Phantom Ladies
Sandra Knight created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger
+ History
In 1939, Sandra Knight was the debutant daughter of Senator Henry Knight. Known for her social activities, she hid the fact that she was actually quite a brilliant scientist. Sandra worked with Prof. Abraham Davis, whose inventions would one day supply her "blackout" wristbands.
But before that, Sandra was instrumental in jump-starting another mystery man's career — her cousin's, Ted Knight. She introduced Ted to Prof. Davis, who helped him perfect Ted's "gravity rod" technology. The device channelled energy from the stars for various uses. Ted eventually used the rod to become the original Starman.
Phantom
Lady vs. the Prairie Witch
From Starman #44. Art by Mike Mayhew
In mid-1941, Sandra made her first foray into crime fighting (albeit out of costume), saving her father from a would-be attakcer. In this instance, the attackers marveled at the presence of some "phantom lady," a name which she also uttered to her father before receeding into the darkness. (Freedom Fighters #15, All-Star Squadron #41)
Soon she prowled the darkness as one of the nation's first female costumed adventurers, the Phantom Lady. (Police #1)
Sandra was in her home of San Francisco on December 7, 1941, when air raid sirens began to blare in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As fate would have it, the newly formed All-Star Squadron was also in town and she joined them in battle against Per Degaton. (All-Star Squadron #2) After this mission, she returned home to check on her father, but re-teamed with the Squadron frequently throughout the war. (#4)
She also joined a sub-group of All-Stars formed by Uncle Sam called the Freedom Fighters. This group was instrumental in defeating Baron Blitzkrieg, who would one day take horrible revenge upon her. (#31-35) Also during this mission, the Phantom Lady lent the use of her black light ray to activate the Miraclo residue in Hourman's body. (#35)
In the latter days of the war, the Freedom Fighters moved to Washington D.C., and kept closer ties to the White House. Sandra continued to fight crime intermittently, teaming with her cousin, Starman, to battle with the Prairie Witch. (Starman v.2 #44)
Good on Paper
During the War, Sandra also met her first husband, the Young All-Star known as Iron Munro. Before the two of them were married, Sandra conceived a child — which she never revealed to him. She confided only in the Atom, Al Pratt, who helped her give the child up for adoption. The hospital mistakenly put Al's name as father on the child's (Walter Pratt) birth certificate. (Manhunter v.3 #23)
After the war, Sandra and Munro eventually married, but their union was cursed. They bore a second child which was kidnapped by Baron Blitzkreig and never recovered. (Damage #6)
The couple gradually grew apart and sometime in the 1960s, Phantom Lady disappeared while on a mission for the covert government agency called Argent. Though Munro later discovered she was alive, they two were never reunited. (Damage #11)
She eventually branched out and formed her own school, the Université Notre Dame des Ombres (Our Lady of the Shadows), an academy where she trained students in the covert arts. There she mentored...
Phantom Lady II
The second Phantom Lady, Delilah "Dee" Tyler, was trained by Sandra Knight, who gave Tyler her costume and equipment. (Action Comics Weekly #636) Dee was an expert in the martial art called Savate, also known as French kickboxing. Her equipment had been upgraded from Sandra's and included a wrist-mounted blaster, and a holographic projector that can be used to cast powerful illusions.
The second Phantom Lady led a relatively quiet career, eventually joining up with other heroes of Golden Age legacy, (JSA: Our Worlds at War) and joining Uncle Sam in the Freedom Fighters. (JSA #49-51) She was also on-hand to help a relative of Sandra Knight's, Jack Knight (Starman VII) stave off hordes of villains in Opal City. (Starman v.2 #71-73)
Dee's career was cut short when she was brutally murdered along with other members of the Freedom Fighters by the Society. During the chaos wrought by Alexander Luthor, she was killed with a sword by Deathstroke. (Infinite Crisis #1)
Manhunted
Sandra's first child, Walter Pratt, grew into a homicidal maniac.
Because of the false information on Pratt's birth certificate, the
public believed that he was the son of the original Atom. Pratt murdered
the mother of his child, a woman named Lydia. Their daughter, Katherine
Spencer later became Los Angeles' Manhunter and
wound up battling her father. After Pratt's death (when he was cut
in half midstream in teleporation [Manhunter
#19]), Spencer learned her true lineage from the JSA's Dr.
Mid-Nite and paid a visit to her grandmother, Sandra Knight. (#23) Kate
also has a son, Ramsey
Robinson.
Third
Time's Charmed, I'm Sure
Sandra is now succeeded a new Phantom Lady (III), Stormy Knight, who joined Uncle Sam's new Freedom Fighters. It is unknown if Stormy and her deceased father, Senator Henry Knight, are related to Sandra.
Phantom
Lady, along with the Human Bomb, Ray
III and Doll Man.
From Uncle Sam & the F. F. v.1 #2 (2006). Art by Daniel
Acuña.
Phantom Lady suffered a relapse and her superiors forced her to make a public apology. This went quickly off the rails, as she would up killing a covert government operative. Afterwards, she visited her mother in Templeton Psychiatric Center.
Notes
Fox's Phantom Lady
Phantom Lady's publishing history is a bit anomalous, and historical. Quality Comics ceased publishing her adventures in Police, after only 23 issues when her co-creater Jerry Iger moved to Fox Features Syndicate. After that, Iger published the Phantom Lady in All-Top Comics #8-16 and a Phantom Lady series in 1947 (which inexplicably began numbering at #13 and changed to My Love Secret with #24). This Phantom Lady was similar to Sandra but her costume was colored dark blue and red instead of yellow and green. Ajax published a Phantom Lady series in 1954 that lasted 4 issues. These later appearances are historically notable for having been illustrated by Matt Baker. Baker is famous for drawing what's called "Good Girl Art" — girls posed suggestively in skimpy costumes. The woman in these series is not named as Sandra Knight, as DC had since bought the rights to that character. The relationship of DC's Phantom Lady to the Golden Age Starman (Ted Knight) was established until 1985's All-Star Squadron #41.
The agency Sandra joined (Argent) and its leader, Control, first appeared in DC's G.I. Combat #192. It was a division of Task Force X which also spawned the Suicide Squad.
Phantom Lady’s origin was also told in Freedom Fighters #15 (July-August 1978).
+ Powers
The Phantom Lady has no innate superhuman abilities, but as a young woman studied martial arts such as jiu-jitsu. She has always relied on technological gadgets, like her original "black-out" wristbands which created a field of darkness. The bands were eventually altered to give her the ability to become immaterial.
The current Phantom Lady also employs advanced technology. Her equipment is designed around the principles of quantum physics and can warp time and space itself. Like her predecessor, she can create total darkness, but her most formidable weapon is the ability to teleport. There appears to be no limit to the size or distance she can manipulate with this technology.
Appearances + References
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