Showing posts with label Nazis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nazis. Show all posts

Monday, September 1, 2025

Nazi-Punchers STAR-SPANGLED COMICS "Robin the Boy Wonder in 'Robin Crusoe!' "

 Holy Heil Hitler!

Robin the Boy Wonder versus an entire German U-boat crew?
They don't stand a chance!








This tale from DC's Star-Spangled Comics #72 (1947) by writer (and Batman co-creator) Bill Finger, penciler Curt Swan & inker John Fischetti is a post-World War II story, but the submarine crew are clearly Nazis!
A few nitpicky notes:
1) The lush vegetation of the island certainly disproves the opening caption about a 'desert" island!
2) The Batplane has a heck of a flight range for an aircraft of the era!
The Golden Age's Gotham City is located around our New York City, and the tropical foliage of the island indicates it's at least off the coast of the Carolinas, over 600 miles away!
3) The smallest operational U-boat carried 18-24 officers and men.
Obviously, since they were on the run since the end of the war, there were no replacements for casualties, but operating a submarine that size with only 10 people would be difficult at best!
4) There's no mention in Batman, Detective Comics, or World's Finest about Robin wrecking the Batplane!
And when Batman builds an updated one in 1950, three years after this story...
...it's called "Batplane II"!
Shouldn't it be "Batplane III"?
Next Week, Robin the Teen Wonder battles Russkies!
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Monday, June 23, 2025

Nazi-Punchers AIR FIGHTERS COMICS "Here Comes the Black Commander!"

Though Cover-Dated November, 1941...

Hillman's Air Fighters Comics #1 was on-sale during late summer, predating Pearl Harbor by several months, but featuring its' heroes battling Nazi aviators in Europe and German saboteurs/spies in the US!
This particular tale involves an American pilot flying with the RAF...











Though Air Fighter Comics kept going through 1945, then changed the name to Airboy Comics (after the book's most popular feature), The Black Commander didn't make it past this one appearance!
A pity, because this story, written by Kermit Jaediker and illustrated by Harry Anderson, has enough plotting set-ups and twists and turns for a live-action b-movie!
Good guy framed as bad guy!
Nazis create what will turn out to be their own worst enemy!
Good guy, now totally-unrecognizable to family and friends, wanted by friend and foe alike!
Note: the "Black Commander" is the aircraft, not the pilot!
Speaking of the airplane, does it look...familiar?
Another, very long-running Nazi-Puncher (and Russkie-Smasher) utilized that same experimental fighter as his very distinctive personal transportation...

Blackhawk began using the Grumman XF5F SkyRocket in Quality's Military Comics #2, cover-dated August, 1941, several months before Air Fighters Comics #1.
But, I believe the use of the unique airplane by both strips was simply a coincidence.
There's background info about the plane HERE, including the fact that it out-performed the British state-of-the-art Spitfire and another American prototype fighter, the XF4U Corsair (which did become an active-service aircraft!) in tests!

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, May 26, 2025

Nazi-Punchers SGT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS "Fighting Side-By-Side with Captain America and Bucky!" Conclusion

 Captain America and Bucky have discovered a Nazi plot involving movement of slave laborers to a French coastal site where large amounts of munitions are also being moved.
Why?
Freeing a group of captive American aviators who were about to be executed, Cap has an idea about how to discover the plan, but he wants backup...

 Now that was kool!
This wasn't the first time the Nazis tried this trick in the Marvel Comics Universe.
in Timely's Marvel Mystery Comics #16-17 (1941), Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner discovered another English Channel tunnel as well as a Japanese one under the Bering Strait!
After destroying the German tunnel single-handed, Namor then teams up with the Original Human Torch and Toro to destroy the Japanese tunnel.
In actual history, the idea of an invasion tunnel from mainland Europe to England dates back to 1804, when it was rumored Napoleon Bonaparte was digging one to bypass the British fleet!
1805 illustration showing proposed French invasion using a tunnel as well as barges and balloons.
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