1940s in comics #20. Batman #1, Cover dated Spring, 1940 introduced The Joker and Catwoman known simply as "The Cat". Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger Wonder Woman, created by William Moulton Marston, first appears in "All Star Comics" #8. She is among the first and most famous comic book superheroines. Stan Lee becomes editor-in-chief at Timely Comics. "Adventures of Captain Marvel", a twelve-chapter film serial adapted from the popular Captain Marvel comic book character for Republic Pictures, debuts. It was the first film adaptation of a comic book superhero. Archie Andrews, created by Bob Montana first appears in "Pep Comics" #22,
Superhero This era saw the debut of first known female superhero, writer-artist Fletcher Hanks's character Fantomah, an ageless ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into a skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House's "Jungle Comic" #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility created by Russell Stamm, would debut in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip a few months later on June 3, 1940. One superpowered character was portrayed as an antiheroine, a