“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Peacemaker #4

Turns out you were right about not wanting a Peacemaker/Micronauts crossover.

The Peacemaker volume 3 #4

Charlton Comics Group (September, 1967)

WRITER: Joe Gill

ARTIST: Pat Boyette

EDITOR: Dick Giordano

The Fighting Five: “Card Carrier”

Montes & Bache

[Read along with me here]

Someone has been trying to scare off candidates for Christopher’s secretary, but Nora O’Rourke won’t be chased off. The interview proves her worth, so he reveals his identity, which already figured out after some research. We learn that his parents were into various scientific and fighting skills given their history, so when Christopher learned of a plot to start a war he became the Peacemaker. However, someone else has found Peacemaker’s base and he wants the hero’s weapons for his own. Kidnapping Peacemaker, he tries to force him to fix his stolen weapons, but he sabotages them just as Nora and Christopher’s aide, Paul, go to rescue him, Nora is somehow captured as collateral. Instead, it incites Peacemaker to take on the weapons dealer and his men, saving her and shutting down the operation.

What they got right: Nora is quickly established as a tough girl, earning a bruise under her eye during an attempt to chase her off. We learn that Peacemaker’s weapons are non-lethal, using “medicated pellets” instead of normal bullets, and we find out where he got the skills to fight and design weapons.

What they got wrong: It’s not a very interesting story, at least how it’s told. The dialog is still kind of uninteresting. How did the arms dealer learn where Peacemaker is?

As for the Fighting Five, a bombing at a conservative newspaper leads the government to suspect that a supposedly liberal organization might be a communist front after one of their cards was left behind. Sonya goes undercover to sign up, with the guys still not completely trusting her. The team stops another bombing attempt and Frenchy follows them, and winds up in the villains’ HQ.

Not completely trusting Sonya I understand, and yet somehow it still feels forced. Otherwise, the story is okay. It will continue through the rest of the series.

What I think overall: And with only a couple of issues left I might as well finish up, if only to find some reason DC wanted Peacemaker when he seems like a mediocre character.