Tarpé Mills

One of the most popular female characters in comics at the start of World War II was Miss Fury. The character, a socialite named Maria Drake, who donned a skintight panther suit to fight crime, was so popular that her name appeared on the nose of three American bomber planes during the war.

All the readers of Miss Fury’s knew was that her creator was named Tarpé, whom many assumed was a man. In reality, Tarpé was the secret identity of June Mills. Mills was no stranger to the industry, having worked in the industry for a few years before creating Miss Fury. The character first appeared on April 6, 1941, in The Bell Syndicate. Miss Fury fought crime for 351 weeks until 1949.

Miss Fury and its supporting characters wasn’t without controversy. A June 8, 1941 bathing scene was left out of reprints by Timely Comics, who collected the series in comic book form. In 1947, 37 papers refused to print an episode that depicted Era the Nazi-Fighter in a two-piece outfit.

After Miss Fury’s fabulous, adventure-filled run ended, Mills retired in 1952. Her work again appeared in Marvel Comic’s Our Love Story in 1972 and, in 2019, Mills was inducted into the Eisner Hall of Fame.

Tarpé Mills (25 February 1918 – 12 December 1988)