Phantom Lady Gets Tough

The first time I learned about Phantom Lady was in the Justice League / Justice Society / Freedom Fighters crossover in Justice League of America #107, published in 1973.  She was similar to the Black Canary, and her only "power" was a black light projector used for blinding criminals. As a kid I thought that was a little weak, and the editors at DC must have thought so too, since in subsequent issues of The Freedom Fighters in the late 70's she gained the power to become immaterial - a true phantom.

In this story from Phantom Lady Comics #5, from 1955, however, our heroine gets a chance to show how tough she  really is. A thug snags her black light project, and she thinks she's sunk, until the pool balls give her an idea. Yowch!  The dialog oddly encapsulates some sort of proto-feminism. PL loses her weapon and her confidence, then falls back on self-reliance.

Thug: "No dame is going to scare me! Go back to your knitting, babe, before you get hurt!"
PL: "My black ray! I'm sunk without it! Should have been so confident in myself..."

Interestingly, the indicia lists this comic as "Phantom Lady Comics (formerly Linda)."  I wonder what happened to Linda?

Related articles

• Wonder Woman's Twelve Labors, Starring the Justice League, Collected (comicsworthreading.com)
• Five Goofiest Moments in Justice League of America #110-114 (goodcomics.comicbookresources.com)
• DC Histories: The Ray (ifanboy.com)