Created by artist Tarpé Mills, the first Black Fury made her debut in the Bell Syndicate Sunday comic strip on April 6, 1941. Originally known as the Black Fury, the character eventually became known simply as Miss Fury. When she’s not traipsing through high society as wealthy socialite Marla Drake, Miss Fury slips into a special skintight catsuit that grants her increased strength and speed.
As Miss Fury, the superheroine regularly combatted villains such as the mad scientist Diman Saraf and Nazi agents Erica Von Kampf and General Bruno. Along with these criminals, a recurring theme within the strip was a love triangle between Drake, her former fiancé Gary Hale, and Detective Dan Carey. Although Miss Fury was incredibly popular, the strip provoked some controversy over the revealing outfits worn by its female characters. In 1947, Drake was drawn wearing a bikini and in response, 37 newspapers dropped the strip. It continued until 1952, during which time Marvel Comics reprinted her strips in comics from 1942 to 1946.
Miss Fury was later revived in 1991 in the four-issue miniseries published by Adventure Comics. This new version of the character was revealed to be Marlene Hale, the granddaughter of the original Miss Fury. Throughout this series, Hale frequently battles against her Aunt Stephanie who has become the villainous Black Fury. A later conflict between the pair ends with them both falling into a vat of chemicals. Both Miss Fury and Black Fury returned in Malibu Comics’ Protectors series in issues 10-12.
While this new version of Miss Fury continued to make appearances across comics, the original Miss Fury began making brief cameo reappearances as well. In 2012, the Golden Age Miss Fury appeared in the Dynamite Entertainment comic Masks, before starring in her own title series. Now, one of the most influential characters in comics history is suiting up for another all-new series.
In this new series, multi-Eisner nominee Billy Tucci (Shi, Sgt. Rock) and rising star Emma Kubert will revitalize this iconic hero for the 21st century. You can read more about this exciting new project here on Scoop.
