Marla Drake was a wealthy socialite who discovered that another girl was wearing the same outfit to a party. Her housemaid, Francine, suggested that (to prevent embarrassment) Marla could wear an African panther skin that her uncle had willed to her. Her friend, Albino Jo, advised against wearing the ceremonial outfit, meant to be worn only by a witch doctor. However, it fit her precisely. On the way to the party, she helps recapture an escaped murderer, Killer Dawson. The press bestowed the name “Black Fury” on her, though she later corrected them that she was “Miss Fury.” Drake continued as a costumed crime fighter, fighting enemies such as General Bruno Beitz, Baroness Erica von Kampf, Miguel Rico, Dr. Diman Saraf, and Whiffy. Miss Fury’s vigilantism soon got the attention of Detective Carey, who sought to uncover her true identity. He later also fell in love with Drake. One ongoing plot-line was Drake’s adoption of Darron, the abandoned son of Erica Von Kampf and Gary Hale, Drake’s former fiancé. Drake was unaware of the toddler’s parentage when she rescued him in Brazil from the brutal guardianship of Diman Saraf, who planned to use him in a deadly experiment. She was initially denied custody of the boy because she was a single woman, but her courage and heroism eventually won over the authorities. From that point, Drake was an unmarried woman with a child, a rather progressive scenario for a 1940s adventure strip. As Drake had a job with a clothing designer, she enlisted the help of her friend Francine, who offered to be Darron’s governess after losing her job in a war plant because of returning servicemen, a significant issue facing working women after the war. Miss Fury was a skilled athlete, acrobat, climber, and fighter. She was also a smart amateur detective, and very wealthy. Her panther suit was supposedly enchanted by a witch doctor, and also had claws. She sometimes used the spiked heels on her costume as weapons, in addition to using a whip. The female cast of the series often drew media attention for their skimpy outfits. Notes: Miss Fury has been identified as the first female superhero created and drawn by a woman cartoonist. Even though Christian groups attacked the strip, it was still a common sight for American servicemen to paint Miss Fury on the sides of their planes. Of special note regarding Miss Fury’s powers, she seldom used them. In the collection’s nearly 200 strips, Marla donned the costume only a handful of times, heeding the warning of the Brazilian albino Indian and world traveler Albino Jo that “with every favor gained through black magic, got two misfortunes.”
First Appearance The Black Fury (Newspaper strip, Bell Syndicate, April 6, 1941)
First Publisher Bell Syndicate
Appearance List The Black Fury (Newspaper strip, Bell Syndicate, April 6, 1941), Miss Fury (Retitled newspaper strip, November 30, 1941), Miss Fury #1-8 (Reprints, 1942-1945), The Saint #6 (Apr 1949), Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays 1941-1944 (IDW, 2011) [Read Comic Online], Miss Fury: Sensational Sundays 1944-1949 (IDW, 2011) [Read Comic Online]
Description Marla Drake was a wealthy socialite who discovered that another girl was wearing the same outfit to a party. Her housemaid, Francine, suggested that (to prevent embarrassment) Marla could wear an African panther skin that her uncle had willed to her. Her friend, Albino Jo, advised against wearing the ceremonial outfit, meant to be worn only by a witch doctor. However, it fit her precisely. On the way to the party, she helps recapture an escaped murderer, Killer Dawson. The press bestowed the name “Black Fury” on her, though she later corrected them that she was “Miss Fury.” Drake continued as a costumed crime fighter, fighting enemies such as General Bruno Beitz, Baroness Erica von Kampf, Miguel Rico, Dr. Diman Saraf, and Whiffy. Miss Fury’s vigilantism soon got the attention of Detective Carey, who sought to uncover her true identity. He later also fell in love with Drake. One ongoing plot-line was Drake’s adoption of Darron, the abandoned son of Erica Von Kampf and Gary Hale, Drake’s former fiancé. Drake was unaware of the toddler’s parentage when she rescued him in Brazil from the brutal guardianship of Diman Saraf, who planned to use him in a deadly experiment. She was initially denied custody of the boy because she was a single woman, but her courage and heroism eventually won over the authorities. From that point, Drake was an unmarried woman with a child, a rather progressive scenario for a 1940s adventure strip. As Drake had a job with a clothing designer, she enlisted the help of her friend Francine, who offered to be Darron’s governess after losing her job in a war plant because of returning servicemen, a significant issue facing working women after the war. Miss Fury was a skilled athlete, acrobat, climber, and fighter. She was also a smart amateur detective, and very wealthy. Her panther suit was supposedly enchanted by a witch doctor, and also had claws. She sometimes used the spiked heels on her costume as weapons, in addition to using a whip. The female cast of the series often drew media attention for their skimpy outfits. Notes: Miss Fury has been identified as the first female superhero created and drawn by a woman cartoonist. Even though Christian groups attacked the strip, it was still a common sight for American servicemen to paint Miss Fury on the sides of their planes. Of special note regarding Miss Fury’s powers, she seldom used them. In the collection’s nearly 200 strips, Marla donned the costume only a handful of times, heeding the warning of the Brazilian albino Indian and world traveler Albino Jo that “with every favor gained through black magic, got two misfortunes.”
