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Roy Thomas Presents
Roy Thomas Presents: Phantom Lady, Vol. 1
Collects the Phantom Lady stories originally published in Police Comics (1941) #1-23 and Feature Comics #69-71 (a crossover with Spider Widow).
- GenresComicsSuperheroes
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2015
High Heels & Nazis
Phantom Lady was one of the very first female superheroes. In the summer of 1941, four months prior to the debut of Wonder Woman, the first issue of Quality's comic-book anthology Police Comics (also featuring Jack Cole's "Plastic Man" and Will Eisner's "The Spirit") introduced her like this: "The society columns record the activities of Sandra Knight, debutante daughter of Senator Henry Knight… No one suspects that frivolous Sandra is also the Phantom Lady, whose battles against spies and public enemies constantly make headlines…"
And for the first fifteen months or so, that's pretty much all you get. Phantom Lady defeats various "unwholesome looking" traitors, spies, saboteurs, etc. As can be expected, Nazis say things like "Vot in himmel" or "Vos iss los" (which isn't exactly German, but who cares), the Japanese are referred to as "Japs," and both are dealt with accordingly. In one instance, Phantom Lady even laughs heartily when a saboteur who had posed as a lion tamer is eaten by the lion: "Ha! Ha! Is there a missing tamer in the lion?"
To be sure, our heroine cuts a fine figure while fighting for God and country, wearing nothing but a yellow one-piece swimsuit, a green cape, and - from 1942 on - rather impractical high-heeled shoes. Her fiance, an investigator for the State Department, aptly observes: "She's some dame!!"
Around 1943, though, World War II-related stories were falling out of popular favor, as Americans were increasingly looking for distractions from the grim realities of war. In the pages of "Phantom Lady," the spies and saboteurs started to be replaced with regular criminals as well as a new-found sense of humor. A crossover with a title called Feature Comics, also starring a female superhero, results is a lot of jealous tensions between the two heroines, for example. After all, neither of them is used to sharing the spotlight: "Just remember, this is my strip – so just stay in the background where you belong!" Another concerned character turns to the reader: "A fine pair of crime fighters! Look - you read the story… what do you think? Yeh, that’s what I thought!" From today's perspective, such meta-textual hullabaloo is clearly the highlight of this volume.
Phantom Lady was one of the very first female superheroes. In the summer of 1941, four months prior to the debut of Wonder Woman, the first issue of Quality's comic-book anthology Police Comics (also featuring Jack Cole's "Plastic Man" and Will Eisner's "The Spirit") introduced her like this: "The society columns record the activities of Sandra Knight, debutante daughter of Senator Henry Knight… No one suspects that frivolous Sandra is also the Phantom Lady, whose battles against spies and public enemies constantly make headlines…"
And for the first fifteen months or so, that's pretty much all you get. Phantom Lady defeats various "unwholesome looking" traitors, spies, saboteurs, etc. As can be expected, Nazis say things like "Vot in himmel" or "Vos iss los" (which isn't exactly German, but who cares), the Japanese are referred to as "Japs," and both are dealt with accordingly. In one instance, Phantom Lady even laughs heartily when a saboteur who had posed as a lion tamer is eaten by the lion: "Ha! Ha! Is there a missing tamer in the lion?"
To be sure, our heroine cuts a fine figure while fighting for God and country, wearing nothing but a yellow one-piece swimsuit, a green cape, and - from 1942 on - rather impractical high-heeled shoes. Her fiance, an investigator for the State Department, aptly observes: "She's some dame!!"
Around 1943, though, World War II-related stories were falling out of popular favor, as Americans were increasingly looking for distractions from the grim realities of war. In the pages of "Phantom Lady," the spies and saboteurs started to be replaced with regular criminals as well as a new-found sense of humor. A crossover with a title called Feature Comics, also starring a female superhero, results is a lot of jealous tensions between the two heroines, for example. After all, neither of them is used to sharing the spotlight: "Just remember, this is my strip – so just stay in the background where you belong!" Another concerned character turns to the reader: "A fine pair of crime fighters! Look - you read the story… what do you think? Yeh, that’s what I thought!" From today's perspective, such meta-textual hullabaloo is clearly the highlight of this volume.
October 6, 2021
Arthur Peddy is underrated
March 10, 2026
One of my favorite Golden Age heroines. Recommended
May 5, 2020
Is love to give this a higher rating, but the stories are so uneven. The Peddy stories in the first half of the book in particular are mundane. Were it not for the later revival at Fox, PL would be a forgotten character.
I will say that the Borth stories with the Spider Widow and the Raven were better and more entertaining, if trite.
I will say that the Borth stories with the Spider Widow and the Raven were better and more entertaining, if trite.
February 21, 2026
Very cheesy but fun stuff.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews