Fantomah: The First Kick-Ass Female Superhero
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Before Wonder Woman there was Fantomah, "The Mystery Woman Of The Jungle". A protector of the African jungles, a superheroine who when angry transformed into a blue skull-faced avenger. An iconic comic book character that remains relatively unknown, apart from in the world of nerds, geeks and comic book freaks. She first appeared in in Jungle Comics #2 in February 1940, and disappeared back into the jungle in issue #51 in 1944. But during her short life, Fantomah has become phantasmagorical image of feminine power that is as relevant today as it was when she was created.
Her early adventures were written and drawn by comic book artist Fletcher Hanks, who often wrote under the name Barclay Flagg. He created superheroes that were all-powerful, with almost god-like powers, who punished wrongdoers in surreal and grisly ways. He set a format and tone for Fantomah, that would be down played by H. B. Hovious, who wrote Fantomah stories from issue #27 onwards. |
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So it's the Fantomah of Fletcher Hanks that we will concentrate on here. In his comics Fantomah's super powers were seemingly endless, as were the elaborate punishments she doled out to mostly white male hunters who transgressed the laws of the jungle she swore to protect. As she transformed from a voluptuous blond, atypical of starlets and pin-ups of the period, into a blue skinned skull creature (still with flowing blond hair), and avenger against all that dared to harm those that inhabited the jungle. Fantomah has to go down as one of the, if not the, greatest female superheroes ever.
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Story after story she flies around punishing evil "white men" in pith helmets for their disregard for the "laws of the jungle", in more and more bizarre ways. Often appearing as a headless skull, delivering chillingly cheesy final lines. From changing two men into lizard creatures, before dispatching them back home in issue #1, to the weird issue #7 when she transforms 4 men into 1 man. Leaving him to his fate in "the pit of horrors".
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