Selina the Moon Maiden

Selina the Moon Maiden is an open-source webseries originally published through MSN groups, the second in a series of tributes to adventure comics of the 40s, 50s and 60s. Written and illustrated by Simon Kirby, the strip features retro imagery rendered in the form of pencil sketches, CG illustrations and faux 'screencaps.' Drawing on the sci-fi/fantasy genre of the early sixties, the character is reminiscent of "girl hero" characters such as Fawcett's Mary Marvel.

Set in the fictional township of Chamberlain Heights, Selina chronicles the adventures of young Claire Delune, a ten year-old girl granted superhuman powers by the ancient goddess Eurynome. Following a military incursion by the space-faring Reptaurs, Claire assumes the title of Selina the Moon Maiden, battling an array of robots and alien menaces while attempting to keep her identity secret from her friends and family. As time goes by, Claire discovers that her alter ego is the last descendant of the Galactic Imperial Family, heir apparent to the Celestial Throne.

Supporting cast
Janey Ross: Claire's closest friend, an inveterate tomboy whose impulsive nature invariably leads her into trouble with parents, teachers and practically everyone else she encounters. Completely oblivious to Claire's double life, she is one of Selina's biggest fans.

Miranda Hobbs: The strip's resident pretty girl; somewhat ditzy at first glance but often proves much smarter than anyone suspects. Possessing a healthy dose of women's intuition, she seems to have a kind of 'sixth sense' for approaching danger.

Johnny Sanders: Fifteen year-old "Chip" Sanders is Janey's older cousin and the strip's teenaged 'love interest.' Views all three girls as kid sisters, often comes to their aid in times of crisis. Despite his reputation as a stereotype jock, Chip has a keen mind and frequently assists Professor Sven Carlson with his lab experiments.

Professor Sven Carlson: local polymath genius commissioned by the government to monitor unusual phenomena in upstate New York. First sighting Selina during a minor extra-terrestrial invasion, he decided to stay on in Chamberlain City to continue his investigations. Currently holding tenure at Empire State University, he serves as a father figure to all of the younger characters, particularly Claire.

Fictitious Publishing History
Originally published during the 1960s, storylines often reflected the cold-war anxieties of the period. Selina's adversaries were often militaristic, totalitarian species bent on the complete subjugation of the United States. Selina, on the other hand, represented the innocence and idealism of the Great American Dream, fighting for truth, justice and liberty against (seemingly) overwhelming odds.

According to most sources, Selina was first published by Goldman Periodicals in 1964, making her official debut in Journey into Adventure no. 23. Devised by industry veteran Ray Haddingsly, Selina was originally intended to capture a young female audience by combining science fiction with teen-romance.

The debut story featured most of the primary cast (Claire, Selina, Janey and Miranda); the following issue introduced teenaged love interest Chip Sanders. Early stories employed stock science-fantasy elements of the period; giant robots, marauding aliens and lumbering monstrocities similar to Marvel's output of the same period. As the decade wore on, however, the stories took on a progressively darker tone, influenced by more supernatural characters like Doctor Strange or DC's The Spectre.

Journey into Adventure was renamed Selina the Moon Maiden with issue 30, suggesting the strip enjoyed some measure of success during its initial run. Unfortunately, interest in girl-friendly comics began to decline towards the end of the decade. Selina ran for four years until February 1968, when falling sales across the board led to a cancellation of many of Goldman's girl-oriented titles.

Selina: The Animated Series
Several months before the cancellation of the comic book, production began on the Selina animated series. Eventually broadcast in 1969, the cartoon was a late entry into the campy superhero trend which dominated American TV from the middle of the sixties, and might be described as a cross between 'Batman' and 'Here Comes the Grump.' Produced by Maroon Studios on a shoe-string budget, the series was notable for its minimalist animation, cheesy 60s dialogue and campy psychedelic graphics.

The cartoon adaption was considerably more upbeat than the comic book, featuring less violence and focusing more on friendship and family values. Slapstick humor played a large role in any given storyline, and each episode featured a musical number performed by "The Selinas" (a 'groovy 60s rock group' consisting of Claire, Miranda and Janey, with Chip Sanders on the drums). Stories were generally stand-alone fantasies in which Selina and her friends solved mysteries or traveled to magical realms populated by fanciful creatures (unicorns, talking pandas and so on).