Flying With Lily And Jane

Well over a year after introducing her and promising more this Fly Girl, at last Jane Martin arrives -

Jane Martin - War Nurse was introduced in 1940 in the first issue of Wings Comics. It was, as we saw previously, a good year for Fly Girls.

Today, we're joining her a few years later, after dropping War Nurse from her title. And, more to the point, after Lily Renée joined her team. Lily started drawing Jane a couple issues earlier, but i just love the framing on the splash for this one, and it's the first one that she signed -

It's worth noting that, while the Asian baddies may look like they came from central casting, Lily avoids the sub-human look so often seen in those days. This is especially noteworthy given Lily's personal history, having been driven from her homeland by the invading Nazi forces. Demonization of the enemy would have been more understandable from her, but she was better than that.

When choosing a third story to round out this first set, I chose this one simply for the outfit worn in the splash (and later in the tale). Doesn't she look like she's going full superhero here?

We opened with the first Jane Martin story that Lily signed. We close with her final issue (Lily's, not Jane's). I tend to think that Lily knew this next one was to be her last Jane Martin tale. The splash panel looks like a fond farewell -

That may have been Jane's last tale drawn by Lily Renée, but she illustrated nearly a score of them in total. So we'll be back with some of those we flew over in the next post.

page art by Lily Renée for Wings Comics #s 33, 42 & 48 (1943, 1944)

1940 - A Good Year For Fly Girls

We haven't looked at any Fly Girls in a bit, and since we've been poking around in the 1940s lately, let's jump back to the beginning of the decade. 1940 saw the debut of at least 3 Fly Girls in the comics - Jane Martin - War Nurse, Lee Preston of the Red Cross, and Page Parks - Air Hostess.

While i'm trying to salvage data as the new hard drive exhibits signs of advanced dementia, why don't you folks take a look at the introductory tales for each of the ladies. All three of them debuted as features in the first issue of new titles.

Page Parks premiered in issue #1 of Blue Bolt, written by Ray Gill with art from William Rowland. (The standard practice of writer/artist ordering on the credits hadn't yet been established at this point) -

Okay, you're right. Page doesn't really qualify as a Fly Girl since she never takes the stick. But she was up there in the air very early on, and debuted in a highly prestigious title with a Joe Simon cover and young Jack Kirby just getting together with him in the background, about to start a partnership that would help shape the next half century of comics, and beyond. So she gets a mention anyway.
Meanwhile...

Actually, one month prior... Crack Comics #1 featured the debut of Lee Preston with Bob Powell using the Terrence MacAully pseudonym -

Three or four months later, depending on which comic you're counting from, Wings #1 hit the stands with Jane Martin. (Fred Hawks is a house name, not the actual creator)

Of the three, one had another handfull (and a half) of adventures, the second appeared perhaps a hundred times or more, and the third was never seen again. Care to guess who was whom?

This afternoon, we'll have the answers and an odd entry from later in the decade - a long running character who quit being a Fly Girl at the start of her first adventure.

See you in 12 hours!

page art from Blue Bolt #1, Crack Comics #1, and Wings Comics #1 (1940)