Number 1788: Favorite Females Week: Zinda, Lady Blackhawk

Second in our theme week, Favorite Females, is Lady Blackhawk. This is the second appearance of Zinda, who dresses up in a female version of the Blackhawk uniform, and longs to be a full-fledged member of the Blackhawk team.

Well, I would think so. After all, Zinda, described on page two as a “young secretary” can afford a jet plane (and by extension fuel and hangar facilities), with which to track down the missing Blackhawk team. I have not read the first Lady Blackhawk story, but unless she is working for fun because she is an heiress with millions of dollars to use as disposable income, if I were her boss I would closely examine my books. Maybe Zinda is siphoning money to pay for her desire to be one of the team.

And even in the last panel, despite the big smile on her face, she is disappointed. Look at what Blackhawk says, then imagine what is swirling through Zinda’s head as those sexist and condescending words come out of his mouth. I’ll bet she can just picture herself making a swift and deadly kick to Blackhawk’s you-know-whats.

Drawn by the team of Dick Dillon and Chuck Cuidera. From Blackhawk #140 (1959):

Number 1756: Lady Blackhawk shows her stuff!

Zinda, the only female with those testosterone troopers, the Blackhawks, stumbles into a mystery while on vacation in France. She changes into her Lady Blackhawk costume (tunic with mini-skirt and boots), just in time to dive into the water, chasing some crooks. After presenting the mystery to the Blackhawks, she basically disappears for a few pages, just in time to reappear, parachuting into the finale.

I am sorry that the writer could not think of more for Zinda to do than be a bit player in the story. It is of its time, 1963. Other female superheroines and plucky non-super females appearing in DC Comics notwithstanding, girls usually didn’t do the rough stuff, not when they had a gaggle of guys to do it for them.

From Blackhawk #186. Drawn by Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera.

Meet me after the story, okay?

When I scanned this from my copy of the comic I picked up on this. Even though I have owned the comic since it was new, I had not noticed this. Dillon and Cuidera got away with something in this Comics Code approved issue. As Zinda parachutes down she flashes an unidentified member of the Blackhawk team. I call it as I see it. What would you call it?

There is a similar situation in this posting from last fall. Click on the thumbnail to see what I mean.

Number 1640: Zinda, super Lady Blackhawk

I know I just recently showed an early Blackhawk story from World War II. The war is over for the Blackhawks here, unless you consider the war of the sexes. The reason for showing the story isn’t for the male Blackhawks, but for Zinda, the Lady Blackhawk, considered “one of the boys” by this testosterone troop.

Zinda, who was introduced in Blackhawk #133, was the sole female member of the gang, but did not appear in every story. Just when they figured a little leggy cheesecake might be useful. Zinda, as you can see, has a well-filled out Blackhawk tunic, long legs and a mini-skirt with high boots.

Artists Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera got away with some tease (a crotch shot in panel 1, page 6, and the Blackhawks on the same page hanging off Super Zinda, including at least one looking up her skirt.) All of it approved by the Comics Code.

From Blackhawk #151 (1960):

Number 826

Babehawk

Thirty years ago a bookstore coworker saw me grading some Golden Age Blackhawk comics. "Those guys," he said, "look like they'd fit into the leather bar scene in San Francisco." My coworker was gay. I'd never thought of the Blackhawks that way, but who knows? Maybe they needed Lady Blackhawk, Zinda Blake, to make them look a little less, well, involved with one another.

What am I saying? The Blackhawks, like all DC super heroes of the era, are totally sexless. Well, maybe not André, who has hot French blood running in his veins, but the rest of the Blackhawks, dressed like Nazis or leather lads, as my coworker opined, didn't live up to their sexy image.

Lady Blackhawk, who is still a character in the DC Universe, dressed pretty hot for 1961 when these stories were published. Hat, leather tunic with a mini-skirt and high boots. My kinda lady. "Lady Blackhawk's Deadly Romance" is from Blackhawk #163, and "The Creatures That Controlled the Blackhawks" is from #166. Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera did the artwork. The Grand Comics Database credits Dick Dillin and Sheldon Moldoff for the cover of #166.

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I can tell you exactly what I was doing on Thursday, June 4, 1961. When the local pharmacy opened at 10:00 a.m. my brother and I entered and waited for Gus the pharmacist to rack the latest comic books on the spinner so we could each get a copy of the Secret Origins giant, shown in this ad from Blackhawk #163. As the ad says, "you'll treasure it the rest of your life." I haven't lived my whole life yet, but yeah, I still have my copy. June 4, 2010 was 49 years since I bought it, and while I have a few critiques of it as a real "secret origins" issue I still like it.

The next two Thursdays Gus saw Rob and me again, waiting on June 22 for the Superman Annual #3, and then the most eagerly awaited on June 29, the first Batman Annual. I sold or traded the Superman Annual in one of my periodic collection purges, but held on to the Batman Annual, and yes, I treasure that one, also.