While Abigail Mathilda “Ma” Hunkel isn’t the first crossdressing superhero in comics (that distinction goes to Madam Fatal, a man who dresses as an elderly lady to fight crime), she is the first superheroine to dress as a man.
As a large, tough as nails, hardworking mother of two, Ma Hunkel is a very different kind of superheroine than is typically depicted in comics.
Created by Sheldon Mayer, Ma Hunkel first appeared in the pages of All-American Comics #3 (June 1939) in a feature entitled Scribbly. More than a year after her debut, she would create her Red Tornado persona in All-American Comics #20 (November 1940). Continue reading ‘Women’s History Month Superheroine Spotlight: Red Tornado (Ma Hunkel)’
