Golden Age Merry, Girl of 1000 Gimmicks (Merry Pemberton) Appreciation (2019)

[MajorHoy]

Also referred to as the "Gimmick Girl", Merry was first introduced in the "Star-Spangled Kid" (and Stripesy) feature in Star Spangled Comics #81 (June 1948).

A lot happens in that seven-page story. Sylvester Pemberton's parents adopt Merry so Sylvester will have a sibling who's closer to him in age, and Merry discovers Sylvester's secret identity!

In issue #82's story, she designs a costume for herself so she, too, can capture crooks!


Merry continues to have adventures with Sylvester and Pat and even takes over the feature from them, but it doesn't last long: issue #90 was her last story.

Many years later, Roy Thomas would use Merry Pemberton as the mother of Brainwave Jr. in the Infinity Inc. series.

[scary harpy]

She has a good look.

I like the idea of a "toy" themed heroine.

[MajorHoy]

She has a good look.

I like the idea of a "toy" themed heroine.

Not so much "toy" themed as much as it is gags and gimmicks (sort of like Green Arrow with all his goofy gimmick arrows from back in the old pre-facial hair days).

[Güicho]

Merry, Girl of 1000 Gimmicks & Squirrel Girl


Funny seeing Squirrel Girl lauded as the fun quirky, adorkable, "new" female character type, that comics and fans have been waiting for...
Yet DC already had the template over 70 years ago, just nobody at DC or the fans seems to know it.
Anyway, they'd make a fun DC/Marvel team-up

LOL had just posted this^, and- https://community.cbr.com/showthread...=1#post4448465
as I did was thinking she needs an Appreciation thread, I'm surprised we hadn't seen it, how long till MajorHoy (who covers everything), starts one for her too!?
And a day later it appears! Yay!
(*few edits to her costume mine)

[

.

Merry: "Ha, Presto outwitted you again, you should've had me along."

I love how cocky she is from the go!
Great character, used right she should have been DC's Squirrel Girl type ages ago, (who by the way has exploded in the Marvel U) sadly DC as usual completley oblivious unaware of what they have, neglected her.

[MajorHoy]

. . . Great character, used right she should have been DC's Squirrel Girl type ages ago, (who by the way has exploded in the Marvel U) sadly DC as usual completley oblivious unaware of what they have, neglected her.

Slightly different audience 60-70 years ago . . .

[Güicho]

Slightly different audience 60-70 years ago . . .

?

Yeah, and other characters were created that long ago too.
My point about DC not knowing what they have, and neglecting her, is that they haven't kept her in the public eye.
Yet she easily updates for a modern audience.
This fun quirky (somewhat goofball and gimmicky), adorkable, female character type is being lauded as "new" at Marvel, in their comics, cartoon, and merchandise, Yet DC already had a character in that mold, and has completley neglected her.

[CaptCleghorn]

She's a teenage woman MacGyver. Seems like a easy way for DC to cash in on the young smart woman character train Marvel seems to have the only ticket on. A few panels like in the silver age Flash stories about how the real science is working would fit with a fun retro attitude and a modern take on teenage women.

[MajorHoy]

She's a teenage woman MacGyver. Seems like a easy way for DC to cash in on the young smart woman character train Marvel seems to have the only ticket on. A few panels like in the silver age Flash stories about how the real science is working would fit with a fun retro attitude and a modern take on teenage women.

So, nobody wants her back to being Brainwave Jr.'s mother?

[Güicho]

So, nobody wants her back to being Brainwave Jr.'s mother?

In an alt continuity future sure, although attaching her to Brainwave Sr. was super creepy and certainly didn't do her character any favors, pretty much sealed her disappearance from ongoing use.
(like most characters) I prefer her in her prime ) if that sets her in the Golden-Age / pulpy-era she works great there.
Or have her daughter take up the mantle today.
Or with all the reinvention and all the fluid continuity, I'm absolutely ok with her appearing as an all new character now, she would certainly work as a young modern day hero.
Slaves to continuity has made it so great ideas become buried under the weight of it.
She has allot of elements that would sell today, and a fun, smart, a bit dorky, female character type DC has neglected.
Realistically this is not a character with a lot of cache, she's been pretty neglected and obscure, so some drawn out narrative slogging and rearranging her past stories, to work her back into continuity today, isn't going to be interesting to anyone, not to those few who know her, even less to those reading about her for the first time, they don't want to read or need that baggage.

Just bring her back in a contemporary setting, with a bit of modernization she works great!
If Batman is still in his prime, there is no reason why she can't be.
About Star Girl's age, make her, her best friend, and unexpected ally.
Further put her in a cartoon, one of the TV shows, and release as an action figure, packed full of fun gadgets!

[CaptCleghorn]

So, nobody wants her back to being Brainwave Jr.'s mother?

I sure don't. I LOVE Roy Thomas's work and his love for Golden Age characters, but he was arguably the planet's worst shipper.

In an alt continuity future sure, although attaching her to Brainwave Sr. was super creepy and certainly didn't do her characters any favors, pretty much sealed her disappearance from ongoing use.
I prefer her in her prime (like most characters), be it in the Golden-Age / pulpy-era she works great there.
Or with all the reinvention and all the fluid continuity, I'm absolutely ok with her appearing now, she would certainly work as a modern day hero.
Slaves to continuity has made it so great ideas become buried under the weight of it.
She has allot of elements that would sell today, and a fun, smart, a bit dorky, female character type DC has neglected.
Just bring her back in a contemporary setting, with a bit of modernization she works great!
If Batman is still in his prime, there is no reason why she can't be.
About Star Girl's age, make her, her best friend, and unexpected ally.

I agree 100%. In addition, she could be a "normal" looking woman and not the beauty queens we usually see. I offer the wonders of Squirrel Girl from Marvel as an example of "not a beauty queen". Merry's adult coverage has been abysmal. The Brain Wave connection and her turn in that old/young story were abysmal.

Make her a good person with a fun, if slightly antagonistic, personality.

Brain Wave and Merry was DC's Sins Past with Norman and Gwen. I like Brain Wave Jr., but the mother? Ewwwww.

[Güicho]

I agree 100%. In addition, she could be a "normal" looking woman and not the beauty queens we usually see. I offer the wonders of Squirrel Girl from Marvel as an example of "not a beauty queen". ...

Make her a good person with a fun, if slightly antagonistic, personality.

Absolutely!
Hence the comparison to Squirrel Girl above.







She even comes with the her own main antagonist, Inspector Gadget! ...ah, I mean Gimmick Guy!
He was actually inspired by her, but uses his gadgets for crime, ...fiend!

[Güicho]

Sadly apparently not allot of traction or love for this character on this forum.
Yet she reads like an absolutely modern character, like over 70 years ahead of her time, and the type of character people seem to complain doesn't or never existed.
Yet they ignore her...?

I think Batman: Brave and the Bold captured pretty well the fun way how to handle her, and they just scratched the surface.