| Toni Gayle | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Toni Gayle/Gay |
|
First Appearance |
Young King Cole vol. #1 (1945) |
|
Original Publisher |
Novelty/Star |
|
Created by |
Bob Plate and Wayne Boring |
Origin[]
Toni Gayle (later "Toni Gay") was the daughter of Gregory Gayle, a famed police detective. She was always a clever girl, but her father didn't want her to have anything to do with police work, so she went into modeling. But when a murderer known as the Ape severely injured her father, Toni decided to investigate.
After bringing the Ape to justice, Toni decided to split her time between modeling and investigating crimes. She also occasionally dabbled in acting. Toni was assisted by Biff Muggson, a reformed criminal her father once helped put away. Biff served as a bodyguard, but Toni was more than capable of defending herself when he wasn't around.
When Star Publications acquired Novelty Press' assets, Toni became one of the features in School Day Romances- a title that mostly featured high school and college-aged girls. At this point, Toni stopped investigating crimes and focused on her modeling. Biff vanished and a new supporting cast developed around her. She found a boyfriend in Butch Dykeman, a struggling actor, and an enemy in Eve Ardor, a fellow model. Her stories took on a more humorous tone, though it never reached the Archie-like levels of situational comedy.
Public Domain Appearances[]
- Young King Cole vo1. #1-4
- vol. 2 #1-6
- vol. 3 #1-12
- vol. 2 #1-6
- 4 Most vol. 8 #1-5
- Guns Against Gangsters #1-7
- School Day Romances #1-4
- Popular Teen-Agers #5-8 (#6-8 are reprints)
Notes[]
- Toni was known as "Toni Gayle" until School Day Romances #3, when she became known as Toni Gay. When a Toni Gayle story from Guns Against Gangsters #2 was reprinted in Popular Teen-Agers #8, her name was changed to "Toni Gay" to reflect that.
- Toni Gay and Butch Dykeman became subject to an internet meme after a first page from a Toni Gay story in Popular Teen-Agers #6 was widely circulated among comic book fan blogs, for reasons that should be obvious to any modern reader.