Dale Messick (1906-2005) was an American comic strip artist, best known for creating Brenda Starr, Reporter, which debuted in 1940.

Born Dalia Messick, Messick later changed her name to the more gender-neutral Dale to combat bias against female cartoonists. She paved the way for other female comic strip artists in a male-dominated industry.

The character Brenda Starr is a glamorous, adventurous reporter who traveled the world in search of stories. The comic strip often mixed romance, action, and intrigue, and it featured Brenda as a strong, independent woman at a time when such representations were relatively rare in media. Brenda Starr’s signature visual feature was her flaming red hair and a star-shaped beauty mark near her eye.

The strip ran for over 70 years, and although Dale Messick retired from it in the 1980s, it continued under other artists and writers until its final installment in 2011.

Throughout its run, Brenda Starr, Reporter addressed a variety of issues and evolved with the times, serving as both a reflection of and a commentary on the society in which it was produced.

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