Lady Luck
Created by Will Eisner and Chuck Mazoujian
NAME + ALIASES:
Brenda Banks
KNOWN RELATIVES:
Bickford a.k.a. Bruce a.k.a. Fred
J. Banks (father), unnamed mother, Gen. Banks (uncle)
GROUP AFFILIATIONS: None
FIRST APPEARANCE:
The Spirit Section, 2 June 1940
Lady Luck was Quality’s first female costumed hero, and is owned by the estate of Will Eisner. Her strip began in the first edition of the Sunday Spirit Section on 2 June 1940. Chuck Mazoujian created Lady Luck’s look, upon a request from Eisner for a lady crime fighter, and he always signed the strip “Ford Davis.” Mazoujian said that he wrote the first two or three Lady Luck stories and after that, Toni Blum took over writing. He praised her writing: “Most of Toni’s stories were pretty interesting, so I didn’t have any urge to change them.” (Alter Ego #48) However, Will Eisner historian Cat Yronwode stated that Eisner created her but she was “never drawn or written by him.” She and Eisner credited Dick French with the writing. (Alter Ego #48, Lady Luck #2, 1980) Maurice Horn’s book also states that Eisner wrote the first few stories.
The availability of original “Lady Luck” stories is a bit spotty in comparison with other Quality heroes. “Lady Luck” stories were reprinted in Smash Comics, and in two volumes by Ken Pierce (1980). Collectively, these sources help us paint a fairly thorough portrait of the heroine. Lady Luck’s early adventures revolved around the socialite lives of Brenda Banks and her father, Bickford Banks (“Bruce” in Smash #69). Allotted only four pages per week, there wasn’t much room for nuanced characterization.
In the sixth episode, she demonstrated her skill in driving a boat. But when she dove below the waves to catch some jewel thieves, she was entangled and required a save from police chief Hardy Moore (and his partner Feeny O’Mye). Moore was a handsome, rugged hero who was taken by the Lady’s beauty. He spoke to her again that night (she, still in her green dress and wide-brimmed hat). (The Spirit Section 7/7/1940) The next week, Brenda was kidnapped and Moore was shown a photo of Banks. He was surprised and remarked that she looked exactly like Lady Luck. Brenda was clever enough to make him doubt his suspicions. (7/14/40)
Lady Luck was resilient enough to survive the sinking of a steamer in the Pacific. She washed ashore on an island and was rescued by a dashing sailor. Together they saved another boat from the same fate. (9/1/40) She continued her travels abroad, in Singapore, Armenia, and Australia—often wearing her costume during the daytime. She left a trail of men in her wake, and when she returned home, she stumbled across a theater boasting an appearance by… Lady Luck! When she investigated, she happened to catch some thieves in the theater and took them down in front of a live audience. (11/10/40)
When Nick Cardy began drawing the feature in Spring 1941, he kept the pen name “Ford Davis.” Brenda’s father’s name changed to Fred J. Banks, and her parents introduced their chauffeur, the mountain of a man called Peecolo. Brenda wondered how she would ever ditch him long enough to become Lady Luck, but soon realized that his brawn could be an asset in crime fighting, so she revealed her secret identity to Peecolo. (5/18/41) The family went to South America and visited Peecolo’s father’s ranch (though Peecolo was Italian), where they rooted out saboteurs. (6/15/41) Note: Cardy was interviewed for Alter Ego #65 (2007).
Klaus Nordling is the artist most often associated Lady Luck. His first installment was March 1, 1942, after both Mazoujian and Cardy were drafted. Nordling’s adventures were the only ones reprinted in the pages of Smash Comics, beginning in early 1943. The strip’s transition was marked by his addition of a translucent green veil to her costume. Prior to this, the character had been drawn with her wide-brimmed hat casting a shadow over her face. Nordling’s first tale opened at the Club 711, where she met a new friend, the ever-destitute Count Raoul DeChange (later DiChange). When the Count wooed Brenda, some crooks kidnapped her in hopes of scoring a ransom from him. Although she’d been caught without her mask and costume, she fooled her captors into thinking Lady Luck had snuck into their lair. As the police took her battered quarry away, Lady Luck left a new calling card behind: the ace of diamonds. (Smash #42)
Banks shared a comfortable friendship with the diminutive DiChange while he persistently proposed marriage. She always rebuffed it, but clearly enjoyed his company, and frequently accepted his invitations to various functions. DiChange was more than a bit gullible and always oblivious to danger around him. Lady Luck frequently pulled his fat from the fire, like the time he was suckered by an impostor Lady Luck that made counterfeit war bonds. (#44) The Count was always broke, too. She accompanied him to an illegal gambling parlor that was raided by the cops. But Lady Luck wasn’t above salvaging some of the Count’s winnings for him to keep. (#83)
She inspired the Lady Luck Patrol which was led by Brenda, as a civilian. These young women were not unlike Wonder Woman’s “Holiday Girls,” and helped prevent crimes. (#45) One Patrol girl, Daphne Dymple, was enlisted to help Brenda fool a mobster who had learned her secret identity. In this complex plot, Daphne dressed as Lady Luck; when she was unmasked, the mob was confused. She’d also been made up to look like she had smallpox. As the thugs panicked, Peecolo stepped in to play “doctor,” administering a truth serum to them. Meanwhile, in the Banks household, Brenda’s maid Helga was pining for Peecolo, but he only had eyes for his boss lady. Yep, all that happened in four pages. (#51)
The war inspired tales like that of the devious Japanese Yokukasa Brothers. (#46) It was continued the next week, when Brenda found them attempting to turn children’s toys into death bombs. (#47) While searching for spies, she found herself forced on stage as an exotic dancer. (#50) At a country retreat, she and her father found a secret passage that led to the discovery of a Japanese spy. (#53) Soup Bone and his thugs were caught red… legged—wearing silk stockings while attempting to hoard and resell them. (#55) And Lady Luck agreed to appear in a film so she could donate her earnings to the U.S.O. (#57)
One installment appeared to poke fun at Busy Arnold. Brenda helped an editorial cartoonist, Ernest Eagers, who was being blackmailed by “Busy” Armonk. (#60)
Colonel Eustace Snath was a persistent foe who discovered Lady Luck’s identity and tried to have her killed. For a time, she let him think he’d succeeded. (#61) Brenda set Snath straight by convincing him she and the heroine were two women. With Peecolo’s help, she cleverly made it seem as if both were in the same room, even though they weren’t seen at the same time. (#71) Snath reappeared in Smash #85.
Some of her more colorful opponents included the Indian Thuggee, Hadja Jodhpur, (#66) Mr. Brimstone, inventor of a robot bomb, (#78) and a very odd crook called Giraffe Tentoes, who had an elongated neck and nose. (#81)
When Fred Schwab took over the Sunday strip in early 1946, the story and art got kookier. He introduced an arch foe, the Warped Brain. A gang of women sought the Brain’s advice about dealing with Lady Luck and devised a plot to discredit her. As Brenda, she outwitted them and the Brain was arrested. Schwab really let loose with the art on an adventure to a surrealist art opening. The pages were adorned with abstract drawings while the Count squabbled with one of the eccentric artists. (Lady Luck #2, Ken Pierce) Nordling later drew a similar tale in her solo title. Brenda and the Count brushed elbows with the Bohemian masses at a modern art opening. They met cubist and Dada artists and uncovered a conspiracy between one of the artists and a critic to split the prize money. (Lady Luck #87)
According to Cat Yronwode’s introduction to 1980’s Lady Luck, paper shortages led to “Lady Luck” being dropped from the downsized Spirit Section. Her Sunday adventures ended on November 3, 1946, but they continued to be reprinted in the pages of Smash Comics well into 1949. When Smash Comics ended, the title was changed to Lady Luck and she became the star. Klaus Nordling returned to the feature at this time. It coincided with the cancellation of Nordling’s Barker, so the writer/artist was free to contribute all-new adventures to the solo book (which resumed the numbering of Smash). “The Count” was also spun into a supporting feature.
In Lady Luck #86 (Dec. 1950), Brenda was being wooed by various ne’er-do-wells (including the Count) while vacationing at Stony Point. The Count stayed in a rundown house where they discovered a treasure map that indeed led them to a small treasure. A full-sized comic allowed for the addition of colorful foils like the Jolly Sisters, who were heavies for a pyramid scheme; and the thief called Wingfoot, who was the fleet and nimble ballet dancer, Danchine, with his benefactor, Madame Panilova. (Lady Luck #86) Nordling played up the “Good Girl” factor. Brenda could frequently be found in her undergarments or changing clothes. She doffed her dress in order to wrestle the giantess, Rose. (#88)
In her final appearance, Brenda’s father met an inventor called Pluvius, who created a weather machine. (#90) (There was also a Pluvius in Doll Man #28.)
DC
Lady Luck made an unexpected appearance in Phantom Stranger #6 (May 2013). This is strange because the character has always been owned (to anyone's knowledge) by the estate of Will Eisner. The story was written by DC's Editor in Chief, Dan DiDio. The digital edition does not include an indicia, so I'm unsure whether her ownership is mentioned.
In this story, the Phantom Stranger ventures into Hell in search of his mortal family. He meets a group of card-playing demons—Belial, Suge and Ruskoff, all sons of Trigon. Their dealer is Lady Luck, an unspeaking and mysterious woman whose visage sometimes changes to suggest death.
This is Lady Luck's only appearance in a DC comic.
Powers
Lady Luck had no super-powers, but she carried a pistol, especially in her early adventures. She was a keen detective who relied on her wits and her mastery of jujutsu.