Existing comment:
Landmark Adventure and Romance Strip
The first appearance of Brenda Star, Reporter by Dale Messick in 1940 marked a milestone for leading female characters in comics and for female cartoonists. Here, Starr, a worthy female counterpart of male heroes in adventure strips, enthuses and speculates over her new assignment. Messick builds suspense by first engaging viewers with her heroine's reflections, then shifts to the mysterious, unconscious Miss Welsly who holds a secret. Messick's strip ran in 250 newspapers at its peak. |