Cover Cavalcade

 MAY IS POST-APOCALYPTIC FUTURE MONTH!!!!

A dynamic Jack Kirby cover from 1973.

Silver Age Superman

 I hope you all don't mind if I take a Thursday to highlight someone else's work, but this video about the value of Silver Age Superman stories is extremely well-done and deserves to be shared:

What Happened to Poor General Norton?

 

cover art by Joe Kubert

A brief bit of comic book history: In G.I. Combat #148 (June-July 1971), writer Bob Kanigher and artist Russ Heath introduced the character of General Norton, who is clearly an expy for real-life General Patton.

In fact, he's so clearly supposed to be a fill-in for General Patton, it's a wonder that Kanigher didn't just use Patton as a guest star again.

In G.I. Combat #159, writer Archie Goodwin and artist Sam Glanzman give us a General Norton cameo as he sends an armored column led by the Haunted Tank on a raid behind enemy lines to liberate a POW camp. This mission fails, just as the real-life March 1945 raid ordered by Patton failed.

That brings us to G.I. Combat #196 (November 1976). General Patton appears in this issue, pushing his tank column forward to reach a fuel depot before he runs out of gas, ramming tanks that do run out of gas off the road so the rest of the column can keep moving.

Jeb is asked to lead a column of four other tanks to take and hold the fuel depot until Patton arrives. Along the way, though, a German ambush leaves the crews of the other tanks dead, killed by concussions that left the tanks intact. With no time to bury the dead, each member of Jeb's crew takes the driver seat in one of the tanks, making an eerie trip to the fuel depot with dead men essentially looking over their shoulders. 

They reach the depot just in time to hold off an approaching German column. The German commander realizes the tanks are short-handed, but doesn't want to attack in the growing darkness for fear of igniting the fuel. He needs it as badly as Patton does.

During the night, Jeb and his men sneak into no-man's-land to plant cannon shells as booby-traps. They're spotted just as they finish and Rick is wounded, but they all make it back to their tanks.

There's an effectively done scene showing Gus praying for Rick. Then daylight comes. Jeb sees Patton's tanks approaching and roll barrels of gas down towards them. 

The Germans attack, but are slowed by the cannon shell booby-traps. Patton's tanks arrive and drive them off. 

It's a good story. The tank ride with dead companions really does hit an eerie vibe. Gus's concern for Rick and his faith in God are handled respectfully. Patton's determination to keep moving forward is historically accurate, while the story moves along at a nice pace. As usual, Sam Glanzman's art is superb. 

Patton would make several other appearances in the book (issues 208 and 275), with the General actually getting to see and talk to the ghost of General Stuart in #208. 

Why didn't Kanigher originally use Patton back in #148? It's very possible there were legal concerns--Patton had been dead for 25 years by then, but his son was still around and was himself a general who had served in Vietnam. A concern that an appearance by Patton in a comic book might generate a lawsuit may have existed.

 

So what opened the door? I have no documented proof, but I have a theory. In 1974, Jack Kirby put in a Patton cameo in Our Fighting Forces #148, based on his own encounter with Patton during the war. Kirby, I suspect, just did this without worrying about legal concerns and, as it turns out, there were no legal concerns. No lawsuits came flying at DC Comics.

Was this, then, what convinced Kanigher to drop poor General Norton into Comic Book Limbo and begin using the real General Patton? Kirby did it--got away with it--so Kanigher followed suit. I think it's at least possible. And it would be ironic, considering that Kanigher was always openly critical of Kirby's work.

Of course, the 1970 movie Patton, which helped shape him as an iconic historical figure, might have also eventually helped convince DC legal eagles that using Patton in a story was okay. 

That's it for now. Next week, we'll return to the Marvel Universe as one unlikely character is thrown into a sword-and-planet adventure. 

Cover Cavalcade

  APRIL IS "WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES" MONTH!!!!

An intense Tony DeZuniga cover from 1972. 

Cover Cavalcade

 FEBRUARY IS TANKS vs DINOSAURS MONTH!

Even the Haunted Tank eventually got into dinosaur-related combat. This Joe Kubert cover is from 1975.

Cover Cavalcade

 FEBRUARY IS TANKS vs DINOSAURS MONTH!!

Another Ross Andru cover, this one from 1962.

Cover Cavalcade

 FEBRUARY IS TANKS vs DINOSAURS MONTH!

A Ross Andru cover from 1961.

Cover Cavalcade

 FEBRUARY IS TANKS vs DINOSAURS MONTH!!!

A Ross Andru cover from 1960.

Tanks, Planes and Automobiles

 

cover art by Russ Heath

So how does a pilot get a medal for a ground action and a tank commander get a medal for an air action? It's a question that has plagued the greatest military minds through the ages. But in G.I. Combat #115 (Dec '65/Jan '66), writer Bob Kanigher and artist Russ Heath give us the answer.

Jeb Stuart and his crew stop at a forward airbase, where Jeb gets into the cockpit of Johnny Cloud's P-51--pretty much sitting on Johnny's lap--to examine the plane's controls. When the Luftwaffe attacks and begin strafing the base, Johnny is forced to take off with Jeb STILL on his lap!

Despite having to fly the plane while reaching around Jeb, Johnny still manages to shoot down a German fighter. But return fire jams his gun.

Fortunately, Jeb was carrying his Tommy gun and, working on concert with Johnny's skilled manuvering, he manages to shoot down two more enemy planes. Thus he earns a medal for air combat.

It's fun to look through this sequence and realize that we are never given an angle that allows us to see how Johnny is managing to fly with Jeb in the way--which would have involved foot pedals for the rudder as well as controls on the instrument panel. DC war comics were never noted for realism, so it really doesn't matter, but its fun to realize that poor Russ Heath might not have been able to draw a believable way of Johnny doing this, so drew the action so that we never see what he's doing.

Out of curiousity, I looked up the take-off procedure for a P-51. It involves adjusting the fuel mixture (controls near his left elbow, setting flaps (controls also near his left elbow) and rudder (floor pedals), releasing the brakes (toe portion of the rudder pedals) and using the throttle for speed (once again, on the left side of the pilot). I suppose Johnny could have still reached a lot of his controls, stuck his legs past Jeb's legs to reach the pedals and reached around Jeb to work the stick and fire the machine guns. So maybe it's possible?

Once again, I realize the sequence isn't meant to be realistic--just look cool. And it does indeed look cool. But I am who I am and I had to look it up. 

Anyway, not long after, Johnny is flying a mission and has to crash-land on top of a haystack. It turns out the Haunted Tank is hiding in that haystack, having run out of ammunition. But now the tank is basically hauling around a plane equipped with multiple heavy machine guns.

Working in concert with Jeb's skillful manuevering, Johnny manages to take out two enemy tanks. At one point, he refers to his guns as "wing cannons." If we take that at face value and conclude that Johnny's plane was equipped with 20mm cannon rather than the usual machine guns, then perhaps this feat becomes possible. Though, once again, the sequence is meant to look cool, not be realistic. And it does indeed look cool.

So that's how a pilot gets a medal for ground combat and a tank commander gets a medal for air combat. But then, after the medal ceremony, Johnny and Jeb's jeep is ambushed by German troops. The ensuing brawl with the Germans earns them both medals for infantry combat.

It's a fun story--a typical example of how Kanigher could come up with a gimmicky plot and depend on the magnificent artists he worked with to bring it all to life.

Next week, we will meet a comic book character I've only just learned about--Mr. Young of the Boothill Gazette. 

Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Comic

 

cover art by Mike Grell

Batman #288 (June 1977) picks up where the last issue left off--with Penguin now aware that Batman is aware of his scheme, but Batman is aware that Penguin is aware that Batman is aware of Penguin's scheme. Writer David Vern (using the pen name David V. Reed) and artist Mike Grell continue to emulate the structure and crazy bat-deductions of the Adam West TV series, while still keeping a straight face and keeping everything acceptable for the Batman of the Bronze Age Universe. 

Penquin has his henchmen rehearsing their next heist with the intent of trapping Batman when the Dark Knight inevitably shows up. Also, Penquin takes time to sit of a sculpture he's having made of himself.

In the meantime, a reporter named Chester Cole has been trying to get Bruce Wayne to allow him to tag along for a story on the millionaire's personal life. Bruce keeps putting him off, but Chester notices that Bruce has been doodling on the tablecloth and has sketched out a logo for a company. Chester figures Bruce is planning on buying that company and plans on dropping in to get a story at last.

The company is a chemical factory and Batman does indeed confront the Penguin. He gets the drop on the villain and his henchmen despite the Penquin's preperations and it looks like victory is at hand. Then Chester Cole comes in at the wrong moment and spoils everything. Both Batman and Cole are captured.

They are dropped in an empy chemical vat. While Penquin leaves to pull off his final heist--the end object of his entire complicated plan--two giant robot vultures attack Batman. Fortunately, he's able to damage them, then salvage parts to allow himself and Cole to get out of the vat. 

Using the same bizarre logic involving the death dates of historically important short people (this time, it's Atilla the Hun), Batman tracks Penguin to a furniture storage company and takes out the bad guys in a final fight. 

Why all this trouble to rob a furniture storage place? There was a million bucks in stolen bonds hidden in a bureau--the unrecovered loot from an old robbery.

Batman has Penguin's statue locked up with the villain, Chester Cole is glad he "misinterpreted" Bruce's doodle as it led him to a better story, and the tale comes to an end. Together, this issue and the previous one nearly perfectly emulate the structure and bizarre logic of the TV series. The inevitable death trap comes partway through the second part rather than be the cliffhanger for the first part, but that's really no big deal. It's a wonderfully done tale, walking that tightrobe between celebrating TV series while keeping the overall tone of Bronze Age Batman. And Mike Grell's artwork give us fantastic fight scenes.

Next week, we'll visit with both the Haunted Tank and ace pilot Johnny Cloud. 

Cover Cavalcade

 JANUARY IS HERCULES MONTH!

DC Comics tossed Hercules into a post-apocalyptic future in the mid-1970s. This Walter Simonson cover is from 1976.

Robot Birds and Adam Westian Logic

 

cover art by Mike Grell

Batman #287 (May 1977) accomplishes something notable. Writer David Vern (using the pen name David V. Reed) and artist Mike Grell put together a story that is a shout-out to the Adam West Batman series from the 1960s, but still keep it relatively grounded in the no-less-fantastical but more serious DC Comics universe.

We get that right from the start, with an alliterative narration box that you can't help hear in the voice of William Dozier, who narrated the TV show: "That pitiless, pestiferous prince of pain and plunder--that pedantic patriarch of predators--the Penguin--reaches for a new pinnacle as he proclaims: BATMAN: EX AS IN EXTINCT!"

A robot pterodactyl destroys a statue of Napoleon at a high-society party. Batman manages to bronco-ride the robot and force it to crash, but later learns that there was a jewel heist being pulled at the exact same time.

Several other robot duplicates of extinct birds launch their own attacks on other days. Each time, their rampage coincides with a robbery at another location.

Batman has a hunch that the Penguin is behind it. And, in trying to figure out what the Waddling Master of Foul (Fowl) Play is up to, he follows a chain of logic that would have made Adam West proud.

The attack on the statue of Napoleon happened at 6:21 pm. At the same time, a jewelry store at 1821 Waterloo (get it?) Road was robbed. 1821 was the year of Napoleon's death, which translates in military time to 6:21 pm.

The other two attacks involve times and street addresses relating to Nelson and Machiavelli. 

So it's off to the library. He discovers the book Big Small Men of History was earlier checked out by a Mr. Whitehead. The Welsh roots of "penguin" are PEN = HEAD and GYWN = WHITE. 

AH HA! It is the Penguin. And the next name in the book is Alaric of the Visigoths. Batman returns home to Alfred, who knows off the top of his head that Alaric died in 410 AD. Alfred and Batman do some word association and come up with a target for the next robbery.

Batman foils the robbery, but the Penguin pulls the old "propeller umbrellas hidden in his sleeves" trick to escape. In the meantime, another robot prehistoric bird had attacked a museum and destroyed an Alaric artifact.

So now Batman knows Penguin's scheme. But Penguin knows Batman knows his scheme. BUT Batman knows that Penquin knows that Batman knows Penguin's scheme. We'll see how that plays out next week when we look at the next issue.

Mike Grell's striking art looks great and the action sequences are all a ton of fun. But its the script that deserves special credit here. The Adam West series was deliberately campy while still giving us an iconic portrayal of Batman. With this story, David Vern takes the silly logic that drove the series and fits it into the DC Comic universe without making it campy. He gives tribute to the series while still recognizing his story is set in a thematically different universe. It's a loving tribute without descending into parody. It's quite an accomplishment.

It Makes Perfect Sense to Me!!!!

 

cover art by Curt Swan

Action Comics #389 (June 1970), written by Leo Dorfman and Curt Swan, is a product of the then-fading Silver Age of Comics, taking a silly premise and treating that premise seriously.

And I, by golly, am fine with that. I think you can argue that Superman's plan to prevent an alien invasion in this story makes perfect sense in a Comic Book Universe.

What is that plan? Well, Superman announces that he's tired of the superhero business and is going to try his hands at sports. He tries out for baseball, hitting a ball into orbit and otherwise easily showing up the pro players. But a kid manages to strike him out and Superman peevishly throws the ball into orbit as well. He then says that baseball isn't for him and flies away.

He keeps trying other sports, each time knocking a ball or bag into orbit before he apparently gets bored with the sport or is told it is too dangerous to let him participate.

What's going on here? Well, it turns out there's an alien ship in orbit around Earth, getting ready to take atmosphere samples. If the air proves good for the aliens, then they are going to invade.

Superman had secretly filled every item he knocked into orbit with a mutation gas, designed only to affect life from the alien homeworld. All the sports items are now stuck on the end of the ship's probes, so it collects the gas rather than atmosphere samples.

That baseball with which the kid strikes out Superman was full of gas, but has a small rip. Not wanting to take a chance on the gas being harmful to Earth, he tossed that ball away as well.

So the ship flies to the alien homeworld and, when the aliens test the samples, they find out Earth's "atmosphere" would mutate them into horrible monsters. They call off the invasion.

I love Superman's plan. Yes, it is an example of Silver Age goofiness (which I consider a strength to the story), but it really does make sense. I've made a list:

1. Superman would use violence only as a last resort. This is a non-violent solution.

2. He could have threatened the aliens. ("I'm Superman and this is the Justice League. You don't stand a chance.") But the aliens might have a powerful armada and try anyway. Even if they are defeated, people could get hurt.

3. Why didn't he just fill bladders full of the mutation gas and attach them to the ship's probes? Thus saving him from having gone through the whole trying-out-for-sports rigamarole? Well, because... because... SHUT UP! The plan makes perfect sense, I tell you! So just shut up!

Well, maybe it doesn't make complete sense. But the goofy charm of the Silver Age (quickly dying away by the 1970s and probably finished off when Gwen Stacy died in 1973) cannot be denied. This is simply a fun story.

Next week, we'll pay a visit to Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men. 

Cover Cavalcade

 OCTOBER IS MARTIAL ARTS MADNESS MONTH!!!

A year after the song came out, everyone was still loving Kung Fu Fighting in this 1975 cover by Dick Giordano.

Cover Cavalcade

 OCTOBER IS MARTIAL ARTS MADNESS MONTH!!!

A 1977 cover by Al Milgram.

Spawn of the Devil

 

cover art by Joe Kubert

Our Army at War #270 (July 1974) saw writer Bob Kanigher and artist George Evans bring us a very unusual Sgt Rock tale. 

It begins with a replacement join Easy Company. Two things stand out when we meet him. First, Little Sure Shot, despite having a good instinct for such things, doesn't immediately recognize the soldier as an ally. Second, the guy's name is Havok. I guess that second one doesn't necessarily stand out at first, but it will soon prove to be horribly metaphorical.

It only takes turning the page to discover that Havok is trouble. He's a little too quick at throwing a grenade at shadowy figures. He ends up killing a farmer and the farmer's young son.

Havok doesn't seem bothered by his mistake. It looks like he might be a problem, but then he's killed by a German grenade.

Except he turns up alive again a few minutes later...

He then promptly shoots several American G.I.'s by being a little too quick on the trigger once again. But he takes a bullet through his helmet. He's dead for sure this time.

No, he's not. He's walks back into the midst of the now really nervous Easy Company soldiers a few minutes later.

Something weird is going on. And Sgt. Rock does exist in the same universe as the Haunted Tank (and arguably in the same universe as Weird War Tales), so there is possibly something literally supernatural going on. 

A few minutes after all this, Easy Company starts taking shell fire. Havok takes cover in a cabin, but this takes a direct hit. Havok begins screaming in pain, begging for Rock to do something.

Here's where the story gets very interesting. Rock runs into the cabin. There's a panel in which we no longer hear Havok screaming. Did he simply die from his wounds? Did Rock give him a mercy bullet (though there's no sound effect for a gunshot)? 

We'll never know for sure, since Rock is forced to flee the cabin before its destroyed by another German shell. And then, the men see something very strange. Is that the devil himself carrying Havok off to hell? Or is it just a random image in the smoke?

There are other unanswered questions as well. Was Havok just a sociopath who survived early supposed "deaths" just by luck? Or was he some sort of demonic entity? If the latter, what was it about this last "death" that allowed it to take hold?

The questions raised are good ones, but this is a case where NOT answering them is actually the best decision Kanigher could make. Sometimes ambiguity adds to the drama. That is what happens here.

Next week, we'll return to the Avengers to see how Hawkeye, Hank Pym and the Wasp are handling the reduced roster.

Cover Cavalcade

 AUGUST IS DC 80-PAGE GIANT MONTH!!!

We end the month with this 1965 Joe Kubert cover.