Comics UK

There was briefly a female Phantom in the 1960s - offhand that's the earliest example I can think of (though Superboy was turned into a girl at one point to 'teach him a lesson'!).

- Phil R.

philcom55 wrote:There was briefly a female Phantom in the 1960s - offhand that's the earliest example I can think of (though Superboy was turned into a girl at one point to 'teach him a lesson'!).

- Phil R.

Actually, you've just reminded me. The gender-bending goes right back to the Golden Age because one time the JSA were all replaced by women.

Something similar happened with the Legion of Super Heroes as well on a couple of occasions.

This subject was covered in Camelot 3000 – way back in the early ’80s with Sir Tristran.

Before Watchmen this was easily one of the best short run comics in history. If you have never heard of it then check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelot_3000

British comics artist Brian Bolland will need no introduction, with inks from Terry Austin.

One of the first mainstream comics that dealt with women in an adult way, with 3 strong female characters. No wonder I gave all my Tammy comics to my sister after this.

philcom55 wrote:Something similar happened with the Legion of Super Heroes as well on a couple of occasions.

There was a Legion story in the 90s in which Element Lad's girlfriend Shvaughn Erin unexpectedly turned outto be a bloke called Sean who'd been regularly taking some magical sex change drug that had now worn off. Element Lad took it all in his stride because he was used to things changing their properties and, in any case, nobody cares about gender in the 30th century, apparently.

Muffy wrote:Camelot 3000...this was easily one of the best short run comics in history

I was really disappointed by this. I'd such hopes but thought it was pretty terrible. Knights of Pendragon vol.1 was a far superior Arthurian/superhero story.

I liked Camelot 3000 in theory - and the artwork was, of course, gorgeous - but I did feel that Mike Barr's script was a bit too lightweight for the subject matter.

tony ingram wrote: There was a Legion story in the 90s in which Element Lad's girlfriend Shvaughn Erin unexpectedly turned outto be a bloke called Sean who'd been regularly taking some magical sex change drug that had now worn off. Element Lad took it all in his stride because he was used to things changing their properties and, in any case, nobody cares about gender in the 30th century, apparently.

And before that, in the '70s, Lightning Lad seemingly returned from the dead, only for it to turn out to be his twin sister.

Marionette wrote:

tony ingram wrote: There was a Legion story in the 90s in which Element Lad's girlfriend Shvaughn Erin unexpectedly turned outto be a bloke called Sean who'd been regularly taking some magical sex change drug that had now worn off. Element Lad took it all in his stride because he was used to things changing their properties and, in any case, nobody cares about gender in the 30th century, apparently.

And before that, in the '70s, Lightning Lad seemingly returned from the dead, only for it to turn out to be his twin sister.

May 1963, in fact. Lightning Lad himself was up and around again soon after, and his sister got new powers and became Light Lass.

Phil mentioned a female Phantom and that was his sister Julie. But there have been a couple of other females in the Phantom costume, or a similar super suit. Don't get me started - I regularly bore for Scotland on this and other Phantom phacts.
Camelot 3000 was rather good, I thought, with the art carrying a lighter weight story. Problem was that fans had to wait about a year for the last part.
Mike Barr, while being a competant comics writer, has always seemed to me to be a relative lightweight. My opinion is nothing to do with the fact that I met him a couple of times and he seemed stand offish.
DC tried a female Metamorpho, but that was not a sex change, she was a companion. Trying to remember when Lady Blackhawk appeared first.
There was a French comic in the early 1950's where the hero (dressed like a man in a suit with domino mask) was in reality a woman. She took this alter ego to right wrongs in male form so that no-one would ever discover her real I.d.
Also French is the character Masque Rouge. In a story set in medieval France, a young, gutsy female from a well to do family, decides to fight injustice as the apparenly male looking, Masque Rouge. A superb swordswoman, she regularly put the badguys to rout.