Monday, February 23, 2026

Russkie Smashers SPACE ADVENTURES Captain Atom II in "One Second of War"

Cold War Paranoia Hit It's Peak in the Early 1960s...

...when people were terrified about being one button-push away from nuclear annihilation!




Interestingly, Captain Atom isn't concerned about radioactive fallout contaminating the surrounding area...inhabited by innocents!

Guess if it's Africa, they don't matter, eh, Captain?
Written by Joe Gill and penciled/inked by Steve Ditko, this was one of two tales in Charlton's Space Adventures #38 (1961) involving enemy nuclear missiles!
(The other one doesn't involve Russkies!)

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Monday, February 16, 2026

Nazi-Punchers CAPTAIN AERO COMICS "Introducing the Sensational Patriotic Character: The Flag-Man and His Faithful Assistant Rusty!"

 For Some Patriots, Being the President's Personal Special Investigator Just Isn't Enough!

They've got to go out on their own time to kick Nazi ass!




Interestingly, though he started this never-reprinted tale from Helnit's Captain Aero Comics #1 (1941) as Captain Hornet, he became Major Hornet by the end of the story!
He was Major Hornet from the second story onward.
Written by Allen Ulmer and illustrated by Ray Willner, the character appeared steadily in the back of Captain Aero Comics until the book was cancelled in 1944.

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Take That, Adolf!

Monday, February 9, 2026

Russkie-Smashers on Valentine's Week! SEARCH FOR LOVE "Atomic Amour!"

 Russkie Deceit and Deception Occurs Even in Matters of the Heart...

...even though we forget they were masters of such things during the Cold War!
As hard as it is to believe, this tale appeared in a romance comic, specifically, ACG's Search for Love #2 (1950).
Similar tales had appeared in crime/espionage titles, but their audience was radically-different from romance series' readers!
Regrettably, both the writer and illustrator(s) are unknown, so we can't blame anybody in particular for their stereotyped attitudes towards intelligent women.
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Monday, February 2, 2026

Nazi-Punchers STORMY FOSTER: THE GREAT DEFENDER "Castle of Kinga Korman"

Though He Primarily-Fought Japanese Spies and Saboteurs...

...West Coast-based "superhero on a budget" The Great Defender took on anyone who tried to interfere with America's homefront wartime efforts!

Shy timid drug store clerk Stormy Foster would don an outfit of t-shirt, gym shorts, track shoes and cape made out of a tablecloth, replace his glasses with a fake mustache, take a super-vitamin pill that gave him super-strength, speed, and limited invulnerability and jump into battle, as you'll now see...







You'll note that drug store delivery boy Ah Choo doesn't recognize co-worker Stormy as The Great Defender.
Either the "replace glasses with mustache" disguise is better than I thought or the writers of this never-reprinted story illustrated by Max Elkan from Quality's Hit Comics #21 (1942) just didn't care.
Stormy's strip ran in Hit Comics from 18 to 34 (1944).
He fought Nazis several more times before the series ended.
He's never been reprinted or revived in new material since!

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Monday, January 26, 2026

Russkie Smashers HUMAN TORCH COMICS "Rekindling the Flame of Confidence!"

Besides Catching (and Sometimes French-Frying) Russkie Spies...

...the Human Torch and his teen partner Toro occasionally have to render aid to the American military in other. somewhat more unique, ways!





The Human Torch displays a power/ability in this story by writer Hank Chapman, penciler Dick Ayers, and inker Ernie Bache that he never used before...the ability to move at super-speed, thus appearing invisible to the naked eye!
Maybe because this tale from Atlas' Human Torch #38 (1954) was the final appearance of the character in the 1950s, editor Stan Lee let the introduction of a totally-new ability go without trying to keep the character within established continuity!

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