We saw Daphne Dimples get spanked in Brenda Starr Spanking#1, and since we're about to see her spanked once again, let's find out a little more about her. Here is what Sweetspot, who discovered this new spanking, had to say about her:
"Daphne Dimples is the boss's niece. By boss I don't mean managing editor Atwell Livwright who gets around to spanking her in 1951 [as we'll see below - Web-Ed] but his boss editor Muggs Wallace. Daphne is Brenda's arch-enemy. Over the course of years, in addition to trying to steal every boyfriend Brenda has had, Daphne frames Brenda for theft of the company payroll, cracks her over the head with a Champaign bottle, steals her stories, and constantly mocks her. In 1946 she attempts to dump printer's ink on Brenda's hair but finds the wrong target."
Let's see a brief excerpt from the ink-dumping incident below:
Brenda Starr, July 27 1946. Scan by Sweetspot. © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
We don't think we'd describe Dale Messick's character names as "Dickensian," but they are certainly suggestive in a somewhat more obvious way as the above example shows: Atwell Livwright (eat well(?) live right) and Gilda Lilly (gilding the lily). Perhaps she chose the name "Brenda Starr" to indicate that Brenda was a star reporter.
Anyway, Daphne is definitely a bad girl deserving of multiple spankings. Let's spring ahead five years to Sept. 4, 1951 and see what led up to this one. Story and art by Dale Messick (with assistants). Scans are all by Sweetspot with some minor edits by Web-Ed:
Sept. 4, 1951 © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
Below is an alternate version from a different newspaper.
Sept. 4, 1951 © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
The next day, Daphne drives Livright to the boiling point:
Sept. 4, 1951 © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
Sept. 4, 1951 © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
Sept. 5, 1951 © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
Finally, Daphne's insincere talk of how good Brenda is drives Livright over the edge, and he takes her over his knee!
Sept. 5, 1951 © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
The spanking panel from the original newspaper strip of September 5, 1951. Scan by Sweetspot. © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
At last Daphne gets her well-deserved spanking from Livright, while the cub reporter Pesky Miller (thanks to Willjohn for identifying him) looks on with delight. The spanking panel is a little strange in that Daphne seems to have rotated her hips to the left and changed the color of her skirt! Of course the spankee's buttocks should always be facing up, not sideways. This error probably resulted from the difficulty in getting the perspective right. There are some nice pain stars, and Daphne looks suitably distressed!
We'll mention again how refreshing it is to see a female cartoonist who believes in M/F spankings. Thanks, Dale!
The spanking panel, different version. Scan by Sweetspot. © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
Another version.
The spanking panel from the Orlando Evening Star. Scan by Sweetspot. © Chicago Tribune Syndicate
A third version of the spanking panel, this one from the Orlando Evening Star. This is another major discovery for Sweetspot, for while it was known that there had been many spankings in Brenda Starr, no one in the scene (except possibly Andre) had any scans or any idea what their dates were.
Any more spankings in Brenda Starr? We'd guess the answer is "yes" but none are positively known to exist. Of course we'll let everyone know if and when they turn up.
