Acromaid

Real Name: Christine McCall

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Surgical theatre nurse

Affiliations: Penny (roommate)

Enemies: Cobra, Brutus

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mercy Hospital

First Appearance: K.O. Knockout #1 (Cartoon Art Productions, 1947)

Powers/Abilities: Skilled fighter, expert knife thrower. Acrobat and aerialist.

History: Working at Mercy Hospital during the day, strawberry blonde theatre nurse Christine McCall leads a secret double life as the daringly agile crime smasher Acromaid.

(Acromaid Comics) Christine McCall assists in emergency surgery on a circus performer, Taglio, who was stabbed, allegedly accidentally, when a knife-throwing act seemingly went wrong. The operation is nearly interrupted by a thug who smashes his way into the operating room and attempts to shoot the patient, proclaiming Brutus will be glad to know Taglio is dead; however, a quick thinking Christine disarms him with a thrown scalpel, and the thug flees, clutching his wounded hand. The operation saves Taglio, and once the rest of the medical personnel leave, Christine injects him with truth serum, causing the delirious Taglio to reveal he is in possession of the recently stolen Moon Diamond, which he apparently offered to "Cobra" in return for her getting rid of Brutus and marrying him. That evening Christine attends the performance at Ringo's Circus, then hangs back when the crowds depart. She changes into her Acromaid costume and overhears female performer Cobra talking to the strongman, Brutus, about the diamond. As the two crooks go to confront the ringmaster, Wulf, who is demanding a share of any money made by selling the Moon Diamond, Acromaid searches Cobra's dressing room and recovers the stolen gem. Returning to the big top, she witnesses Brutus murder Wulf; she confronts him, and he pursues her up onto the trapezes suspended above the ring, until they collide in mid-air and fall. They hit the safety net, which snaps under their combined weight, but Acromaid manages to grab a trapeze, saving herself. Brutus is less lucky, and breaks his back when he hits the ground, dying instantly. Acromaid confronts and captures Cobra, who confesses all.

Comments: Created by Dennis Malcolm Reader.

Thanks to Michael Norwitz for identifying Acromaid's creator. Thanks to Dennis Ray for almost all the other information and the images.

As with many characters of the era, there remains the question of quite how she manages to keep people from realising who Acromaid really is when she is apparently both so notorious as to be instantly recognisable while in costume, and yet makes absolutely no attempt to hide her face.

I'm informed she first appeared in the single issue of K.O. Knockout published by Cartoon Art Productions, but the sole sample I have of her strip, kindly supplied by Dennis Ray, clearly identifies itself as Acromaid Comics, a title not listed in Dennis Gifford's Complete Catalogue of British Comics, a title that generally lives up to its name. Whether this means Acromaid Comics was an insert or alternate title for K.O. Knockout, or that Acromaid Comics was simply an omission from Gifford's listings, remains a mystery.

CLARIFICATIONS: None.

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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