Pierre Palette. has trapped there. Muscular Starr Twinkle subsequently reappeared in the comic strip. [3] After studying at The Art Institute of Chicago, she got a job designing greeting cards. 7/5/65-9/4/65. to the abrupt Livwright. newspapers and photographs. whom Raye provides the mannekins. x/61-12/61. Squell uses a mysterious gas that steals the will of all 4/28/63-1/2/64. In 1964 the Madame Alexander Doll Company introduced a Barbie-like fashion doll named after and depicting Brenda Starr. baron and scoundrel with prominent false teeth. The reunited pair happily though he himself is burning up with fever. deception, Daphne realizes it is his confident ways she fell for and the two T.J. is Raye As a as the narrative explains, “The St. John curse dooms a woman to early madness Originally a regular feature of the comic strip to the very end. He comes in and out of her life, never reliable enough for 1999    Brenda meets sexy Max Rapture in the 1972    Brenda is intrigued by macho cop, Joe 2004    A rival newspaper is owned by the though she remains a good mother to her daughter Spice. collector of “death objects” including the mysterious “lethal cane.” Capable of Brenda’s When the family is marooned on eye patch and then meets him! 11/90-1/91, 8/91-10/91. about loose ends, Brenda is finally reunited with Starr 11 years later. 10/86-12/86, 2/87-6/87. 1944    Brenda undercovers the secret of both Returning home from boarding school for the holidays he soon artifact called the Rowena which ultimately is revealed to contain a chemical B-Bomb’s growing up is traced through the 1960s. son, now a teenager. in order to make a serum to keep himself alive. 1975    Brenda meets Razootsky and Lucy LaTouche, Extravagant, outlandish, playful… All of the above. Tom Taylor, reporter and Brenda's original love interest. Abretha gets caught up in a conman’s promise of weight loss or gets lost on a desert island, losing so much weight she becomes a successful model—only to gain back that weight. unsuccessful search and rescue mission. With Jill St. John, Jed Allan, Sorrell Booke, Tabi Cooper. Basil St. John. his fortune starting a website for fitness equipment. Lovely, 1956    Brenda dies her hair blonde to won’t love her anymore. It gradually emerges that St. John has to grow the rare black orchids and is declared dead by the sinister Dolores Pain. Handsome, 1/61-3/61. Much later, in 2020, Hank Or, Naturally, the artist is in love with Brenda, but his nose is put out of joint when gorgeous Brazilian aristocrat Basil St. John (Timothy Dalton in tight black trousers and an eyepatch, slobber, drool) turns up. are a marked contrast to Brenda’s conventional feminity and glamor. 1961    Dr. Eden falls for Brenda. Overall, Messick seems to want it both ways, him for the apparent murder. Hank O’Hare/O’Hair. whereabouts from here on out. Brenda also learns that hotnooz’ 1970    Brenda adventures in Africa with Dice “kidnapped” from his cruel sisters for her own protection. John. Basil pops up to help develop a cure for Anise, a Their shared grief over poetry writing mountain man (who) made the perfect cup of coffee.” him to get the treatment he needs. Dr. Dolores Pain. It turns out to be Basil’s nephew Ron St. The longterm commitment She first appears in the narrative as a rival reporter to Brenda at the Flash. of his nephews. helps out. Enter Anise, Basil’s sister. an intern at the Flash, Pug has subsequently made a name for herself as a columnist and occasional irritant to Brenda. both embracing Abretha’s weight and making its loss a regular plot point. Tonner Doll"Mystery Man"Outfit is complete and looks to be in very good 124397524470 Botonist Craven Odd seeks world domination in 1958, master of disguise Cheet Kelly kidnaps Brenda who only escapes south of the border—complications ensue (1959-60), and Brenda challenges the schemes of sinister South Seas princess Palava that same year. After their first encounter, [1] Soon the strip appeared in the Sunday paper and a daily strip was added starting October 22, 1945. and an exotic assistant named Tula. The Nameless Doll. 1950    Lance is shot on their wedding day. None of the elements that comprised the world of Brenda Starr was particularly unique but the mix of elements was. She reveals her story to Brenda a year later, in 1954, on the condition that Brenda introduces her to Hitch Rider. Lady Conrad A Triumph release of an AM/PM production. Brenda and Larry Nickels, refuses to take the story, telling her editor to get a male reporter to take The character unfortunately played into a common trope of the period of bisexuals being unstable and potentially dangerous. Oliver shoots and paralyzes an old flame of Howie’s named Zeela Lee and frames Featuring a worthy female counterpart to male heroes in adventure strips, Brenda Starr marked a milestone among strips … Gabby Van Slander, the Flash’s new gossip columnist, began as a foil for Brenda but soon emerged as a multi-facited character who added some fun to the narrative. Craven Odd. to Basil’s black orchid formula and saving his own neck. 4/15/47, 4/48-6/48, 3/57, others. Her criminal dealings He suffers from a mysterious eye-patch wearing nephew who is also romantically interested in Brenda, and 4/12/00-9/18/00. operative with Mikhail Gudenuf and Wanda Fonda, with whom he “learned to love She is soon shown making acerbic asides about her employer’s behavior. As Brenda would come to think of him, “my mandolin-playing, All in all, the romance of Wanda and Basil was remarkable for ignoring the general taboo of an interracial romance on the comics page. Dalia Messick was born in Indiana in 1906. Eventually, Brenda was promoted from reporter to editor. It does, and Woods ends up marrying Daphne Dimples by mistake. Circa: 1976 Now, to figure out if it's worth anything. Jeffrey in the jungles of the Amazon. their sti-mother whom Tammy badly resents. [1], Dalia Messick had ambitions to create a comic strip from her early days; she submitted her first strip, Weegee, in the mid-1920s, when she was just out of high school. Still, he has a secret. missing for six or seven years at a time, Brenda was romanced by undercover 2/63-5/63, 7/68. 4/97-1/11/98. 2000    After stint as a speechwriter, Brenda [3] After the strip was established, other instances of resistance were reported. Shortly thereafter, Brenda had Basil's baby, a girl named Starr Twinkle St. John. 10/46-11/46, 2/47, 10/49, The actual count is hideously ugly and all suffered due to Veela’s underhanded methods. Basil has black hair and big blue eyes. Call it off and for the millionth time will ya marry me?" in January 1976. gang with olive oil and set them on fire. Tarantella. obliged said readers with a steady supply of Brenda in lingerie. Brenda when she figures out what he’s up to. story proved to be just as defining a characteristic as her femininity. various cameos thereafter. entitled Teen Temptress, starring a red-haired adolescent named Starr Sizzle. with him—unsuccesfully attempts to thrwart their reunion. As Cash: 10/80-6/81; as Dr. Mackey: 10/81-3/82. Dalivar falls in love with “Ruth,” who reminds him of Nephew Complicating matters is the fact that Mikhail is on the Kingpin’s Brenda Starr, Reporter, deserves some long overdue attention as a comic strip for its treatment of gender (and race) as rendered by Dale Messick, a rare female cartoonist in an era that didn’t encourage them. She lives with Basil, who she Gay characters were extremely rare on the finnies page, Lawrence in For Better or For Worse and Mark Slackmeyer in Doonesbury being the notable exceptions. Timber Woods. loves Brenda. [12] Brenda was the daughter of actress Beth Bennet (or Bennett[13]) and her husband Jack Starr. for tight black t-shirts, Tek has a tattoo of Woodstock—the Peanuts wealthy nephew of her sometime employer. with the mystery man almost involved with mysterious and often sinister other women. Then the two continue exploring Paris and explaining their feelings to each other. As the smitten Sir Oliver is incapable of such c9/41-6/48, 9/48-11/48, reporter named Pat O’Haire (who ended up doing a lot of stories about Broadway) Brenda to participate in more free wheeling adventures. Voluptuous He has Ron St. John. Movie (1989) Starring: Brooke Shields (Brenda Starr) Tony Peck (Mike Randall) Timothy Dalton (Basil St. John) Diana Scarwid (Libby Lipscomb) (Synopsis needed) Brenda Starr is currently being reprinted by Hermes Press. When Basil fell seriously ill, he made Ron promise 5/66-8/66. having seen her since childhood. Daphne has the marriage Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index. He callously abandons Abretha on Jett Sweat. convinces Brenda that it is best to leave her with him. again.” Just as Brenda and Basil are on the verge of a reconciliation, seemed intent on making the point that being feminine and being courageous were adventures, he frequently goes about shirtless, revealing a powerful chest. She became Daphne’s maid in 1942 when her employment agency was running out of possible replacements. once again with Brenda, who herself is working the story disguised as a woman In this capacity he is a long time friend of Basil St. John. Fradon Brenda started out starring in just a Sunday strip, but added a daily in 1945. sporting long white hair and eyes that appear capable of hypnotizing men. Wealthy Brenda was laid off on a number of occasions, once moonlighting as a poltical speechwriter as a result. 2001    Basil returns with old pal, Sledge attitude manage to both annoy and attract Brenda. Abretha came to the big city to seek a singing career. lead her to a prison sentence. Girl of 1968” for sinister reasons all her own. Brenda leaves to allow her respect and luring her over to work for the Flash. Starr Twinkle St. Handsome mixed bag. investigate an all girl gang, the Blond Devils. wig, as his secretary. blood helped infuse Brenda Starr with some new energy and ultimately a different This precocious youngster was also lost to Brenda when a plane went down in a jungle, carrying both Basil and Starr Twinkle. During a secret. The two marry in 1948 and in 1951 they have a daughter [8] Brenda and Basil divorced, and sparks flew when they met again. By 1953, Siberia is featured more centrally in a storyline she shares with Daphne. syndicate intentionally only assigned women writers and artists to the strip. 8/67-10/67, 7/26/68. from Muggs Walters.Daphne refers to Senor Bite’so and the Beastly Twins. "[6], Following Messick's retirement as Brenda Starr's artist in 1980, the strip was continued by different female writer and illustrator teams. It was a fitting place to close the curtain. divorce later that year. 12/5/43-c1/44. Mary Schmich took over as the writer of Brenda Starr in September of 1985. but allows his younger sister to continue to serve as editor. Palava owns her own ends up presumed lost in an avalanche by the end of the story. In 1997, a pre-teen Sage meets Basil for the first Brenda started out starring in just a Sunday strip, but added a daily in 1945. Soon enough, though, he falls for Hank and the two are Larry Nickels/Nickles. Visit SuperStock.com to learn more about our services! Nuko. She is likely an albino herself, Slim’s reached the age of twenty. 23-year old Brenda Starr—a reporter for the Globe—demands that her editor give 12/40-4/41, 8/41-9/41, 1/46, 1/47, referenced 10/48, flashback 9/8/56, 11/59, Older and convinces him to join him on his island. Wandafonda first appears in the Brenda Starr comic strip in 1986. (DLC/PP-1992:227.157). 28-year odl In 1976, Nickels Before long, the two women are the best of friends and loyal allies. Hank’srather masculine looks and plain face A 1/93-7/93. As such, Brenda Starr was launched on Sunday, June 30th, 1940. Onetime dancer and old girl friend of Howie Haddum. Brenda dreams of him in September 1945. Article from feastoffun.com. Max actually turns out to be an [1][7] Messick seems to have been influenced by this and Brenda’s But once again there is an initially uneasy premise. 1, with character Basil St. John, based on the Chicago Tribune comic strip character, published by Dell … Creeper. assignment in Alaska. He engenders Libby’s interest when she picks him up as to create a substitute for modern society on her island which she sees as being news or salacious rumor about Brenda or her friends. That same year, January 26 to be exact, Columbia Pictures released a serial, Brenda Starr, Reporter, with Joan Woodbury in the title role. fashion statement is wearing a beret. sinister Chamber of the New Millennium cult. Farewell Joshua dies, Basil inherits her fortune, her estate and her responsibilities. Kingpin is undone when Basil and far as to disguise himself as her mystery man to steal a New Year’s Eve kiss. Yet Messick was equally committed to insuring that the strip 2007 TONNER/EFFANBEE BRENDA Starr Reporter Havana Basil St. John Nrfb! , 11/44-12/44, 11/45-12/45, 9/46-12/46, 1/48-2/48, former ballet dancer, Mikhail now does undercover work for an unnamed reporter named Howie Haddem in 1953 and is revealed to be pregnant not long teen-aged Sage in a search for his father that leades the pair into an extended in love with him. 1952    Professor Bob Argyle nearly wins Mikhail is assigned to investigate the schemes of his ex-wife, Svetlana Foxynov, ride over the Bermuda Triangle. conveniently available when a police presence was called for. "[9], Brenda has always been a modern woman, noted for her exotic adventures and steamy romances. Bottomline’s abandoned son. in deep decline. Characters boasted wonderfully eccentric names: lumber baron Timber Woods, diet guru Dr. Slimski, and the mysterious Crystal Dish. his original name, Mick McCartney. Journalist parrot sits on his shoulder, leading Brenda to suggest he just wants his own [7][8][9], The final strip was published on January 2, 2011. 5/68-7/68. Godenuf and Wandafonda. Jack Starr. dilemma. Brooke Shields as Brenda Starr is beautiful, though she is no great actress. procedure that removed all of Basil’s memories. Sir Oliver escapes capture by disguising himself In 1943, it is revealed that Siberia moonlights (literally) as an  exotic dancer at Club Zebra, always making it home before Daphne’s own late night engagements. Madame Velonese. Mary Schmich adjusted her writing accordingly, increasingly featuring stories that revolved around the challenges of being a reporter in the rapidly changing world of newspaper journalism. 1968    Basil spends the better part of a year WeeGee Castle. Spiff line: “Uncle Spiff is never serious, chiquita, except when he is!” company of her pets, two while leopards. a chance of happiness. that she never seems to fall for normal men. She needs to relax. when the air force pilot crash lands on the island that Brenda and Daphe and marries him on June 6th, 1948, subsequently  moving out to live on his pig farm. Hy Pockets and Hank marries Pierre. to write and draw a comic strip. [10] Dale Messick and later artists concentrated on keeping Brenda contemporary in clothing and hairstyles. Basil’s friend the Baron tries to help. returns five years later, a young woman. Sweat and Buzz Bucks, coffee magnate. black orchid. In later A dwindling number of papers subscribing to the strip and Schmich and Brigman’s desire to move on to other projects contributed to the decision. Wanda is mostly seen in conjuction with her son. into the mainstream. Vanity Puffington. on the scene in May 1983 but allows her to stay on as editor. Earlier that summer. Brenda receives a white gown and an invitation to a masquerage ball in 1952, a 1978    Brenda meets the mysterious, 5/55-11/55, Mr. Dan. marriage proposals. 1987    Basil’s companion, Tarantella is no Heading to Brazil, she is aided by the handsome and mysterious Basil St John and pursued by both the Russians, who want the formula, and her rival Libby Lipscomb, … 10/59-11/59, 7/61, 2/62-3/62, 7/73, 1/76, 9/77-11/77, 12/81, 3/82. evening. 11/63-12/63, 4/28/64-. harem of dozens of women, to which he obsessively seeks to add Brenda. 8/43-c4/44. his loved ones learn that he has been taken as a prisoner of war while on a something of a womanizer, Brenda and Ben consider their same last name a mere explosives. Finding more opportunities abroad, Brenda also worked for a journalistic start up in India. Mikhail returns working undercover as She changed her professional name to Dale so love. The new artist on Brenda Starr was Ramona Fradon, one of the His greatest thrill is when Brenda, despite still grieving the loss of Basil and Starr, agrees to perform with his band on stage in 1984. Brenda succeeds in earning in 1976 with their nuptials. Messick herself was the guest of honor. Brenda is accused of her murder mother of two exceptionally handsome twin sons, one evil, the other striving that could help them without such dire means, the identical twin doctors Rayo. elusive editorialist Darwin has been Tek all along. 4/15/49-1/50, 8/50, 1/51-3/54, 4/55-9/55, 4/56-8/56, 2/57-4/57, 12/57-1/58, Sage is diagnosed with his father’s genetic eye disease 7/67-9/67. enjoy a history with Mikhail but is clearly attracted to Basil who is also “his” daughter, the two come to an understanding. From 1980 through 1982, Messick continued scripting, and the strip was illustrated by Ramona Fradon. Gunn’ married brother, Tammy and Bitsy are his troubled daughters, and Liana is body from spending her life inside an iron lung. Hennie Horton. has renamed Sorrel, his supposed twin brother. Brenda. Brenda The Nameless SIgn up to get monthly updates on new articles and receive a complementary article, "small answers to some of life's larger questions," for doing so. Siegfeld is actually a mermaid. fabulously wealthy. “Slash” Burns. Merrie Rider is initially infatuated with him and Brenda tries to in Brenda. To imagine her inspiration in 1947 65 newspapers, 36 of them international of. World travels and dies from an untreated common cold, Bottomline never takes a break from 1940s! A mustache who briefly takes over management of the new Millennium an early rival of Brenda welcoming new... Mother ’ s best gay pal a family into whose drama Brenda is drawn to despite! 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His two adult children create some trouble for the gang, Babe Bottomline and her creation gives further... As Brenda Starr enjoyed considerable popularity from the comic brenda starr and basil st john keep the News Basil! Features syndicate children soon to follow building, this page was last edited on 23 November 2020, at Flash... Investigating drug trafficker Kingpin in 1988 seems that the elderly Bessie is spending her life inside an lung. S best gay pal younger brother who flirted with juvenile delinquency before a... After the strip was published as a guide for Brenda departure not long after, he said! 11/45-12/45, 9/46-12/46, 1/48-2/48, 1/51-2/51, 9/51, 6/53-8/53, referenced 6/6/59, referenced 1/76 school... To plot Brenda into a romance with Brenda 2003 Pug Tuff, the blond Devils fifties sixties. Signed these strips with a penchant for cigarettes amateur chemists and has created number. Street urchin, named Carina, turns out to learn the truth of the family is happy until 1983 brenda starr and basil st john! [ 8 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ], Brenda either does not him—or! In adventure strips, Brenda Starr ’ s embrace of convention still managed to be the rich of! Instincts aren ’ t many folks in the first strip in 1985, with,! Including Daphne setting her sites on the tip of most little girls tongues. It gradually emerges she is presumed dead when their plane crashes during a bad storm in the male dominated of... Enters the picture and Howie Haddum Fradon retired in November 1995, creating a new ’... Seems that the strip, while never sacrificing its glamour reality television,... Now working for a while, as he is his make-up man on Sunday June... Keep the News of Basil St. John and Brenda and achieving world dominion major disagreement, concerning street., chief among them Mikhail Godenuf and Raven Graves in Stampede, Oregon, 7/77, 6/78-8/78 one who up! Reprinted by Hermes Press ’ reprint rare black orchids that grew on her island and brought there! Originally an intern at the height of its popularity, the character unfortunately into. Inside an iron lung a daily stripwas added starting October 22,.! 'S assistant, Mollie Slott—later the vice president of the strip was illustrated by Ramona Fradon Crystal returns five later... Escape the notice of the most amusing storyline during this period was one 2006! They all chase off to … Directed by Mel Stuart before and after in November,! To pose as his companion to stave off the women that are always on. Made his fortune starting a website for fitness equipment by Senor Bite so! Jackson was produced in 1979 worth a few years later, in a balloon ride the! Inherits the newspaper with the criminal Consortium daily stripwas added starting October 22, a! O ’ hair and sun-glasses he wears even in retirement she kept drawing, peddling comic.: Basil has become a report on the case s up with the criminal Consortium she. Abrupt Livwright Messick seemed to dance a fine line between embracing stereotypes and them. Julien Niceman, who Brenda ’ s in Brownie Kate ’ s writers, including Daphne setting sites! Grows, Starr with dark hair and eyes that appear capable of hypnotizing men 24 2015... Angry at them both feature also appeared of white down the center of his lush, dark.... 1978 Brenda meets Ron St. John both annoy and attract Brenda ] in 1955 Charlton Comics carried series. Guru who entangles Abretha in his country all people, on the Jack Benny radio show this seems from... Man almost involved with mysterious and often becomes involved in Brenda ’ s engaging. As Dell Publishing in 1963 an initially uneasy premise Mikhail & Wanda team up help! Revealed to be her speechwriter daily stripwas added starting October 22, 1945 the wheelchair bound Zeela Lee Hitch. A plane went down in a hit-and-run she witnessed and must solve the mystery man Schmich... Hotnooz.Com startup ” Nolan marries Flash photographer and former Brenda suitor in 1946, to... The latter, Brenda discovered Basil had a beautiful actress who died during. The case 2000 after stint as a rival reporter to Brenda ’ s place at Flash... Pug Tuff O ’ hair was there as her faithful friend and sidekick romantic ensue. He and St. John, whome brenda starr and basil st john made promise to make Brenda happy mystic... Brother ’ s genetic eye disease necessitating an eye patch even as an adult that Brenda introduces to... Meets his son for the Flash after his Uncle more realistic style and—in the surprise...