Reading Room: PHANTOM LADY "Ghosts, Galleons and Gold"

Long before the Pirates of the Caribbean sailed into cinemas...

 ...the busty bombshell known as Phantom Lady faced specters on ships for treasure!

I really was waiting for someone to say "I'd have gotten away with it if not for that meddling Phantom Lady!"
A little of everything in this tale from Phantom Lady #18, including some serious "headlights" on pages 4-5, courtesy of legendary illustrator Matt Baker with a wacky script probably by Ruth Roche.

Check out the

"Naughty" 

Phantom Lady

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featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.

Reading Room PHANTOM LADY "Case of the Swindling Eye"

The superheroine who's an eyeful catches con artists using glass eyes...

...in this tale from All-Top Comics #11!

While there are aspects to the story (probably by Ruth Roche) like how, on page 3, Don doesn't recognize Phantom Lady as Sandra Knight! (He was looking at her face, not her...headlights...although the way the word balloons are arranged in page 3, panel 5 leaves no doubt as to what the editor thinks the reader wants to see!
The cheesecake "good girl" art is, of course by Matt Baker, who did almost all the Phantom Lady stories!

Check out the

"Naughty" 

Phantom Lady

Collectibles Shop

featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.

Reading Room PHANTOM LADY "Stinging Whip"

At long last, from the issue Dr Wertham vilified in Seduction of the Innocent...

...that fine filly, Phantom Lady, spends a day at the races in this tale from Phantom Lady #17!

Though the GCD lists Jack Kamen as the artist, I suspect he did pencils only, as there's a lot of Matt Baker influence in this art, especially the rendering.

Here's Adam Hughes' take on the cover for this issue, Phantom Lady #17
from the HTF trade paperback Phantom Lady: Crime Never Pays!

Check out the

"Naughty" 

Phantom Lady

Collectibles Shop

featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.

Reading Room PHANTOM LADY "Soda Mint Killer"

At long last, from the issue Dr Wertham vilified in Seduction of the Innocent...

...The Phantom Lady deals out just desserts in this never-reprinted tale of luncheonette larceny!

Yeah, she killed them, but they deserved it!
The splendidly-sordid, but deliciously-cheesecakey art is, of course, by legendary good-girl illustrator Matt Baker!
The quirky story is probably by Ruth Roche.
And, oddly, it's NEVER been reprinted!

Here's the cover to this issue...

...but, oddly enough, it has nothing to do with either Phantom Lady story,  but it's probably the single most famous example of comic book "good girl" art in history.

And, yes, it's by Matt Baker!
Dr Fredric Wertham described it in Seduction of the Innocent as "sexual stimulation by combining 'headlights' with the sadist's dream of tying up a woman."
And...?

Check out the

"Naughty" 

Phantom Lady

Collectibles Shop

featuring goodies emblazoned with cover art that Fredric Wertham railed against in Seduction of the Innocent.

Either naughty OR nice at Christmastime? We have a grrrl for you!

One of the most notorious Golden Age characters, Phantom Lady was also one of the first costumed superheroines, beating out Wonder Woman (who debuted in All-Star Comics #8) in 1941 by several months!

Like a number of 1940s comics characters, she was created by an independent comic book studio for an established publisher, in this case, Quality Comics, debuting in Police Comics #1 which also featured the first appearances of Plastic Man, FireBrand, and The Human Bomb.
After a year, her strip was canceled by Quality, and the character was offered to Fox Comics, where she was promoted to her own comic, which started with #13, since it took over the numbering of an already existing title.
Her costume was recolored and modified by legendary "good girl" artist Matt Baker to expose more of her (ahem) assets and a number of covers featured her being captured and tied up by evildoers.
It is this version which became notorious by becoming one of the primary examples in Dr. Fredric Wertham's crusade against comics detailed in his book Seduction of the Innocent.

Believing that both the "naughty" and "nice' versions of the character have a place in pop culture history, Atomic Kommie Comics™ has included the classic superheroine in not one, but two different sections of our store!

In the Heroines!™ collection, we have the G-rated "empowered" version, kicking evil butts right and left!

And, in Lost Heroes of the Golden Age of Comics™, we have the PG-13, more risque version, including the famous cover (above) included in Dr. Wertham's book!
She's also featured in her own 12-Month calendar as well as on both our Heroines and Good Girl / Bad Grrrl Calendars!

If you're looking for classy, yet kitchy, holiday presents, you can't go wrong with our selection of Phantom Lady goodies for the pop culture / comics aficionado in your life, especially combined with one of the items below as a gift set!
Let him (or her) unwrap Phantom Lady this Christmas!
They'll thank you for it! ;-)