Monday, June 16, 2025

Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN ATOM II "Crisis"

Remember the Good Ol' Days...

...when we would negotiate with other countries, and they were the ones who were untrustworthy?
I miss those days...






Written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Steve Ditko, this is a short-but-sweet tale from Charlton's Space Adventures #40 (1961) about beating the Russkies at their own game of deceit and deception by utilizing something...or rather someone...they don't expect!

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Monday, June 9, 2025

Nazi-Punchers VICTORY COMICS "The Coming of...The Conqueror!"

You Can't Get More Red-White-and-Blue Than This Guy...

...in his premiere appearance---but not origin story, from Hillman Publications' Victory Comics #1 (1941)!










It's apparent that The Conqueror has been operating for some time, as he's well-known by friend and foe alike!
Bill Everett, creator of Prince Namor: the Sub-Mariner, created, wrote and illustrated this premiere story which appeared months before America entered World War II!
As you saw in the splash panel, the war was well under way, and most Americans believed it was just a matter of time until we joined the fight!
Victory Comics featured super-heroes and spies battling the Axis (unofficially) in Europe and Asia as well as dealing with saboteurs and Bund-like organizations in the US.
Oddly, it ended with #4...before America actually entered the war!
Everett would do the cover for the next issue, but his work on the character (and Hillman Publishing) ended with that.
Others continued the strip, which ran for all four issues, along with an ongoing text feature which presented his origin!
Everett would later work on another Hillman character, The Heap, during the Bronze Age, when the character had fallen into the Public Domain and Skywald Comics published a new version of him!

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Monday, June 2, 2025

Russkie-Smashers BLACKHAWK "Red Raiders vs Blackhawks"

Why is it that Villains (Russkies Included) Always Have the Urge...

...to create one-to-one match-ups against heroic teams?
(Especially since, in this case, it's based on ethnicity instead of abilities/talents?)






Unlike similar teams, including Baron Strucker's Blitz Squad who battled Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos several times, this ensemble from a never-reprinted story in Quality's Blackhawk #40 (1951), never returned for a rematch!

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