Miss America Magazine

Before Patsy Walker got her own comic book series, she appeared regularly in Miss America Magazine. Her stories were so popular that the magazine regularly highlighted them on the cover.

Several Patsy Walker comic stories appeared in this issue of Miss America Magazine. Vol. 7. No. 37. January 1951.

Graduation Day

Patsy Walker could have remained a perpetual teen. But that changed in Patsy and Hedy #95 (August 1964), when Patsy and her pals graduated from high school. While Patsy and rival Hedy Wolfe had their eyes set on being valedictorian, mutual friend Nan Brown had the highest marks and recieved the honor. Graduation was one of many steps on Patsy's path to becoming Hellcat.

Black Magic

When Dr. Strange made his debut in Strange Tales #110, he carried the title Master of Black Magic. That term wouldn't stick. Dr. Strange would soon find himself ever alert to any sign of danger from the world of Black Magic (#121) and became known instead as Master of the Mystic Arts.

This panel from Giant-Size Defenders #4 (April 1975) originally appeared in Strange Tales #121 (March 1964).

Report Card

When Buzz Baxter told girlfriend Patsy Walker that he got a 90 on an algebra test, she said her score was 88 (Patsy Walker #73). But Patsy's marks in math apparently didn't stay that high. When Patsy's father reviewed her report card from Centerville High School, he saw that she earned A grades in English, Language and History, and a C in Math (#78).

This panel comes from Patsy Walker #78 (Aug. 1958).

Mickey Walker

Patsy Walker's kid brother, Mickey, was a recurring character in comic books. As a running gag, Mickey would extort money in exchange for giving Patsy privacy with her boyfriend, Buzz Bazter. Different renditions of Mickey appear on the covers of Miss America #71 (Aug. 1955) and Patsy and Hedy #78 (Oct. 1961).

Metamorpho: The Standby Superhero

If DC Comics had launched a non-team like the Defenders, Metamorpho would have been a strong candidate. Radiation from a meteorite transformed soldier-of-fortune Rex Mason into Metamorpho, the Element Man. Dismayed by his altered appearance, the reluctant hero turned down an invitation to join the Justice League of America but agreed to assist in emergencies (JLA #42).

When Joker, Penguin, and the Riddler conspired to change Batman into the lumbering Bat-Hulk, the caped crusader sought out Metamorpho—hoping his chemical powers might reverse the effects. Instead, a bolt of lightning did the trick (Brave and the Bold #68). Unlike Bruce Banner, whose clothing ripped when he became Hulk, Bruce Wayne's bat-costume stayed intact as Bat-Hulk.

Before Metamorpho declined membership in Justice League of America #42 (Feb. 1966), Green Arrow (#4), Atom (#14), and Hawkman (#31) had said yes. Metamorpho faced Bat-Hulk in The Brave and the Bold #68 (Oct.-Nov. 1966).

Giving Up the Glasses

The Incredible Hulk's original series cancelled after six issues and the green goliath began appearing instead in Tales to Astonish. The cover of #72 was a milestone of sorts by picturing Bruce Banner without his glasses. It wasn't long before Dr. Banner stopped wearing glasses altogether in comics. Habitually replacing the lenses may have become inconvenient and presumably he could still see well enough without any eyewear.

Sub-Mariner and Hulk appeared in separate stories in Tales to Astonish #72 (Oct. 1965).

Lost and Found Lenses

Illustrator Jack Kirby diligently kept track of Bruce Banner's glasses during the original run of The Incredible Hulk. Panels of Banner transforming into the Hulk consistently pictured the character removing his glasses. During these early issues, sidekick Rick Jones routinely took it upon himself to retrieve Dr. Banner's glasses for him. Even if Banner kept the same pair of glasses, the disheveled scientist certainly went through a lot of shirts changing to and from the Hulk.

This image of Rick Jones handing Bruce Banner his glasses comes from The Incredible Hulk #2 (July 1962).

Announcing Aragorn!

The Black Knight began riding his winged stallion in Avengers #48, but not until #54 did he settle on the name Aragorn. The hero would shout, "Away, Aragorn!" or "Down, Aragorn!" when commanding the horse to fly or land.

The Black Knight and Aragorn faced the Masters of Evil in Avengers #54 (July 1968).

The Origin of Aragorn

Technically speaking, Aragorn made his debut in Avengers #48 (Jan. 1968). In that issue, however, the Black Knight called the winged horse Pegasus. Not until later appearances was the horse renamed Aragorn. The name change made sense, as Aragorn had no relation to the flying horse from Greek mythology. In fact, the Black Knight described his winged stallion as a mutant. The mutation was not accidental but instead resulted from months of research.

Aragorn was in good company. When the original X-Men encountered a technological wizard called the Warlock, he too described his winged horses as mutants—the products of science rather than magic X-Men #30 (March 1967).

This image of the Black Knight riding Pegasus (Aragorn) comes from Avengers #48.

X-Men vs. Defender

The original X-Men faced an unexpected enemy when the Puppet Master took mental control of Mimic, who could replicate the heroes' mutant powers. Guarding the Puppet Master's criminal lair was a formidable android called the Defender (X-Men #27).

To prepare for a looming mutant menace, Professor X invited Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver to join the X-Men. They declined. The siblings had previously discussed that possibility but became Avengers instead (Avengers #16). Quicksilver, in particular, wanted to distance himself from any reminder of their early days in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

These panels with the android Defender come from X-Men #27 (Dec. 1966).

Patsy Driver

Patsy Walker comic books were not written with longterm continuity in mind, so it is understandable that contradictory storylines would appear. As an example, the teen protagonist received her driver's license in Patsy Walker #7 (Oct. 1946). Exacerbated by Patsy's speeding and overall poor driving skills, her father asked her to hand him her license at the end of the story.

A different course of events, however, transpired in Miss America #87 (Nov. 1957). When Patsy proudly announced that her driver's license just arrived in the mail, her father was surprised that Patsy even knew how to drive, much less had passed a driving test. It turned out that Patsy learned to drive from Beatrice Bagley, who recently wrecked her father's car. This time around, however, Patsy's own driving skills weren't called into question.

This panel from Patsy Walker #7 illustrated the character's original driving test.

Neutral Evil: Mr. Rasputin

An early adversary of Dr. Strange was Mr. Rasputin, a magician who sought to use defensive secrets from two warring nations for his own personal gain. In combat against Dr. Strange, Mr. Rasputin proved to be the weaker magician. To gain the upper hand, Mr. Rasputin drew a pistol, an action Dr. Strange deemed as a sign of cowardice. Be that as it may, Mr. Rasputin's criminal pursuit of power—without regard to political alliance—would align with Neutral Evil in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

This image of Mr. Rasputin comes from Strange Tales #145, reprinted as a flashback in Giant-Size Defenders #1.

Chaotic Neutral: Bernard the Poet

The original X-Men frequented Coffee A Go-Go in Greenwich village. Entertainment at the coffee house regularly included readings from a beat poet named Bernard. Decidedly unconventional, Bernard and his fans would surely embrace the the Chaotic Neutral alignment from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

Bobby Drake (Iceman) and Hank McCoy (Beast) hear Bernard's poetry for the first time in X-Men #7 (Sept. 1964).

Spellbook: Rope Trick

In one of his earliest adventures, Dr. Strange discussed the ancient Indian rope trick (Strange Tales #116). During the trick, a magician climbs to the top of a rope and vanishes. That description more or less matched the 2nd Level magic-user spell Rope Trick that would appear in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. When the spell is cast, one end of a rope rises into the air. The upper end of the rope fastens in an extra-dimensional space. The spell caster and up to five others can climb to the top of the rope and disappear into safety. The spell also allows climbers to stop and reach a normal place if they do not climb all the way to the rope's upper end.

After describing the ancient trick, Dr. Strange uses a sash as a rope substitute to climb diagnally upward and rescue three prisoners in Strange Tales #116 (Jan. 1964).

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Expenses

As master of the mystic arts, Dr. Strange earned no income. This put his servant, Wong, in the unenviable position of explaining that he couldn't pay their pharmacy bill because he had already withdrawn their last penny to pay that month's rent. To make matters worse, building inspectors informed Dr. Strange that his home would be condemned unless he painted the building and sealed up the trap doors and hidden passageways. To make do, Dr. Strange asked Wong to take a handful of jeweled trinkets from their vault and sell them at market price (Strange Tales #147).

Dr. Strange must have learned a thing or two following that ordeal. When a battle against the mystic Kaluu left the Sanctum Sanctorum in need of repair, Wong broached the subject of money again. This time around, Dr. Strange repaired their home by casting a spell. He then conjured up stacks of coins and dollar bills so Wong would never need to ask for money again (#151).

Strange Tales. Vol. 1. No. 147. August 1966. "From the Nameless Nowhere Comes … Kaluu!" Stan Lee & Denny O'Neil (script), Billy Everett (art), Sam Rosen (lettering), Irv. Forbush (amulet polisher).

Strange Tales. Vol. 1. No. 151. December 1966. "Umar Strikes!" Stan Lee (script), Bill Everett (art), Artie Simek (lettering).

Double Trouble

Hedy Wolfe was envious of Patsy Walker's popularity—so envious, in fact, that when she ran into a young woman who happened to be the spitting image of Patsy, Hedy concocted a plan to destroy Patsy's reputation. Hedy offered to buy the mystery woman a new dress if she insulted Patsy's closest friends. The mystery woman, who was in town visiting her aunt, agreed. Hedy's plan worked at first but eventually unraveled when she mistook the real Patsy for the imitator. After learning the truth, Patsy's friends held no grudges against her for the things the impostor had said. Meanwhile, the fake Patsy fled with the new dress, having never divulged her true name.

Patsy Walker. Vol. 1. No. 109. September 1963. "Patsy's Troublesome Twin!" Part Two: The End of a Scheme!"

Disappearing Act

Although the covers of Patsy Walker comic books sometimes referenced the stories within, the covers often worked as stand-alone gags. Such was the case with Patsy and Her Pals #22 (May 1956). That cover showed Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe fighting for the attention of Buzz Baxter at a magic show starring Presto the Magician. While it would have made for a creative setting, the magic show did not appear inside the issue. Incidentally, Presto closely resembled longtime comic character Mandrake the Magician, who would become one of the anachronistic Defenders of the Earth.

Bonus Points!

While reprinting issues of the Defenders, the weekly U.K. magazine Rampage also included back-up content from other superhero comics—and sometimes from anthology series originally published during the Silver Age. Such was the case with Rampage #13 (Jan. 11, 1978), which reprinted Defenders #14 followed by the five-page story "Beware!!! Of the Little Toy Men!!" That suspenseful tale first appeared in Journey into Mystery #58 (May 1960). In writing this blog over the years, I've noticed the frequent use of exclamation points in comic books, but this particular title takes the cake for excessive punctuation!

Day of the Druid

The druidic philosophy outlined in early versions of Dungeons & Dragons considered the moral opposites of Law and Chaos as balancing forces of nature. As such, the clerical subclass of Druid adhered to the alignment of Neutral, a worldview with no particular leanings toward good or evil.

About a decade before the creation of the game, Strange Tales #144-145 presented a vastly different take on druids. The leader of a hidden cult combined mystic rites and modern technology to summon the Egg of Satan—a thing of evil designed to seek out Col. Nick Fury and destroy him. Given their diabolical aims, these druids might be a better fit for Lawful Evil, the alignment closely associated with devils in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

The cover of Strange Tales #144 (May 1966) likened the mysticism of Dr. Strange to Nick Fury's nemesis in "The Day of the Druid!" Dr. Strange starred in a different story within the issue.