''Millie the Model'' was

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

' longest-running humor title, first published by the company's 1940s predecessor,

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

, and continuing through its 1950s forerunner,

Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book, comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and mass market paperback, paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin ...

, to 1970s Marvel. The comic book series deals with Millie Collins, an aspiring model.

Publication history

The series ran 207 issues (

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d Winter 1945 to Dec. 1973), a 28-year span that included one of the first Marvel Comics annuals (in 1962),''Millie the Model Annual''
at the Grand Comics Database. and spin-offs including ''A Date with Millie'', ''Life with Millie'', ''Mad About Millie'' and ''Modeling with Millie''. 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 – Aug. 1967) before returning to humor.''Millie the Model Comics''
an
''Millie the Model''
(same series; numbering consistent following title change) at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

. 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. The character was created by writer-artist

Ruth Atkinson Ruth Atkinson Ford, née Ruth Atkinson and a.k.a. R. Atkinson (June 2, 1918 – June 1, 1997), Includes obituary for Ruth Atkinson Ford, giving date of death date as June 1, 1997.Date of death given as May 31, 1997 at that the Lambiek Comiclop ...

, one of the pioneering women

cartoonists A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary a ...

in comic books. Following this first issue, subsequent early stories were drawn mostly by Timely staffer

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during t ...

. The character's essential look, however, was the work of future

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Dan DeCarlo Daniel S. DeCarlo (December 12, 1919 – December 18, 2001) was an American cartoonist best known for having developed the look of Archie Comics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, modernizing the characters to their contemporary appearance and ...

, who would later create ''

Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats (sometimes simply known as The Pussycats) are a fictional girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense i ...

'' and other Archie icons. DeCarlo's 10-year run on the series, from #18–93 (June 1949 – Nov. 1959), was succeeded by the team of writer

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and artist

Stan Goldberg Stan Goldberg (May 5, 1932 – August 31, 2014) was an American comic book artist, best known for his work with Archie Comics and as a Marvel Comics colorist who in the 1960s helped design the original color schemes of Spider-Man, the Fantastic F ...

, 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 Henry Scarpelli (July 30, 1930 – April 4, 2010) was an American comic book artist. His work won him recognition from the industry, including the Shazam Award for Best Inker (Humor Division) in 1970, for his work on '' Date With Debbi'', '' ...

Al Hartley Henry Allan Hartley (October 25, 1921 – May 27, 2003)Henry A. Hartley
at the United States Social Security Dea ...

and

Ogden Whitney John Ogden Whitney (May 1, 1919 – August 13, 1975) was an American comic-book artist and sometime writer active from the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age. He is best known as co-creator of the aviator hero Skym ...

provided an occasional cover. The occasional backup feature included a four-page " Powerhouse Pepper" story by cartoonist

Basil Wolverton Basil Wolverton (July 9, 1909 – December 31, 1978)
at the

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...

in #8, 10–11, 13–14, & 16. Lee and Goldberg had Marvel artist and major industry figure

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

guest-star in a story in #107 (March 1962), though the image itself did not look like Kirby. Millie became part of the

Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...

with '' Fantastic Four Annual'' #3 (1965), which chronicled the wedding of

Reed Richards Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...

and Susan Storm. Fellow humor-comic stars

Patsy Walker Patricia "Patsy" Walker is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stuart Little and Ruth Atkinson, Patsy Walker first appeared in ''Miss America Magazine'' #2 (November 1944), published by Marvel precu ...

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 Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

depicted her at the ceremony when he revisited the wedding in the 1990s miniseries ''

Marvels ''Marvels'' is a four-issue miniseries comic book written by Kurt Busiek, painted by Alex Ross and edited by Marcus McLaurin. It was published by Marvel Comics in 1994. Set in the 1939 to 1974 time period, the series examines the Marvel Univ ...

''. 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 Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...

' ''Misty'' (Dec. 1985 – May 1986), from Marvel's children's-oriented

Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint f ...

imprint. Millie has also appeared in the superhero comics '' The Defenders'' #65 (Nov. 1978); '' Dazzler'' #34 (Oct. 1985); '' The Sensational She-Hulk'' #60 (Feb. 1994); and in the

kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation with ...

y flashback series ''The Age of the Sentry'' #3 (Jan. 2009). Millie starred alongside

and

Mary Jane Watson Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and made her first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man' ...

in a 23-page story "Un-enchanted Evening", by writer Paul Tobin and artist

Colleen Coover Colleen Coover (born July 14, 1969) is a comic book artist and author based in Portland, Oregon and is known for creating the lesbian-themed erotic comic book ''Small Favors'' from Eros Comix, illustrator of the comic book limited series ''Ba ...

, in ''King-Size Spider-Man Summer Special'' #1 (Oct. 2008). Millie stars in the four-issue

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

''Models, Inc.'' (Oct. 2009 – Jan. 2010).

Fictional character biography

Aspiring model 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 Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

with Toni Turner. Near the end of the series, Millie and Daisy shared an apartment. Throughout the series, redheaded model

Chili Storm ''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. The comic book series deals with ...

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 inging 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. 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

Millie Collins has no superpowers. She is a talented model, actress, and businesswoman. Across the ''Millie the Model'' comic book series, Millie's beauty allows her to attract everyone's attention.

Reception

Critical reception

Volumes

''Millie the Model'' - 1945

In 1968, the ''Millie the Model'' comic book series won an

Alley Award The Alley Award was an American annual series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, the award shared close ties with the ...

for "Best Romance Comic" at the New York Comic Art Convention. Jonathan Bagamery of ''

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'' ranked the ''Millie the Model'' comic book series 1st in their "10 Best Romance Comics From Marvel Comics" list: "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".

Accolades

* In 2011, ''

Comics Buyer's Guide ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG''; ), established in 1971, was the longest-running English-language periodical reporting on the American comic book industry. It awarded its annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1983 to circa 2010. The public ...

'' ranked Millie Collins 90th in their "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list. * In 2020, ''

'' ranked Millie Collins 6th in their "Marvel: 10 Best Golden Age Heroines" list.

Spin-offs and annuals

* ''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)

''15 Love''

In 2003, Marvel's then-president,

Bill Jemas Bill Jemas is an American media entrepreneur, writer, and editor, known for his tenure as president of Fleer Entertainment Group during the 1990s, and for his work as vice president of Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2004. During his time at Marvel, Jem ...

, 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. ''15 Love'' was eventually published in 2011. Written by

Andi Watson Andrew Watson (born 1969) is a British cartoonist and illustrator best known for the graphic novels ''Breakfast After Noon'', ''Slow News Day'' and his series ''Skeleton Key'' and ''Love Fights'', published by Oni Press and Slave Labor Graphics ...

, 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.

In other media

* A 1986

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

, ''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.

References

External links

Atlas Tales: Millie the Model

The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators

at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original November 8, 2011

Note: Erroneously states the comic started with issue #2. * {{cite web, url=http://cagle.msnbc.com/prolinks/library/mcGeean/newsviews2.asp, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509123725/http://cagle.msnbc.com/prolinks/library/mcGeean/newsviews2.asp , archive-date= May 9, 2008, first=Ed, last= McGeehan , title=Ink Blots, publisher= Column from Comic Artists Professional Society monthly newsletter, via "Cartoon News and Views" (column; ed. Daryl Cagle),

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

.com , date=October 3, 1997 Includes obituary for Ruth Atkinson Ford, giving death date of June 1, 1997. 1945 comics debuts 1973 comics endings American comics characters Atlas Comics characters Atlas Comics titles Comics about women Comics adapted into plays Characters created by Ruth Atkinson Comics characters introduced in 1945 Marvel Comics female characters Fictional characters from Kansas Fictional characters from New York City Fictional models Marvel Comics titles Timely Comics characters Romance comics