Brenda Starr is a comic strip about the title
character, a glamorous, adventurous reporter.
Created by Dale Messick for the Chicago Tribune
syndicate, it initially encountered resistance
from Tribune editor Joseph Medill Patterson
because its creator and main character were both
women. Although set in Chicago, in its early years
it was the only syndicate strip not to appear in
the Tribune itself.The strip was relegated to a
supplement, but quickly worked its way into the
Sunday paper. A daily strip was added in 1945.

It debuted on June 30, 1940, syndicated by The
Chicago Tribune Syndicate. Messick retired in
1980, succeeded only by women, including Ramona
Fradon and June Brigman. Brenda has always been a
modern woman, noted for her exotic adventures and
steamy romances. Messick and the other artists
concentrated on keeping Brenda contemporary in
clothing and hairstyles. Before Messick retired,
Starr finally married the mysterious Basil St.
John, whose eyepatch and black orchid serum have
been a regular plot element. Basil has been
missing in recent years as Brenda continues on her
free-living ways.

The strip's current writer is Mary Schmich, who
is herself a glamorous Chicago reporter.

 
Brenda Starr Sunday strip from 2005, featuring a
guest appearance by George W. Bush. Art by June
Brigman.
Broader impact
There have been three film versions of the strip:
a 1945 serial with Joan Woodbury, a 1976 TV movie
with Jill St. John, and a 1986 film with Brooke
Shields and Timothy Dalton. The latter version,
which was not released in the US until 1992 due to
lengthy litigation over distribution rights, was a
notorious critical and commercial failure.

In 1995, Brenda Starr was one of 20 comic strips
honored as Comic Strip Classics in a special
release of commemorative postage stamps.