It is likely that the names of Sally the Sleuth, Diana Daw, Polly of the Plains, Vera Ray, Olga Mesmer, and other similar heroines do not bring any clue to the minds of modern comic book readers and yet they are the true pioneers that opened the path toward the comic book revolution of the first half of the Twentieth Century.

 

They appeared on two to four-page comic stories in the ‘30s and ‘40s Spicy and Saucy pulps that were often sold under the counter, despised by the conformists and read by all.

Appearing both in short, self-contained stories or longer arcs that covered several issues, each girl showed a true passion for trouble and talent for shedding their clothes in the most improbable situations. Ironic, breath-taking and sometimes dramatic, yet never vulgar, these stories, mostly aimed at a male readership, also offer a simple, yet true interpretation of the world that was changing under the push of female emancipation.

 

Girls in Trouble – Vol.1 includes 47 adventures of Sally the Sleuth from the pages of Spicy Detective Stories. Plus an excerpt of Olga Mesmer and Vera Ray adventures from Spicy Mystery Stories and of Marcia of the Movies from Saucy Movie Tales.

All pages have been restored to look as close as possible to the originals at the time of publication. Whenever necessary, lettering has been redone to improve readability.

The volume also includes: An introduction about the coming to be of the Spicy Pulps and Harry Donenfeld, better known for his involvement with the DC Comics; A summary of the copyright status of the magazines in which the comics have been originally published; An updated bibliography of each series in which each character appeared. -New revised edition-