BIOGRAPHY - Page 3
Venus was no mere bimbo and was not satisfied with just appearing in photos; she wanted to know how the magazine itself was printed and convinced Hammond into taking her to their printing press. Venus' arrival again caused a great commotion and she literally stopped the presses as all the wo
rkers crowded around her. After she and Hammond left, a telegram was sent to the magazine, stating that the employees had worked overtime hoping she would visit again. It was a stark reminder of the power of her appearance and that it was not without its drawbacks. [Venus #2] Mason and Hammond had become suspicious of Venus' frequent disappearances. Hammond did confront her about them but, again, Hammond still did not believe her when she said she was a godess. Mason was more proactive and hired a detective agency to pursue Venus to find out were she was going. Venus, despite the apparent loss of her powers on Earth, still had a sixth sense and knew she was followed. She decided to display her powers openly and teleported back to her planet in front of them, curious as to their reaction. Back in her kingdom, she observed these men remotely. The duo who had thought what they experienced must have been an optical illusion and they had sought medical advice. In her absence, she also observed Mason going to Hammond, telling her she believed Venus was hiding from the police or working for a rival, as there was no other explanation for what was occurring.
Venus returned to Earth and met the detectives. They were fearful of her but she explained they had nothing to be afraid of and that she had a task for them. The detectives went to Beauty Magazine and gave Mason back her fee and told her they could not find another magazine to hire her. Hammond, also present, immediately fired Mason, thinking that she had betrayed him. Venus then appeared and claimed she had told the two detectives to say this to prove that you should not believe everything you hear. Hammond withdrew the firing of Mason and decided to take Venus to a show, confused by what had transpired. As she left, she warned mason to think twice before incurring the wrath of a goddess again. [Venus #2]
At times, Venus was bothered by her own beauty while on Earth. She felt she could achieve no sense of privacy, as everyone was constantly looking at her. Her next assignment in Beauty Magazine was to interview a man who probably understood her feelings: Rodney Radiant “the most handsome man in the world.” When Venus saw him, she immediately recognized him as a reincarnation of Narcissus, the beautiful man who had rejected her all those years ago. In her attempts to remain incognito, she had been disguising herself with sunglasses and a bandanna. Hammond and Mason both felt this look did conceal her beauty and made her appear like everyone else. As she was leaving the office, Mason dared her to interview Rodney in this ensemble, as Mason felt Venus' looks gave her an unfair advantage. Venus accepted the challenge in an attempt to make Mason feel better.
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n the lobby of Rodney's apartment building, Venus met Connie Lane. Poor Connie was forlorn. She had been Rodney's highschool sweetheart but he had dropped her once he had become famous. Venus opted to teach him a lesson. Still incognito, she made her way to Rodney's room. Venus introduced herself as the editor of Beauty Magazine and said she had one question for Rodney. She asked him “Why did he treat Connie Lane so terribly?”. Rodney confessed he believed he was too good-looking for her. His answer reaffirmed Venus' believe that he was Narcissus reborn. Venus transformed into her real self in all her glory. Rodney, in this new life, was literally blinded by her' beauty and instantly fell in love. Venus wanted to prove to Rodney how it felt when someone more beautiful did not return his feelings so she rejected him. Though she claimed he would forget the actual memory, he would remember the pain of her rejection of him and learn humility. As she planned, Rodney reconciled with Connie and proposed marriage. Venus had the inside scoop and got the interview, much to Della's continued irritation. [Venus #3]
Venus continued to be dutiful to the magazine and increase its publicity. One such outing involved her getting her photograph taken with the king of Jugobia, a notoriously difficult man to find. [Lana #4] Still, Venus’ devotion to the magazine and frequent disappearances were causing her other problems and attracted the attention of her subjects. Apollo had opted to follow her back to Earth on one occasion. He took on the identity of Paul Belv
edere and was hired as an associate editor for Beauty Magazine by Hammond. Venus did notice the resemblance immediately but thought she was being paranoid. “Paul's” appearance had coincided with the sun not setting, a phenomenon that had scientists stumped. Despite the ongoing fear that this was the end of the world, Venus opted to go on a date with Paul to the rooftop bar at the Grand Hotel. There Paul confessed to being Apollo, following a minor altercation with Hammond given both men's mutual interest in Venus. Apollo's own powers worked fine on Earth and he knocked out the irate Hammond with a sun bolt. Venus demanded Apollo return to Mount Olympus but he refused unless she came with him. While he was on Earth, he promised the sun would not set. As her own powers were seemingly negated on Earth, Venus returned to Mount Olympus and summoned Apollo, who she reprimanded for disobeying her. She again returned to Earth with the crisis averted. Venus explained “Paul's” disappearance by claiming she had fired him. Essentially having saved the Earth here, this was her first real foray in super-heroism. [Venus #3]
Though Venus had failed to bond with Della Mason, she did gain a rapport with another co-worker, Lucy. One day, Venus observed Lucy in tears. Her fiancée Frank Foster had broken off their engagement as he had inexplicably fallen in love with a statue of the goddess Juno (Hera). Fortunately, Venus knew the real Juno to be a very damaged and jealous woman. She temporarily brought Juno to Earth and stripped her powers so she could introduce her to Frank. Initially Juno and Frank were mutually attracted to each other but Juno's jealousy soon took over and she began starting fights with other women. This alienated Frank, who realized that he needed to return to Lucy. Venus soon dismissed Juno back to Mount Olympus after this as she started to make eyes at Whitney Hammond. Hammond would later attract the attentions of a third goddess sometime later. [Marvel Mystery Comics #91]