Brenda Starr, Reporter, deserves some long overdue attention as a comic strip for its treatment of gender (and race) as rendered by Dale Messick, a rare female cartoonist in an era that didn’t encourage them.

Dale Messick, Female Cartoonist

Dalia Messick was born in Indiana in 1906. She found early employment as an artist for greeting card companies but her true ambition was to write and draw a comic strip. She changed her professional name to Dale so her submission’s might fare better in the male dominated field of comic strips.

After several failed attempts, Messick submitted a female pirate strip named Brenda Starr to the Chicago Tribune-New York News features syndicate. It’s head man, Joseph Patterson, who oversaw the fortunes of such famous comic strips as Dick Tracy and Little Orphan Annie, rejected it. He was said to have had a prejudice against female cartoonists. But his right hand woman, Mollie Slott, saw potential in it. Her only suggestion, turn the pirate into a girl reporter. And so Brenda Starr was born.

Patterson okayed the iteration with qualifications. Brenda Starr, Reporter would only run in a weekend supplement and would not be offered to daily newspapers. As such, Brenda Starr was launched on Sunday, June 30^th, 1940.

Limited in circulation at first, it has been difficult to comprehensively document Brenda Starr storylines that were featured in those early years. This article offers the most complete summary yet. Despite the obstacles, Messick’s strip became quite popular and Patterson finally awarded Brenda Starr a daily strip in 1945. A film serial featuring Brenda appeared that same year, clearly indicating that the glamorous red-haired reporter had officially arrived.

In the early years of Brenda Starr, Dale Messick introduced a number of interesting female characters, showcasing a diversity of female personalities and body types rarely seen in other comic strips. Messick seemed to dance a fine line between embracing stereotypes and challenging them. As a female creator, Messick’s treatment of women is particularly intriguing.

Brenda Starr, Feminine & Fierce (1940)

Tired of only getting birth and death notices to write up, the 23-year old Brenda Starr—a reporter for the Globe—demands that her editor give her a real story. He counters that she must get an interview with underworld figure Silky Fowler by midnight or she’s fired. Brenda gets her story and starts her career as a hard-nosed but ever beautiful reporter.

Yet Messick was equally committed to insuring that the strip would feature an abundance of romance. Within the first several years, Brenda had no fewer than three recurring suitors: photojournalist Tom Taylor, millionaire Larry Nickels, and Detective Christopher Traverts, who was also conveniently available when a police presence was called for.

Early on, Messick insured a young female readership for Brenda Starr by including paper dolls of various characters and matching fashions on the bottom third of her Sunday pages. Here Messick was building on a practice previously established by older career girl comic strips like Winnie Winkle.

This was not unique to Brenda Starr, of course, paper dolls being a feature of other female-centric comic strips such as Winnie Winkle.

But Brenda’s brashness in the face of danger in pursuit of a story proved to be just as defining a characteristic as her femininity. Messick seemed intent on making the point that being feminine and being courageous were not mutually exclusive as some conventional concepts of gender suggested. Messick may well have been thinking that when she decided to seek a career in New York City. The aspring artist decided to go by then unconventional commercial air rather than by train. Messick always treasured the bumpily exciting eight hour flight that followed.

Brenda Starr’s adventurous spirit outweighted her very girly focus on fashion and appearance. By the 1960s though, some of Messick’s storylines focused on really bad hair cuts or the horror of a suitor allergic to women’s cosmetics. Brenda Starr was an uneasy figure for feminists in an era where unmarried working women were still the exception not the rule.

Abretha Breez: Fat Fine or Funny? (1941)

In the second year of the comic strip, Messick introduces Brenda’s overweight country cousin, Abretha Breez. Messick describes how she came up with the name overhearing someone comment on “a breath of breeze” one summer evening. Abretha came to the big city to seek a singing career. That her scale read 250 pounds was just one aspect of who she was as a person.

Unfortunately Messick soon forgot that aspect. Thereafter most plots that involve Abretha as the main character revolve around her weight. Abretha gets caught up in a conman’s promise of weight loss or gets lost on a desert island, losing so much weight she becomes a successful model—only to gain back that weight. Messick never suggests Abretha is less than because of her weight, but can’t quite let it just be. Even Abretha’s dog Tornado comments (courtesy of a canine thought balloon) that Abretha’s “lazy but lovable.”

The most twisted storyline involving women’s weight was when, in 1948, a circus fat lady killed a smuggler of bogus weight loss candy that killed her daughter. Pesky, a male reporter, chuckles at the news that the local jail cell was too small to hold Birdie, the fat lady. But Brenda Starr unearths Birdie’s motive. “Birdie, in her grief,” Brenda explained, “had resolved to find all persons connected with quack reducing remedies and thus, by process of elimination, she hoped to get the one who killed Robin.” Still, the horrific image of the huge Fat Lady strangling Dr. Slimsky, the conman responsible, was what lingered.

Despite endorsing sensible dieting, Messick expects her readers to embrace Abretha fully as a heavy young woman. This seems evident from Abretha enjoying the same paper doll focus enjoyed by Brenda and her slim rival, Daphne Dimples. Ultimately, Abretha finds love with a tall, slim farmer named Hyram “Hy” Pockets in 1947 and marries him the same year as the Dr. Slimsky following year.  

Abretha ends up staying in Brenda’s apartment  for several years while husband Hy is in the military in Korea. After breaking her jaw in 1954, Abretha loses a large amount of weight and is fearful her returning soldier won’t love her anymore. As it turns out, Hy has become quite fat in the service. The reunited pair happily return to their normal weights. Overall, Messick seems to want it both ways, both embracing Abretha’s weight and making its loss a regular plot point.

Hank & Brenda: Butch/Femme Pair (1942)

Brenda Starr’s rather masculine fellow female reporter who wears a beret. She first appears in the narrative as a rival reporter to Brenda at the Flash. She only grudgingly gains respect for Brenda, who she initially dismisses as a pretty piece of fluff. Before long, the two women are the best of friends and loyal allies.

The significance of Hank’s masculine appearance is difficult to pin down. On the one hand, Brenda and Hanks seem to represent Dale Messick’s playful take on stereotypes of career women and femininity in general. But at times, Messick’s treatment of Hank (and Brenda) is downright painful.

When Brenda’s editor wants her to do a story on Count Orlando, in 1964, the reclusive richest man in the world, it just happens that the Count is allergic to all forms of women’s cosmetics. Brenda initially refuses to take the story, telling her editor to get a male reporter to take the story without any cologne. The editor tries to flatter Brenda arguing that Brenda is “naturally beautiful.” At this point Hank offers to take the story, joking that she is “naturally ugly.” This apparently shames Brenda into agreeing to go see Count Orlando without any makeup. The only slight redeeming aspect to this unpleasant exchange is that Hank’s self-satisfied expression appears to indicate that she disparaged herself in the service of getting Brenda to agree.

After years of playing the perennially single sidekick to the romantically blessed heroine, Messick gives Hank a happy romance all her own. But once again there is an initially uneasy premise. Handsome artist Pierre Palette asks Hank to pose as his companion to stave off the women that are always hitting on him. The assumption here is that Hank is safe in this role, as there is no chance he would fall for her. In the tradition of romantic comedies, though, he does just that and the two are engaged in August 1946. The two finally marry in 1948.

Hank O’Hair was reportedly based on a pioneering female reporter named Pat O’Haire (who ended up doing a lot of stories about Broadway) so it seems likely that the character was meant as an affectionate pastiche. The only photo I could find of Pat O’Haire is included here, which suggests she shared with Brenda’s Hank some of the same energy and zest. Hank O’Hair remains a regular feature of the comic strip to the very end.

Siberia: Black, Bold and the Help (1942)

Daphne Dimple’s attractive African-American maid who is more than willing to speak her mind but more often just shakes her head at the antics of her employer. She became Daphne’s maid in a Sunday page devoted to her (5/31/1942) when her employment agency was running out of possible replacements. She is soon shown making acerbic asides about her employer’s behavior.

In this sense Siberia’s actions paralled the role played by the smart alecky Rochester on the Jack Benny radio show. But there the similarities end.

While no hint of a romantic life for Rochester is ever made, Messick revealed in 1943 that Siberia moonlights as an  exotic dancer at Club Zebra, always making it home before Daphne’s own late night engagements. By 1953, Siberia is featured more centrally in a storyline she shares with Daphne. Siberia sells her boss on fronting the money to start their own “Pink Poodle Cocktail Lounge.” Siberia even dyes her hair pink to promote it while still dancing at Club Zebra. Siberia’s important if minor status in the Brenda Starr comic strip is marked by the fact that paper dolls and fashions for Siberia were occasionally featured on Sunday pages.

What is even more remarkable is that Siberia is given a romantic relationship with a handsome and fit black suitor named Dusty Rose that same year. Black characters in nearly any medium in the forties and fifties are portrayed as asexual, both in appearance and in the storylines in which they appear. While Siberia rarely had a storyline of her own, she was occasionally shown talking to Dusty on the phone.

In 1953, the couple is even shown enjoying an afternoon on the beach. That even such a simple gesture as that risked controversy was indicated by the fact that the Tribune Syndicate supplied an alternative Brenda Starr strip summarizing the current plotline for newspapers who didn’t want to run images of an attractive black couple enjoying an afternoon together. There is no record of how many newspapers chose to run the alternative comic strip. But Messick made sure the alternate strip noted that Siberia was the one who came up with the idea for the Pink Poodle enterprise.

Messick was clearly making an effort to provide something to her African American readership. On more than one occasion, a paper doll of Siberia was featured on the Brenda Starr Sunday page with glamorous fashions provided just as it was for the white female characters. More remarkable still was Messick including a paper doll of Dusty on one Sunday, clearly fit in his underwear and ready to wear the tuxedo or other smart attire.

Hopefully, this summary makes clear that even though Siberia played a stereotypical role as a domestic in the Brenda Starr comic strip, Messick gave her a life, a drive and glamour unlike any other black character then featured on the funny pages. Sadly, Siberia’s role in the narrative necessarily ended with that of her employer in 1954, when Daphne gives birth to her first child and disappears with Siberia from the narrative. One can hope Siberia was happily engaged with managing the Pink Poodle thereafter.

Basil St. John: Absence & All That (1945)

Brenda Starr first meets the love of her life in September 1945 when, after dreaming of of him, finds the fellow in her bedroom decked out in a red-line cape and black eye-patch. Not long after, he appears out of nowhere to rescue her from a blazing fire and once again disappears. Originally known simply as “the mystery man” with the black eye-patch and affinity for black orchids, the love of Brenda’s life is soon identified as Basil St. John. He comes in and out of her life, never reliable enough for their love to flourish despite the deep attraction the two feel for each other.

It gradually emerges that St. John has to grow the rare black orchids in order to make a serum to keep himself alive. He suffers from a mysterious disease that afflicts all male relatives in this family.

In a comic strip already fond of gothic trappings (think the underground lare of Professor Squell and the Beastly Twins), stories involving Basil typically take place in exotic locales (black orchids don’t just grow anywhere, after all!) with the mystery man almost involved with mysterious and often sinister other women. Basil inspires some of Dale Messick’s most engaging narratives. And the gothic, almost operatic nature of her encounters with Basil lend the strip with an appealing eccentricity. While often earnest, part of Brenda Starr’s appeal as a comic strip was its often campy sensibility.

Dale Messick’s Embrace of Camp

Susan Sontag wrote an influential essay in 1964 entitled “Notes on ‘Camp.’” The concept is necessary to fully appreciate what Dale Messick was attempting with Brenda Starr in the forties and beyond, ahead of her time. Sontag argued that camp, among other things, was esoteric, extravagant, outlandish, playful, the enemy of the serious,  favoring style over content, “a virtually uncontrolled sensibility.” All of this applies to most of Messick’s work on Brenda Starr.

None of the elements that comprised the world of Brenda Starr was particularly unique but the mix of elements was. Regularly mixing in elements of the fantastic, Messick wrote with one mantra in mind: “Authenticity is something I always try to avoid.” Messick mixed Brenda’s glamour with gothic horrors, impossibly romantic leading men with unlikely flaws, a deranged botanist out to conquer the world and a villain who keeps explosives hidden in his false teeth. Characters boasted wonderfully eccentric names: lumber baron Timber Woods, diet guru Dr. Slimski, and the mysterious Crystal Dish. Yet mixed in with the outlandish characters were threats to characters the reader cared about. Extravagant, outlandish, playful… All of the above.

Personally, I also feel like all good camp features a diva any gay man worth his salt would root for. That was Brenda in spades.

A 1945 article about Messick and her creation gives some further hints to Brenda Starr’s appeal. It suggests some of her most enthusiastic fan mail came from female journalism students and girls (and the occasional boy) who were interested in fashion and contributed dress designs for the female characters.

Messick’s four younger brothers coaxed their big sister into giving her heroine some curves to draw in straight male readers. Messick obliged said readers with a steady supply of Brenda in lingerie. New Year’s Day installments often featured a cheesecake drawing of Brenda welcoming the New Year. But Messick drew the line at explicit sexuality. When a male reader cautiously suggested the artist might draw a “daring” picture of Brenda, Messick sent him one of Brenda going over Niagra Falls in a barrel!

Brenda Starr’s Post-War Domesticity

Many comic strips married off their heroes in the late forties and early fifities, with children soon to follow. Dick Tracy, Joe Palooka and Secret Agent Corrigan are all examples of this. But Dale Messick felt the pull of this but understood that Brenda Starr needed to stay single and continue to enjoy a series of extraordinary romances in the midst of her adventures. Messick managed to have her cake and eat it too, marrying off nearly all of Brenda Starr’s female supporting characters.

Sultry “Slim” Nolan marries Flash photographer and former Brenda suitor in 1946, and have a child together the following year. Hank O’Hair and Abretha Breez both got married in 1948, Hank to handsome artist Pierre and Abretha to hog farmer Hy Pockets. Hank gives birth to a baby girl, soon named B-Bomb, in 1951. B-Bomb’s growing up is traced through the 1960s. Abretha gives birth to twins in 1957, though her children are rarely seen thereafter. Even Daphne Dimples feels the call to domesticity, marrying Howie Haddem in 1953 and giving birth to a pink-haired daughter the following year.

Messick also follows the blended family of wheelchair bound Zeela Lee, Hitch Rider and Hitch’s daughter, Merrie. Readers watch Merrie grow from a scheming pre-teen in 1954, to a pretty teen in 1959, a college student in 1962, and a young woman who finally finds love in 1967 with an injured Army veteran.

But this period also enjoyed some of Brenda Starr’s longer and engaging adventures, which could last six months or more before the Tribune syndicate appears to have strongly recommended stories lasting no longer than three months. Botonist Craven Odd seeks world domination in 1958, master of disguise Cheet Kelly kidnaps Brenda who only escapes south of the border—complications ensue (1959-60), and Brenda challenges the schemes of sinister South Seas princess Palava that same year. The 1964 story of two Count Orlandos also has several satisfying twists and turns.

Messick continued to show inclusive instincts, introducing in 1968 a handsome, college-educated Native American named Ab Able, who is the publisher of a newspaper in Stampede, Oregon. He serves as a guide for Brenda as she does a story on a abominable snowman sighting. But once again, Messick’s treatement of a diverse character is a mixed bag. Able is the rare male who doesn’t pursue Brenda romantically and ends up presumed lost in an avalanche by the end of the story.

By the 1960s, television programs like Batman brought camp into the mainstream. Messick seems to have been influenced by this and Brenda’s outre feminity and vanity soon grew out of proportion, her brash fearlessness no longer the necessary counterpoint it once was.

Brenda Starr’s Other Incarnations

While less well known today, Brenda Starr enjoyed considerable popularity from the 1940s through the 1970s. A movie serial starring Joan Woodbury as Brenda hit theaters in  January of 1945. Abretha and Pesky were the only other carryovers from the comic strip.

Hoping to build off the popularity of Barbie as a glamorous fashion doll, a Brenda Starr doll was introduced by 1964 by the Alexander Doll Company. It was a miscalculation as, by the sixties, Brenda Starr was not on the tip of most little girls’ tongues.

         .

Jill St. John starred as Brenda Starr in a made-for-television movie about the reporter in 1976. Likely intended as a pilot, no television series emerged as a result. Basil St. John was nowhere to be seen but Hank O’Hair was there as her faithful friend and sidekick.

Dale Mesick arranged for considerable publicity for Brenda Starr’s long delayed wedding to Basil St. John in 1976. A wedding reception featured Ann Landers as a special guest. President and Mrs. Ford sent their greeting and their regrets. Messick herself was the guest of honor. “She was a virgin,” Messick declared with the abidng faith of a loving parent. But who knew what really happened between the panels.

The least successful venture was a Brenda Starr movie made in 1986 but not released overseas until 1989 and in the United States until 1992 due to legal complications, starring Brooke Shields as Brenda and Timothy Dalton (onetime James Bond) as Basil St. John. Hank and Pesky are once again represented. Shields and Dalton looked the part, but the movie was not well received by critics and was a box office bomb.

Marriage, Motherhood & Brenda Starr (1976)

Dale Messick perhaps tired of finding artificial reasons to keep Brenda and Basil St. John and set up a long narrative that finally ended in 1976 with their nuptials. While seeing them happy was initially rewarding, Messick’s initial instincts in keeping them apart soon proved to have been the right choice. With a major source of dramatic tension resolved, the only way to keep up narrative interest was to have Brenda become pregnant and give birth to a baby girl.

Messick named Basil and Brenda’s daughter, Starr, the same name she gave her own daughter back in the late 1940s. Unfortunately Starr’s addition to the narrative made the comic strip slip out of its predominatly camp style—which, in any case, by the seventies had fallen somewhat out of the cultural mainstream—into a cloying cuteness. But Messick had one last act of transgressive narrative in her. 

Slippery St. John: Playing with Gender (1978)

Brenda Starr encounters a singing sensation named Slipper Veil in 1978 towards the end of Dale Messick’s stewardship of the comic strip she created. The “veil” in the name suggested a sense of mystery to the character. The following year Brenda discovers that Slipper Veil is actually Basil’s cross-dressing nephew, Slippery St. John.

Once Slipper’s secret is out, however, Basil’s nephew continues her/his career as a male. While still something of risky territory for the typically conservative funnies page the power of portrayal soon loses most of its gendered rebellion. Slippery displays romantic interests towards women, including Brenda Starr herself, despite her being married to his uncle. Slippery marries the bizarre Galaxy Gal in a hot air balloon over the Bermuda Triangle the following year. The storyline’s embrace of convention still managed to be offbeat.  

With the end of this storyline, Messick gives up art chores and shortly thereafter gives up writing the comic strip as well. A cross-dressing heterosexual singing sensation showed Messick’s efforts to stay current in her final years of the strip. That said, the influx of fresh creative blood helped infuse Brenda Starr with some new energy and ultimately a different take on the comic strip.

New Blood: Fradon, Sutton & Schmich

The new artist on Brenda Starr was Ramona Fradon, one of the most successful female comic book artists of the fifties and sixties. Fradon was best known for her work on Aquaman and, as co-creator, the superhero known as Metamorpho. She brought a more polished style to the strip, while never sacrificing its glamour. She drew the strip from 1980 to 1995, creating a new artistic high point for the series. Fradon was able to create dreamily handsome leading men, chief among them Mikhail Godenuf and Raven Graves.

The new writer, Linda Sutton, was not as successful. She shared a problem mastering a cohesive storyline and plots tended to meander. The best thing Sutton did was have Basil St. John and Starr suffer a plane crash over a South American jungle in 1993. The mystery man pops up sometime later. Starr doesn’t. Yet her body was never found. After nearly driven mad with grief, Brenda moves on. While Brenda’s reactions to her loss never quite rang true, eliminating the character of Starr was a needed development that allowed Brenda to participate in more free wheeling adventures. (For those who worry about loose ends, Brenda is finally reunited with Starr 11 years later. Now a teenage singing sensation, raised by a loving foster father named Dylan Jagger, Starr reconciles with her mother but decides to remain in Latin America, never to be seen or referred to again.)

Mary Schmich took over as the writer of Brenda Starr in September of 1985. Schmich introduced a new group of characters who provided compelling story opportunities. Gabby Van Slander, the Flash’s new gossip columnist, began as a foil for Brenda but soon emerged as a multi-facited character who added some fun to the narrative. Dancer  Godenuf was initially clearly a riff on Rudolf Nureyev, but he soon emerged as a covert government agent who was the first romantic rival to Basil St. John who could give the mystery man real competition. A new female character, Wanda Fonda brought some much needed racial diversity to the cast. But Mary Schmich was interested in doing far more than that.

Schmich wrote the most insightful conversations between Brenda and Basil of all of the strip’s writers, including its creator.

Wanda and Basil: Interracial Couple (1986)

Wandafonda first appears in the Brenda Starr comic strip in 1986. Two years later she is referred to as Wanda Fonda and is revealed to be a government agent who is working with Mikhail Godenuf to bring down the drug dealing Kingpin. She appears to enjoy a history with Mikhail but is clearly attracted to Basil who is also working on the case. In a letter to Wanda, Basil tells her she has renewed his faith in love. By the summer of 1990, Basil and Wanda are shown living together, even as Basil begins to realize that he and Brenda are both still in love. Wanda, unaware of these developments, calls Basil in October to tell him that she is pregnant.

Any romance with Brenda put aside, Basil promptly disappears and is declared dead by the sinister Dolores Pain. Their shared grief over Basil’s “death” forges a deep friendship between Brenda and Wanda. Wanda gives birth to Sage in 1991. Sage is diagnosed with his father’s genetic eye disease necessitating an eye patch even as an infant. It was a touch that Dale Messick might have utilized. Thereafter, Wanda is mostly seen in conjuction with her son. In the midst of these various developments, circa 1997, Wanda takes on the more family friend job of an Oprah like talk show host.

All in all, the romance of Wanda and Basil was remarkable for ignoring the general taboo of an interracial romance on the comics page. What’s more, Schmich made nothing of it. The fact that they had a child together was unprecedented. Nor are Brenda and Wanda  portrayed as rivals, as many writers might have played it, and Wanda soon becomes one of Brenda’s closest friends. There aren’t many folks in the world who could understand the viscisitudes of loving the mystery man.

Brenda Starr Matures

When artist Ramona Fradon retired in November 1995, her replacement on Brenda Starr—June Brigman—had a decidedly more realistic style. Mary Schmich adjusted her writing accordingly, increasingly featuring stories that revolved around the challenges of being a reporter in the rapidly changing world of newspaper journalism. Brenda was laid off on a number of occasions, once moonlighting as a poltical speechwriter as a result. The most amusing storyline during this period was one in 2006 that also spoofed reality television. On the American Reporter reality show, viewers got to vote on which reporter they wanted to be laid off next! Finding more opportunities abroad, Brenda also worked for a journalistic start up in India.

As for June Brigman, like Fradon before her, she was remarkably talented at drawing strikingly handsome men. With Basil St. John now often missing for six or seven years at a time, Brenda was romanced by undercover agent Max Rapture, an e-entrepreneur named Tek, South Asian journalist “Tiger” Salmon, and “sexiest man alive,” Jack Grant.

Finally, it should not go without comment that the Tribune syndicate intentionally only assigned women writers and artists to the strip. For the some seventy years of its run, Brenda Starr was only written and drawn by women, with the exception of a few briefly utilized ghost artists.

Boy Brenda, “Uncle” Spiff & Gig Lovelady

Linda Sutton and Mary Schmich also tried to inject some diversity in sexual orientation and gender presentation to Brenda Starr’s cast of characters, or as much as the syndicate allowed. Gay characters were extremely rare on the finnies page, Lawrence in For Better or For Worse and Mark Slackmeyer in Doonesbury being the notable exceptions.

The lead singer of a pop group, Boy Brenda takes Brenda Starr as his inspiration. Wearing make-up and his hair long, Boy Brenda presents as a woman dressed in stylish boy garb. His greatest thrill is when Brenda, despite still grieving the loss of Basil and Starr, agrees to perform with his band on stage in 1984. Clearly patterned after Boy George, Boy Brenda’s song lyrics also spoof the most popular of Boy George’s song. Boy Brenda’s sexual orientation is not hinted at, but he was an appealingly queer figure.

 “Uncle” Spiff (if he ever had a last name I’ve never found it) was a hairdresser to the stars when he first appeared in 2002, middle-aged, flamboyant, and a stereotype, if a relatively harmless one. When Biff became an unlikely journalist, he soon became one of Brenda Starr’s best friends and seemed less superficial than he had originally.

Gig Lovelady initially appeared to be the ladies man his name suggested but it later emerged he was both a bisexual and a murderer. The character unfortunately played into a common trope of the period of bisexuals being unstable and potentially dangerous.

Still, it was a daring move for Schmich in any case. She gets credit for taking chances and creating a sympathetic gay character in Uncle Spiff.

The End of Brenda Starr

Dale Messick died in 2005 at the age of 98. Even in retirement she kept drawing, peddling a comic strip called Granny Glamour. It isn’t hard to imagine her inspiration. Brenda Starr lived on a bit longer, the comic strip being retired, along with its lead character, on January 2^nd, 2011. A dwindling number of papers subscribing to the strip and Schmich and Brigman’s desire to move on to other projects contributed to the decision. Brigman went on to draw Mary Worth a few years later. At Brenda Starr’s retirement party, a parcel with a black orchid inside of it arrives for stalwart reporter. It was a fitting place to close the curtain.

Brenda’s Starr’s Family

Beth Bennett. Brenda Starr’s mother, a beautiful actress who died mysteriously during her childhood. It is only as an adult that Brenda learns she was murdered and must solve the mystery of who killed her decades later. Backstory 12/42-c4/43.

Jack Starr. Brenda’s late father with whom she fell out of touch.

Jack Starr, Jr. Brenda’s half-brother from her father’s second marriage. Brenda only meets him by chance when the air force pilot crash lands on the island that Brenda and Daphe Dimples are trapped on, due to their kidnapping by Senor Bite’so. Her brother is briefly mentioned in the run-up to Brenda’s wedding to Basil. 12/5/43-c1/44.

Abretha Breez Pockets. Brenda’s overweight cousin with whom Brenda is reunited in 1941 after not having seen her since childhood. Abretha has come to the big city to seek a singing  career, although this goal is soon forgotten. She meets the tall and slim farmer Hyram “Hy” Pockets in April 1947 and marries him on June 6^th, 1948, subsequently  moving out to live on his pig farm. Abretha takes a break from the pigs for an extended visit in 1949. In 1951, she returns to the city to help Hank take care of her new baby. Abretha ends up staying in Brenda’s apartment  for several years while husband Hy is in the military in Korea. After breaking her jaw in 1954, Abretha loses a large amount of weight and is fearful her returning husband won’t love her anymore. As it turns out, Hy has become quite fat in the service. The cousins still visit each other frequently throughout the fifties. By 1957, Abretha is happily eating for two and gives birth to a son, Bobby. In 1977, Abretha arrives via helicopter to help Brenda care for her new baby. After 1982, Abretha is no longer seen in the narrative. c9/41-6/48, 9/48-11/48, 4/15/49-1/50, 8/50, 1/51-3/54, 4/55-9/55, 4/56-8/56, 2/57-4/57, 12/57-1/58, 10/59-11/59, 7/61, 2/62-3/62, 7/73, 1/76, 9/77-11/77, 12/81, 3/82.

Hy Pockets. Pockets tall, thin frame is in marked contrast to Abreatha, the woman with whom he falls deeply in love and quickly marries. The two live together on Pockets’ farm. 4/15/47, 4/48-6/48, 3/57, others.

Tornado. Originally Abretha’s dog, Tornado later becomes Brenda’s dog.

Basil St. John. Brenda first meets the love of her life after her appears in her apartment after Brenda dreams of him in September 1945. Originally known simply as “the mystery man” with the black eye-patch, red-lined cape that can induce sleep and affinity for black orchids, the love of Brenda’s life is soon identified as Basil St. John. He comes in and out of her life, never reliable enough for their love to flourish despite the deep attraction the two feel for each other. He gradually emerges that St. John has to grow the rare black orchids in order to make a serum to keep himself alive. Brenda and the Flash crew encounter Basil’s mother, Haelo Angel in 1947. Brenda receives a white gown and an invitation to a masquerage ball in 1952, a romantic reunion arranged by Basil. But a black orchid blight at the foregin farm where he’s been doing research requires his departure not long after. Basil shows up for one day on New Year’s Eve in 1954 only to find that’s she on assignment in Alaska. In 1960, Brenda discovers Basil on a forbidden Polynesian island, doing research on the islands ample suppy of black orchids and the love object of the mysterious Palava, “White Heat of the South Seas.” In 1965, Brenda gets word of a scientist named Basil St. John working with Dr. Dell Jeffrey in the jungles of the Amazon. It turns out to be Basil’s nephew Ron St. John, whome Basil made promise to make Brenda happy. Ron helps Brenda find Basil, who is suffering from recurrent bouts of amnesia. Brenda leaves to allow him to get the treatment he needs. Basil tries to write Brenda in 1967 to let her know tha he’s totally cured, but Carlotta—a nurse who has fallen in love with him—unsuccesfully attempts to thrwart their reunion. Its Brenda’s disappearance that separates them the following year. In 1970, Brenda finds Basil by accident when Ruby Gordon’s plane crashes on an uncharted island and Basil is there to help Brenda and the Gordon family survive, only for it to emerge that Basil is apparently married to his assistant. She also learns that Basil spent his boyhood in Algeria and received education at the Sorbonne. In 1974, Basil arrives at a church to stop Brenda’s wedding to Atwell Livwright’s nephew, Redwood. Finally, after years of tribulations, Brenda and Basil marry in January 1976. In September 1977 they have their first and only child, Starr. Both Basil and Starr are presumed dead when their plane crashes during a bad storm in the Yucatan in 1983. Basil pops up to help develop a cure for Anise, a younger sister who also wears an eyepatch, in 1984. He watches silently as Brenda marries the Baron de Chantanel, a deception both men collaborate in. Furious, Brenda leaves both men behind. In 1986, Basil is working as a government operative with Mikhail Gudenuf and Wanda Fonda, with whom he “learned to love again.” Just as Brenda and Basil are on the verge of a reconciliation, Wanda—not aware of these developments—infroms him that she’s pregnant. Wanda Fonda gives birth to a son named Sage in 1991 who has the same genetic illness and eyepatch that he does. Posing as a twin brother named Sorrel St. John, Basil helps Brenda bring back a cure later that same year. In 1997, with Wanda’s blessing, Basil meets his son for the first time. The following year, his loved ones learn that he has been taken as a prisoner of war while on a mission. In 2001, during an episode of madness, Basil fights an old colleague named Sledge Hammer. In 2009, with Brenda’s help.Basil is reunited with his son, now a teenager. In 2011, on the occasion of Brenda’s quitting her job at the Flash, an unseen Basil sends Brenda a black orchid. 9/16/45-9/30/45, 12/45-2/46, 12/31/46, 2/47-4/47, c5/47-6/47, 10/47, 5/49, 5/51-8/51, 11/21/52-1/25/53, 12/31/54, 5/57-8/57, 8/21/60-11/60, 5/7/65-9/4/65,  11/9/67-8/68, 3/70-5/70, 3/74-9/74, 5/75-9/80, 10/81-9/25/83, 9/84-1/85, 7/86-2/87, 3/88-6/88, 10/88-1/89, 7/90-1/91, 8/91-12/91, 1/97-7/97, 10/28/01-12/30/01, 8/08-2/09, 1/11 (unseen).

Starr Twinkle St. John. The only child of Brenda Starr and Basil St. John, conceived a year after the marriage of her parents. As she grows,Starr emerges as a precocious and mischievous toddler. The family is happy until 1983 whenBasil flies off in a terrible storm over the Yucatan withStarr aboard. The plane crashes and both Basil and Starr are presumed dead after a frantic search by Brenda that leaves her on the edge of madness. Starr remains presumed dead, despite her father turning up alive not long after. Years later, in 1994, Brenda is convinced to attend a movie entitled Teen Temptress, starring a red-haired adolescent named Starr Sizzle. It emerges that Dylan Jagger, her manager and actor father, found Starr lost, hungry and without any memory of her earlier life in the Mexican jungle and raised her as his own. Starr sports major attitude at first, but ultimately accepts that Brenda is her mother and that she didn’t intentionally abandon her. However, Jagger is the only parent she ever remembers having and she convinces Brenda that it is best to leave her with him. 9/14/77-9/25/83, 2/94-6/19/94.

Patch. Brenda adopts a dog that has been injured in a hit-and-run she witnessed and must wear a patch thereafter. The dog is central to an ensuing mystery, of course, and Brenda keeps him as a pet for the rest of the narrative. 2/14/99-1/11.

Basil St. John’s Family

Crystal Dish. 14-year old girl who has been under Basil St. John’s care and keeping at his black orchid farm in mysterious Sun Valley. Basil ultimately sends Crystal away with Brenda, as she has never lived away for Black Orchid Farm and desires a chance to live like other girls. However, when Brenda has to go out on assignment, she arranges for Crystal to live with Larry Nickels. Crystal returns five years later, a young woman. 1/46-3/46, 6/51-9/51,

Haelo Angel. Veiled mystery woman whose beauty is reputedly “so dazzling that, in certain lights, a halo is seen above her head.” Pesky and Rocky fall for her when, in searching for t. e tiny foot that fits a tiny shoe. With her veil off, Haelo is seen with a halo over head, but it turns out it is a carefully crafted illusion. Haelo is actually an old woman, a jewel thief, and—in the greatest surprise of all—Basil St. John’s unhinged mother. 1/47-4/47.

Orchid LaMode. A woman of wealth and influence whom Basil marries when she is very ill. When she dies, Basil inherits her fortune, her estate and her responsibilities. 5/57-8/57.

Ron St. John. Basil’s eye-patch wearing nephew who is also romantically interested in Brenda, and spars with Dr. Dell, a physician caring for a very ill Basil. Ron is the only living male St. John who did not show signs of mental illness by the time he reached the age of twenty. When Basil fell seriously ill, he made Ron promise that he would devote himself to taking care of Brenda. 7/5/65-9/4/65.

Nino St. John. Latino waif that Brenda virtually adopts thinking he is Basil’s son, only to discover the boy is another of his nephews. Nino’s best friend is the equally mischievous, red-haired “Hot Dog.” 3/74-7/76.

Slippery St. John. Brenda discovers in early 1979 that the pop singing sensation Slipper Veil is actually Basil’s cross-dressing nephew. He manages to maintain his singing career as a male and displays romantic interests towards women, including Brenda herself. He later marries the bizarre Galaxy Gal in a hot air balloon over the Bermuda Triangle. 11/78-10/80.

Anise St. John. Basil’s pretty younger sister, a rare female member of the family who suffers from the family’s genetic illness and who also sports a black eyepatch as a result. Or, as the narrative explains, “The St. John curse dooms a woman to early madness and a man to death by his 35^th year” (9/4/84). Prior to showing evidence of the disease, Anise was engaged to the Baron Paul de Chantanel and Basil returned from apparent death to develop a cure for her. Brenda, who  married the Baron despite his knowing Basil was alive and Basil knowing Brenda was marrying—left her angry at them both. This left the door open for the Baron and Anise to likely resume their romance. Anise was totally unaware of her brother’s history with Brenda. 7/22/84-1/85.

Wanda Fonda.  AKA Wandafonda. Wandafonda first appears in 1986 as a business associate of Mikhail Godenuf’s apparently criminal pep pill operation and warns Brenda to keep her distance from Mikhail. But all is not as it seems, as later, in 1988, Wanda is revealed to be a government agent who is working with Godenuf to bring down the drug dealing Kingpin. She appears to enjoy a history with Mikhail but is clearly attracted to Basil who is also working on the case. In a letter to Wanda, Basil tells her she has renewed his faith in love. By the summer of 1990, Basil and Wanda are shown living together, even as Basil begins to realize that he and Brenda are both still in love. Wanda, unaware of these developments, calls Basil in October to tell him that she is pregnant. Any romance with Brenda put aside, Basil promptly disappears and is declared dead by the sinister Dolores Pain. Their shared grief over Basil’s “death” forges a deep friendship between Brenda and Wanda. Wanda gives birth to Sage in 1991. During 1992 and 1993 Wand is shown engaged to the intelligent but mild mannered Julien Niceman, who is supportive of Sage. Thereafter, Wanda is mostly seen in conjuction with her son. In the midst of these various developments, circa 1997, Wanda takes on the more family friend job of an Oprah like talk show host. Later that year, she and Basil go off on a mission together and she leaves Sage in Brenda’s care. Upon the end of their mission, she has bad news: Basil has become a prisoner of war. Wand is last seen giving her blessing to Sage to join Brenda on a mission to find his father. 1/16/86-2/86, 10/23/88-1/29/89, 7/29/90, 10/28/90-1/91, 6/91-9/15/91, 11/91, 6/92-7/92, 7/83-8/83, 11/94-12/94, 3/96, 1/97-7/97, 1/98, 7/98, 5/08-6/08, 3/09.

Sage St. John. The son of Basil and Wanda Fonda, born in July, 1991, diagnosed with his father’s genetic eye disease and related illness, necessitating an eye patch even as an infant. After his birth, Brenda goes in search for a cure and Basil, posing as his twin brother Sorrel provides it. In 1997, a pre-teen Sage meets Basil for the first time and is excited to learn that he is his father. In 1998, Sage is left in Brenda’s care and has an urban adventure, dealing with a threatening figure known as the Ratman. That same year he learns that Basil has been captured by enemy forces and is a prisoner of war. In 2008, Brenda agrees to assist a teen-aged Sage in a search for his father that leades the pair into an extended adventure. 7/91-9/91, 11/91, 6/92, 12/94, 1/97-9/97, 1/98-7/6/98, 6/1/08-3/14/09.

Brenda Starr’s Work Associates

Tom Taylor. Crack photographer for the Flash, in love with Brenda who consistently turns down his marriage proposals. The pipe smoking Taylor impulsively marries “Slim” Nolan in 1946, only later falling in love with her. The following year they have a child together. 6/40-6/46, 9/46, 6/47.

Pesky Miller. Copy boy at the Flash, infatuated with Brenda. Miller comes from a long line of amateur chemists and has created a number of unusual 6/40-1/11.

Muggs Walters. Owner of the Flash, gruff but generally kind hearted. The uncle of Brenda’s spoiled nemesis, Daphne Dimples, and father to “Bub” Walters, who briefly appears to take over editorship of the Flash in 1941. An imposter pretends to “Bub” in 1944, likely tied into Muggs Walter’s retirement, which clears the way for Atwell Livwright taking over. 6/40-c3/45.

Hank O’Hare/O’Hair. Hank first appears in the narrative as a rival reporter to Brenda, employed at the Comet, and dismisses her as a pretty piece of fluff. Brenda succeeds in earning her respect and luring her over to work for the Flash. Hank’srather masculine looks and plain face are a marked contrast to Brenda’s conventional feminity and glamor. Hank’s one fashion statement is wearing a beret. Hank meets Pierre Palette who initially asks Hank to pose as his companion to stave off the women that are always hitting on him. Pierre tells Hank that she is the one woman who won’t distract him from his work. Soon enough, though, he falls for Hank and the two are engaged in August 1946. The two marry in 1948 and in 1951 they have a daughter named  B-Bomb. Much later, in 2020, Hank is ashamed when she is journalistically compromised by the calculated attentions of a very handsome politican named Sterling Golden. 9/13/42-1/11.

Atwell Livwright. Managing editor of the Flash who takes over the day to day operations of the newspaper from Muggs Walters.Daphne refers to Livwright as her uncle as she did Muggs. Tom Taylor takes an immediate dislike to the abrupt Livwright. The new editor gradually gains a genuine affection for Brenda. Both he and his wife die of heart attacks at the same time in May of 1982. c6/45-5/82.

Slim Nolan. A tough-talking 18-year old copy girl at the Flash, shapely with thin lips and a penchant for cigarettes. Seeing Brenda’s interests constantly divided, despite her friendship with Brenda, Slim sets her sights on Tom Taylor. The two are married in unusual circumstance in March of 1946 though they don’t fall in love until later that year. Their marital life is immediately complicated by the appearance of her delinquent kid brother, Rocky Nolan the following month. In September 1946, Slim tells Tom that’s she pregnant and in the following year in June she gives birth to a daughter named Mimi.c6/45-9/46, 2/47, 6/47, x/48.

Rocky Nolan. Slim’s younger brother who flirted with juvenile delinquency before become a sub-cub reporter for the Flash. For a while, he is the sometime pal and sometime rival of the only slightly more experienced Pesky Miller. 4/14/46-7/46, 1/47-4/47.

Pierre Palette. Staff artist at the Flash. The Frenchman with a neatly groomed mustache falls hard for Hank O’Hara, whom he ultimately marries in 1948. 7/19/46-x/48, 1/51, and various cameos thereafter.

B-Bomb Palette. Hank and Pierre’s only child ins born in in January 1951. She soon is wearing a beret like her mother. Everyone is concerned that B-Bomb isn’t talking at all, until December 1952 when she begins speaking in entire sentences. As she gets a little older, it’s clear that B-Bomb is a wild child who doesn’t go in for frilly girly stuff and is highly energetic and fearless. In 1964, B-Bomb is frustrated when her older visiting cousin Pony successfully romances the boy B-Bomb is interested in. 1/51-2/51, 12/52, 2/53, 5/64-7/64, and various cameos before and after. Featured in 4/55-8/55, 5/64-7/64.

Dandy Livwright. Wealthy playboy with dark hair and a mustache who briefly takes over the Flash after his Uncle Atwell’s heart attack. Daphne Dimples sets her sights on him, despite being Mrs. Livwright’s  niece. 5/77-8/77.

Gabby Van Slander. Gossip columnist and occasional irritant to Brenda. Insight into Gabriela’s colorful life is uncovered as she testifies during a legal battle to obtain full custody of her teen-age son Kodak from her ne’er do well ex-husband, Clicker Paparazzi in early 1988. 1/86, 7/86, 10/87-2/88, 8/88, others.

Kodak Paparazzi. The teen-aged son of Gaby Van Slander and unscrupulous celbrity photographer, Clicker Paparazzi. Returning home from boarding school for the holidays he soon finds himself at the heart of a custody dispute. 10/17/87-2/3/88.

Farewell Joshua Livwright. The spitting image of his younger brother, save that he stands only two/thirds as tall, the long lost brother of Atwell takes over the Flash but allows his younger sister to continue to serve as editor. In January 1989, the elder Livwright sells his interest in the Flash to B. Babbitt Bottomline. 5/28/83-1/89.

B. Babbit Bottomline. Profit-driven publisher of a chain of newspapers who buys the Flash in 1989. More profit driven than Livwright, Bottomline never takes a fatherly interest in Brenda. His two adult children create some trouble for the gang, Babe Bottomline, and B. Brand Bottomline. 1/29/89-12/10.    

Callow Kidman. Handsome young reporter in his twenties, a colleague at the Flash, whose youth and attitude manage to both annoy and attract Brenda. He is constantly making romantic overtures towards Brenda. Ambitious, Callow leaves the Flash to take a job at the more prestigious Times. 12/11/94-5/15/95.

“Uncle” Spiff. Originally hairdresser to the stars, Spiff looks to be in his forties, sports a mustache and wears his hair long and in braids. When next seen in 2004, the openly gay Spiff has become a report on the Values News Network. He becomes a journalist for the Flash in 2007, securing his place as Brenda’s best gay pal. Classic Uncle Spiff line: “Uncle Spiff is never serious, chiquita, except when he is!” Chiquita is his favored nickname for Brenda though he doesn’t appear to be Latino with his reddish blond hair. 3/02-9/2/02, 12/04-10/1/05, 9/06-2/17/07, 10/07-6/08, 3/09.

Pug Tuff. Originally an intern at the Flash, Pug has subsequently made a name for herself as a journalist in India. Pug is short, stout and tough.8/03-2/04, 3/09-12/09.

B. Brand Bottomline. Handsome, dark-haired son who briefly takes over as publisher of the Flash. His pet parrot sits on his shoulder, leading Brenda to suggest he just wants his own words parroted back at him. 10/07-3/09.

Brenda Starr’s Romantic Interests

Larry Nickels/Nickles. Handsome and independently wealthy editor of the Cloud, a rival newspaper whose offices are located in Sun Valley, a ski resort area. Nickels comes from a long line of newspaper publishers. His secretary is named Flury Snow and is in love with him. He is first of a long line of romantic leading men seeking Brenda’s heart. Nickels garners Brenda’s respect when he enlists in the army later in 1941 but his role as chief romantic interest is greatly diminished when he breaks his leg in 1945 and Basil St. John enters the scene to rescue Brenda. In 1960, he and Brenda encounter the mysterious Palava in an adventure that ultimately reunites Brenda with Basil St. John. In 1970, Larry briefly resurfaces to date Brenda, only to lose her interest in Dice Domino. In 1976, Nickels marries Lucy LaTouche in a drunken haze after Brenda’s wedding but the two divorce later that year. Larry finds his own happy ending, falling in love with a younger redhead in a wheelchair who also just happens to be named Brenda Starr. 12/40-4/41, 8/41-9/41, 1/46, 1/47, referenced 10/48, flashback 9/8/56, 11/59, 4/60-10/60, 11/61, 7/68-9/68, 8/70-9/70, 1/74, 8/75-10/76, others.

Detective Christopher Traverts. Wealthy and cultured police detective who akways smokes a pipe and often becomes involved in Brenda’s crime-oriented stories. He is also romantically attracted to her, of course. 4/41-7/41c, ….  , 11/44-12/44, 11/45-12/45, 9/46-12/46, 1/48-2/48, 1/51-2/51, 9/51, 6/53-8/53, referenced 6/6/59, referenced 1/76.

Timber Woods. Wealthy and handsome lumberand paper mill magnate. Brenda almost marries him when she believes that he is deathly ill, then agrees a second time to marry him, in hopes that the news of her impending nuptials with bring her mystery man around again. It does, and Woods ends up marrying Daphne Dimples by mistake. 6/47-11/47, referenced as having tried to call Brenda 10/48, 7/23-24/68, referenced 1/76.

Awful Natural. AKA, the Natural Man, a heavily bearded, shirtless man who spends his spring, summer and fall every year living off the land in the woods just outside Hy Pockets’ farm. The handsome and fit Natural ends up shaving his beard and dressing up for Brenda, but promptly falls in love with another woman once in the city. 9/48-11/48, referenced 1/76.

Lance Scott Hunter. Wealthy benefactor and president of Bedlam College, a school for girls who want careers. Hunter first meets Brenda when he seeks her out to teach at the college, but the two soon fall in love and become engaged. Lance is shot, by his sister Gracie of all people, on their wedding day. During his recovery obstacles arise, including Daphne setting her sites on the hapless Hunter. 9/49-8/50.

Professor Bob Argyle. Handsome archeologist and anthropologist who discovers a mysterious ancient artifact called the Rowena which ultimately is revealed to contain a chemical that has the potential to successfully treat mental illness. Tan with blond hair and striking blue eyes, Argyle comes closer to capturing Brenda’s heart but the discovery gives Brenda hope that it might help Basil St. John avoid the insanity that afflicts the men in his family when they turn twenty. Brenda is willing to marry Argyle if Basil doesn’t show up in four weeks time. Unfortunately, Argyle falls ill from a malady he caught during his world travels and dies. 6/52-10/52.

Ben Starr. Handsome dark-haired journalist who runs his own paper in the Ozarks. Irresponsible and something of a womanizer, Brenda and Ben consider their same last name a mere coincidence, kiss briefly but nothing comes of their brief flirtation. 5/55-11/55, in flashback 9/8/56. (his secret revealed circa 9/3/55)

Ruff Banister. Handsome playwright who attempts to plot Brenda into a romance with him. He even goes so far as to disguise himself as her mystery man to steal a New Year’s Eve kiss. He has the rare distinction of being supported in his efforts by Hank O’Hare and her husband. He ultimately marries his secretary, “Funnyface,” who quietly held a torch for him for years. Ruff has blond hair and is well tanned. 11/58-4/6/59, referenced 1/4/76.

Dr. Grantham Eden. Handsome British psychiatrist infatuated with Brenda. 1/61-3/61.

Professor Danny Dalivar. Handsome, dark-haired scientist who studies the properties of the black orchid. Merrie Rider is initially infatuated with him and Brenda tries to deflect that interest by going to work for Dalivar, disguised in a plain black wig, as his secretary. Dalivar falls in love with “Ruth,” who reminds him of his late wife, and Brenda falls for him as herself, creating something of a dilemma. 5/62-10/62…, referenced 1/4/76.

Raye Gunn. Something of a rogue, Raye creates life-size dolls as part of the family business. Brenda is drawn to him despite her sense she may well get burned. 2/63-5/63, 7/68.

Mr. Dan. Handsome, blond-haired hair dresser who falls in love with Brenda after cutting her hair extremely short. 11/63-12/63, 4/28/64-

Milton Inkski. Beatnik, modern artist and romantic interest. 8/67-10/67, 7/26/68.

Ab Able. Handsome, college-educated Native American who is the publisher of a newspaper in Stampede, Oregon. He serves as a guide for Brenda as she does a story on a abominable snowman sighting. Able is presumed lost in an avalanche. 9/68-12/68, referenced 1/4/76.

Dice Domino. Handsome man of mystery who may have connections via his mother, MaMa Domino, with a crime family. He also is a gambler and a big game hunter and Brenda and he share an adventure in Africa. 8/29/70-3/71.

Joe Bulio. Macho and sometimes irresponsible blond-haired cop. Unusual for Brenda, as he is not fabulously wealthy. Still, he has a secret. 2/72-5/72, 8/72-9/72.

The Baron Paul de Chantanel. Part of a long line of aristocrats, the handsome, thirty-something Baron engages in a variety of global relief efforts, most recently in Haiti. In this capacity he is a long time friend of Basil St. John. Prior to meeting Brenda, he was engaged to Anise St. John, Basil’s sister, before she fell ill and broke off their engagement. The Baron is present at the time of Basil and Starr’s ill fated plane flight and with Brenda leads the unsuccessful search and rescue mission. A steadfast figure in the midst of Brenda’s maddening grief, the two ultimately fall in love. Unbeknownst to Brenda, however, Paul has learned that Basil is still alive, but seriously ill. The two agree to keep the news of Basil being alive secret so Brenda will have a chance of happiness. Brenda marries the Baron, only then learning that Basil is alive and that Paul had a passionate earlier relationship with his sister. Alientated from both men, Brenda leaves them, her marriage to the Baron not legal.  3/5/83-1/85.

Mikhail Godenuf. A former ballet dancer, Mikhail now does undercover work for an unnamed government agent. His first encounter with Brenda is while seeking to uncover the details of Flex O’Robics’ business in pushing addictive “pep powder.” The two are soon romantically involved. Mikhail returns working undercover as Miguel, investigating drug trafficker Kingpin in 1988. He is thrown together once again with Brenda, who herself is working the story disguised as a woman named Gracie. Complicating matters is the fact that Mikhail is on the Kingpin’s island retreat with his heretofore never mentioned daughter Giselle. In 1990, Mikhail is assigned to investigate the schemes of his ex-wife, Svetlana Foxynov, who also happens to be Giselle’s absentee mother. As in 1988, Mikhail is assisted by Basil St. John, whose involvement with Brenda he is initially unaware. Ultimately Mikhail steps aside, believing that Basil can love Brenda better than he can. 1/86-5/86, 8/86-12/86, 10/7/88-1/29/89, 5/7/90-10/19/90.

Laramie Coyote. Handsome trendsetter suspected of murder, Brenda sets out to learn the truth of the wanted cowboy. As Brenda would come to think of him, “my mandolin-playing, poetry writing mountain man (who) made the perfect cup of coffee.” 6/22/87-10/11/87.

Raven Graves. Night photographer and possible vampire, handsome with jet black hair and sun-glasses he wears even in the dark. He has a coffin in his own, in which it is only later revealed that he keeps old newspapers and photographs. Graves keeps his elderly mother hidden, whom he “kidnapped” from his cruel sisters for her own protection. When he once again goes on the run, Raven asks Brenda to join him, but she declines, lamenting that she never seems to fall for normal men. 1/93-7/93.

Dylan Jagger. Handsome move impresario with a single streak of white down the center of his lush, dark hair. Jagger serves as the manager of the hot new actress, Starr Sizzle, who turns out to be Brenda’s long lost daughter. Jagger found Starr lost in the jungle back in the days when he was running guns in Mexico for the S.I.A. under his original name, Mick McCartney. Wanting to be father to Starr, he must adopt his Jagger identity to escape the notice of the possessive underground government agency. While he initially tries to thwart Brenda’s efforts to see “his” daughter, the two come to an understanding. Starr can stay with the only parent she’s ever known as long as Jagger keeps Brenda apprised of their whereabouts from here on out. 2/94-6/94.

Jett Sweat. Handsome fitness fanatic with long blond hair, also an aspiring screenwriter. 6/95-10/95.

Rock Rappel. Handsome, dark-haired mountain climber associated with the criminal Consortium. Also Bottomline’s abandoned son. 8/96-1/97.

Max Rapture. Initially appears to be the right hand man of Karma, the second in command of the sinister Chamber of the New Millennium cult. Max actually turns out to be an arrogant, but very handsome and often shirtless investigative reporter for Undercover Magazine. While a self-styled “sexist scoundrel,” Brenda could count on him in a pinch. 3/11/99-8/15/99.

Tek. 28-year odl innovator behind the journalistic start-up, hotnooz.com, Tek hires Brenda to be a journalist for his new enterprise. (Brenda was unable to get her job back at the Flash after spending a year as a speechwriter for Honor Goodwin.) Tek made his fortune starting a website for fitness equipment. Muscular with a penchant for tight black t-shirts, Tek has a tattoo of Woodstock—the Peanuts character—on one of his arms. In contrast, Tek’s business partner Stanford Nieman is willing to cut any corner to insure a profit, including kidnapping Brenda when she figures out what he’s up to. Brenda also learns that hotnooz’ elusive editorialist Darwin has been Tek all along. 4/12/00-9/18/00.

Sledge Hammer. Posed as a handyman at Brenda’s building, this handsome rogue is a discredited member of the sinister Shadow Intelligence Agency. He and St. John go way back and Hammer once saved his life. Hammer is seemingly equally devoted to Brenda, uncovering the secret to Basil’s black orchid formula and saving his own neck. 7/01-12/01.

Nick Nikon. Handsome, globe-trotting photo journalist. 1/02-9/02.

“Tiger” Salmon. Handsome Asian Indian journalist who helps Brenda and Pug bring down Caressa, the brains behind considerable corruption in his country. 4/09-12/09.

Other Brenda Starr Characters

Siberia. Daphne Dimple’s attractive African-American maid who is more than willing to speak her mind but more often just shakes her head at the antics of her employer. She became Daphne’s maid in 1942 when her employment agency was running out of possible replacements. In 1943, it is revealed that Siberia moonlights (literally) as an  exotic dancer at Club Zebra, always making it home before Daphne’s own late night engagements. Siberia’s status in the series is marked by the fact that paper dolls and fashions for Siberia were occasionally featured on Sunday pages. She has a handsome African American boy friend named Dusty, whom she was occasionally shown talking to on the phone. He finally is shown on a couple occasions in 1953, the couple even briefly enjoying one afternoon on the beach. Siberia’s role in the narrative necessarily ends with that of her employer in 1954, when Daphne gives birth to her first child. 5/31/42, 10/3/43-10/10/43, likely other early appearances, 7/46-8/46, 11/46, 2/47, 10/47-11/47, 5/48, 5/49, 8/50, 10/50, 12/50, 7/52, 9/52-8/53, 2/54, 6/54.

Howie Haddum. Handsome photographer for the Flash. Brenda enlists Howie to impersonate Sir Oliver Twerp, because she knows the ony way he will win Daphne Dimple’s  heart is if he pretends to romance Brenda and acts indifferent to Daphne. As the smitten Sir Oliver is incapable of such actions, Howie plays the cad. But when he apologizes to Daphne for the deception, Daphne realizes it is his confident ways she fell for and the two are soon married. Romantic complications ensue, when and old flame enters the picture and Howie is framed for murder by Sir Oliver. Daphne has the marriage annulled but the two marry again when Daphne realizes she is pregnant. Howie moves into Daphne’s mansion. 2/53-10/53, 12/53.

Zeela Lee. Onetime dancer and old girl friend of Howie Haddum. Caught in the middle of a romantic triangle, she is shot and paralyzed by Sir Oliver Twerp. She is presumed dead and returns disguised as wheelchair bound Madame Fou Fou. She reveals her story to Brenda a year later, in 1954, on the condition that Brenda introduces her to Hitch Rider. Hitch and Zeela fall in love and soon marry. Zeela regains her mobility and serves as a loving step-mother to Merrie, as she grows into a beautiful young woman. 3/17/53-11/53, 6/54-8/54, 4/59-10/59, 5/62-6/62.

WeeGee Castle. A backwoods girl is revealed to be the presumed lost Castle heiress. Despite her step-mother’s efforts to turn her into a high society debutante, Wee Gee falls for and impulsively marries a handsome Italian soda jerk named Tommy Noletti. 1/52-6/52.

Hitch Rider. Nephew of Atwell Livwright who takes over management of the Flash while the Livwrights vacation in the Bahamas. He engenders Libby’s interest when she picks him up as a hitch hiker, not knowing who he is. Both Brenda and Libby Lipps express interest in him, but must deal with his precocious daughter Merrie’s resistance to any romantic interest in her father. Both Hitch and Merrie are won over by the wheelchair bound Zeela Lee. When Hitch and Zeela are next seen, they have married and thereafter act only as concerned parents on behalf of their trouble-prone daughter. 2/3/54-8/54, 4/59-10/59, 5/62-6/62.

Merrie Rider. Brilliant girl who, when Brenda first encounters her, is always trying to make a buck, including selling tickets to her friends to see her father propose to Brenda. Her intelligence constantly puts her into challenging situations (such as a highly successful quiz show contestant) as she gradually grows into an attractive young woman who just wants to be a normal girl. In 1959, she is a teenager who briefly disappears. When she reappears, a series of inexplicable events seem to revolve around a mysterious necklace and the diary of an elderly woman, referred to by Merrie as the Widow Creeper,  who lost a daughter who looked just like Merrie. In 1962, Merrie sports a crush on Professor Danny Dalivar. In 1967, she falls in love with a marine named Glen Flazer, Jr., after he is injured in Vietnam. She appears to have attended Brenda’s wedding in 1976. 3/22/54-8/54, 4/59-10/59, 6/62-8/62, 11/66-3/67, 1/76.

The Gunn Family. A family into whose drama Brenda is drawn for an extended period. T.J. is Raye Gunn’ married brother, Tammy and Bitsy are his troubled daughters, and Liana is their sti-mother whom Tammy badly resents. T.J. runs a department store for whom Raye provides the mannekins. 4/28/63-1/2/64.

Paula Siegfried. Beautiful young girl who apparently is a mermaid. She is protected by her father and her equally beautiful sister, Margo. 5/66-8/66.

Brownie Kate. Older woman who sells her wonderfully delicious brownies. Unbeknownest to her, some have been lethally laced with poison. For a time, she is arrested, suspected of murder. 10/15/71-12/26/71.

Boy Brenda. The lead singer of a pop group, Boy Brenda takes Brenda Starr as his inspiration. Wearing make-up and his hair long, Boy Brenda presents as a woman dressed in stylish boy garb. His greatest thrill is when Brenda, despite still grieving the loss of Basil and Starr, agrees to perform with his band on stage. 4/7/84-4/26/84.

Honor Goodwin. Presidential candidate who hires Brenda to be her speechwriter. The longterm commitment requires Brenda to leave The Flash, but Goodwin’s campaign ends in scandal, though she remains a good mother to her daughter Spice. 8/25/99-3/25/00.

Brenda Starr Adversaries

Aurora Connivingham. Lovely, platinum-haired dealer in antiquities who is using the money she raises to fund an army to destabilize Kazookistan. One-time lover of Basil St. John, she attempts to seduce him one last time. 9/08-1/30/09.

The Beastly Twins. Both named Mary Elizabeth Beastly, the two girls were considered one person by their wealthy but insane mother. One sister had a beautiful face but a withered body from spending her life inside an iron lung. The other sister has a beautiful body but a disfigured face. With the assistance of the murderous surgeon Dr. Pierre, the two sisters intend to steal Brenda face for one and her body for the other. She is able to convince them there are two plastic surgeons that could help them without such dire means, the identical twin doctors Rayo. 9/10/44-1/15/45.

Baron de Mullet. Apparent European aristocrat who wears a turban and glued on black goatee turns out to be a notorious jewel thief. He is assisted in his efforts by a raven-haired beauty named Belle and undone by Brenda’s deductive abilities and a bit of luck. 8/40-10/40.

Cash Wallstreet. Imagined adversary that a delusional Brenda models after the likeness of her psychiatrist, Dr. Mackey, for an entire year of adventures that never apparently happened. Her instincts aren’t entirely off, as Mackey proves to be nearly as unscrupulous and equally infatuated with Brenda Starr. As Cash: 10/80-6/81; as Dr. Mackey: 10/81-3/82.

Caxton Wuulph. Handsome “friend” of Livwright’s Aunt Bessie, who Brenda’s boss asks her to investigate. It seems that the elderly Bessie is spending her securities recklessly. Wuulph romances Brenda while, as a talented female impersonator, he is actually posing as Aunt Bessie and embezzling her funds. When Brenda hits her head in shock upon discovering his secret, Caxton nobly takes her to the hospital, even though he himself is burning up with fever. It turns out Caxton lacks an immune system and dies from an untreated common cold. 1/8/64-4/26/84.

Cheet Kelly. Handsome inventor of the high-speed turbo charged automobile, the Cheetah, Cheet is also a master of disguise who posed as Sir Gregory, owner of a bogus weight loss dance studio, Don Esteban, a supposed Mexican landowner, and others in efforts to defraud the wealthy. Infatuated with Brenda, of course, he kidnaps her at one point, aided by his Chinese houseboy, Wrong One. 10/19/59-4/27/60.

Clicker Paparazzi. Sleazy celebrity photographer and ex-husband of Gaby Van Slander and father to Kodak, Clicker is first seen stalking Brenda for photos. He soon is embroiled in a custody battle with Gaby over Kodak. 10/11/87-1/88.

Count Orlando. Apparently young and handsome, Count Orlando—the richest man in the world—is allegic to all types of women’s cosmetics. He romances a relunctantly cosmetic free Brenda and convinces him to join him on his island. There, the supposed beau turns out to only be the Count’s nephew. The actual count is hideously ugly and all previous attempted romances have ended with the girl screaming herself to death when she finally sees his face. Brenda’s kindness redeems the Count who then hires her to find his money hungrey nephew who has fled the island with a lover. 10/5/64-5/65.

Craven Odd. Handsome botanist with aspirations of marrying Brenda and achieving world dominion. His plan: “Possessing the earth with atomic morning glory vines, which, once planted, will choke out all other vegetation and destroy the world’s food supply.” 11/57-3/58.

Daphne Dimples. Niece of the Flash’s owner and first editor, Muggs Walters, Daphne is beautiful, spoiled and willing to sacrifice the needs of others to meet her own. She marries Timber Woods in 1947 while wearing a Brenda Starr mask. Of course, he was wearing a Basil St. John mask, so in terms in treachery it kind of evened out. Woods seeks a divorce as soon as possible and Daphne later marries a Flash reporter named Howie Haddem in 1953 and is revealed to be pregnant not long after. She gives birth to a child with pink hair in February, 1954. A new adversary, Libby Lipps meets with Daphne that June, seeking tips on how to get the better of Brenda. Daphne returns briefly in 1973, single again, to go on a double date with Brenda. Apparently, all has been forgiven in the intervening years. 10/26/40-x/xx, 7/46-8/46, 5/47-11/47, 6/50-11/50, 8/51-9/51, 9/52-10/53, 12/53, 2/54, 6/54, 4/10/73-4/73.

Dr. Dolores Pain. Unscrupulous surgeon who falsely informs Brenda and a pregnant Wanda that Basil is dead after a hit and run accident. In actuality she has performed a surgical procedure that removed all of Basil’s memories. She lives with Basil, who she has renamed Sorrel, his supposed twin brother. Brenda is accused of her murder late in 1991. 11/90-1/91, 8/91-10/91.

Dr. Kissintel. One of Basil’s instructors in science, the diminutive Stanford professor sports a wild shock of white hair and is more than willing to sell State secrets. 11/82-2/83.

Dr. Slimski. Fraudulent weight loss guru who entangles Abretha in his schemes. 3/48-4/48.

Flex O’Robics. Muscular owner of a trendy gym that also pushes the dangerous supplement known as Pep.Flex is unaware that he is being used by a foreign power, the supplement intended to ”ruin the best bodies in the country.” As Brenda summarizes the scheme, “chemical warfare for the narcisstic ‘80s.” Mikhail Gudenuf infiltrates O’Robics operation, along with Wanda Fonda, initially appearing at odds with Brenda’s efforts. 1/29/86-4/4/86.

Gig Lovelady. Handsome, but treacherous blond-haired actor, gigolo and murderer. Willing to seduce both men and women, Gig uses a closeted actor’s Oscar to kill his victims. 7/06-2/07.

Hennie Horton. Wealthy, pipe-smoking owner of the Kitten Club, a playboy-like establishment. Horton loses interest in his kittens once he meets Brenda. When Brenda rejects his advances at his Shangra-la retreat, he buys the Flash in revenge and sends Brenda on outrageous stories. Ultimately he succumbs once again to her charms, is rejected again and immediately sells the Flash. 4/69-10/69, referenced 1/4/76.

Kilbirdie. An unscrupulous gossip columinist and radio personality, Nancy/Madge Kilbirdie appears periodically across the narrative, always delighted to spread negative news or salacious rumor about Brenda or her friends. 10/46-11/46, 2/47, 10/49, 8/51, 12/51, 9/57-10/57.

Kingpin. Drug lord who has the world’s largest collection of Elvis memorabilia. His hideout is on a small Caribbean island. Kingpin is infatuated with Brenda, disguised as a fellow Elvis affectionado named Gracie. Kingpin is undone when Basil and Mikhail disguise themselves as twin Elvises and convince him to turnhimself in. 10/2/88-1/15/89

Lady Conrad Trumpster. Gray-haired murderess who runs a rival newspaper. Non-maternal mother of two exceptionally handsome twin sons, one evil, the other striving for redemption. The one way to tell them apart is the evil brother has “Dad” tattooed on his chest while the good one has “Mom.” Lady Trumpster attempted to seduce B. Babbit Bottomline as well as kill Brenda. 3/04-11/04.

Lazy Grayson. “The social register’s number one wildcat,” Lazy Grayson is a wealthy heiress with mysterious connections to Basil St. John and his black orchids. At the end of their first encounter, she withholds from Brenda the information that Basil is still alive after an explosion. 3/49-6/49, 9/49-11/49.

Libby Lipps. Journalist rival at the Flash, Libby is an attractive, short-haired brunette brunette who goes after Brenda’s stories and men, specifically the handsome Hitch Ryder. In June of 1954, Libby takes the bold step of enlisting one of Brenda’s former rival, Daphne Dimples, in her plans to bring Brenda down. Libby is brighter and significantly more competent than Daphne ever was and thus a more genuine threat. Her final appearance in the narrative is in 1956 when she takes an assignment intended for Brenda, investing a girl gang named the Blond Devils and ends up being beaten up in the process. 1/54-7/54, 12/54-1/55, 3/56.

Liz Cleaver. Another aspiring female journalist who attempts to take Brenda’s place and both admires and schemes against her. 10/60-3/61.

Lucy LaTouche. Voluptuous blonde and would-be reporter, a fortune hunting Daphne Dimples-like nemesis for Brenda. She married Larry Nickels, heartbroken over Brenda’s marriage, when he was in a drunken haze in February 1976. She divorces him to marry the even wealthier Razootsky in December of that same year, who was similarly in an altered state when he said I do. Never able to get the better of his harem, Lucy divorced him in interests of gaining access to his fortune. She subsequently set her sights on Dandy Livwright, the wealthy nephew of her sometime employer. 6/75-3/77, 7/77-8/77…

Madam Igor. Aka, famed fashion designer Cedric Modiste who stole designs from a model and then killed her to keep her/his secret. Dressed as a man, with a gun on Brenda, she exclaims “All my life I’ve hated beautiful women like you. But why should I? Clothers make the woman!” Basil St. John rescues Brenda from a fire that Madam Igor set and which ends up killing her. 10/27/45-12/45.

Madame Velonese. The head of powerhouse cosmetics firm, the House of Velon, Madame is a gypsy collector of “death objects” including the mysterious “lethal cane.” Capable of kidnapping, Madame is the brains behind hiring Brenda to be the “Lovely Soap Girl of 1968” for sinister reasons all her own. 5/68-7/68.

Maximilian Everheart. Handsome, dark-haired artist and con-man who concocts a brilliant jewel smuggling campaign in conjunction with his abstract art. 7/67-9/67.

Mencken. Handsome, but illiterate conman who pretends to write an award-winning column and is willing to kill to protect his secret. 2/89-6/89.

The Nameless Doll. Extraordinarily beautiful exotic dancer who successfully runs off with the club owner’s cash. x/61-12/61.

Nevera Livwright. Elder sister of Livwright who inherits the newspaper with the sole clause that she may never fire Brenda Starr. She has sinister motives and is a constant thorn to Brenda and later her younger brother, Farewell Joshua Livwright, who arrives on the scene in May 1983 but allows her to stay on as editor. Nevera employs the assassin Abuu Sindel to leave a poisonous viper in her brother’s drawer in October but the gesture fails to kill him. Nevera remains editor for several years until the Flash is bought out by B. B. Bottomline. 5/16/82-10/83, 7/84, 2/85-3/85, 2/87, 12/87, 1/31/89-2/1/89.

Palava. AKA the White Heat of the South Seas. Palava owns her own night club, Club Albino, where she dances seductively and travels in the company of her pets, two while leopards. She is likely an albino herself, sporting long white hair and eyes that appear capable of hypnotizing men. While at the club she drugs five young men and brings them back to her “forbidden island” in Polynesia for her sisters to marry. Brenda and Larry Nickels, suspicious of her activities, end up being prisoners on her ship. Palava hopes to create a substitute for modern society on her island which she sees as being in deep decline. As for Palava, she has her sights set on Basil St. John, whom she found ill and penniless at the mouth of Amazon months before. She told him of the black orchids that grew on her island and brought him there. During a rescue attempt, Palava falls overboard. Sharks surround her but will not attack as she sinks into the ocean. 5/2/60-10/3/60.

Professor Squell. Master of an underground realm that traps light from magnifying lenses scattered across a mountain in snowy Sun Valley. Deep underneath the earth he uses the sunlight to grow vegetables to feed those he has trapped there. Squell uses a mysterious gas that steals the will of all those who inhale it, rendering them susceptible to his mental control. Brenda is able to trick her way free by use of her feminine wiles. 2/41-3/41.

Razootksy. Zychkon Razootsky first appears in Brenda’s life as a Svengali-like artist who sports a drooping mustache and long-black hair. After their first encounter, Razootsky abandons his first name, shaves his head and curls his mustache. It is revealed that the villain’s home is on a Pacific island where he keeps a harem of dozens of women, to which he obsessively seeks to add Brenda. In later adventures, he frequently goes about shirtless, revealing a powerful chest. Razootsky ends up marrying Brenda’s arch rival, Lucy LaTouche and is the closest thing to an arch enemy that Brenda possesses. Naturally he despises Basil St. John and works to eliminate him as a presence in Brenda’s life. 3/75-6/75, 8/75-6/76, 9/76-2/77, 7/77, 6/78-8/78.

Rock Roquefort. Renown media chef and briefly boy friend to Gabby Van Slander. secretly a dog and drug smuggler from south of the border, Roguefort attempts to douse Brenda and the gang with olive oil and set them on fire. 10/9/05-5/06.

Ruby Gordon. Selfish, domineering and emotionally volatile actress. Wife to Jason and mother to a very spoiled and acting out little girl named Precious. When the family is marooned on a desert island with Brenda and Basil, her family begins to take to Brenda, enraging her. 1/14/70-9/18/70.

Senor Bite’so. Banana baron and scoundrel with prominent false teeth. On his first date with Brenda he actually bit her! It emerges that his false teeth conceal powerful explosives. He is assisted in his schemes by a crooked dentist named Dr. Hurt and an exotic assistant named Tula. Tula becomes jealous when her boss kidnaps both Brenda and Daphne Dimples. 8/43-c4/44.

Sir Gay Brassee. A swindler who romances Abretha and cons their neighbor Lily Vine that he has a secret youth-ray ring that can restore youth. He callously abandons Abretha on a desert island where she loses all of her excess weight. 12/47-3/48.

Sir Oliver Twerp. Initially an apparently harmless suitor of Daphne Dimples, Sir Oliver develops a homicidal jealousy when Brenda’s plot to have Howie Haddum impersonate him backfires and Daphne falls for Howie instead. Disguising himself as Howie, Sir Oliver shoots and paralyzes an old flame of Howie’s named Zeela Lee and frames him for the apparent murder. Sir Oliver escapes capture by disguising himself as the female nurse of a willing dowager named Miriam Hatfield. He is last seen on a cruise ship heading for Europe.11/52-8/53.

“Slash” Burns. Take no prisoners cable talk show host who crosses swords with Brenda. Complicating matters is the fact that her gay friend Uncle Spiff is his makeup man and his personal assistant and lover, Tres, soon turns up dead.11/6/04-9/25/05.

Svetlana Foxynov. Ex-wife of Mikhail Godenuf and mother of Giselle, Svetlana was Mikhail’s ballet partner. Now with the cooling of the cold war, her dance troupe is touring the United States. Her secret purpose, however, is to enflame tensions between her home country, Gorbmania, a nuclear power, and the United States.Using hypnotist  Dr. LaRaza to alternatively program Brenda and Mikhail to kill each other is a bonus.4/20/90-9/24/90.

Tarantella. The woman who cared for Basil during an extended illness becomes crazed when he recovers and returns to Brenda. She enlists her handsome brother, Riccardo Dinero, in a revenge scheme against her romantic rival. 10/86-12/86, 2/87-6/87.

Vanity Puffington. Scheming columnist who treats underlings at the Flash very poorly. Her criminal dealings lead her to a prison sentence. 4/97-1/11/98.

Veela Deal. Ambitious young reporter who attempts to unseat Brenda’s place at the Flash by undermining her reputation. If she wears a red wig, she resembles Brenda. It gradually emerges she is under the thumb of an abusive boyfriend named Pogo. In the end, Brenda ends up befriending her despite the very poor treatment she has suffered due to Veela’s underhanded methods. 4/15/73-11/4/73.

Brenda Starr’s Weekend Storylines 1940-45

Brenda’s First Big Story (Silky Fowler) 6/30/40-7/40, Baron DeMullet Kidnaps Brenda 8/40-10/40, Enter Daphne Dimples 10/40-11/40, Enter Larry Nickels 12/40-1/41, Professor Squell’s Mysterious Lodge 2/41-3/41, Enter Detective Traverts 4/41-c7/41, Larry, Brenda and her alter ego Vera DeVerie c8/41-9/41, Enter Cousin Abretha 9/41-11/41, —- , Eric Keller, aka “The Cupid” c3/42-c6/42, —- , Hank O’Hair, Rival Reporter 9/13/42-11/42,  Brenda Investigates her Mother’s Murder 12/42-7/31/43, Senor Bite’so 8/43-c4/44, The Mysterious Neal Mann c5/84-8/44, The Beastly Twins 9/10/44-1/14/45, “Bub” Walters Fires Brenda c2/45-5/45, Enter Atwell Livwright and Slim Nolan c6/45-8/45, Pesky Miller’s Unfortunate “Green” Experiment 8/12/45-9/9/45, Enter the Mystery Man 9/16/45-10/21/45…

Brenda Starr Timeline

1940    Brenda gets her first big story, outwits Baron de Mullet, and fights with Daphne.

1941    Brenda is pursued by Larry Nickels and Detective Traverts. Enter cousin Abretha.  

1942    Brenda spars with Hank O’Hair and looks into her mother’s murder. Intro Siberia.

1943    Brenda and Daphne are kidnapped by Senor Bite’so and meet her brother Jack. 

1944    Brenda undercovers the secret of both Senor Bite’so and the Beastly Twins.

1945    Brenda dreams of a mystery man with an eye patch and then meets him!

1946    Brenda learns all about black orchids. Tom marries Slim. Enter Pierre Palette.

1947    Haelo Angel is Basil’s mother.Timber Woods pursues Brenda, fends off Daphne.

1948    Brenda exposes Dr. Slimsky. Abretha weds Hy Pockets and Hank marries Pierre.

1949    Abretha tires of Hy’s pig farm.Brenda falls in love with educator Lance Hunter.

1950    Lance is shot on their wedding day. Daphne sees an opening and pursues him.

1951    Hank gives birth to B-Bomb. Abretha helps out. Crystal Dish returns.

1952    Professor Bob Argyle nearly wins Brenda’s heart but tragically dies.

1953    Sir Oliver is jealous of Daphne and Howie Haddum. Siberia has big ideas.

1954    Young Merrie Rider deters Brenda and Libby Lipp from romancing her father.

1955    What’s up with Ben Starr, a handsome journalist who also has red hair?

1956    Brenda dies her hair blonde to investigate an all girl gang, the Blond Devils.

1957    Basil marries Orchid LaMode but still loves Brenda. Complication ensue.

1958    Botonist Craven Odd dreams of world domination. Enter Ruff Bannister.

1959    Merrie Rider is hypnotized by the Widow Creeper. Enter scheming Cheet Kelly.

1960    Larry and Brenda are held by the mysterious Palava. How is Basil involved?  

1961    Dr. Eden falls for Brenda. The Nameless Doll, exotic dancer, pulls off a swindle.

1962    Merrie Rider falls for Professor Danny Dalivar, an expert on black orchids.

1963    Brenda is drawn to Raye Gunn, creator of life size dolls.

1964    Caxton Wuulph and Aunt Bessie share a secret. Count Orlando has one too.

1965    Brenda meets Ron St. John, Basil’s eyepatch wearing nephew.

1966    Brenda investigates whether Paula Siegfeld is actually a mermaid.

1967    Now a young woman, Merrie falls in love with a wounded marine.

1968    Basil spends the better part of a year with Brenda.

1969    Brenda meets Hennie Horton, owner of the successful Kitten Club chain.

1970    Brenda adventures in Africa with Dice Domino. Enter actress Ruby Gordon.

1971    Who killed Audrey LaCosta? What’s in Brownie Kate’s brownies?

1972    Brenda is intrigued by macho cop, Joe Nuko.

1973    Dark-haired Veela could pass for Brenda. Pogo is her unhinged boy friend.

1974    Basil scuffles with the Scorpion, General Alacran. Is Nino Basil’s son?

1975    Brenda meets Razootsky and Lucy LaTouche, her arch nemeses for several years.

1976    Basil St. John and Brenda finally marry, as do LaTouche and Larry Nickels.

1977    Brenda gives birth to a baby girl, Starr Twinkle. LaTouche divorces Razootsky.

1978    Brenda meets the mysterious, cross-dressing Slippery St. John.

1979    Slippery turns out to be Basil’s nephew. Enter Shiel Oily O-le-um

1980    Slippery marries Galaxy Gal in a balloon ride over the Bermuda Triangle.

Dale Messick—Ramona Fradon Era

1980    Enter sinister financier and notorious heel, Cash Wallstreet.

1981    Cash Wallstreet and Archibald Wallclimber threaten Brenda in turn.

1982    Brenda clashes with Nevera Livwright, sister of the recently departed publisher.

Linda Sutton–Ramona Fradon Era

1983    Basil and Starr are lost in South America. Basil’s friend the Baron tries to help.  

1984    Grieving Brenda finds solace with Baron Chantanel. Enter Anise, Basil’s sister.

1985    Brenda rejects Basil and the Baron due to their deception. Starr is still lost.       

Mary Schmich—Ramona Fradon Era

1985    Gabby Van Slander is hired as the Flash’s mischievous new gossip columnist.

1986    Brenda meets handsome dancer Mikhail Godenuf and Wandafonda.

1987    Basil’s companion, Tarantella is no good.Gabby is in a custody struggle.

1988    Brenda, Basil, Mikhail &Wanda team up to bring down the Elvis loving Kingpin.

1989    Livwright sells the Flash to hard-nosed B. Babbit Bottomline.

1990    Mikhail’s Svetlana is evil. Wanda’s pregnant. Basil’s dead? Enter Dolores Pain.

1991    Wanda gives birth to Basil’s son, Dr. Pain is murdered, Basil disappears but good.

1992    Brenda exposes Dr. Groper. Enter Babe Bottomline and her beau, Dash Dakota.

1993    Brenda is romanced by Raven Graves, night photographer and possible vampire.

1994    Brenda is reunited with Starr, who decides to live with foster father, Dylan Jagger.

1995    Babe Bottomline dies. Brenda meets Jett Sweat and Buzz Bucks, coffee magnate.

Mary Schmich—June Brigman Era

1996    Brenda meets Rock Rappel, mountain climber and (surprise) Bottomline’s son.

1997    Basil returns to see his son, Sage St. John. Enter conniving Vanity Puffington.

1998    Sage goes missing, befriends veiled princess. Narcissa Silverspoon hates Brenda.

1999    Brenda meets sexy Max Rapture in the sinister Church of the New Millennium.

2000    After stint as a speechwriter, Brenda works for Tek and his hotnooz.com startup.

2001    Basil returns with old pal, Sledge Hammer, then disappears for seven more years.

2002    Uncle Spiff becomes Brenda’s confidante and the narrative’s first gay character.

2003    Pug Tuff, the opposite of glamor, is a new and ambitious intern at the Flash.

2004    A rival newspaper is owned by the murderous Lady Conrad Trumpster.

2005    Brenda clashes with cable bully Slash Burns and Uncle Spiff is his make-up man!

2006    Brenda is voted off the American Reporter reality show. Uncle Spiff is back.

2007    Bisexual Gig Lovelady is a killer. Sexiest man alive Jack Grant wants Brenda.

2008    Brenda joins Sage in his search for his father. Basil saves the day but…

2009    Furloughed from the Flash, Brenda goes to India, working for Pug Tuff.

2010    Mayor Sterling Golden’s pro-environment stance is a get rich scam.

2011    Brenda quits the Flash and receive a black orchid in a box from Basil.

Mark Carlson-Ghost