Miss America (Madeline Joyce) Appreciation Thread 2023

[Gaastra]

Couldn't find a thread.

Madeline Joyce. AKA Miss America. First app--Marvel mystery comics #49

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[Gaastra]

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[Digifiend]

If she was killed off in the 1970s, why'd it take so long for her name to be reused? The only immediate successor would be the one from Battle Fever J (the follow up to toku Spider-Man) in 1979. There wasn't another Miss America in Marvel Comics until the 21st century (there's been two - the girl now known as Ms Fantastix, who started as part of one of the Initiative teams, and of course the current Ms America, America Chavez). Of course Marvel doesn't own the trademark, I don't think anyone does - DC has a Miss America as well.

[Gaastra]

Speaking of battle fever j--



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[Hypestyle]

by the time of Ms. Marvel's rise in the 70s, I'm surprised that there was not a "Ms. America"-- but for the relative conservatism of Marvel editorial and less incentive to promote "representation" on having a more wider array of diverse characters, I guess nobody in charge figured it was worth it at the time. Whoever controlled the Captain America strips in particular may have had some veto power as well. Mark Gruenwald ended up creating several female characters of note, but no new "Miss America". Maybe Bernie Rosenthal could have been remixed into a hero, but it never happened. Ah well.

[Gaastra]

Those skills in that handbook are interesting as the ww2 comics could not make up their mind how powerful she was. Some stories she is superman powerful and others she is knocked out by a small pipe!

Miss america in spider-man the animated series.



Note super hero squad did a battle fever j nod episode but didn't use mis america the one marvel hero in the show!

[Phoenixx9]

by the time of Ms. Marvel's rise in the 70s, I'm surprised that there was not a "Ms. America"-- but for the relative conservatism of Marvel editorial and less incentive to promote "representation" on having a more wider array of diverse characters, I guess nobody in charge figured it was worth it at the time. Whoever controlled the Captain America strips in particular may have had some veto power as well. Mark Gruenwald ended up creating several female characters of note, but no new "Miss America". Maybe Bernie Rosenthal could have been remixed into a hero, but it never happened. Ah well.

Marvel was a little out-of-step with the times in the 1970's.

For instance, they did not do much except flashbacks of Madeline Joyce Miss America and then the new stories of the Invaders/Liberty Legion book.

Late 1970's they had Carol Danvers Ms. Marvel.

Even "The Disco Dazzler", Alison Blaire, a Disco character, was not introduced until 1980.

[Phoenixx9]

Those skills in that handbook are interesting as the ww2 comics could not make up their mind how powerful she was. Some stories she is superman powerful and others she is knocked out by a small pipe!

Miss america in spider-man the animated series.



Note super hero squad did a battle fever j nod episode but didn't use mis america the one marvel hero in the show!

Besides the levitation and (hyper) leaping, here are some statements that Marvel has said about Madeline Joyce Miss America:

* Miss America's strength level varied throughout her career, between 5 tons and 50 tons
* Super-Vitality which kept her in top shape and condition, as well as never tiring
* Super-Intelligence, she often solved crimes with her brain
* Atomic vision that was a visible power when used. However, due to using this power, after it waned in a few years, it also took some of her eyesight, requiring the wearing of eye glasses, even in her Miss America persona

[kcekada]

Doubtful we'll see much more of Madeline in the future, though I would love another Invaders series set during WWII -- making use of all of the heroes from that era (not just the ones used in the old series). I think, though, that she should have always had super strength as flying and vitality only gets you so far in battle.

Probably the biggest reason Marvel didn't replace her is because Miss America was still a well-known beauty pageant in those days. Didn't really have a connotation of a 70s empowered woman.

[MajorHoy]

Madeline Joyce. AKA Miss America. First app--Marvel mystery comics #49

From Marvel Mystery Comics #49 (November 1943):


And from Marvel Premiere #29 (April 1976):

If she was killed off in the 1970s, why'd it take so long for her name to be reused? The only immediate successor would be the one from Battle Fever J (the follow up to toku Spider-Man) in 1979. There wasn't another Miss America in Marvel Comics until the 21st century (there's been two - the girl now known as Ms Fantastix, who started as part of one of the Initiative teams, and of course the current Ms America, America Chavez). Of course Marvel doesn't own the trademark, I don't think anyone does - DC has a Miss America as well.

The DC Comics version of Miss America was originally a Quality Comics character who first appeared in Military Comics #1 (August 1941).
For post-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC, Roy Thomas used that character as a replacement for the Golden Age Wonder Woman as a past member of the Justice Society of America.

Marvel was a little out-of-step with the times in the 1970's.

For instance, they did not do much except flashbacks of Madeline Joyce Miss America and then the new stories of the Invaders/Liberty Legion book.

Late 1970's they had Carol Danvers Ms. Marvel.

Even "The Disco Dazzler", Alison Blaire, a Disco character, was not introduced until 1980.

Marvel did try a few books with females as the lead in the early 1970s as well, but they apparently did not catch on. The three books were The Cat starring Greer Nelson, who later became Tigra; Shanna, the She-Devil; and Night Nurse.

[Phoenixx9]

Marvel did try a few books with females as the lead in the early 1970s as well, but they apparently did not catch on. The three books were The Cat starring Greer Nelson, who later became Tigra; Shanna, the She-Devil; and Night Nurse.

Yeah, and those books were good. I am surprised they did not catch on.

I think Roy was too busy having fun with his "Rutland, Vermont" Halloween parties and Stan too busy having fun in general.

[Digifiend]

Speaking of battle fever j--

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You can see how that design is inspired by American superheroes. No other Super Sentai ranger has a wig on the helmet, the legs are fleshtone, implying she's wearing a miniskirt, and, like all of BFJ, there's separate eyes and a nose and lips molded into the helmet, thus making it resemble a cowl (like Kid Flash and Spider-Woman) instead of the helmet it actually is. Other teams have had lips (including Zyuranger/Mighty Morphin) but never a nose or separate eyes (except X1 Mask, whose helmet was probably modded from BFJ).

Despite the changes (skirt, colour scheme, mask, scarf instead of cape), it's still recognisably based on Madeline Joyce's design.

[ed2962]

If she was killed off in the 1970s, why'd it take so long for her name to be reused? The only immediate successor would be the one from Battle Fever J (the follow up to toku Spider-Man) in 1979. There wasn't another Miss America in Marvel Comics until the 21st century (there's been two - the girl now known as Ms Fantastix, who started as part of one of the Initiative teams, and of course the current Ms America, America Chavez). Of course Marvel doesn't own the trademark, I don't think anyone does - DC has a Miss America as well.

They probably weren't in any hurry to reuse the name cuz they probably thought they couldn't exclusively control the trademark.

[JudicatorPrime]

I don't get a vote here, but if it was up to me, I'd definitely bring back Miss America. I don't care if it conflicts with Ms. America. If Supergirl and Power Girl can co-exist, so, too, can the Americas.

If she's dead, I'd credit her "vitality" powers for her resurrection and eternal youth. Just bring her back. Say that the other previously seen version of the character was an android/clone. Say that the Enclave or the High Evolutionary stole the original and kept her in cryo. Whatever works.

Imagine what it must be like to be a woman from the 1940s facing the challenges that women face today in our country. The stories and subplots pretty much writes itself. Retcon some of her history and relationships as necessary to bring her into the modern era.

And yes, there would be costume changes. The pajama skirt and head piece was cute, but artists can improve on that by leaps.

Make it happen, Marvel! Miss America.

[MajorHoy]

I don't get a vote here, but if it was up to me, I'd definitely bring back Miss America. I don't care if it conflicts with Ms. America. If Supergirl and Power Girl can co-exist, so, too, can the Americas.

If she's dead, I'd credit her "vitality" powers for her resurrection and eternal youth. Just bring her back. Say that the other previously seen version of the character was an android/clone. Say that the Enclave or the High Evolutionary stole the original and kept her in cryo. Whatever works.

Imagine what it must be like to be a woman from the 1940s facing the challenges that women face today in our country. The stories and subplots pretty much writes itself. Retcon some of her history and relationships as necessary to bring her into the modern era.

And yes, there would be costume changes. The pajama skirt and head piece was cute, but artists can improve on that by leaps.

Make it happen, Marvel! Miss America.

If there was a current Invaders book, maybe something like that would be possible. But unless JMS wanted to do something like that in Captain America, I don't know how likely that would be.