We've been looking at how Pat Parker - War Nurse evolved from War Nurse to Adventurer to Superhero and Commando.
While we've looked at Jane Martin - War Nurse previously, it was mostly looking at later episodes featuring Lily Renée doing the artwork. Jane started the year before Pat, in the spring of 1940. When she launched, she sported a rather superheroic look to her uniform...
She kept that look for a few issues. This is one of the two for which we have confirmed art credit - George Tuska on both pencils and inks...
...then started to modify it to look less superheroish...
...and by her 5th appearance, she was uniformed as a standard Nurse, with Tuska returning on at least pencils...
Obviously, the outfit change didn't slow her down. She kept up her heroics, no matter how she was dressed, for a decade, long after the war had ended.
Oddly enough, there was another seeming change along the way. Based on the above tales, one might conclude that Jane Martin was British (unless i missed a reference while skimming). The USA wouldn't enter the war for another year and a half, and Jane's boyfriend was a British pilot.
So, why was i thinking she was from across the pond, demarcating her from Pat Parker?
Later stories told me so...
...though actually, it only says that "No American Girl has ever run such a strange gamut of thrills and mystery as Jane Martin." It doesn't actually state that's her nationality.
I'm not going reading through 100 tales to find out now. Read it the way you prefer, as shall i.
While we've looked at Jane Martin - War Nurse previously, it was mostly looking at later episodes featuring Lily Renée doing the artwork. Jane started the year before Pat, in the spring of 1940. When she launched, she sported a rather superheroic look to her uniform...
She kept that look for a few issues. This is one of the two for which we have confirmed art credit - George Tuska on both pencils and inks...
...then started to modify it to look less superheroish...
...and by her 5th appearance, she was uniformed as a standard Nurse, with Tuska returning on at least pencils...
Obviously, the outfit change didn't slow her down. She kept up her heroics, no matter how she was dressed, for a decade, long after the war had ended.
Oddly enough, there was another seeming change along the way. Based on the above tales, one might conclude that Jane Martin was British (unless i missed a reference while skimming). The USA wouldn't enter the war for another year and a half, and Jane's boyfriend was a British pilot.
So, why was i thinking she was from across the pond, demarcating her from Pat Parker?
Later stories told me so...
...though actually, it only says that "No American Girl has ever run such a strange gamut of thrills and mystery as Jane Martin." It doesn't actually state that's her nationality.
I'm not going reading through 100 tales to find out now. Read it the way you prefer, as shall i.
page art by George Tuska and ??? (Nick Cardy?)from Wings Comics #s 1 & 2-6, splash page by Lily Renée from Wings Comics #33 (1940,1943)
