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About This Series
Issues
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About This
Series:
Issues:
"Sky
Gal" was really the Fiction House character "Sky Girl", renamed.
This series boasted reprints of the classic Fiction House comics as
well as original stories.
Although the name might imply a superheroine, Sky Girl was anything but. The first phase of the character had our "heroine" wanting to be a fighter pilot in WWII. After the war, the character was retooled as a waitress at an airport. Sky Girl was purely comedy. She was sexy, goofy, and full of mischief.
Created by writer Bill Gibson, Sky Girl debuted in Fiction House's "Jumbo Comics" #68 (October, 1944). Her first artist was Alex Blum. Blum did a fine job, but the artist from her second story onward was the legendary Matt Baker. Baker, as an artist of what is now termed "Good Girl Art", is easily more well-known than any individual character he helped bring to life. It's easy to understand why. Baker's girls always showed lots of leg and cleavage, and did more great poses than any other artist's heroines. In short, Baker's girls are the sexiest, smoothest-drawn women of his era and any since. Although few comic buffs may know what he looked like, his name is synonomous with sexy Golden Age women, and his work is sought out by collectors of all ages.
Bill Gibson, as a writer, has a strong wit and certainly comedy timing. "Sky Girl" would have easily translated to film back then, as it would today.
Who we call "Sky Girl" (or AC calls "Sky Gal") is really named Ginger Maguire. She's only referred to as "Sky Girl" from our point of view, she is not referred to by that name in the comics. In her wannabe-pilot, WWII phase, Sky Girl is always dressed in a tight-fitting green jumpsuit with bright red hair. After the war, Sky Girl's skimpy waitress costume was blue and white, and her hair was lightened to a reddish-orange. Towards the end of her run, Sky Girl was made blonde. The waitress phase is the most popular incarnation of the character.
Although the name might imply a superheroine, Sky Girl was anything but. The first phase of the character had our "heroine" wanting to be a fighter pilot in WWII. After the war, the character was retooled as a waitress at an airport. Sky Girl was purely comedy. She was sexy, goofy, and full of mischief.
Created by writer Bill Gibson, Sky Girl debuted in Fiction House's "Jumbo Comics" #68 (October, 1944). Her first artist was Alex Blum. Blum did a fine job, but the artist from her second story onward was the legendary Matt Baker. Baker, as an artist of what is now termed "Good Girl Art", is easily more well-known than any individual character he helped bring to life. It's easy to understand why. Baker's girls always showed lots of leg and cleavage, and did more great poses than any other artist's heroines. In short, Baker's girls are the sexiest, smoothest-drawn women of his era and any since. Although few comic buffs may know what he looked like, his name is synonomous with sexy Golden Age women, and his work is sought out by collectors of all ages.
Bill Gibson, as a writer, has a strong wit and certainly comedy timing. "Sky Girl" would have easily translated to film back then, as it would today.
Who we call "Sky Girl" (or AC calls "Sky Gal") is really named Ginger Maguire. She's only referred to as "Sky Girl" from our point of view, she is not referred to by that name in the comics. In her wannabe-pilot, WWII phase, Sky Girl is always dressed in a tight-fitting green jumpsuit with bright red hair. After the war, Sky Girl's skimpy waitress costume was blue and white, and her hair was lightened to a reddish-orange. Towards the end of her run, Sky Girl was made blonde. The waitress phase is the most popular incarnation of the character.
Issues:
#1: 1993. In
full color! This is a good issue. I've always felt AC was
the best of any publisher that has done reprints. They at least
try to give us a history of the reprints in nicely written
articles. Plus, they do try to create new stories of classic
characters when they can, which always proves interesting. The
first story in this issue is an original "Sky Gal" adventure, with
story and art by C. Bradford Gorby, one of AC's star artists. I
must admit he's very good. He not only meets the Matt Baker
standard...in some ways he surpasses it. The next four stories
are written by Bill Gibson. Art on the the first three of these
is by Matt Baker. The last has art by Alex Blum. The last
story in this issue is also the first-ever "Sky Girl" story, which
appeared in Fiction House's "Jumbo Comics" #68 all the way back in 1944.
Story 1: Ginger and the Gremlins. I love this original story by Gorby. Ginger is pitted against the mythical airplane "gremlins" from Looney Tunes cartoons.
Story 2: Blood on the Typewriter. A Gibson/Baker adventure. Ginger gets tangled up with a mystery writer in a "haunted" house.
Story 3: Indian Nut in the Air. A Gibson/Baker adventure. Ginger matches wits with a looney Indian, on an airplane!
Story 4: The Sheik of Air-O-Bee. A Gibson/Baker adventure. Ginger falls for an Arab terrorist.
Story 5: High-Flyin' Ginger. The very first "Sky Girl" story! Ginger's misadventures in a warplane results in acing out a Japanese zero!
Story 1: Ginger and the Gremlins. I love this original story by Gorby. Ginger is pitted against the mythical airplane "gremlins" from Looney Tunes cartoons.
Story 2: Blood on the Typewriter. A Gibson/Baker adventure. Ginger gets tangled up with a mystery writer in a "haunted" house.
Story 3: Indian Nut in the Air. A Gibson/Baker adventure. Ginger matches wits with a looney Indian, on an airplane!
Story 4: The Sheik of Air-O-Bee. A Gibson/Baker adventure. Ginger falls for an Arab terrorist.
Story 5: High-Flyin' Ginger. The very first "Sky Girl" story! Ginger's misadventures in a warplane results in acing out a Japanese zero!