Who were the first black super-heroines at DC and Marvel? My brain says the Vixen for DC and Storm for Marvel, but my brain ain't what it used to be. (Note: I'm talking about in "real" life" here, not in continuity.) Were they the first for their companies? Were there others at other companies that preceded them?
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Does Misty Knight count? She preceded Storm by a couple of months.
Bumblebee debuted in 1976, whereas Vixen didn't come along until 1981.
Those were the first two I thought of. I'll thunk on it some more.
Ooh, I'd forgotten the Bumblebee.
I thought about Misty Knight, but I don't know as I would've counted her as a "super-heroine". Depends on your definition, I suppose.
Google informs me a black heroine called the Butterfly appeared in Skywald's magazine-format title Hell Rider, which ran for two issues in 1971. One has to wonder if Bumblebee was modelled after her.
Vixen was originally supposed to debut in her own title. The first issue was apparently one of the casualties of the DC Implosion, and included in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2.
Misty was a martial artist on her debut. Her bionic arm was established later.
Are we classing MTU #1 in March of 1972 as Misty's 'debut'...?
I thought she debuted in Marvel Premiere #21, although she had been mentioned earlier.
Shadow Lass debuted in Adventure Comics #365 (on sale Dec. 1967, dated for 1968).
Wonder Woman's sister Nubia debuted in Wonder Woman #204 (on sale Nov. 1972, dated for 1973), but she was initially an antagonist.
Shadow Lass is blue more than black, isn't she?
Yes. She's not a true black character, but she was a step in that direction, and possibly consciously so.
Interesting. Never thought of her that way.
Ironically Shadow Lass debuted as Shadow Woman in Adventure Comics #354 in the Legion's Hall of Fallen Heroes portrayed as being white!
I'm not sure if she was meant to be initially black then DC decided to make her blue. Jim Shooter said that Ferro Lad was supposed to be black but was over-ruled, so I may be mixing stories.
Misty Knight didn't really first appear in Marvel Team Up #1, at least that wasn't the intent. It was retconned that the woman Spidey and the Torch saved was Misty.
In Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #131 (Ju'73), MELBA MANTON was introduced as a fellow reporter and friend of Lois. She actually had two solo stories in Lois #132 (Jl'73) and Supergirl #6 (Au'73) and appeared in the last issues of SGLL.
Sadly she made her last appearance in Superman #289 (Jl'75), leaving Metropolis less diverse!
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