Back Viewing Black Venus

Before i drift too far away and lose sight of the shore, let's gander back at Black Venus once again. Last time i mentioned that the next tale in the series was drawn by Nina Albright, and two more came from the brush of Harvey Kurtzman. 

Let's look at those today, eh? Nina's story followed directly after where we left off...

Nina was followed by Harvey Kurtzman in the next issue...

...and then Harvey returned for her final tale in Contact Comics #11 -
 

Black Venus may not have been around long, but she did get some fairly impressive talent working on the strip during her short run. And at least she made it back home before the end.

page art by Nina Albright and Harvey Kurtzman for Contact Comics #s 5, 6, & 11 (1945)

White Black Venus

So far, so cooperative... so we're back with with that teased peek at a lady under the covers of Contact Comics. The lady in question is Black Venus - a woman ahead of her time.

How ahead of her time? Her lover got Fridged (I was going to link to the Urban Dictionary, but those people are too stupid to spell the word frigid) a half century before Kyle Rayner's...

The following issue, L.B. Cole took over on the artwork. Let's take a look, shall we? 

Oh - if you're confused about her seeming closeness, dancing with another man the issue after the death above... that's her job. Mary LaRoche, Black Venus' secret identity, is a USO Dancehall Hostess. That's how she can operate in a theatre of war.

Those were the only two Black Venus stories illustrated by Cole. But the next story was drawn by Nina Albright, and two of the remaining 5 were from Harvey Kurtzman!

Oh, yeah - we'll be back.

story art by L.B. Cole from Contact Comics #s 3 & 4 (1944)