Commandette debuts in (Star-Studded Comics #1, 1945), alongside Ghost Woman and others.
Betty Babble -- no, seriously, Betty Babble -- is a stuntwoman turned movie star. When her leading man (and informant) is killed mid-scene, she sets out to find the killer.
Certain story elements suggest this is not her first adventure, although it's the only one ever published. She has fighting skills, probably from her time as a stuntwoman, and the crime-busting mentality of a young Jessica Fletcher.
Her "costume" is unremarkable -- plain white dress paired with green cape and Robin Hood (or maybe Oktoberfest) hat -- but also happens to be what she's wearing while shooting the opening film scene.
Perhaps any future stories might have shown her in different attire. But we'll never know. Unlike Ghost Woman, poor Commandette doesn't even inspire a knock off.
DC's Selina Kyle is far and away the most famous Catwoman, but Marvel's predecessor Timely Comics also had a Catwoman (if only for one story).
Timely's Catwoman is a foe of The Angel, one of the publisher's longest running and most popular heroes. In Marvel Mystery Comics #63 (April 1945), "A new ferocious creature makes her debut in crime/ endowed with amazing strength, incredible agility, and ruthless cunning, she pits her wits against The Angel in ... The Horror of the Catwoman!"
Like her more famous namesake, Catwoman is a jewel thief and deftly leads the hero in an acrobatic chase through the city. She also bears a striking resemblance to an earlier Angel foe, Cat's Paw (Marvel Mystery Comics #18-20, 1941), but the two villains are apparently not connected.
Since she's a villain, we get no back story. And since this is the Golden Age, she pays the ultimate price for her criminal activity.
The following pages were scanned from fiche and aren't the highest quality, but they'll have to do for now.
Based on the name and the costume, you might assume the Purple Tigress is a jungle girl, akin to Sheena, Lorna and Jann. But she's actually a vigilante, hunting criminals in the mean city streets.
In her one and only appearance (All Good Comics, Fox, 1944), the Purple Tigress is already making headlines and stirring up public curiosity. The narrator poses some intriguing questions:
"Who is the Purple Tigress? A whole city is piqued by the question. Out of nowhere, the Purple Tigress, a beautiful, cat-like woman appears to cut down crime. Like her jungle namesake she stalks venomous denizons [sic] of the wild. Is she maniac or angel? Has she a hidden lair, living like a wild animal, or...? -- Or maybe the story will tell you!!"
Readers soon learn that her real name is Ann Morgan. She plays the part of the bored socialite, toying with multiple suitors, but is ever watchful for suspicious activity. She has no apparent super powers but is rather skilled in hand to hand combat and dispatches criminals with ease.
The narrator's rather pointed questions are never really answered (other than the Purple Tigress' real name).
