Number 2067: Just a harmless old lady

Even for early comic books, Madam Fatal was a peculiar character. Richard Stanton, former stage actor, dressed up as an old woman. Anyone who thought Madam Fatal was a pushover soon found out she could handle herself and her enemies quite well.

Today we think of cross-dressing, but actually, it is an old stage tradition. Think Shakespeare in his era, as one example, when men dressed as women because no women worked on stage. (Stanton also had a parrot, Hamlet, who could recite Shakespeare.) However, Madam Fatal was another of those early comic characters who also met an early demise. This story, from Crack Comics #21 (1942), was M.F.’s next to last appearance. After #22 she, errrr, I mean he, retired and put the orthopedic shoes in the closet.

Drawn by Arthur Pinajian.

Posted in: Pappy Comics