Patsy Driver

Patsy Walker comic books were not written with longterm continuity in mind, so it is understandable that contradictory storylines would appear. As an example, the teen protagonist received her driver's license in Patsy Walker #7 (Oct. 1946). Exacerbated by Patsy's speeding and overall poor driving skills, her father asked her to hand him her license at the end of the story.

A different course of events, however, transpired in Miss America #87 (Nov. 1957). When Patsy proudly announced that her driver's license just arrived in the mail, her father was surprised that Patsy even knew how to drive, much less had passed a driving test. It turned out that Patsy learned to drive from Beatrice Bagley, who recently wrecked her father's car. This time around, however, Patsy's own driving skills weren't called into question.

This panel from Patsy Walker #7 illustrated the character's original driving test.

The Golden Age Defender

If asked to name a patriotic Golden Age hero with a young sidekick, Captain America would immediately come to mind. He and Bucky made their debut in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). Captain America became one of the most recognizable characters published by Timely Comics (later Atlas Comics, and then Marvel).

Meanwhile, the Defender first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), also by Timely. The Defender sported the letters U.S.A. as an insignia and worked with a teenage sidekick named Rusty. With no iconic shield or superhuman origin story, the Defender lacked much staying power. The two-fisted crimefighter fell into obscurity after U.S.A. Comics #4.