Two books? These anthologies are long enough at one!
Military Comics #1
Comic Magazines, Inc (August, 1941)
I can tell right now from the list that I probably won’t review further issues until they show up in the Friday rotation, like with National Comics. Maybe not even that since I was never interest in war comics, not even G.I. Joe. This is a curiosity since the only thing that fits pre-DC Tuesday is on the cover. This is the debut of the Blackhawks, or at least the origin of their leader. DC has tried more than once to make them mainstream but as far as the DC Universe goes I think they work better historically, one of those experts the heroes call upon now and then, with side stories of their adventures. Back when World War II was heating up, however? I expect this to be more interesting, especially in an actual war comic. Let’s see if I’m right.
Blackhawk by Charles Cuidera
Poland, 1939. The unnamed man who would become Blackhawk and lead a fighter squadron that shares that name survives a plane crash but a bomb kills his sister and brother. Not sure what they’re doing so close to the battlezone (or why there’s a farmhouse near a British air force base but I’m no historian), or how Blackhawk knew who the pilot was…for that matter, how do any of the pilots in these war stories know who the enemy commander or pilot they want revenge on is? They’re in airplanes! Whatever the case, the Blackhawk finds his enemy and gets his revenge…and the attention of a pretty nurse…somehow. The aforementioned oddities aside, plus how the baddie managed to sabotage Blackhawk’s plane for the final dogfight without being noticed, it’s a pretty good story. Also, bonus notation from Comic Book+:
(2) Introduction of Blackhawk. Introduction and death of Blackhawk’s brother Jack and sister Connie (both buried by Blackhawk). Blackhawk (DC, 1957 series) #242 (Aug-Sep 1968) reveals that Blackhawk’s civilian name is Bart Hawk, however, the story of Jack’s death in that issue is vastly different from the original account, and therefore cannot be considered in the same continuity. Given this, one cannot state unequivocally that the three siblings’ last name is “Hawk”, or that Blackhawk’s first name is “Bart”.
There’s more notes there if you’re curious. We’re moving on…
Loops And Banks Of The Red Dragon Squadron
Following the adventures of test pilots Loops McCann and Banks Barrows. Or rather ex-test pilots as they go joyriding in a new plane, only to crash it. The crash isn’t their fault since foreign agents (not said, but I’m assuming either Japanese or turncoat Chinese) sabotaged the landing wheel, not that anybody realizes it. Then they happen to stop the saboteurs from killing the head of the Chinese Red Dragon squadron and get recruited by the commander. After fixing up the planes they have to stop a bomber from taking out a hospital. That’s two stories in a row where the enemy was trying to target a hospital. It’s an okay story but it’s focused more on the aerial dogfights than the characters.
The Blue Tracer by Fred Guardineer
We’re going a bit sci-fi on this one. The Blue Tracer is a flying tank of sorts created by Wild Bill Dunn and Private Boomerang Jones made from parts of “fascist war machines”. Except their target isn’t the usual Axis powers for the time but some group in Ethiopia that wants to rule the world. (Take a number, guys. You have competition in the evil dictator game.) So with their new vehicle, Bill and Boomerang (yes, he’s Australian, and yes he uses boomerangs) destroy the enemy fortress and the enemy, and rescue a white woman who’s tied up there for…reasons. She takes a liking to Boomerang. It’s an odd one for what we’ve seen thus far. It’s not that interesting outside of the titular vehicle, really.
Archie Atkins: Desert Scout
Wait a minute. You have Libyan enemies who look like normal people but one of your good guys is drawn like the black stereotype of the period? That’s Achmed, who is prisoner along with Archie and his fellow British soldier Jack Bailey. They manage to escape thanks to a goat who doesn’t like being accidentally mooned (your guess is as good as mine) and find French Legionnaires, whom they ask for help in rescuing their battalion. The ending is kind of silly, the action okay, but overall it didn’t do anything for me.
Shot & Shell by Nordling
I don’t usually do the comedic stories because I usually don’t like the comedy stories of the period. While I still don’t find this one funny, it’s four pages and an okay humor tale. Colonel Shot wants to fly but the US military says he’s too old to join the battle. He stumbles upon Shell Smith, who is restoring an old plane and invites himself onto the team. The Nazis are here to see the US planes so they hide a new fighter plane, but the Nazis mistake Shot and Shell’s plane for one despite the thing crashing. Our duo beats the…spies?…and earn their spot in the American fighting forces. No, I can’t tell if they’re spies (and if they are, they’re bad at it) or invited. It’s not terrible, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. It’s just…okay.
Yankee Eagle by John Stewart
Jerry Noble comes off as a bratty senator’s son who uses his mom’s fortune to buy animals. It’s a ruse. He’s actually a “Doctor Doolittle” type, and is particularly fond of his eagle, Sam. (I’m sure it’s a coincidence, Muppet fans.) He doesn’t let his father know, but he will use his animal friends, birds in this case, to rescue a captured naval destroyer from the Nazis. It’s not as stupid as I thought it would be. I was expecting an eagle that fought Nazis on his own. We have seen a crimefighting centaur in these reviews after all.
Death Patrol by Jack Cole
I’m starting to notice a particular style with Cole’s art. A playboy who can’t keep a job manages to convince the escaped criminals who try to hijack his plane to fight for England against the Nazis. Eh, I’ve heard dumber concepts. They’ll do things their own way, but one of them isn’t returning from their first assignment. A bit sillier than it needed to be, but that also seems to be Cole’s style. It was okay. Of course, I’m outside my usual tastes in stories.
Miss America by Elmer Wexler
Not to be confused with the beauty pageant or the Marvel heroine of the same name (she doesn’t even wear a costume in her early appearances), this is another DC hero we get to look at, and our only superhero of the comic. Reporter Joan Dale dreams that the Statue Of Liberty gave her superpowers, and she wakes up with superpowers. That’s an origin that’s not even trying, but in the later DC universe Lady Liberty seems to like giving out powers as she did it again for General Glory. In Joan’s case she wished she had Lady Liberty’s powers…for some reason and whatever they are, and in the dream the statue agrees and just gives her the powers. That is just weak. The origin, I mean. The powers are okay, but the usual “it’s magic, we don’t have to explain it” kind. At least she stops saboteurs trying to blow up American factories. Didn’t hate it, wasn’t wowed by it any more than her more occultic counterparts.
Q-Boat
From Wikipedia, because that’s what the search engine came up with: “Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them.” This one, the Albatross, happens to be manned by Captain Foghorn (no, not him either) and his boy sailors: Bob Wayne, Dick Martin, and Marmaduke Van Weyden (or “Freckles”). I’m not sure who’s dumber, the crew for showing the captured Nazi sub commander everything about their secretly heavily armed ship, or the commander for telling them about a surprise attack by the Nazis. This reeks of how to do a debut wrong, with so much of it so obviously existing just to introduce the concept.
overall
Not a great way to end the comic. This just isn’t the comic for me. The only superhero is your usual OP magic user, but a girl (that’s two for this site’s count thus far, including the Magician From Mars). I won’t be coming back, even in the Golden Age rotation, but it was interesting to see where some more DC characters came from. I wonder how many of Quality’s characters they bought? Will Bob Wayne turn out to be one of Batman’s ancestors? Will Plastic Man meet the new Death Patrol? Should Yankee Eagle make a comeback? I probably won’t be there to find out, but if that’s your thing, there are more issues at Comic Book Plus.
BW Media Spotlight 