Lady Luck is an Americancomic-strip andcomic-book crime fighter and adventuress created and designed in 1940 byWill Eisner with artist Chuck Mazoujian. She starred in a namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday newspaper comics insert colloquially called "The Spirit Section", which ran from June 2, 1940, to November 3, 1946.[1] Her adventures were reprinted in comic books published byQuality Comics.[2] A revamped version of the character debuted in 2013 inDC Comics'sPhantom Stranger comic.
Lady Luck is the alter-ego ofBrenda Banks, a youngIrish-American socialite heiress, daughter of a mine-owner. Rejecting her vapid debutante circle, she trains in martial arts and adopts the persona of a costumed detective.[3] Her costume consists of a green dress, a large hat, and a veil in place of a mask. In some early versions, representations of lucky charms hang from herhat brim. Like Denny Colt, hero ofThe Spirit, she does not possess anysupernatural abilities. Her love interest in the strip is Police Chief Hardy Moore, and she is also assisted by the incompetent Officer Feeny O'Mye. Neither of them knows her true identity.[3] During the war, she leads the girls of the Lady Luck Patrol.[4]
Created and designed in 1940 byWill Eisner (who wrote the first two Lady Luck stories under thepseudonym "Ford Davis")[5] with artist Chuck Mazoujian, Lady Luck appeared in her namesake, four-page weekly feature published in a Sunday-newspapercomic-book insert colloquially called "The Spirit Section" (syndicated by theRegister and Tribune Syndicate).
This 16-page,tabloid-sized, newsprint comic book, sold as part of 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million, starred Eisner's masked detective theSpirit and also initially included the featureMr. Mystic,[6] plus filler material. Writer Dick French took over scripting after these first two episodes.[7] Later, writer-artist Nicholas Viscardi (later known asNick Cardy) took over the feature from the May 18, 1941 strip through Feb. 22, 1942, introducing Lady Luck'schauffeur and assistant, Peecolo.[8] Though his Lady Luck stories were credited under the housepseudonym Ford Davis, Viscardi implemented his initials, "NV", into each issue.[9] Writer-artistKlaus Nordling followed, from the March 1, 1942 to March 3, 1946 strip, when "Lady Luck" was temporarily canceled. After briefly being replaced by the humor feature "Wendy the Waitress" by Robert Jenny, "Lady Luck" returned from May 5 to November 3, 1946, undercartoonistFred Schwab.[8]
"Lady Luck" stories were reprinted in theQuality Comics comic bookSmash Comics #42-85 (April 1943 - Oct. 1949), whereupon the series changed its title toLady Luck for five more issues.[10] Nordling providing new seven- to 11-page stories inLady Luck #86-90 (Dec. 1949 - Aug. 1950), withGill Fox drawing the covers. Occasional backup features were "Lassie" by writer-artist Bernard Dibble and the humor features "The Count", by Nordling, and "Sir Roger", by Dibble or, variously, Bart Tumey.[11]
Lady Luck was revived alongside Eisner characters John Law, Nubbin, andMr. Mystic inIDW Publishing'sWill Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking, a 2004 collection of new stories by writer-artistGary Chaloner.[citation needed]
In 2011, Lady Luck was ranked 84th inComics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[12]
A new version of the character was originally intended to be featured inGeoff Johns's revamp (with artistJim Lee) ofDC Comics'Justice League, as part ofthe New 52.[13]
Lady Luck made her debut inThePhantom Stranger #6 (March 2013), written byDan DiDio.[14] When the Stranger goes toHell looking for his family, Lady Luck makes a non-speaking appearance dealing cards toTrigon's sons Belial, Suge and Ruskoff.