Tuesday, June 5, 2012

DCnU Quality Watch 5: Phantom Lady!

DC is finally putting the horse in front of the cart by showcasing one of their most fan-favorite properties—Phantom Lady! (Go ahead and Google her; there's some kind of untapped potential there.)

Phantom Lady #1, will be written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. The cover art is by a personal favorite, Amanda Conner, though sadly she does not illustrate the interiors. That's being done by Cat Staggs and Rich Perotta. Out August 29.

What's more, "joining her will be her partner-in-crimefighting, the diminutive dynamo known as Doll Man."

I'm a tad disappointed—but not surprised—that there's no real homage to the look of the Quality heroes here. Will these be Stormy or Sandra Knight? And is that Darrel Dane or Lester Colt? (Their Ray did not recycle any previous alter egos.) But hopefully this will sell well enough to warrant what seems to be in the works: another Freedom Fighters revival. 

As DC puts it:
“Phantom Lady and Doll Man is an exciting return to the roots of the characters as pulpy, street level crime fighters with a few new twists and some heavy sci-fi overtones,” Justin Gray told THE SOURCE. “We took the best of their original core concepts and updated them with no relation to our previous work on Phantom Lady and Doll Man in the Freedom Fighters. You're getting in on the ground floor of the origin story of two people whose lives intersect and a common threat that transforms them into pretty amazing and engaging superheroes.”

“I have to say I am really enjoying what Jimmy and Justin have created,” said Cat Staggs. “It is a wonderful take on a classic character. The story itself leans towards a gritty crime noir, which is something I am a huge fan of. Getting to draw this on a daily basis is a dream! I can’t wait for fans to see it!”
It all started with Matt Baker's original
reinterpretation of the heroine in 1947.
Gray and Palmiotti are rather becoming veterans at reimagining the body Quality. They most recently reinvented the Ray, and updated the Freedom Fighters within the last decade. This mini-series will also follow the relaunch of Kid Eternity in National Comics #1, out July 25.

Phantom Lady gained fans and notoriety in the late '40s/mid-'50s when Jerry Iger (she was created in his studio for Quality) took her to Fox then Ajax. Her original Quality adventures were short-lived. They ran from Police Comics #1-23 (August 1941–October 1943).

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