Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Second Assignment: Track Down the Baby Buzz Bombs"

As you may have noticed when we presented Fighting American's origin last week...

...unlike Simon and Kirby's first super-patriot, Captain America, he didn't have a sidekick from the first story onward!

Nope, this kid had to earn the job...

While the costume has a similar look (and color scheme) to Bucky's, at least his costumed identity isn't his real name (as Bucky's was)!

But "Speedboy"?

Really?
Do we blame Joe or Jack for that one?
This tale from Prize's Fighting American #1 (1954) concludes our presentation of this patriotic pair...for now.
While the duo had a number of other adventures, those involved other Communists like Chinese and North Koreans, as well as gangsters...and even aliens, so they don't fall under the "Russkie Smasher" category.
But fear not!
Beginning next week, we'll be rotating several other 1950s heroes' anti-Soviet exploits, including one of this summer's breakout-hit movie characters!
Which one?

You'll have to drop by each week to find out!
(Sneaky little devils, ain't we?)

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "First Assignment: Break the Spy Ring!"

"Who He Is and How He Came To Be"...

...later known as "Peter Piper's Red Vipers"!

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 you'll see next week!
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Red Vipers" when it was re-presented in Harvey's Fighting American V2N1 (1966), modified to fit into a previously-unpublished tale.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!
Oddly, this origin (and lead story) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby from Prize's Fighting American #1 (1954) wasn't the cover feature!
(We ran that tale last week!)

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Assignment Three: Duel to the Finish Line!"

We're beginning the presentation of our Russkie-Smashers' premiere issue...

...when the concept was taken (relatively) seriously!

Here's the cover-featured (though final) tale from Prize's Fighting American #1 (1954)...

A solid action-adventure tale, as were all the stories in this issue.
But Simon and Kirby were looking for something more, and as you've seen from our other posts, they certainly found it!

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Assignment: Investigate the City of Ghouls"

As we return to our regularly-scheduled feature...

...we're presenting this startlingly-sinister story which earned the cover spot in Prize's Fighting American #2 (1954)!
Notice on the cover it's called "Ghost City", but the actual title of the tale is the far catchier...

Note that the creatures on the cover weren't just the inbred hooded devil worshippers of the story, but actual monsters, perhaps radiation-produced mutants!

It's another example of the cover probably being the springboard for the story...which took a different turn when it was actually written and drawn later!

You can see a similar situation HERE!

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Z-Food!"

Sometimes, you just have to ask..."What were Joe Simon and Jack Kirby imbibing/inhaling/drinking?"
Perhaps it was this stuff!

It was only 1954 when this story appeared in Prize's Fighting American #3, so how did Simon & Kirby predict the hallucinogenics which would become so prevalent in the early 1960s?

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Stranger from Paradise" and "Red Agent"

Today, we're presenting a couple of short features starring our patriotic heroes!

Art by Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson

First, a two-page featurette from Prize's Fighting American #3 (1954) starring SpeedBoy...

...and a one-page text feature from Prize's Fighting American #5 (1954-55)...

"Stranger from Paradise" was penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon.

The writer was either Simon or Kirby...or both!

"Red Agent's" writer is unknown, but could be Kirby, Simon, both...or neither!

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Man Who Sold Out Liberty!"

What could be more patriotic on the 4th of July...
...than kicking American traitors' and Russkie agents' asses on top of the Statue of Liberty?




Written and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, this lead (but not cover-featured) tale from Prize's Fighting American #3 (1954) is sort of a midway point between early serious and later farcical stories!
BTW, Malloy will return later in the series and we'll show it to you!
Happy
4th of July!

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Roman Scoundrels"

There are those who claim today's media are merely Russkie dupes!

This story, not published until a decade after it was written and illustrated, might have proven them right!

Note: "Yutz" is Yiddish for "useless".

Note the sixth panel has been modified, likely to remove a knife, which the Comics Code wouldn't allow actually being plunged into someone's back!

This was one of three stories created for #8 of Prize's Fighting American comics that went unused when the series was cancelled with V2N7 (1956).

In 1965-66, Joe Simon was packaging a new line of super-hero/sci-fi titles labeled Harvey Thrillers for Harvey.
Besides titles with new super-heroes, he prepared two comics featuring classic characters that combined reprints with new material; The Spirit, which creator Will Eisner packaged, and Fighting American, which is where Joe published those never-used FA tales along with reprints!

Be Here on July 4th as Fighting American and SpeedBoy take on a traitor to America working for the Russkies!