“Tomboy” was the backup feature in the short-lived Captain Flash series, which ran for  four issues in 1954-1955. It focuses on the adventures of Janie Jackson, the (preteen?) daughter of police lieutenant Charles Jackson, who protects her surprisingly crime-ridden small town as the costumed adventurer, Tomboy.

She’s pretty fierce.

There was never an origin tale for Tomboy.  She is an established hero as her first story opens, one who is feared by the underworld and admired by the general public. She even has the full cooperation of the police, who hold a celebration in her honor.   It’s a lot like reading a Batman story, except the Batcave is a twelve-year-old girl’s bedroom and the Batphone is the booth outside the Rexall.

“Oh, and Captain? Fuck you for even asking.”

There’s only one sour note in the series. Like Wonder Woman and Superman, Tomboy has a supporting character who is infatuated with her superhero persona but can barely conceal his contempt for her civilian identity. Only in this case, it’s Janie’s older brother, Bill. I guess the creators figured Janie was too young for a love interest so they went with sibling rivalry instead. It makes for a couple of questionable moments, such as when Bill abandons his girlfriend for a dance with Tomboy at a costume party.

Yeah, that’s awkward for everyone involved.

Still, it’s only a minor part of the series.  At only 6 pages in length, the stories don’t have much space to dwell on anything other than Tomboy kicking six kinds of crap out of roomfuls of armed thugs.

Here’s hoping that today we can all overcome our obstacles as easily as Tomboy!