Created by Stanley Charlot
Pseudonym of Bob Powell
(1916-67)
Scrappy, two-fisted “girl attorney” (first a defense lawyer and later District Attorney) BETTY BATES regularly lined ’em up and knocked ’em down in a long running Hit Comics backup feature in the 1940s, appearing in over 60 stories in a ten-year run.
This working class gal from the West Coast must have been doing something right–the “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” feature outlasted many of Hit Comics‘ cover stars. Like, whatever ever happened to The Red Bee, Stormy Foster or the appropriately named Neon the Unknown?
But then, like many a beautiful woman, she was often underestimated. Just ask the criminals she regularly tangled with, miscreants with names like The Barracuda, Double-Cross, Mr. Malice, or Killer Mack, as well as a slew of your regular run-of-the-mill wrongos: kidnappers, jewel thieves, burglars, scam artists and the like.
No patsy,Betty, and it didn’t matter if she was setting ’em free or locking them up, Betty did her own investigating, thankyouverymuch, tooling around town in her snazzy red convertible.
She wasn’t afraid to lay her hands on a suspect, either, counting on her jiu-jitsu skills–and if she had to, she wasn’t afraid to pack some heat. Granted, she seemed to spend more time sleuthing than lawyering, and she didn’t shy away from applying a little off-the-books justice when necessary. Saves time in court, and all that.
So… not exactly a private eye, but (as an admirer puts it inone of her last appearances):”Boy, what a gal!”
And she didn’t put up with any of that wolf whistling bullshit either (see below), so don’t get any ideas, buster.
Hell, if that’s not enough, check out “Send Her to Congress,” in Hit Comics #49 from November 1947. A tough, fearless female prosecutor from the West Coast running for higher office? Who ever heard of such an idea!!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Powell was an American comic book artist, best known for his work during the thirties and forties, including Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. The first Betty Bates stories were supposedly written by Powell–after a few issues, they were written in house, with most of the stories unattributed .
COMICS
- HIT COMICS
(1940-50, Quality Comics)
65 issues
Monthly
Betty Bate writers: Stanley Charlot (pseudonym of Bob Powell), others
Betty Bates artists: Bob Powell, Al Bryant, Nick Cardy, Ed Dobrotka , Alex Lotsky, Mort Leav, Pete Riss, Alice Kirkpatrick, John Forte
Mostly featured costumed superhero adventures and humor, sometimes featuring anthropomorphic animals. But regular human Betty outlasted them all…- “The Case of the Crooked Eights” (October 1940; #4; 1st appearance)
- “Murder of a Peddler” (November 1940, #5)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (December 1940, #6)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (January 1941, #7)
- “Broadcast of a Crime” (February 1941, #8)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (March 1941, #9)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (April 1941, #10)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (May 1941, #11)
- “One Hamburger with Trouble!” (June 1941, #12)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (July 1941, #13)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (August 1941, #14)
- “The Payroll Plunderers” (September 1941, #15)
- “The Murder of Moe Jukes” (October 1941, #16)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (November 1941, #17)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (December 1941, #18)
- “The Phony Private Detective” (January 1942, #19)
- “Murder’s last Act” (February 1942, #20)
- “The Whissler Building Case” (April 1942, #21)
- “Case of the Cat’s Skeleton” (June 1942, #22)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (August 1942, #23)
- “The Power Plant Saboteurs” (October 1942, #24)
- “The Death-House Blues” (December 1942, #25)
- “Murders Will Always Out” (February 1943, #26)
- “Betty Bates, Lady at Law” (April 1943, #27)
- “The Swindling Dr. Zwindler ” (July 1943, #28)”
- “Murder in Hollywood” (September 1943, #29)
- “Oil Found” (November 1943, #30)
- “District Attorney killed in Auto Crash” (April 1944, #31)
- “The Case of the Week-End Murders” (July 1944, #32)
- “Prof. Bone’s Formula for Death” (October 1944, #33)
- “The Ghost of Villa Vane” (December 1944, #34)
- “Betty Bates” (April 1945, #35)
- “The Talisman” (July 1945 [Summer Issue], #36)
- “Betty Bates” (July 1945 [Autumn Issue], #37)
- “Betty Bates” (October 1945, #38)
- “The Barracuda” (April 1946, #39)
- “Murder at Farnes Manor” (May 1946, #40)
- “The Tea Leaves Showed Murder” (July 1946, #41)
- “Betty Bates” (September 1946, #42)
- “Class Reunion” (November 1946, #43)
- “Too Kind to Be a Killer!” (January 1947, #44)
- “Murder by Law!” (March 1947, #45)
- “The Scales of Justice” (May 1947, #46)
- “Don’t Start Anything…” (July 1947, #47)
- “A Cavity Can Kill” (September 1947, #48)
- “Send Her to Congress” (November 1947, #49)
- “Betty Bates” (January 1948, #50)
- “The Rules of Murder!” (March 1948, #51)
- “Burly Bauskett’s Double” (May 1948, #52)
- “The Murder of Mixie Munter” (July 1948, #53)
- “The Headless Red Horse” (September 1948, #54)”
- “Double-Cross” (November 1948, #55)
- “Betty Bates” (January 1949, #56)
- “The Secret Panel in the Full Moon” (March 1949, #57)
- “Mr. Mighty!” (May 1949, #58)
- “A Horse of a Different Color” (July 1949, #59)
- “Mr. Malice” (September 1949. #60)
- “Urn Burial” (November 1949, #61)
- “The Mysterious Three Stone Dogs” (January 1950, #62)
- “Betty Bates” (March 1950, #63)
- “Blackie Blair, Racketeer” (May 1950, #64)
- “Betty Bates” (July 1950, #65; final appearance)
COLLECTIONS
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- Superdames Comics
“In one of the greatest stories EVER, Betty Bates, “Lady-at-Law” arrests a guy harrassing her on the street. In 1947.” - The Huffington Post’s 10 Most Badass Comic Book Heroines
Betty ranked third. - The Dick of the Day
(June 9, 2024)This comic book lawyer from the 40s rises from defense attorney to DA, to considering a run for Congress.A tough, fearless female DA from the West Coast running for higher office?Who ever heard of such a thing!!!
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
