Abigail Mathilda "Ma" Hunkel is a fictional character appearing in
American comic books
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
published by
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. Debuting during the
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...
, she first appeared in her civilian identity in
All-American Publications
All-American Publications, Inc.The name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to fo ...
' ''
All-American Comics'' #3 (June 1939), created by
Sheldon Mayer, and became the first character to be known as the
Red Tornado in ''All-American Comics'' #20 (November 1940). As the Red Tornado, she was one of the first superhero
parodies, as well as one of the first female superheroes and (when occasionally disguised as a man) the first
cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...
heroine, debuting months after
Madame Fatal, the first cross-dressing male hero.
She was commonly associated with humor title character
Scribbly the Boy Cartoonist, debuting as a supporting character of him, then sharing titles alongside Scribbly with the Red Tornado alias occasionally. She then was more recurringly affiliated with the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
during the debut of the team and consistently still is in modern interpretation within DC Comics publications. She is also depicted as the grandmother of
Maxine Hunkel.
Publication history
Initially introduced as simply Ma Hunkel, she originated in
Sheldon Mayer's semi-autobiographical humor feature in ''
All-American Comics'' #3 as a supporting character of
Scribbly the Boy Cartoonist.
With the skyrocketing popularity of the ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' comic in 1938, comic book publishers began featuring their own superhero characters. ''All-American Comics'' responded in 1939 with
Gary Concord, the Ultra-Man, and followed in 1940 with
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
and
the Atom. The superhero trend was so powerful that in the ''Scribbly'' story in issue #20 (Nov 1940), Ma Hunkel became a superhero herself.
[ In the story, Scribbly's little brother Dinky and Ma Hunkel's daughter Sisty are kidnapped, and the police are unable to locate them. Scribbly tells Ma about the Green Lantern, and she's inspired to don a costume and fight crime, calling herself the Red Tornado.][
The character was immediately popular, and eclipsed Scribbly himself. By issue #23, the Red Tornado was sharing billing with Scribbly, and in #24, Dinky and Sisty joined the fight against crime, calling themselves "the Cyclone Twins". The series continued for three more years as "Scribbly & the Red Tornado".][
The feature ran through ''All-American Comics'' #59, in 1944, the year DC Comics absorbed All-American Publications.
]Ron Goulart
Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy and science fiction author.
He worked on novels and novelizations (and other works) being published under various ps ...
writes: "Anticipating Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
, that monumental creation of William Moulton Marston, possibly even influencing it, Mayer chose a woman to be his costumed avenger, remaking the formidable Ma Hunkel into the even more formidable Red Tornado. Actually the people in the strip never knew the true sex of the Tornado. They only knew that this bulky figure in the red flannels, bedroom slippers, cape, and inverted stew pot could be counted on to tackle all sorts of criminals from the biggest to the smallest".
In 1967, Mayer briefly revived the concept in issues of '' Sugar and Spike'', with both kids and Little Arthur appearing at various times as "Tornado-Tot".
The character reappeared in a three-page "Scribbly" story by Mayer in DC's ''Secret Origins'' #29 (Aug. 1986). She had a one-panel appearance in '' Animal Man'' "Deus Ex Machine", in a sort of limbo for characters who at the time weren't written into mainstream continuity.
In Alex Ross's classic 1996 graphic novel '' Kingdom Come'', set in an alternative DC future, the "Original Red Tornado" is identified as Ma Hunkel: she can just be seen at the top-left hand side of the Justice League line-up which includes Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
and Norman McCay. In issue #3, (page 135 of the collected edition), panel 1, she can be seen on a balcony looking down at Superman and McCay and wearing a far more sophisticated, armour-like costume.
She appeared briefly in 1998's ''DC Universe Holiday Bash II'' special, in the story "I Left My Heart at the Justice Society Canteen", and in ''All-Star Comics 80-Page Giant'' #1 (Sept. 1999), in a story, "Way of the Amazon", in which Ma Hunkel takes valorous center stage amid Liberty Belle, Phantom Lady and Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
. She has continued to appear through the mid-2000s, mainly as a supporting character in ''Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
''.
Fictional character biography
In the original comics in the 1940s, Ma Hunkel is a working mother whose costume consists of longjohns and a cooking pot
Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a Kitchen stove, stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considere ...
on her head. She adopts the identity of the Red Tornado to fight local criminals in her New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
neighborhood, inspired by her son's admiration for the superhero Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
. The character's popularity was such that she was given a cameo in the first adventure of the Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
, visiting the JSA's headquarters but being forced by a humorous mishap, her pants splitting, to leave without having the chance to apply for membership. Later Justice Society stories have declared Ma to be an honorary member of the team. Due to her bright red costume and rotund build, she is sometimes jokingly referred to as the Red Tomato.
Ma was later joined by a pair of sidekicks known as the Cyclone Kids
Cain
Cassandra Cain
David Cain
Rex Calabrese
Rex "The Lion" Calabrese is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted in ''Batman: Eternal'' #14 during "The New 52" and was created by James Tyni ...
, consisting of her daughter Amelia "Sisty" Hunkel and neighbor Mortimer "Dinky" Jibbet (brother of boy cartoonist Scribbly, the star of the comic book feature in which the Red Tornado debuted).
Ma Hunkel returned in ''JSA'' #55 (February 2004). This story reveals that Ma had been in the Witness Protection Program
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require p ...
since 1950. Senior JSA members Green Lantern, the Flash
The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
, Hawkman
Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
, and Wildcat
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
find Ma to tell her that she can come out of hiding, as the last member of the gang against whom she testified in 1950 has died. Ma subsequently becomes caretaker of the JSA's Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
museum/headquarters. She does not, however, resume her crimefighting activities as the Red Tornado.
Her daughter and (now) son-in-law, the former Cyclone Kids, briefly have their own costumed adventures, starting in the title '' Young Justice''. They band together with other Golden Age sidekicks out of concern for the safety of younger superheroes.
Ma's wind-controlling granddaughter, Maxine Hunkel, joins the JSA in ''Justice Society of America'' Vol. 3 #1 (February 2007). In ''Justice Society of America'' Vol. 3 #3 (March 2007), Maxine adopts the alias "Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...
".
Ma still has some fighting ability, using a mace and gas weaponry to help the younger JSA stun and delay members of the invading Injustice Society
The Injustice Society (a.k.a. the Injustice Society of the World) is a group of supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America.
The Injustice Society first appears in '' All Star Comics'' #37 (October 1947 ...
. She is taken hostage and frozen by the villain Icicle. She only suffers a mild cold as the team's plans was not to kill or injure but steal from the JSA.
Maxine was later responsible for the continuation of the Society as a viable team. When supernatural entities obliterated the brownstone, Jay Garrick believed this was a sign to end the team and move on. Maxine convinced him such an attitude was nonsensical and the Society was more than just a headquarters.
In '' Dark Nights: Death Metal'', Ma Hunkel is revealed to have died some time prior before Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
resurrects her with a Black Lantern
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of wikt:corporeal, corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of d ...
ring. Furthermore, her name is the password to access the Valhalla superhero cemetery.
Powers and abilities
In her prime, Ma Hunkel was a surprisingly strong woman. Many who encountered her often believed that the Red Tornado was, in fact, a man, a notion that helped protect Ma's secret identity on more than one occasion. Furthermore, she is a skilled cook.
Other versions
In the '' Kingdom Come'' timeline, an older Ma Hunkel wielding a more sophisticated armor version of the Red Tornado costume joins the re-formed Justice League
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
under Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
, and appears with her granddaughter Maxine Hunkel. Maxine known as Red Tornado III or Cyclone, originally fought against Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
's Justice League
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
after his return, before deciding to join it. She travels with the rest of the team to the Gulag to contain the prisoner revolt. Captain Marvel arrives and blasts the Gulag, freeing all the prisoners, who then attack the surrounding Justice League members.
In the "World Without Young Justice" reality, Red Tornado was brought out of retirement by Impulse. She helps to distract Bedlam so that Impulse can have one of his clones restore the timeline.[''Young Justice'' #45, DC Comics.]
In other media
* Ma Hunkel makes a cameo appearance in the ''Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'' two-part episode " Absolute Justice", portrayed by Deborah Cole.
* Ma Hunkel appears in '' Smallville Season 11'' as the caretaker of the Justice Society's brownstone.
* Ma Hunkel appears in ''Black Adam - The Justice Society Files: Cyclone''.
Collected editions
The Red Tornado is one of seven JSA-related heroes whose solo appearances are collected in an anthology entry in the DC Archive Editions series:
References
External links
The Unofficial Red Tornado Biography
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archived
from the original on January 9, 2017.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunkel, Ma
All-American Publications characters
Comics characters introduced in 1939
DC Comics female superheroes
Earth-Two
Fictional chefs
Fictional cross-dressers
Golden Age superheroes
Parody superheroes