Bookmark and Share  Nancy Archer stands astride the curve of a
highway overpass, brooding. Behind her the tangerine sky burns,
suggesting the nuclear Armageddon the nation had learned to fear
by the late ‘50s. The tempo of the image languishes despite the
frantic scene. Her lips part in a growl and her eyes look like
they might be closed, though more likely she’s gazing down at
the destruction she’s wrought—like that smoking blue sedan
clutched in her left hand.  When my girlfriend and I moved in
together, she brought with her this image: the movie poster for
the original, 1958 version of Attack of the 50-Foot Woman. I’ve
never seen the film; my knowledge of its plot comes from online
summaries. But the image alone has always seemed like the purest
pop art. Played in the film by Allison Hayes, whose likeness the
artist captures perfectly, Nancy Archer burns with tragic
antagonism. She is anarchy; her power seems limitless. How
terrifying this must have looked to some men in 1958. Whom among
them could match h