Lesson plan
Fantomah
Fantomah is an American comics character, best known as one of the earliest comic book superheroines. Created by Fletcher Hanks, the character first appeared in Jungle Comics #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940), published by Fiction House. Hanks is also known for creating the equally strange Stardust the Super Wizard. The character preceded Wonder Woman's first appearance, and has been claimed to be the first female superhero in comic books (although the Centaur Comics superheroine, "Magician from Mars", predates Fantomah by two months). But L'Oiselle is noted as the first female superhero overall with debut of 1909 (well before Superhero comics). One comics historian says: "Simultaneously grotesque and goofy, horrific and hilarious, the strip truly defies description".
Article summary
Fantomah is an American comics character, best known as one of the earliest comic book superheroines. Created by Fletcher Hanks, the character first appeared in Jungle Comics #2 (cover-dated Feb. 1940), published by Fiction House. Hanks is also known for creating the equally strange Stardust the Super Wizard. The character preceded Wonder Woman's first appearance, and has been claimed to be the first female superhero in comic books (although the Centaur Comics superheroine, "Magician from Mars", predates Fantomah by two months). But L'Oiselle is noted as the first female superhero overall with debut of 1909 (well before Superhero comics). One comics historian says: "Simultaneously grotesque and goofy, horrific and hilarious, the strip truly defies description".
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.