Policewoman Peggy Allen is the department’s best undercover operative. In order to deflect suspicion from her undercover role, usually as a nurse or maid working at the scene of the crime, she adopts the costume of the Woman in Red. She wears a red floor-length coat, a hood, and a mask. Peggy solves each case through deduction, athletic prowess, and a willingness to brandish her pistol. In some cases, she displays scientific knowledge and gadgetry, including in one story a “tear gas fountain pen.” Each story ends with Peggy debriefing the police chief, who knows of her ‘Woman in Red’ disguise and praises her good work. During her career, the Woman in Red battled villains such as the Black Death and Voa. The Woman in Red has been identified by comics historian, Trina Robbins, as the first masked female crime fighter, with the Magician from Mars, who debuted one year prior, being the first female superheroine. The Woman in Red was ranked first in the Huffington Post’s list of the 10 Most Bada** Comic Book Heroines.
Creators/Key Contributors George Mandel, Richard E. Hughes
First Appearance Thrilling Comics #2 (Mar. 1940)
First Publisher Better / Nedor / Standard / Pines [CB+] [DCM] [GCD]
Appearance List Thrilling Comics #2-18, 20-22, 24-30, 34-35, 38, 46, America’s Best Comics #1-2
Sample Read Woman In Red (Nedor) DCM Archive Volume 1 [DCM]
Description Policewoman Peggy Allen is the department’s best undercover operative. In order to deflect suspicion from her undercover role, usually as a nurse or maid working at the scene of the crime, she adopts the costume of the Woman in Red. She wears a red floor-length coat, a hood, and a mask. Peggy solves each case through deduction, athletic prowess, and a willingness to brandish her pistol. In some cases, she displays scientific knowledge and gadgetry, including in one story a “tear gas fountain pen.” Each story ends with Peggy debriefing the police chief, who knows of her ‘Woman in Red’ disguise and praises her good work. During her career, the Woman in Red battled villains such as the Black Death and Voa. The Woman in Red has been identified by comics historian, Trina Robbins, as the first masked female crime fighter, with the Magician from Mars, who debuted one year prior, being the first female superheroine. The Woman in Red was ranked first in the Huffington Post’s list of the 10 Most Bada** Comic Book Heroines.
