An anniversary salute to the big-time reporter…
By PETER BOSCH
It was 85 years ago, on June 30, 1940, that Brenda Starr, Reporter made her newspaper debut in the Sunday comic book section of the Chicago Tribune. The fireball redhead was determined to get out of the small newspaper jobs she was given and into big-time reporting… much the same way her creator was looking to get into the big-time newspaper cartooning field.
The problem was that Dalia Messick was rejected time after time because she was a woman. With Brenda Starr, Reporter, she decided to play the man’s game and, instead of using her own name, she signed the work “Dale Messick.” The strip was bought and seen daily for many decades in newspapers across the country.
Messick wrote and drew the strip until 1980, when she turned over the art chores to Ramona Fradon (Aquaman, Metamorpho). Messick continued the writing until 1982. With Fradon continuing on the art, Linda Sutter wrote the strip for the better part of three years, and was followed up by Mary Schmich, who continued in that role through the strip’s finale January 2, 2011. (Fradon was succeeded by June Brigman, starting November 6, 1995.)
Here is a look at Brenda Starr over those many decades.
(For all the strips below, the writing and art is by Dale Messick, unless otherwise noted.)
—
The first Sunday of Brenda Starr, Reporter, June 30, 1940
The first Sunday of Brenda Starr, Reporter, Part 2, June 30, 1940
Original art for November 10, 1940
Original art pin-up, early 1940s
1943 Big Little Book
Joan Woodbury starred in Brenda Starr, Reporter, a 13-chapter movie serial in 1945.
Brenda Starr Comics #13 (Sept. 1947, Four Star).
Brenda Starr #15 (Oct. 1955, Charlton).
Brenda Starr #1 (Oct.-Dec. 1963, Dell). Unconfirmed if by Messick.
March 1, 1979 strip with Messick nearing the end of her time drawing the feature.
Brenda Starr opening credits for a 1976 TV pilot starring Jill St. John that did not go to series.
Ramona Fradon original art for Sunday, February 24, 1985. Written by Linda Sutter.
Movie one-sheet poster for the 1989 theatrical movie starring Brooke Shields.
The final strip, January 2, 2011, written by Mary Schmich and drawn by June Brigman.
—
MORE
— BRENDA STARR: The Movie That Didn’t Do Right by DALE MESSICK or RAMONA FRADON. Click here.
— KATY KEENE TURNS 80 — And Still Doesn’t Look a Day Over 25. Click here.
—
13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is due in 2025. (You can pre-order here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
June 30, 2025
We try to forget about the Brooke Shields film!
June 30, 2025
I grew up reading the comics pages and read Brenda Starr all through the Seventies when I was in Jnr High and High School. My Mom used to laugh that she had done the same! Our paper stopped carrying the strip so I never saw Ramona Fradon’s work on it—thanks for posting it here!