Batman #244 and #245—August and September 1972
Molly as a character seems not to have been forgotten. In the August and September 1972 issues of the Batman comic, a character named Molly Post surfaces. The similarities are definitely there:
- Red hair? Check!
- Gorgeous figure? Check!
- A skier, just like Jill St. John was in real life? Check!
The August issue, #243, was released in June 1972, just six months after the release of Diamonds Are Forever, Jill St. John’s most notable movie and one in which she is the female lead. This time, though, we’re dealing with an Olympic skier whom Ra’s Al Ghul has wronged. After an altercation with Batman, she soon joins him in his pursuit.
The story concludes in the following issue, #244 (September 1972), released in July. Written by Dennis O’Neill and illustrated by the legendary Neal Adams (both sadly deceased), the story ranks as one of the truly great ones of the Bronze Age, a time when Batman was returning to his darker roots (as opposed to the campiness of the 1950s and ’60s).
The 1966 Batman series made its impact on Neal Adams himself, as he told us in November 2017 at the Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence. He told us specifically that Jill St. John’s role as Molly the Mole had impacted him, and that she was the prototype for Molly Post.
Detective Comics #451—September 1975
Three years later, the character resurfaced in Detective Comics #451 (September 1975), as the intended murder victim of a gangster. Though Denny O’Neil penned both stories, this entry was a letdown (in our opinion). Still, it is good to see the character resurface.
UPDATE: We DID talk with Neil Adams about this at the Rhode Island Comic Con in November 2017, and he confirmed that Jill was indeed the inspiration for the character!!! And we went on to produce the fan film The Conquest of Batman as a result!!!
As for our fan film …
We stumbled onto this story some years ago, and it provided us with a lot of inspirations. In 2018, we filmed The Conquest of Batman in and around Boston, with Molly Post as the lead character. Anita Harkess played the noted redhead, albeit looking like Jill did circa 1961. The fan film is clearly in Bronze Age territory, and is a springboard for our planned fan series that will star the redheaded heroine. As for what happens with the story line in the film, you’ll have to see it!!!