| HUNTRESS I (Paula Brooks) | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by ? and Mort Meskin (Huntress); Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Brian Murray, Howard Simpson and Michael Bair (Tigress II) |
PERSONAL DATA
Real Name: Paula Brooks
Aliases: Tigress II
Occupation: Adventurer, later criminal
Place of Birth: Boston, MA
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Married
Known Relatives: Lawrence 'Crusher' Crock (husband), Artemis Crock (daughter); Isabella Rose Mahkent (granddaughter)
Base of Operation: Mobile
Group Affiliation(s): Young All-Stars (affiliate member), Injustice Society of the World
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 119 lbs. (later 130 lbs.)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black (later streaked with grey)
First Appearance: (as Huntress I): Sensation Comics #68/4 (August 1947)
(as Tigress II): Young All-Stars #6 November 1987
Creators: ? and Mort Meskin (Huntress); Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Brian Murray, Howard Simpson and Michael Bair (Tigress II)
OVERVIEW
Paula Brooks idolized Paul Kirk (Manhunter II) and joined the Young All-Stars as Tigress in order to impress him. She operated as a hero through the war years, but eventually grew bored, taking to a life of crime as the Huntress, often teaming up with Sportmaster, bearing a child who would grow up to become a criminal herself, Tigress III.
HISTORY
Bored college student Paula Brooks acted on one of her infatuations with famous big game hunter Paul Kirk. Studying every facet of his life and trailing him on some of his adventures as Manhunter, Paula decided to herself become a 'hunter of men'. Training with her Japanese gardener and studying a variety of weapons, she designed a large collapsible crossbow and decided to join up with Kirk and stow away on a mission with the Young All-Stars to prove her worth not only to him, but to join the group.
Her flirtatious ways and nearly sadistic fighting style caused some friction in the group, she accompanied them on a mission to protect Allied atomic scientists in June, 1942. During a battle, she was killed, only to be resurrected by Gurda, a Valkyrie. The resurrection brought forth a darker side to her personality, splitting her away from her heroic career, into a downward spiral. After a brief attempt at redemption directed by Paul Kirk, she began a criminal career in the late 1940s, hunting down heroes, focusing on Wildcat in particular and renaming herself The Huntress.
After the heroes had retired in the early 1950's, she had spent several years in prison. The Huntress met and fell in love with fellow criminal The Sportsmaster. In a competitive spirit, in the late-1960's the two drew Starman, Black Canary and Wildcat out of retirement for a while. Brooks and Crock later married, producing a daughter, Artemis, who would later follow in her mother's footsteps and take the name Tigress.
As advancing age slowed her down, The Huntress went into semi-retirement, coming out recently as a coach of the villain-influenced Olympic team from the island nation of Zandia.
POWERS AND WEAPONS
The Tigress was a good hand-to-hand combatant, well versed in many weapons and tracking. She was very good with her hand-held crossbow. Later, her training increased to the point where she could capture active super-heroes. She also used a variety of nets and bolos.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Huntress in chronological order click here
PROFILE REFERENCES
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #10 (December 1985)
Who's Who Update '88 #3 (October 1988) (as Tigress II)