If You Liked Captain America & Bucky Punching Nazis...
Support Hero Histories!
Visit Amazon and Order...
(which features this tale)
Paid Link
Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1950s. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2026
Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN AMERICA "You Die at Midnight!"
Labels:
1950s,
Bucky,
Captain America,
Carl Burgos,
Don Rico,
John Romita Sr,
Russians,
Russkies
0
comments
Monday, August 24, 2026
Clobberin' Korean Commies with The Duke! JOHN WAYNE ADVENTURE COMICS "Bridgehead"
You know John Wayne did a Vietnam War movie (Green Berets)...
...but he never did a Korean War flick!
(Jet Pilot is a Cold War movie involving Russkies.
No Koreans or scenes set in Korea.)
Comic books were a different matter...
This never-reprinted tale is from Toby's John Wayne Adventures #15 (1952), penciled by Mel Keefer. (The other credits are unknown)
You'll note that Wayne is referred to as "John Wayne", not "John Wayne as Sgt Stryker" or some other character he played in movies...or a totally-new character!
The conceit of the 31-issue series, John Wayne Adventure Comics, was that Wayne was always himself in the stories, no matter where or when they were set!
Tales ran the gamut from Wayne in the French Foreign Legion to putting out oil-rig fires to big-game hunting in Africa to tracking spies in Hong Kong, with at least one Western-themed story every issue.
Oddly enough, though there are numerous comic adaptations of Wayne's Western movies, and even a comic based on The Conqueror (where he portrayed Genghis Khan), there are no comics adapting any of his war movies!
Support Hero Histories!
Visit Amazon and Buy...
Paid Link
Monday, June 22, 2026
Russkie-Smashers Double-Feature CAPTAIN AMERICA and FIGHTING AMERICAN
Wonder why Joe Simon & Jack Kirby created Fighting American?
Because Atlas (Once Timely, later Marvel) didn't ask them to handle this revival of the character they created, so they decided to show how it should be done!
Now., let's look at what inspired S&K to do a new patriotic superhero...
Now., let's look at what inspired S&K to do a new patriotic superhero...
Written by Don Rico and illustrated by John Romita Sr (with a splash panel by Mort Lawrence), this story from Atlas' Young Men #24 (1953) ostensibly continued the adventures of Captain America, Bucky, and The Red Skull from the 1940s.
When Cap was revived in 1964, this (and other 1950s Atlas superhero tales) were considered apocryphal, since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby postulated the Star-Spangled Avenger had been frozen since the end of World War II until he was defrosted in Marvel's The Avengers V1N4 (1964).
But, in 1968, writer Stan Lee, pencilers Larry Lieber and John Romita Sr and inker "Mickey Demeo" (actually Mike Esposito), revealed the 1950s Red Skull was a Russkie imposter who killed CIA agents Richard and Mary Parker (Peter Parker/Spider-Man's parents) in Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5 (1968)!
Then, in 1972, writer Steve Englehart and penciler Sal Buscema revived the 1950s Cap and Bucky, showing them to be government-approved replacements for the original Cap and Bucky in Marvel's Captain America and the Falcon #153-156 (1972)...
...thereby bringing their 1950s tales (and, presumably the Sub-Mariner's and Human Torch's 1950s stories) into official continuity!
It also created the concept that others filled-in for Cap and Bucky during that era.
In fact, the "1950s Cap" is actually now considered the fourth official "Captain America", after already-existing patriot-themed heroes The Patriot and Spirit of 76 filled-in during the 1940s after Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were believed to be KIA (Killed in Action)!
Now, let's have a look at Simon & Kirby's reboot of the "Patriotic Super-Hero" concept...
...later known as "Peter Piper's Red Vipers"!
When Cap was revived in 1964, this (and other 1950s Atlas superhero tales) were considered apocryphal, since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby postulated the Star-Spangled Avenger had been frozen since the end of World War II until he was defrosted in Marvel's The Avengers V1N4 (1964).
It also created the concept that others filled-in for Cap and Bucky during that era.
In fact, the "1950s Cap" is actually now considered the fourth official "Captain America", after already-existing patriot-themed heroes The Patriot and Spirit of 76 filled-in during the 1940s after Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were believed to be KIA (Killed in Action)!
Now, let's have a look at Simon & Kirby's reboot of the "Patriotic Super-Hero" concept...
You'll note that Simon & Kirby add an extra layer to the weak-but-valiant-experimental-subject concept by making both scrawny Nelson and crippled brother Johnny physically-helpless before the transformation!
You may note there's no SpeedBoy in this story!
That's because he wasn't introduced until the second tale, which we ran HERE!
Trivia:
This story was renamed "Peter Piper's Red Vipers" when it was re-presented in Harvey's Fighting American V2N1 (1966), modified to fit into a previously-unpublished tale.
As with Captain America's origin, this tale was reworked and re-presented continually, including during the title's seven-issue run at Prize (so that's twice in one year), the Harvey one-shot in 1966, and the various reworkings/updatings at Awesome, DC, and Titan!
You may note there's no SpeedBoy in this story!
That's because he wasn't introduced until the second tale, which we ran HERE!
Trivia:
This story was renamed "Peter Piper's Red Vipers" when it was re-presented in Harvey's Fighting American V2N1 (1966), modified to fit into a previously-unpublished tale.
As with Captain America's origin, this tale was reworked and re-presented continually, including during the title's seven-issue run at Prize (so that's twice in one year), the Harvey one-shot in 1966, and the various reworkings/updatings at Awesome, DC, and Titan!
Next Week,
We Take a Break from Russkie-Smashing & Nazi-Punching to Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of America with...
...You Really Thought We'd Ruin the Suprise???
We Take a Break from Russkie-Smashing & Nazi-Punching to Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of America with...
...You Really Thought We'd Ruin the Suprise???
Monday, June 8, 2026
Russkie-Smashers BLACKHAWK "Lost Island"
You've Seen Blackhawk and His Men Smash Russkies All Over the World, and Even on The Moon...
...now witness them doing so on an island with a time-lost population!
Written by Robert Bernstein, penciled by Dick Dillin, and inked by Chuck Cuidera, this never-reprinted tale from Quality's Blackhawk #101 (1956) brings back the shadow of European imperialism as everybody (including America) tries to claim an island which is already inhabited!
Support Hero HistoriesVisit Amazon and Order...
Blackhawk
by William Rotsler
Paid Link
Monday, May 25, 2026
Russkie-Smashers DOLL MAN "Man with the Iron Face!"
Russkie-Smashers Come in All Shapes and Sizes...
...even if they're only as big as an action figure...or a doll!
Created by Will Eisner and Lou Fine in Quality's Feature Comics #27 (1939), Doll Man had a longer career than many other Golden Age characters, continuing in Feature Comics until #139 (1949) and his own book from the first issue in 1941 to #47 in 1953!
During that stretch, he battled Nazis, gangsters, monsters, aliens, ghosts, and finally Russkies, as shown in this never-reprinted story from Quality's Doll Man #45 (1953), written by Bill Woolfolk, penciled by Chic Stone, and inked by Chuck Cuidera.
Support Hero Histories
Visit Amazon and Buy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)