MISS FURY #6 (WINTER 1944-45)

Miss Fury was the first female superhero created, written, and drawn by a woman.  The woman in question was June Tarpe Mills (1918-1988), who signed her work as Tarpe Mills to hide her sex while breaking into the comic industry.  Previously a model and a fashion illustrator, Mills had originated a number of action comic characters before she created Miss Fury, modeling the characters appearance on her own.

Miss Fury was the nom de gangbuster of socialite Martha Drake.  When she discovered that another woman was to wear the same outfit to a party that she was planning, Martha decided to wear a panther skin that he uncle had willed her.  Of course the panther skin previously had belonged to a witch doctor.  And of course, the suit gave her powers, in addition to fitting her body like a glove.  Martha never made it to the party because she had to catch an escaped murderer.  This was so cool that she decided to continue as a costumed heroine.  The newspapers first dubbed her "Black Fury," which was the name the comic strip had when it first appeared on April 6, 1941.  Soon her name and the comic book were changed to "Miss Fury."  #ablowforfeminism

Miss Fury ran until 1952 when Mills retired from comic strips.  At its heyday the strip was carried in over 100 newspapers and her image was painted on the noses of at least three American warplanes during World War II.

Despite her magic panther costume, Miss Fury seldom wore it because with every favor granted by black magic, comes two misfortunes.  This also allowed Mills to dress her heroine in the latest fashions.

Another striking innovation of the strip was Martha Drake's adoption of Darron, a toddler she had rescued in Brazil.  As a single woman she was first denied adopting Darron, but grit, persistence, and clean living won the way and she became a single mother with a young child and remained so during the run of the strip.  #anotherblowforfeminism

Some Christian groups attacked the strip but that did not diminish its popularity.

Some of the strips were reprinted in the Miss Fury comic book, which ran for eight issues during the mid-Forties.

The issue linked below reprints the story arc "The Case of General Bruno."  Miss Fury doesn't mke and appearance until later in the story, which revolves around Nazi General Bruno, the corrupt and beutiful Erika von Kampf, and Colonel Wolfram Prussia...and a plot to release the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Enjoy.

http://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=72389&b=i