Comic book series
Millie the Model
was
Marvel Comics
' longest-running humor title, first published by the company's 1940s predecessor,
Timely Comics
, and continuing through its 1950s forerunner,
Atlas Comics
, to 1970s Marvel.
[1]
The comic book series deals with Millie Collins, an aspiring model working for the Hanover Modeling Agency.
[2]
Publication history
[
edit
]
The
Millie the Model
series ran 207 issues (
cover-dated
Winter 1945 to December 1973),
[3]
a 28-year span that included one of the first Marvel Comics annuals (1962),
[4]
and spin-offs including
A Date with Millie
,
[5]
Life with Millie
,
[6]
Mad About Millie
[7]
and
Modeling with Millie
.
[8]
At first a funny career-gal book about New York City model Millie Collins, it very quickly changed into a wider, more slapstick comedy, although for a time becoming a
romantic adventure
series with all the same characters (#113?153, March 1963 ? August 1967), before returning to humor.
[3]
Both the trademarked cover title and the copyrighted title as per its postal indicia are
Millie the Model Comics
through issue #94. The cover title then becomes simply
Millie the Model
, although the copyrighted title did not change to match until issue #144.
[3]
The character was created by writer-artist
Ruth Atkinson
, one of the pioneering women
cartoonists
in comic books.
[9]
Following this first issue, subsequent early stories were drawn mostly by Timely staffer
Mike Sekowsky
.
[3]
The character's essential look, however, was the work of future
Archie Comics
's
Dan DeCarlo
, who would later create
Josie and the Pussycats
and other Archie icons. DeCarlo's 10-year run on the series, from #18?93 (June 1949 ? November 1959), was succeeded by the team of writer
Stan Lee
and artist
Stan Goldberg
, a.k.a. "Stan G.," the main Atlas / Marvel colorist at the time. Goldberg mimicked the house style DeCarlo set, and later went on to work with him at Archie, as did occasional
Millie
artist
Henry Scarpelli
.
Al Hartley
and
Ogden Whitney
provided an occasional cover.
[3]
The occasional backup feature included a four-page "
Powerhouse Pepper
" story by cartoonist
Basil Wolverton
in #9, and work by humorist
Harvey Kurtzman
in #8, 10?11, 13?14, & 16. Lee and Goldberg had Marvel artist and major industry figure
Jack Kirby
guest-star in a story in #107 (March 1962), though the image itself did not look like Kirby.
[3]
Millie became part of the
Marvel Universe
with
Fantastic Four Annual
#3 (1965), which chronicled the wedding of
Reed Richards
and
Susan Storm
. Fellow humor-comic stars
Patsy Walker
and Hedy Wolfe, among the sidewalk crowd outside, talk about wanting to catch a glimpse of celebrity Millie, whom they've heard is on the guest list.
Alex Ross
depicted her at the ceremony when he revisited the wedding in the 1990s miniseries
Marvels
.
She reappeared in the 1980s as an older character running her own modeling agency and minding her niece, the titular star of writer-artist
Trina Robbins
'
Misty
(December 1985 ? May 1986), from Marvel's children's-oriented
Star Comics
imprint.
[10]
Millie has also appeared in the superhero comics
The Defenders
#65 (November 1978),
Dazzler
#34 (October 1985),
The Sensational She-Hulk
#60 (February 1994), and in the
kitschy
flashback
series
The Age of the Sentry
#3 (January 2009).
Millie starred alongside
Patsy Walker
and
Mary Jane Watson
in a 23-page story "Un-enchanted Evening". by writer
Paul Tobin
and artist
Colleen Coover
, in
King-Size Spider-Man Summer Special
#1 (October 2008). Millie stars in the four-issue
miniseries
Models, Inc.
(October 2009 ? January 2010). She appeared in the 2019
Fearless
anthology
series.
[11]
Fictional character biography
[
edit
]
Comics character
Aspiring model
Millicent
"
Millie
"
Collins
of Sleepy Gap, Kansas, moves to New York. She meets photographer Clicker (originally Flicker) Holbrook who arranges an introduction at the Hanover Modelling Agency. She is hired as a model by the agency. At the start of the series her best friend was regular character Toni Turner; later on Toni became a recurring character, and her role as best friend and confidant was Daisy, the agency's wardrobe assistant. She becomes romantically involved with Clicker Holbrook. At one point, she shares an apartment on the
East Side
of
Manhattan
with Toni Turner. Near the end of the series, Millie and Daisy shared an apartment.
Throughout the series, redheaded model
Chili Storm
was Millie's friendly nemesis (Millie: "Sorry I'm late! I just got back from the salon!" Chili: "Too bad they didn't have time to take you!" Millie [ringing phone drawn in foreground]: "Oh, there's the phone". Chili: "Wow! I'll bet you can also identify doorbells and auto horns!"). When Millie wasn't around, however, Chili would sometimes speak up for her colleague. Chili starred in her own 1969?1973 spin-off series.
[12]
[13]
In addition to regular appearances by Millie, Chili, Clicker and Daisy, there were occasional appearances by Howard Hanover, Toni Turner, Marvin, Agnes Ames (in charge of Wardrobe at the modeling agency) and a colleague who helped with agency sets and maintenance, Chili's wealthy boyfriend Reginald Goldmine, and Miss Scrubbley. Very late in the series, Mr. Hanover had a daffy platinum-blonde assistant, Dolly. Millie's parents are Nancy and Henry Collins. She has one younger brother, Henry Collins Jr.
Power and abilities
[
edit
]
Millie Collins has no superpowers. She is a talented model, actress, and businesswoman.
[14]
Across the
Millie the Model
comic book series, Millie's beauty allows her to attract everyone's attention.
Reception
[
edit
]
Critical response
[
edit
]
Mark Seifert of
Bleeding Cool
called Millie Collins "Marvel's most famous character outside its superhero universe," describing her as an "iconic character and one of the most important in Marvel's history."
[15]
Jenna Anderson of
ComicBook.com
included Millie Collins in their "10 Marvel Studios Special Presentations We Still Want to See" list,
[16]
while writing, "Beyond the narrative repercussions of telling the story of the MCU's Millie Collins, introducing her could further expand what the franchise is capable of. After years of complicated, male-gaze-friendly depictions of female heroines, Phase 4 of the MCU is gradually beginning to get more feminine. Not only is it putting more female characters in the spotlight, but it is giving them distinct approaches to their day-to-day life that go beyond half-hearted quips and inexplicably-perfect hairstyles ? something that a modern take on characters like Millie and Chili could take that even further."
[17]
Megan Nicole O'Brien of
Comic Book Resources
ranked Millie Collins 6th in their "Marvel: 10 Best Golden Age Heroines" list.
[14]
Comics Buyer's Guide
ranked Millie Collins 90th in their "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.
[18]
Literary reception
[
edit
]
In 1968, the
Millie the Model
comic book series won an
Alley Award
for "Best Romance Comic" at the
New York Comic Art Convention
.
[19]
Jonathan Bagamery of
Comic Book Resources
ranked the
Millie the Model
comic book series 1st in their "10 Best Romance Comics From Marvel Comics" list, saying, "Despite what her rivals might think, the true reigning queen of romance at Marvel is
Millie the Model
. Ruth Atkinson, co-creator of Patsy Walker, designed Millie for Timely Comics in 1945. For nearly 30 years, Millie's long-running search for romance crossed multiple genres. The popular title spawned several spin-offs, including
Life with Millie
and
Modeling with Millie
. Iconic Archie artist Dan DeCarlo had an influential ten-year run on
Millie the Model
, and the series also featured art from Al Hartley and Stan Goldberg. When
Millie
ended in December 1973, her finale signaled the end of Marvel's romance boom. Millie and other beloved characters from the Golden Age occasionally make memorable appearances in Marvel's superhero titles. But the House of Ideas has never repeated its early success with tales of true love."
[20]
of Screen Rant called the comic book series "one of the most successful comedy series Marvel Comics ever published," writing, "The content was typically harmless fun: aside from the strictly humorous stories, a number of adventure stories were published throughout the years. They weren't necessarily revolutionary, but Marvel was clearly doing something right - it's no accident that the series stuck around for as long as it did."
[21]
Spin-offs and annuals
[
edit
]
Spin-offs
[
edit
]
- A Date with Millie
#1?7 (Oct. 1956 ? Aug. 1957)
- A Date with Millie
vol. 2, #1?7 (Oct. 1959 ? Oct. 1960), continues as
- Life With Millie
#8?20 (Dec. 1960 ? Dec. 1962), continues as
- Modelling with Millie
#21?54 (Feb. 1963 ? June 1967)
- Mad about Millie
#1?17 (April 1969 ? Dec. 1970)
- Mad about Millie Annual
#1 (1971)
- Chili, Millie's Rival
#1?26 (May 1969 ? Dec. 1973)
- Chili, Millie's Rival Special
#1 (1971)
- Millie the Model Annual
#1?10 (1962?1971), continues as
- Queen-Size Millie the Model
#11-12 (1974?1975)
Annuals
[
edit
]
In 1985
Trina Robbins
revived Millie as an older supporting character in the
Star Comics
limited series
Misty
, where she featured as the title character's aunt and restarted her modelling career.
[22]
In 2003, Marvel's then-president,
Bill Jemas
, told the press there were plans to reimagine Millie as a 15-year-old tennis player for a comic-book series called
15 Love
, to be targeted at teenaged girls. The possibility of a Millie movie was also mentioned at that time.
[23]
15 Love
was eventually published in 2011. Written by
Andi Watson
, it featured Millie Collins' niece, Millie 'Mill' Collins, the lowest-ranking student at the Wayde Tennis Academy, who is about to lose her scholarship and must convince her aunt and others not to give up on her. It ran for three issues, with each as a double-sized 56-page story.
[24]
In other media
[
edit
]
- A 1986
Off-Broadway
musical
,
Dial "M" For Model
by John Epperson, inspired by Millie but not a direct adaptation, was staged at LaMaMa E.T.C. It featured the female impersonator
Lypsinka
as Mannequin St. Claire, a character based on Chili.
[25]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Burdette, Chad (September 24, 2020).
"20 Times Legendary Creator Jack "The King" Kirby Appeared In Comics"
.
Comic Book Resources
. Retrieved
November 8,
2022
.
- ^
Cronin, Brian (July 23, 2023).
"How a Joke in a Golden Age Marvel Comic Inadvertently Led to a Popular Superhero"
.
Comic Book Resources
. Retrieved
August 14,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Millie the Model Comics
and
Millie the Model
(same series; numbering consistent following title change) at the
Grand Comics Database
.
- ^
Millie the Model Annual
at the Grand Comics Database.
- ^
A Date with Millie
(Marvel, 1956 Series)
and
A Date with Millie
(Marvel, 1956 Series)
at the
Grand Comics Database
.
- ^
Life with Millie
at the
Grand Comics Database
.
- ^
Mad About Millie
and
Mad About Millie Annual
at the
Grand Comics Database
.
- ^
Modeling with Millie
at the
Grand Comics Database
.
- ^
Dowsett, Elizabeth, ed. (2008). "Millie the Model debuts".
Marvel Chronicle
.
Dorling Kindersley
. p. 31.
ISBN
978-0756641238
.
Millie the Model
was created by cartoonist Ruth Atkinson, who drew the stories in the first issue.
Mike Sekowsky
... took over as principal
Millie the Model
artist after the first issue)
- ^
Markstein, Don.
"Misty"
.
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
. Retrieved
April 2,
2020
.
- ^
Stewart, Jade (September 1, 2022).
"Who Is Millie the Model?"
.
Marvel.com
. Retrieved
August 14,
2023
.
- ^
Chili
at the
Grand Comics Database
- ^
Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017).
Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History
. DK Publishing. p. 136.
ISBN
978-1465455505
.
- ^
a
b
O'Brien, Megan Nicole (November 8, 2020).
"Marvel: 10 Best Golden Age Heroines, Ranked"
.
Comic Book Resources
. Retrieved
August 30,
2022
.
- ^
Seifert, Mark (April 20, 2023).
"The Debut of Millie Collins in Millie the Model Comics #1, at Auction"
.
Bleeding Cool
. Retrieved
August 14,
2023
.
- ^
Anderson, Jenna (December 23, 2022).
"10 Marvel Studios Special Presentations We Still Want to See"
.
ComicBook.com
. Retrieved
March 25,
2023
.
- ^
Anderson, Jenna (January 12, 2023).
"Why Millie the Model Should Join the MCU"
.
ComicBook.com
. Retrieved
March 25,
2023
.
- ^
Frankenhoff, Brent
(2011).
Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics
.
Krause Publications
. p. 56.
ISBN
978-1-4402-2988-6
.
- ^
"1968 Alley Awards"
.
www.hahnlibrary.net
. Retrieved
August 30,
2022
.
- ^
Bagamery, Jonathan (September 8, 2022).
"10 Best Romance Comics From Marvel Comics"
.
Comic Book Resources
. Retrieved
November 8,
2022
.
- ^
Schneider, Steven (October 6, 2016).
"15 First Female Comic Book Superheroes In History"
.
Screen Rant
. Retrieved
August 14,
2023
.
- ^
Nerd, Delirium (July 5, 2019).
"Women in Comics: Trina Robbins"
.
Medium.com
.
- ^
Archive of MacDonald, Heidi.
"Millie the Model Turns to Tennis?"
,
Comicon.com
, March 4, 2003.
- ^
"Marvel Comics Exclusive Preview:
15 Love
#1"
.
MTV.com
. June 3, 2011. Archived from
the original
on June 6, 2011.
- ^
"My Favorite Things!"
.
Lypsinka
official site. WebCitation. Archived from
the original
on July 14, 2011.
External links
[
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]