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{{Short description|DC universe character}}
[[Image:luck1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Lady Luck. Art by [[Klaus Nordling]].]]
[[File:luck1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Lady Luck, art by [[Klaus Nordling]]]]
'''Lady Luck''' is a [[fictional character|fictional]], [[United States|American]] [[comic-strip]] crime fighter and adventuress created and designed in 1940 by [[Will Eisner]] (who wrote her first two stories under the [[pseudonym]] "Ford Davis")<ref>Horn, Maurice. ''100 Years of American Newspaper Comics'' (Gramercy Books, New York, 1996) p. 173)</ref>, with artist [[Chuck Mazoujian]]. Writer [[Dick French (comics)|Dick French]] then took over scripting.<ref name="toonopedia">{{cite web| last =Markstein| first=Don|title =Toonopedia: Lady Luck | url =http://www.toonopedia.com/ladyluck.htm}}</ref> Through 1946, she starred in a namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday-[[newspaper]] [[comic-book]] insert colloquially called "The Spirit Section". This 16-page, [[tabloid]]-sized, newsprint comic book, sold as part of eventually 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million, starred Eisner's masked detective [[The Spirit]] and also initially included the feature ''[[Mr. Mystic]]'',<ref name="wildwoodFP">{{cite web| last =Wildwood Cemetery | title =The Spirit Database | url =http://www.angelfire.com/art/wildwood/index.html}}</ref> plus filler material.
'''Lady Luck''' is an American [[comic-strip]] and [[comic-book]] crime fighter and adventuress created and designed in 1940 by [[Will Eisner]] with artist Chuck Mazoujian. She starred in a namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday newspaper comics insert colloquially called "[[Spirit (comics character)|The Spirit Section]]", which ran from June 2, 1940, to November 3, 1946.<ref name=Holtz>{{cite book |last1=Holtz |first1=Allan |title=American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide |date=2012 |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor |isbn=9780472117567 |page=229}}</ref> Her adventures were reprinted in comic books published by [[Quality Comics]].<ref name=Companion>{{cite book |last1=Koolman |first1=Mike |last2=Amash |first2=Jim |title=The Quality Companion |date=2011 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490373 |pages=141–142}}</ref> A revamped version of the character debuted in 2013 in [[DC Comics]]'s ''[[Phantom Stranger]]'' comic.

Lady Luck is the alter-ego of '''Brenda Banks''', a young [[Irish-American]] socialite heiress, daughter of a mine-owner. Rejecting her vapid debutante circle, she trains in martial arts and adopts the persona of a costumed detective.<ref name=Chronicles>{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Kurt |last2=Thomas |first2=Roy |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944 |date=2019 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490892 |page=35}}</ref> Her costume consists of a green dress, a large hat, and a veil in place of a mask. In some early versions, representations of lucky charms hang from her [[hat brim]]. Like Denny Colt, hero of ''The Spirit'', she does not possess any [[Superpower (ability)|supernatural abilities]]. Her love interest in the strip is Police Chief Hardy Moore, and she is also assisted by the incompetent Officer Feeny O'Mye. Neither of them knows her true identity.<ref name=Chronicles/> During the war, she leads the girls of the Lady Luck Patrol.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nevins |first1=Jess |title=Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes |date=2013 |publisher=High Rock Press |isbn=978-1-61318-023-5 |page=155}}</ref>


==Publication history==
==Publication history==
Created and designed in 1940 by [[Will Eisner]] (who wrote the first two Lady Luck stories under the [[pseudonym]] "Ford Davis")<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horn |first1=Maurice |title=100 Years of American Newspaper Comics |date=1996 |publisher=Gramercy |isbn=978-0517124475 |page=173}}</ref> with artist Chuck Mazoujian, Lady Luck appeared in her namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday-[[newspaper]] [[comic-book]] insert colloquially called "The Spirit Section" (syndicated by the [[Register and Tribune Syndicate]]).
Following the original team, writer-artist Nicholas Viscardi (later known as [[Nick Cardy]]) took over the feature from the May 18, 1941 strip through Feb. 22, 1942, introducing Lady Luck's [[chauffeur]] and assistant, Peecolo.<ref name="wildwoodFP" /> Though his Lady Luck stories were credited under the house [[pseudonym]] Ford Davis, Viscardi would subtly work in the initials "NV" somewhere into each tale.<ref>[http://www.nickcardy.com/bio.php3 Nick Cardy official site: Biography]</ref> Writer-artist [[Klaus Nordling]] followed, from the March 1, 1942 to March 3, 1946 strip, when "Lady Luck" was temporarily canceled. After briefly being replaced by the humor feature "Wendy the Waitress" by [[Robert Jenny]], "Lady Luck" returned from May 5 - Nov. 3, 1946, under [[cartoonist]] [[Fred Schwab]].<ref name="wildwoodFP" />


This 16-page, [[tabloid (paper size)|tabloid]]-sized, newsprint comic book, sold as part of 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million, starred Eisner's masked detective the [[Spirit (comics character)|Spirit]] and also initially included the feature ''[[Mr. Mystic]]'',<ref name="wildwoodFP">[http://www.wildwoodcemetery.com/mrmystic.shtml Mr. Mystic] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115093726/http://www.wildwoodcemetery.com/mrmystic.shtml |date=2010-11-15}} at Wildwood Cemetery: The Spirit Database. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101115093726/http://www.wildwoodcemetery.com/mrmystic.shtml WebCitation archive].</ref> plus filler material. Writer Dick French took over scripting after these first two episodes.<ref name="toonopedia">[http://www.toonopedia.com/ladyluck.htm Lady Luck] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20240525134603/https://www.webcitation.org/62hcPTEO8?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/ladyluck.htm |date=2024-05-25}} at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240527140331/https://www.webcitation.org/6cVN6Vosq?url=http://toonopedia.com/ladyluck.htm Archived] from the original on October 23, 2015.</ref> Later, writer-artist Nicholas Viscardi (later known as [[Nick Cardy]]) took over the feature from the May 18, 1941 strip through Feb. 22, 1942, introducing Lady Luck's [[chauffeur]] and assistant, Peecolo.<ref name=wildwoodladyluck>[http://www.wildwoodcemetery.com/ladyluck.shtml "Lady Luck"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101103110214/http://www.wildwoodcemetery.com/ladyluck.shtml |date=2010-11-03}} at Wildwood Cemetery: The Spirit Database. Accessed January 16, 2010. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101103110214/http://www.wildwoodcemetery.com/ladyluck.shtml WebCitation archive].</ref> Though his Lady Luck stories were credited under the house [[pseudonym]] Ford Davis, Viscardi implemented his initials, "NV", into each issue.<ref>[http://www.nickcardy.com/bio.php3 Nick Cardy official site: Biography]</ref> Writer-artist [[Klaus Nordling]] followed, from the March 1, 1942 to March 3, 1946 strip, when "Lady Luck" was temporarily canceled. After briefly being replaced by the humor feature "Wendy the Waitress" by Robert Jenny, "Lady Luck" returned from May 5 to November 3, 1946, under [[cartoonist]] [[Fred Schwab]].<ref name=wildwoodladyluck />
"Lady Luck" stories were reprinted in the [[Quality Comics]] comic book ''[[Smash Comics]]'' #42-85 (April 1943 - Oct. 1949), whereupon the series changed its title to ''Lady Luck'' for five more issues. Nordling providing new seven- to 11-page stories in ''Lady Luck'' #86-90 (Dec. 1949 - Aug. 1950), with [[Gill Fox]] drawing the covers. Occasional backup features were "[[Lassie]]" by writer-artist [[Bernard Dibble]] and the humor features "The Count", by Nordling, and "Sir Roger", by Dibble or, variously, [[Bart Tumey]].


"Lady Luck" stories were reprinted in the [[Quality Comics]] comic book ''[[Smash Comics]]'' #42-85 (April 1943 - Oct. 1949), whereupon the series changed its title to ''Lady Luck'' for five more issues.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Benton |first1=Mike |title=Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History |date=1992 |publisher=Taylor Publishing Company |location=Dallas |isbn=0-87833-808-X |url=https://archive.org/details/superherocomicso0000bent/page/168 |access-date=8 April 2020 |page=169}}</ref> Nordling providing new seven- to 11-page stories in ''Lady Luck'' #86-90 (Dec. 1949 - Aug. 1950), with [[Gill Fox]] drawing the covers. Occasional backup features were "[[Lassie]]" by writer-artist Bernard Dibble and the humor features "The Count", by Nordling, and "Sir Roger", by Dibble or, variously, Bart Tumey.<ref>[http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?type=character&query=Lady+Luck&sort=chrono&Submit=Search Lady Luck] at the [[Grand Comics Database]]</ref>
Lady Luck was revived alongside Eisner characters John Law, Nubbin, and [[Mr. Mystic]] in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking'', a 2004 collection of new stories by writer-artist [[Gary Chaloner]].


Lady Luck was revived alongside Eisner characters John Law, Nubbin, and [[Mr. Mystic]] in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking'', a 2004 collection of new stories by writer-artist [[Gary Chaloner]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}
==Fictional character biography==
Lady Luck was the alter-ego of Brenda Banks, a young [[Irish-American]] socialite heiress, daughter of a mine-owner. Her costume consists a green dress, a large green hat, and a green veil in place of a mask. Like Denny Colt, hero of ''The Spirit'', she does not possess any [[Superpower (ability)|supernatural abilities]].


In 2011, Lady Luck was ranked 84th in ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]'s'' "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.<ref>{{cite book| last = Frankenhoff| first = Brent| author-link = Brent Frankenhoff| title = Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics| publisher = [[Krause Publications]] | year = 2011| page = 53| isbn = 978-1-4402-2988-6}}</ref>
==Footnotes==

{{reflist}}
===DC Comics' The New 52===
A new version of the character was originally intended to be featured in [[Geoff Johns]]'s revamp (with artist [[Jim Lee]]) of [[DC Comics]]' ''[[Justice League]]'', as part of [[the New 52]].<ref name="CBR">{{cite web|url=http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/07/sdcc-11-lady-luck-revealed-as-mystery-justice-league-member/ |title=Lady Luck revealed as mystery ''Justice League'' member |first=JK |last=Parkin |date=July 23, 2011 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114215804/http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/07/sdcc-11-lady-luck-revealed-as-mystery-justice-league-member/ |archive-date=January 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=February 12, 2012}}</ref>

Lady Luck made her debut in ''The [[Phantom Stranger]]'' #6 (March 2013), written by [[Dan DiDio]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsarama.com/10614-dc-comics-full-march-2013-solicitations.html|title=DC Comics' FULL March 2013 Solicitations|work=Newsarama|access-date=2017-09-07|language=en}}</ref> When the Stranger goes to [[Hell (DC Comics)|Hell]] looking for his family, Lady Luck makes a non-speaking appearance dealing cards to [[Trigon (comics)|Trigon]]'s sons Belial, Suge and Ruskoff.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
*[http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?type=character&query=Lady+Luck&sort=chrono&Submit=Search Grand Comics Database: Lady Luck] search results
* [http://www.johnlaw.us.com Will Eisner's John Law] official site


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070714073548/http://johnlaw.us.com/ Will Eisner's John Law] official site
* [http://www.chancefiveash.com/ll86cover.htm Last of the Spinner-Rack Junkies: ''Lady Luck'' #86 (Dec. 1949): 11-page story by Klaus Nordling; cover art by Gill Fox], [http://www.chancefiveash.com/ladyluck1.htm "Lady Luck" four-page story by Klaus Nordling], and [http://www.chancefiveash.com/smash70ladyluckp1.htm "Lady Luck" four-page story by Klaus Nordling]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195834/http://www.chancefiveash.com/ll86cover.htm Last of the Spinner-Rack Junkies: ''Lady Luck'' #86 (Dec. 1949): 11-page story by Klaus Nordling; cover art by Gill Fox], [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195805/http://www.chancefiveash.com/ladyluck1.htm "Lady Luck" four-page story by Klaus Nordling], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20070503104254/http://www.chancefiveash.com/smash70ladyluckp1.htm "Lady Luck" four-page story by Klaus Nordling]
*[http://pfeonline.tripod.com/21three1.html Pure Excitement Comics: "Lady Luck" four-page story with Count Dichange, by Klaus Nordling]
*[http://pfeonline.tripod.com/21three1.html Pure Excitement Comics: "Lady Luck" four-page story with Count Dichange, by Klaus Nordling]
*[http://www.comicbookdb.com/character.php?ID=21383 Comic Book DB-Lady Luck]


{{Will Eisner}}

{{GoldenAge}}
{{comic-strip-stub}}
[[Category:1940 comics debuts]]

[[Category:Comics characters]]
[[Category:1946 comics endings]]
[[Category:Fictional Irish-Americans]]
[[Category:Characters created by Will Eisner]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1940]]
[[Category:Crime comics]]
[[Category:Comics set in the United States]]
[[Category:DC Comics female superheroes]]
[[Category:Fictional private investigators]]
[[Category:Fictional socialites]]
[[Category:Golden Age superheroes]]
[[Category:Golden Age superheroes]]
[[Category:Public domain characters]]
[[Category:Quality Comics characters]]
[[Category:Quality Comics superheroes]]
[[Category:Quality Comics superheroes]]
[[Category:Quality Comics titles]]
[[Category:Quality Comics titles]]

Latest revision as of 14:22, 26 November 2024

Lady Luck, art by Klaus Nordling

Lady Luck is an American comic-strip and comic-book crime fighter and adventuress created and designed in 1940 by Will Eisner with artist Chuck Mazoujian. She starred in a namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday newspaper comics insert colloquially called "The Spirit Section", which ran from June 2, 1940, to November 3, 1946.[1] Her adventures were reprinted in comic books published by Quality Comics.[2] A revamped version of the character debuted in 2013 in DC Comics's Phantom Stranger comic.

Lady Luck is the alter-ego of Brenda Banks, a young Irish-American socialite heiress, daughter of a mine-owner. Rejecting her vapid debutante circle, she trains in martial arts and adopts the persona of a costumed detective.[3] Her costume consists of a green dress, a large hat, and a veil in place of a mask. In some early versions, representations of lucky charms hang from her hat brim. Like Denny Colt, hero of The Spirit, she does not possess any supernatural abilities. Her love interest in the strip is Police Chief Hardy Moore, and she is also assisted by the incompetent Officer Feeny O'Mye. Neither of them knows her true identity.[3] During the war, she leads the girls of the Lady Luck Patrol.[4]

Publication history

[edit]

Created and designed in 1940 by Will Eisner (who wrote the first two Lady Luck stories under the pseudonym "Ford Davis")[5] with artist Chuck Mazoujian, Lady Luck appeared in her namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert colloquially called "The Spirit Section" (syndicated by the Register and Tribune Syndicate).

This 16-page, tabloid-sized, newsprint comic book, sold as part of 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million, starred Eisner's masked detective the Spirit and also initially included the feature Mr. Mystic,[6] plus filler material. Writer Dick French took over scripting after these first two episodes.[7] Later, writer-artist Nicholas Viscardi (later known as Nick Cardy) took over the feature from the May 18, 1941 strip through Feb. 22, 1942, introducing Lady Luck's chauffeur and assistant, Peecolo.[8] Though his Lady Luck stories were credited under the house pseudonym Ford Davis, Viscardi implemented his initials, "NV", into each issue.[9] Writer-artist Klaus Nordling followed, from the March 1, 1942 to March 3, 1946 strip, when "Lady Luck" was temporarily canceled. After briefly being replaced by the humor feature "Wendy the Waitress" by Robert Jenny, "Lady Luck" returned from May 5 to November 3, 1946, under cartoonist Fred Schwab.[8]

"Lady Luck" stories were reprinted in the Quality Comics comic book Smash Comics #42-85 (April 1943 - Oct. 1949), whereupon the series changed its title to Lady Luck for five more issues.[10] Nordling providing new seven- to 11-page stories in Lady Luck #86-90 (Dec. 1949 - Aug. 1950), with Gill Fox drawing the covers. Occasional backup features were "Lassie" by writer-artist Bernard Dibble and the humor features "The Count", by Nordling, and "Sir Roger", by Dibble or, variously, Bart Tumey.[11]

Lady Luck was revived alongside Eisner characters John Law, Nubbin, and Mr. Mystic in IDW Publishing's Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking, a 2004 collection of new stories by writer-artist Gary Chaloner.[citation needed]

In 2011, Lady Luck was ranked 84th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[12]

DC Comics' The New 52

[edit]

A new version of the character was originally intended to be featured in Geoff Johns's revamp (with artist Jim Lee) of DC Comics' Justice League, as part of the New 52.[13]

Lady Luck made her debut in The Phantom Stranger #6 (March 2013), written by Dan DiDio.[14] When the Stranger goes to Hell looking for his family, Lady Luck makes a non-speaking appearance dealing cards to Trigon's sons Belial, Suge and Ruskoff.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 229. ISBN 9780472117567.
  2. ^ Koolman, Mike; Amash, Jim (2011). The Quality Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 141–142. ISBN 978-1605490373.
  3. ^ a b Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 978-1605490892.
  4. ^ Nevins, Jess (2013). Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes. High Rock Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5.
  5. ^ Horn, Maurice (1996). 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics. Gramercy. p. 173. ISBN 978-0517124475.
  6. ^ Mr. Mystic Archived 2010-11-15 at the Wayback Machine at Wildwood Cemetery: The Spirit Database. WebCitation archive.
  7. ^ Lady Luck Archived 2024-05-25 at archive.today at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Lady Luck" Archived 2010-11-03 at the Wayback Machine at Wildwood Cemetery: The Spirit Database. Accessed January 16, 2010. WebCitation archive.
  9. ^ Nick Cardy official site: Biography
  10. ^ Benton, Mike (1992). Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company. p. 169. ISBN 0-87833-808-X. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  11. ^ Lady Luck at the Grand Comics Database
  12. ^ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-4402-2988-6.
  13. ^ Parkin, JK (July 23, 2011). "Lady Luck revealed as mystery Justice League member". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  14. ^ "DC Comics' FULL March 2013 Solicitations". Newsarama. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
[edit]