Flame Girl Catches Fire in Rare Wonderworld Comics #30, at Auction

The saga of the Fox Feature Syndicate character the Flame is extra sophisticated than it seems.  The character, his powers, and his backstory developed steadily, generally with out clarification, from his 1939 introduction in Wonderworld Comics #3 by way of his ultimate Golden Age appearances in the January 1942 cover-dated problems with Big 3, The Flame, and Wonderworld Comics.  One of probably the most attention-grabbing steps in this evolution was the introduction of a feminine counterpart, Flame Girl, in Wonderworld Comics #30.  A noteworthy character’s first look and origin, in addition to what Heritage has described as one of many prime 10 rarest Fox Feature Syndicate comedian books, there is a Wonderworld Comics #30 (Fox, 1941) CBCS GD/VG 3.0 Off-white to white pages plus 28 of the 31 problems with Wonderworld Comics up for public sale in the 2022 December 1 Fox Comics Showcase Auction #40214 at Heritage Auctions.

Linda Dale, the lady who grew to become Flame Girl in Wonderworld Comics #30, truly first appeared in challenge #28, which is itself a turning level in the Flame saga, because the Flame’s alter ego Gary Preston developed a storyline.  Up up to now, Preston had little to no life outdoors his adventures because the Flame in his comics, however he grew to become a personal detective with this challenge, which additionally launched Linda Dale and a tricky man named Pug as his assistants.  The story of how the three of them met was later advised in The Flame #7 which hit the newsstands in the identical month that Linda grew to become Flame Girl in Wonderworld Comics.

In the Wonderworld Comics #30 story, the Flame had been defeated at the arms of a villain known as the Octopus and was close to demise.  The Flame’s unconscious physique is found by Linda Dale and dragged to Gary Preston’s lab, the place he regains consciousness sufficient to inform Linda that she should stick with it in his place.  In one more obvious revision to the origin of the Flame’s powers, he tells her that she should use “my secret formula which will instill in you the ancient power of the Flame People. Pour the fluid in those vials in a circle around you, but first put on the uniform in the closet!”

Conveniently, the Flame had a Flame Girl costume for Linda seemingly already ready for this second.  With what he thinks is his dying breath, he reveals his secret id to Linda, and tells her she should stick with it in his identify.  In a fortunate break, after Flame Girl leaves, the Flame remembers that he additionally has “the secret elixir of the ancients”, which shortly restores him to good well being.  The Flame and Flame Girl proceed their adventures collectively till Fox’s 1942 chapter halts a lot of the line.

Like many developments in the Fox Feature Syndicate line of this period, it is arduous to not surprise how this saga would have developed had it not been reduce brief by Fox’s monetary woes in 1942.  As it’s, the character solely appeared in points #30-33, Wonderworld Comics #30 is a uncommon Fox challenge that’s at all times wanted by collectors, and there is a Wonderworld Comics #30 (Fox, 1941) CBCS GD/VG 3.0 Off-white to white pages plus 28 of the 29 problems with Wonderworld Comics up for public sale in the 2022 December 1 Fox Comics Showcase Auction #40214 at Heritage Auctions. If you’ve got by no means bid at Heritage Auctions earlier than, you may get additional info, you possibly can take a look at their FAQ on the bidding course of and associated issues.

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