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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Marvel MasterWorks

Atlas-Era Heroes

Volume 2

(which features this tale)
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Russkie Smashers AMAZING ADULT FANTASY "Ultimate Weapon"

Who, in 1962, would believe that we'd still be on the brink of nuclear war with the Russkies...in 1970?

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko thought so...and offered a potential solution...

So the "Russkie-Smashers" of our tale...are the Russkies themselves!

Would the solution proposed in Atlas' Amazing Adult Fantasy #13 (1962) work in reality, over a half-century later?
Russia and China both have the capability to reach geostationary orbit (22,236 miles)., but would they try to use it?

Think about it...

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Amazing Adult Fantasy Omnibus
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Russkie Smashers SUB-MARINER "Unseen Scourge of the Sea"

Artist Bob Powell Illustrated Two Prince Namor Stories...

...during the 1950s revival of the Timely's Top Trio (Captain America, The Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner)!

However, despite having done several Subby stories during the Golden Age, Powell's renderings here lack something...

Figure out what's wrong with Bob Powell's version of Namor from Atlas' Mens' Adventures #27 (1954)?

He's totally-missing his ankle wings!

And his ears appear to have been "bobbed" from their usual elfen points!

Why?

I'm not sure.

There are rumors from the period of a potential live-action TV series, and doing both the ankle wings and the ears on a weekly basis (especially with a character who spends a lot of time in the water) was problematic considering the limited makeup SFX available at the time.

At any rate, only Powell's two stories from the period have this quirky "look"!

Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN AMERICA "Captain America Strikes!"

 Wherever the Red Menace Threatens America...

...(even overseas) there will be be a Captain America and Bucky to combat them!

Written by Don Rico (who was also quite an illustrator himself) and illustrated by hot up-and-comer John Romita Jr (whatever became of him?) this tale from the first issue of Cap's revived comic (#76 in 1954) has him back in the military, though he was already shown to be an honorably-discharged civilian in his 1950s return to comics post-World War II in Atlas' Young Men #24 (1953)...which was also written by this story's scripter, Don Rico!

Whether it was editorial sloppiness in dropping a line about an "honor guard of retired heroic soldiers" or that the story was set post-WWII, but before Steve Rogers was discharged, we'll never know!

New WWII flashback stories about Cap & Bucky were a major part of their Silver Age run in Tales of Suspense, giving context to present-day tales that often were direct sequels!

And there were no Silver-Age references (or reprints) of the 1950s CA&B since, according to editor Stan Lee...they never happened in official Marvel continuity!

But that began to change in 1968, when elements of the 1950s stories began to creep into Silver Age stories as shown HERE!

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Decades

Marvel in the '50s

Captain America Strikes!

(Which reprints this story)

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Russkie-Smashers SPY CASES "Smashing the Iron Curtain!"

"A secret agent is not some mythical being born on the comic page..."

...and raised to glory on the silver screen!"

How "meta" can you get?

Though the tale is closer to Mickey Spillane than Ian Fleming, it's still a rousing adventure that proves you don't need tights and a cape to smash Russkies!

Doug Grant was the star of the ongoing (and usually cover-featured) lead strip of Atlas' Spy Cases anthology comic.

This intro tale from #27 (actually #1, but they were continuing the numbering from a different comic, The Kellys) is scripted by Robert Bernstein and illustrated by Al Hartley.

He lasted for 39 stories, longer than any other Atlas-era secret agent except for The Yellow Claw's nemesis Jimmy Woo!

Next Week:

The legendary Man of Bronze takes on the Nazis at the 1936 Olympics as they put up an athlete who was trained from birth using the same techniques that Dr Clark Savage Sr used for Doc in this never-reprinted, almost 40 year-old extra-long tale!

Guest appearances by historical figures including Jesse Owens and Adolf (You Know Who)!

See the Nazi-Punching action at

Hero Histories and Medical Comics and Stories

Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN AMERICA "Hour of Doom!"

Propaganda/Disinformation Presented by a Trusted Source...

...was a popular with the Russkies in the 1950s as it is with MAGA today!

Luckily, back then we had a Captain America & Bucky to expose it!

This final appearance of the Cap & Bucky of the 1950s (until Marvel's Captain America #153 [1972] as detailed HERE), written by Don Rico and illustrated by John Romita Sr,  appeared as the last story in Atlas' Captain America #78 (1954), ending his part of the short-lived revival of Timely Comics' "Big Three" (Cap, Human Torch, and Sub-Mariner)

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Decades

Marvel in the '50s

Captain America Strikes!

(Which reprints this story)

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Russkie-Smashers MAN COMICS "Bob Brant & the Trouble-Shooters! in 'Rocket to the Moon!/Out of this World!' "

There are Russkies Everywhere...

...in every country, under the sea, and the sky above...including the Moon!

Note: May be NSFW due to portrayal of Australian Aborigines, though it's not any worse than the standard depiction of Native Americans in similar stories of the era.

So, the All-American teenagers defeat Russkies and claim the Moon for the good 'ol USA in this never-reprinted tale illustrated by Carl Hubbell from Atlas' Man Comics #27 (1953)!

It's a pity the magazine only ran for one more issue after this!

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Newsboy Legion

Volume 1

by

Joe Simon & Jack Kirby

The First Kid Gang in Comic Books!

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