This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog will look at the early stories of Marvel’s superheroine Miss America from back when the company was called Timely Comics.
MISS AMERICA
Created By: Otto Binder and Al Gabriele
Secret Identity: Madeline Joyce
First Appearance: Marvel Mystery Comics #49 (November 1943) Her final Golden Age appearance came in 1948.
Origin: Sixteen-year-old Madeline Joyce was the ward of railroad magnate James Bennett, or “Uncle Jim” as she called him. He showed her one of the outside projects that he financed, an electrical research center set up in what had formerly been a lighthouse.
That night, during a violent thunderstorm, the fascinated Madeline snuck back to the laboratory to more closely examine the equipment. At one point a lightning bolt struck the lab and Madeline, destroying the equipment but granting her superpowers. Adopting the nom de guerre Miss America, she donned a costume and went into action.
Powers: Miss America possessed Superman/ Wonder Woman levels of strength. She could also fly and had x-ray vision. In addition, she had a large degree of invulnerability.
Comment: For a time in the 1970s Miss America was, according to Marvel Comics canon, the mother of the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The Whizzer was their father. That has since been retconned, but she and the Whizzer are still the parents of the Avengers’ foe Nuklo. Continue reading
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in this tournament were the COLLEGE OF IDAHO COYOTES and the OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY EAGLES. The Coyotes eliminated all the suspense early on, leading Oklahoma Wesleyan 49-29 by Halftime. After the break the College of Idaho left the Eagles further behind for a 93-65 win. Samaje Morgan led the Yotes with 28 points. 
FINAL FOUR: FIRST BERTH – The CAL STATE AT DOMINGUEZ HILLS TOROS took the court against the WEST LIBERTY UNIVERSITY HILLTOPPERS. This was a tale of two Halves as the Hilltoppers were up 50-39 at the midpoint, following which the Toros rallied to win the game 86-84. Twenty-two points from David Cheatom led the way for CSU-Dominguez Hills. 
With a new year underway – 2017 C.E. – Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some past predictions by “psychics” (LMAO) that turned out to be wildly off the mark.
— Private automobiles would be banned … by 1990. 
DAS BLAUE PALAIS (1972-1974) – This German science fiction series is criminally neglected. The title building is where scientists led by Louis Palm (Silvano Tranquilli) conduct interdisciplinary research and investigate unusual phenomena. 
Additional regulars included Lyne Chardonnet as Yvonne Boucher, Jean-Henri Chambois as Professor Manzini, Luminata Iacobescu as Sibilla Jacopescu and Dieter Laser as Enrico Polazzo. Rainer Erler wrote and directed every installment. 
ONE: THE GENIUS (October 15th, 1974) – The international group of scientists at the Blue Palace are pursuing their usual boundary-pushing research while periodically debating the ethics of various projects. 
MARIE WALCAMP (1894-1936) – Like her fellow silent film icons 
TEMPEST CODY – Marie was already getting above the title billing by the time her two-reel Tempest Cody western shorts came along in 1919. Tempest was a hard-riding, two-fisted, straight-shooting woman of the old west who was always on the side of right. 
OMEGON (1915-1916) – Written by George Frederick Stratton, this serialized story dealt with a fictional war of super-scientific weaponry between the United States on one side and China, Japan and Mexico on the other. 
In the middle 1980s The Texas 27 Film Vault was the show to watch on Saturday nights to see “Film Vault Technicians First Class” Randy Clower and Richard Malmos show and mock bad and campy movies preceded by episodes of old serials. Machine-gun toting Randy and Richard would also have comedic sci-fi adventures before and after commercial breaks. 
SERIAL: Before the movie an episode of the 1950 Columbia serial Atom Man vs Superman was shown. Kirk Alyn starred as Superman with Lyle Talbot as his archenemy Lex Luthor. Lex has his own secret identity in this serial – each episode he dons a lead mask and oversees the villainy as “Atom Man”. 
FIRST QUARTERFINAL – The 3 seeds – the OHIO CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY TRAILBLAZERS – played the 6th seeded HOUGHTON UNIVERSITY HIGHLANDERS. Come Halftime the Trailblazers were on top 35-32, but after the break the Highlanders forced Overtime with a 68-68 tie. In the extra session OCU triumphed 84-76 led by Caleb Schmelzer’s 24 points.
SECOND QUARTERFINAL – Up next the 2nd seeded NELSON UNIVERSITY (AZ) WARRIORS got almost more than they could handle from the 7 seeds – the COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS BOBCATS. An intense opening Half ended with the Bobcats holding a mere 40-39 edge. From there the Warriors tied things up 80-80 and won in OT 93-92. Zavelon Bineyard and Rob Jenkins led NU-Arizona with 24 points each. 
TALES TO ASTONISH Vol 1 #49 (Nov 1963)
Meanwhile, an interdimensional villain called the Eraser has been abducting Earth’s greatest scientists via his hand-weapons that teleport them to his home dimension. Because the process looks like he’s erasing them bit by bit the media dubs him “the Eraser.” 
BLACK RAIN, also released as THE LAST WAVE (1977) – This was Aussie director Peter Weir’s eerie follow-up to Picnic at Hanging Rock from 1975. If you found the excellent 1975 movie perplexing, Black Rain will redefine that word for you. 
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