Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: golden age, miss america

Cindy Smith and Sandra Lake Debut in Marvel's Junior Miss, at Auction

The "newest, biggest, solidest, keenest" comic of 1947 was Marvel's Junior Miss, featuring Cindy Smith, Sandra Lake and residents of Oakdale.

The Marvel title Junior Miss was meant to be a comic book companion to their Miss America Magazine.  Whereas Miss America Magazine was a teenage girl-focused magazine format publication with some comics, Junior Miss was a comic book with some magazine-style features, including fashion, tips, advice, and fiction.  The comic book originally debuted around the time that the Miss America Comics title had transformed into a magazine in 1944, but lasted for only one issue at that time.  With the Marvel humor line booming by the end of that decade, often starring female characters, Junior Miss returned in 1947 featuring the same mix of magazine-style features but different comics — notably featuring the debut of the character Cindy Smith.

While many of Marvel's teen humor titles were of course inspired by the success of Archie, the Cindy Smith saga leaned into the comparison harder than most.  Where Archie had Riverdale High School, Cindy had Oakdale High School.  Archie's pal Jughead loved hamburgers, but Cindy's friend Peanuts loved sodas.  Most interestingly, just as Archie's Veronica Lodge was inspired by film star Veronica Lake, Cindy's Sandra Lake was also obviously inspired by Veronica Lake.

But in contrast to Archie, Cindy Smith was smart, resourceful, and had ways of outmaneuvering Sandra Lake and other rivals to get what she wanted with the help of her friend, Goldie Adams.  After the single issue in 1944, the relaunched title lasted 16 issues 1947-1950, with Cindy Smith also receiving her own series and appearing in other titles like Teen Comics. But Junior Miss was an unusual Marvel title that provides an interesting window into the evolving comic book market of the post-WWII era.  There are several issues of Junior Miss up for auction in the 2023 April 20 Timeless Good Girl Art Comics Featuring Dan DeCarlo Showcase Auction #40221 at Heritage Auctions. For new bidders, take the time to familiarize yourself with Heritage Auctions' FAQ and auction event details before the event to ensure a seamless and enjoyable bidding process.

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