Career Girl

When high school student Patsy Walker considered future employment opportunities, she thought about becoming a nurse, an aviatrix, or a lawyer. She finally decided on career girl as her occupation of choice. Although boyfriend Buzz Baxter was dismissive of women in the workforce, Patsy's father was supportive (Patsy Walker #21). After Patsy graduated from high school, comic books billed her, and friend Hedy Wolfe, as career girls (Patsy and Hedy #96-108).

These covers show Patsy Walker #21 (March 1949) and Patsy and Hedy #96 (July 1964).

Masked Man

There was plenty of humor within Patsy Walker #19 (Nov. 1948), but the cover image of Patsy and boyfriend Buzz Baxter at the beach was the best part!

Pat Walker

Although they occasionally dated other people, Buzz Baxter and Patsy Walker were high school sweethearts. As a sign of their deepening connection, Buzz eventually started calling her Pat from time to time, while everyone else still knew her as Patsy. Rival classmate Hedy Wolfe, meanwhile, often referred to her as Red.

The covers of Patsy Walker #112 (Dec. 1963) and #114 (April 1964) show Buzz Baxter calling her Pat.

Miss America Magazine

Before Patsy Walker got her own comic book series, she appeared regularly in Miss America Magazine. Her stories were so popular that the magazine regularly highlighted them on the cover.

Several Patsy Walker comic stories appeared in this issue of Miss America Magazine. Vol. 7. No. 37. January 1951.

Graduation Day

Patsy Walker could have remained a perpetual teen. But that changed in Patsy and Hedy #95 (August 1964), when Patsy and her pals graduated from high school. While Patsy and rival Hedy Wolfe had their eyes set on being valedictorian, mutual friend Nan Brown had the highest marks and recieved the honor. Graduation was one of many steps on Patsy's path to becoming Hellcat.

H Is for Hellcat

Fun and Games Magazine #1 (Sept. 1979) included a Secret Code Breaker to solve puzzles in that issue—and future issues—of the monthly publication. Of the 26 heroes pictured in the code breaker, Hellcat was the only one whose code-breaking letter corresponded to the first letter of her name. Silver Surfer, for instance, stood for C, while Hulk stood for the letter D.

Report Card

When Buzz Baxter told girlfriend Patsy Walker that he got a 90 on an algebra test, she said her score was 88 (Patsy Walker #73). But Patsy's marks in math apparently didn't stay that high. When Patsy's father reviewed her report card from Centerville High School, he saw that she earned A grades in English, Language and History, and a C in Math (#78).

This panel comes from Patsy Walker #78 (Aug. 1958).

Mickey Walker

Patsy Walker's kid brother, Mickey, was a recurring character in comic books. As a running gag, Mickey would extort money in exchange for giving Patsy privacy with her boyfriend, Buzz Bazter. Different renditions of Mickey appear on the covers of Miss America #71 (Aug. 1955) and Patsy and Hedy #78 (Oct. 1961).

Scaredy Cat

A sight gag on the cover of Patsy and Hedy #7 (Sept. 1952) pictured the two friends double dating at the movies. Patsy's boyfriend, Buzz, was so frightened by The Bride of the Vampire that he clung to Hedy's date. In contrast, Patsy Walker #93 (Feb. 1961) showed Patsy clutching Buzz in fear at the sight of a mouse. The symbolism of the two scenes takes on additional subtext when we consider that Patsy later becomes the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and marries the Son of Satan (after divorcing Buzz, who then becomes the villain Mad-Dog).

  

Heart Shaped Wreckage

I was a fan of the show Smash, which aired on NBC more than a decade ago. For some time now I've thought about posting how a song from the show titled Heart Shaped Wreckage reminds me of the relationship between Daimon Hellstrom and Patsy Walker during their time as Defenders. I'll skip a lengthy explanation, as the lyrics from the first two verses of the duet speak for themselves.

I'm not scared to tell the truth
I've been to hell and back and I went with you
Remind me what we were before
When we said, "You are mine and I am yours"

I don't know much but I know myself
And I don't want to love anybody else
So let's break the spell and lift the curse
Remember where we fell for each other, head first

Jealousy

This panel from Patsy Walker #32 (Jan. 1951) shows a teenage Buzz Baxter jealous that Patsy might be dating someone else. The devil on his shoulder is oddly prophetic, as one day Buzz will crash Patsy's wedding to Daimon Hellstrom, a.k.a. the Son of Satan (Defenders #125). By that time, Patsy and Buzz will have married, divorced, and become Hellcat and Mad-Dog.

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.

Cover Versions: Chalk in Hand

Sight gags were commonplace on comic book covers featuring Patsy Walker. In this regard, Patsy Walker #30 (Sept. 1950) and Miss America (Apr. 1954) make for an interesting pair, as both covers show Patsy and boyfriend Buzz Baxter at a chalkboard when a teacher enters the classroom.

Anything Man

Jeff Colt (a.k.a. Anything Man) proved to be an unusual adversary in Defenders #69 (March 1979). When the unassuming veterinarian randomly acquired the power of Omegatron following a game of tennis, the Defenders came to investigate. Convinced that the heroes were there to test his abilities, Jeff attacked Hellcat, Nighthawk, and Valkyrie. He even struck Valkyrie's horse, Aragorn.

Concerned that an angry Hulk would make the situation worse, Dr. Strange apologetically turned his green teammate back into Bruce Banner. Once Jeff came to realize that he had become consumed with power, Dr. Strange returned him to normal with these magical words:

Then in the name of dark Satannish …

… By the mystic moons of Munnopor …

… Let Omegatronic power vanish,

And leave you but a man once more!

Lawful Neutral: Miss Whiplash

One of Patsy Walker's teachers in high school was Miss Whiplash. In class, Miss Whiplash tried to instill in her students the importance of academic learning. Because Miss Whiplash didn't frame her principles in terms of good or evil, her alignment might best be characterized as Lawful Neutral.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

This panel comes from Patsy and Hedy #22 (Dec. 1953).

Double Trouble

Hedy Wolfe was envious of Patsy Walker's popularity—so envious, in fact, that when she ran into a young woman who happened to be the spitting image of Patsy, Hedy concocted a plan to destroy Patsy's reputation. Hedy offered to buy the mystery woman a new dress if she insulted Patsy's closest friends. The mystery woman, who was in town visiting her aunt, agreed. Hedy's plan worked at first but eventually unraveled when she mistook the real Patsy for the imitator. After learning the truth, Patsy's friends held no grudges against her for the things the impostor had said. Meanwhile, the fake Patsy fled with the new dress, having never divulged her true name.

Patsy Walker. Vol. 1. No. 109. September 1963. "Patsy's Troublesome Twin!" Part Two: The End of a Scheme!"

Disappearing Act

Although the covers of Patsy Walker comic books sometimes referenced the stories within, the covers often worked as stand-alone gags. Such was the case with Patsy and Her Pals #22 (May 1956). That cover showed Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe fighting for the attention of Buzz Baxter at a magic show starring Presto the Magician. While it would have made for a creative setting, the magic show did not appear inside the issue. Incidentally, Presto closely resembled longtime comic character Mandrake the Magician, who would become one of the anachronistic Defenders of the Earth.

Gals on the Go-Go!

The cover of Patsy and Hedy #109 introduced a new tagline for the series, referring to the duo as "Gals on the Go-Go!" Now employed as newspaper reporters, Patsy and Hedy thwarted a spy ring and other dangers far outside the scope of their earlier adventures in high school. The change of pace was short lived, however, as the series ended with #110. That being said, this brazen version of Patsy Walker was an important step toward her future career as the superheroine Hellcat.

Patsy and Hedy. Vol. 1. No. 109. December 1966. "Surf-Side Spies!" Stan Lee (editor), Denny-O (writer), Al Hartley (artist).

Patsy and Hedy's Apartment

After Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe graduated from high school, the words "Career Girls" began appearing on the cover of their series beginning with Patsy and Hedy #96. The two young women began sharing an apartment and the comic book adopted a soap opera tone.

This annotated apartment layout appeared in Patsy and Hedy #101 (August 1965).

Psychic Disguise

Long before she honed her own psychic abilities as Hellcat, a teenage Patsy Walker received an unexpected visit from a swami carrying a crystal ball. Underneath the turban and fake mustache was Buzz Baxter, Patsy's recurring love interest. Buzz wanted to surprise Patsy and make up with her after storming out earlier that evening. He had jumped to the conclusion that Patsy had lost interest in him when their plans to spend time together kept getting intruded upon. But Buzz discovered that jealous classmate Hedy Wolfe had orchestrated the series of interruptions as a plot to break up the young couple (Patsy and Hedy #49).

This panel of Patsy Walker and a disguised Buzz Baxter comes from Patsy and Hedy #49 (January 1957).