The Freedom Fighters Return: Punching Nazis on Earth-X

The Phantom Lady, by Daniel Acuña (Courtesy DC Comics)

The Phantom Lady

Infamous for her ludicrous “good girl” design and habit of getting tied up by bad guys, the Golden Age Phantom lady is recognized today primarily for her physique. Sandra Knight’s alter ego was presented as a leading cause of juvenile delinquency by pro-censorship firebrand Fredric Wertham in his exploitive 1954 investigation, “Seduction of the Innocent.” Ironically, the 1941 creation proved so popular that she enjoyed continuous adventures for years from various publishers, not to mention a plethora of copycat versions from various fly-by-night companies.

Over the years, Phantom Lady’s costume was toned down, but she always kept her signature sci-fi weapon the black light ray. Depending on the version of the character, her ray could blind bad guys, make her invisible, create holograms, teleport, bend reality, or simply cast an all-enveloping darkness.

After The Phantom Lady arrived at DC, she was sent to Earth-X with the rest of her Quality companions. At the end of the 1990s, a second Phantom Lady appeared. Dee Tyler fought crime in Opal City—home of Starman—before suffering a bloody death by the sword of Deathstroke in 2005’s “Infinite Crisis.”

Stormy Knight, the third Phantom Lady, debuted in 2005 as a member of the Freedom Fighters based in Washington DC, where her father served as a Senator. As with her teammates, this version of the character had dramatic flaws, she acted like a self-destructive “celebutante” and battled alcoholism after the murder of her father. Stormy was supplanted after the DC universe relaunch in 2012 by Jennifer Knight (no relation to previous versions), who teamed with Doll Man in a 2012 miniseries where they battled the mob to avenge her father’s murder. The cover to the second issue of the upcoming “Freedom Fighters” series shows the Phantom Lady on the team.