Posted in: Comics | Tagged: ken bald, millie the model

Millie's Frenemy Chili Debuts in Millie the Model Comics 3, at Auction

Millie the Model's longtime frenemy Chili Seven (later renamed Chili Storm) was introduced in a story in Millie the Model Comics #3.

Millie Collins, better known as Millie the Model, is likely Marvel's most famous character outside its superhero universe. Created by writer-artist Ruth Atkinson, Millie the Model Comics debuted with a Winter 1945 cover-dated issue and ran for an impressive 207 issues until its final release in December 1973.  Atkinson wrote and drew several of the Millie stories of the debut issue, while Ken Bald wrote and drew most of the stories of several of subsequent issues from the title's first year.  Millie the Model Comics #3 introduced Chili Seven (later renamed Chili Storm), who became a longtime frenemy of Millie's, getting her own series, which ran 26 issues from 1969 to 1973.  An eventful early issue for one of the most important characters in Marvel history, there's a Millie the Model #3 (Atlas/Marvel, 1946) up for auction in the up for auction in the 2024 June 16-18 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122425.

Chili Seven is introduced in a story this issue called Danger, Red Hair, which opens with Millie's sort-of boyfriend Flicker Holbrook telling Millie that a new model has been hired at the Hanover Modeling Agency.  Chili Seven is a redhead that Flicker is obviously enamored with, much to Millie's annoyance.  Flicker compounds this error by inviting Millie to the El Miramba nightclub that night, as he knows that agency boss Larry Hanover and Chili Seven will be there as well.  Sparks immediately fly when the two top models meet, setting up what would become a longtime rivalry.

Ken Bald was a longtime comic book artist and writer whose work first appeared in comics when, as a 14-year-old, he submitted fan art to DC Comics, which appeared in More Fun Comics #9 in 1936. Bald's art featured a range of characters, including funny animal characters Pelion and Ossa, humor character Slim Pickins, cowboy Jack Woods, and a character from the science fiction strip 2023 Super Police.  As a professional, Bald would continue to excel in a range of genres, including superheroes, teen humor, romance, and horror for Marvel and other publishers.  In comic strips, Bald drew the long-running Dr. Kildare strip from 1961 to 1984, as well as the brief Dark Shadows strip.  As a storyboard artist for advertising, Bald did the first drawing of the AFLAC duck and did storyboards for the legendary 1979 Coca-Cola Superbowl spot with Mean Joe Green.

The popularity of Millie the Model led to the creation of several spin-off titles, including A Date with Millie, Life with Millie, Mad About Millie, and Modeling with Millie.  During the late Golden Age, the character eventually surpassed the popularity of Tessie the Typist to take over the covers of humor anthologies such as Joker Comics, Gay Comics, and Comedy Comics. In 1965, Millie made a quiet entry into the Marvel Universe with her appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #3. Chili Storm entered the Marvel Universe in a Dazzler #34 (1984) story called Where Have All the Models Gone.  A noteworthy early chapter of the Millieverse, there's a Millie the Model #3 (Atlas/Marvel, 1946) up for auction in the up for auction in the 2024 June 16-18 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122425.

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