the males that shared the comic page as with other contemporary tales, instead planted in the center of the action. She was a true heroine, who, while maintaining her sex appeal and motherly nature (adopting a child during the series run), she was a strategic thinker and always the most cunning person in the room, despite male dominated conventions of the 1940s. In fact, despite some handsome and well-intentioned male friends and companions, it’s the women of the series that are the most interesting, with oafish and blumbering men left for the supporting roles.

June Tarpé Mills was ahead of her time. Serving as story writer and artist for the popular nearly decade running Miss Fury comic strip, she created the first costumed super-heroine when Superman and Batman were just getting their footholds in the fantasy realm. Her character drawing is incredible and modern readers might compare her comic art style with modern-day Wonder Woman artist Cliff Chiang, her compositions with Alex Ross, and her glamour with Adam Hughes. All of these comparisons are accurate and compliment each of these artists. Mills’ story arcs collected in Tarpé Mills & Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays 1944 – 1949 anthology hardcover from IDW Publishing are intriguing and compelling–so much so that you could overlook the detailed “costuming” of Mills’ men and women. But what you would miss. Men were dressed appropriately in snappy suits, her women sport a historical catalog of designs, fabrics, colors, and styles, as well as a variety of 1940s hairdos. Miss Fury might as well be a sourcebook for clothing historians.

Mills accomplished something many modern comic book readers beg for–less costumed character stories (i.e. Batman stories) and more secret identity doing the detective work out of the costume (i.e. Bruce Wayne stories). In fact, you will hardly see Marla Drake appear in her catsuit in the pages of Miss Fury. And it won’t bother you one bit.
Mills’ stories are chock full of content for the medium, with plenty of snappy dialogue, interweaving plot threads, action, suspense, and not too many weekly canned serialized cliffhangers. Less Alfred Hitchcock noir than say the works of John Huston, Michael Curtiz, Fritz Lang, or Raoul Walsh, Mills’ gangster stories have a surprisingly fresh and modern feel. Her storytelling isn’t all that linear despite the confines of typical 1940s block panel art storytelling. If it is soap opera-esque then consider it primetime soap worthy. And when her characters get mad, they swear, using @*#@ replacements but it conveys the point, with readers left to use their own imagination.

Sure, her adventure stories are similar to other comic strips of the day. Yet Mills’ stories were likely seen as on the fringe for mainstream audiences. We meet an ugly mob boss who dresses in women’s clothes to avoid the cops and others on his trail. Our main character does not appear in the pages of the story for several issues–it’s hard to think anyone could get away with that today. Yet she was replaced with equally strong and exciting characters. Full of the dark world of reality, kids, women, and animals are seen being beaten by adults to convey the ruthlessness of the villains. Miss Fury is seen kidnapped and held in chains, and even replaced by a look-alike who almost completely takes over her identity. And she included supernatural elements, like a young, handsome man who was actually 200 years old.

Tarpé Mills & Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays 1944 – 1949 reprints approximately the last half of the Miss Fury series, leaving Miss Fury stories going back to 1941 for a future–and much-needed–follow-up anthology, that thankfully will be released this November, as Miss Fury Sensational Sundays: 1941-1944. A historical introduction by 1960s comic book creator Trina Robbins provides the barest remaining historical references to June Tarpé Mills and her work (Mills dropped the June so readers wouldn’t overlook her work for being created by a woman). So we will never know why Miss Fury so often appeared in lingerie, stockings, and leopard prints–did editors push her in that direction for sex appeal? Or did she do it because there was no reason to hide character’s femininity? We’ll never know the full story of whether Mills realized her place in comicdom as a progressive creator years ahead of her time. And who was behind all the paper doll cut-outs of Miss Fury characters she created?

As fiction, Tarpé Mills & Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays 1944 – 1949 is a fun read. As historical reference for comic fans, it should be on everyone’s bookshelf.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming to the last, Miss Fury is an absolute delight to the eyes and a joy to read. I have never read any newspaper comic strip collections outside of the old Peanuts '60s paperback books, so this was a revelation to me. Comic books were the ghetto for creators in the '30s and '40s. Comic strips were where the money and prestige was. The writing and artwork are worlds more sophisticated than any comic book from this era that I've read.

Miss Fury is, by today's standards, an obscure character, and The Library of American Comics did a bang up job tracking down quality source materials. Miss Fury was published in black and white in some markets, and all but less than a dozen are here in full color. Miss Fury is historically significant because she was the first female heroine created and drawn by a female cartoonist.

There were several social taboos displayed in the strip, as well as the hard hitting action that makes this era of comic books/strips so compelling to study. I particularly enjoyed the parenting tips that I received from this book. To think that this was socially acceptable parenting 70 years ago is mind-blowing.

The fears of the Nazis rising again were a recurring theme. Nazi war criminals on the lam are also a recurring theme throughout the strip. I wonder how many Nazi war criminals did launder their money through organized crime.

I am truly grateful that we live in this wondrous age of collected editions. In the past, you would have never been able to read as complete a run of Miss Fury unless you spent all of your time and energy hunting these strips down. Prior to the Internet, this would have been next to impossible. Prior to this book's release, it would have been insanely expensive to boot.

Mills' writing is wonderful, with her shifting scenes and seamlessly starting and finishing story arcs. I was blown away by the way that she could keep a story going one page at a time. Comic strips were published a full week apart, and you had to assume that readers might not keep last week's funny pages. She could recap and/or start a scene without making this feel like a clunky, repetitive read.

Mills' artwork is simply stunning. Her lush linework, beautiful women, and explosive fight sequences are beyond compare. They present 13 pages of an unfinished graphic novel from 1981 in the back of the book, and her craft had deteriorated on all counts. These could have been rough drafts or unfinished pencils, but even the panel composition wasn't as appealing as the strip was. Don't go thinking that I've gone all Mary Poppins on you with this glowing review. If a book is crap, then I will tear it to shreds. If a book is as enjoyable as this one is, then I will gush nonstop.

This is a lovingly presented volume. The paper and restoration are both breathtaking. The binding is not. While sewn, it glued flush into the squared spine. This, coupled with the super thick paper, does not allow the book to lay flat at all, a pet peeve of mine. This book is extremely large, measuring over 1' tall and 9.5” wide, and you basically have to press it flat with both hands to read. This is a shame, especially when you consider the great lengths that IDW went to in terms of reproduction, etc., to make this a high quality affair. Still, this book is of undeniable quality, and it looks and feels like a luxurious art book.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the Female Using A Male Pseudonym prompt of my graphic novel run of the Popsugar Reading Challenge. Wow this was a tough category - this was pretty much the only example I could find!

The biographical info at the beginning of the book and discussion of piecing the book together was very interesting! I enjoyed the first 60% of the book, but it felt a bit repetitive after that - I suppose in its original weekly strip format that wouldn't be the case.. but either way, Miss Fury is an important part of comic book history, and worth the read.

[Anthony Wendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment of the collection of the original Miss Fury comics offers a lot of interesting emotional moments between all the characters. Marla Drake (Miss Fury) finds herself having to deal with enemies from the past, guys who conquerored time, and adopts her ex-fiancees kid without even knowing it. It's a shame this series didn't get a chance to come to a proper end becasue their is a lot of interesting elements which could have been explored. Still, it was entertaining to explore a character which made such an impact at the time but seemes to become lost to time.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's so much to like about the Miss Fury comic strip - its gorgeous art, the fact that its creator was a woman at a time when that was extremely rare, the exquisite fashion detail, the risqué atmosphere - but there's also some disappointment. Maybe a large part of that disappointment comes from my expectations of the book being something different from what's actually presented. As a costumed avenger, Miss Fury (at least in costume) doesn't appear all that much. Even her alter ego, Marla Drake, is often absent for long stretches. Although the book delivers quite a bit of action and adventure, there's just as much melodrama and soap opera mixed in. Again, it could be that I was expecting one thing and got another. I plan to reread this book again, so maybe I'll feel differently after another read. If for no other reason, you should read the book's introduction about the very interesting life of Miss Fury's creator, Tarpé Mills.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six months before Wonder Woman came on the scene, there was Miss Fury, the creation of former fashion model Tarpé Mills. Comics, feminism, eroticism, fashion, intrigue, fisticuffs . . . what's not to like? And the Boston Globe actually censored one panel, inadvertently making the outfit (sort of a proto-bikini) look much more revealing than it actually was.

I can't say I loved this book, because the Dick Tracy style of action comics have never been a favorite of mine. But I'm glad I got a chance to read about Miss Fury's adventures. This collection is a beautiful restoration of a forgotten superhero.

[Bart Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second collection of Sundays by Mills, this continues with much of the same cast as in the 1941-1944 collection. However, since the War is over the action is shifted to art smuggling, diamond smuggling and other nefarious activities that our heroine inadvertently gets in the midst of.

These tales are told in a noir style: tough dames, gangster characters and tough cops.
The stories are better scripted and the characters are better drawn and the cast of characters are not as one-dimensional as the were in the first volume.

I can only hope that there will be enough interest to publish a third, and final, installment of Miss Fury. A 1949 - 1952 collection.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my usual reading matter, but read about it and was intrigued. Sunday Comic strips from the 1940's. Miss Fury is not a superhero in the conventional sense; in fact, although she wears a magic leopard skin, which is cursed, it's more of an adventure series with the appeal of a soap opera (i.e. it does get you hooked.)

[Bea Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just two pages of information but the focus of the book was to reprint the comics not discuss the woman who created them.