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!

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Decades

Marvel in the '50s

Captain America Strikes!

(Which reprints this story)

Paid Link

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 THE FBI STORY

Remember the "Good Ol' Days" When We Could, More Often Then Not, Trust the FBI?

To demonstrate this, we submit Exhibit A, an excerpt from Dell's Four Color Comics #1069: The FBI Story (1959), an adaptation of the movie of the same name!

Adapted by writers Eric Freiwald and Robert Schaefer and ilustrated by Alex Toth, the movie covered the career of "everyman" agent Chip Hardesty played by Jimmy Stewart, from 1924 to the "present" of 1959, fighting bootleggers, Nazis, the KKK, and, of course, Russkie Commies!
Of course, there was no CGI to "de-age" Stewart for the chronoligically-earlier scenes, so they depended on makeup and hair dye for those scenes.

Foreign movie poster with the "younger" Jimmy Stewart.

Comic cover with pic of the "current" (1959) Jimmy Stewart.

The flick was filmed with the full cooperation of the FBI, since J Edgar Hoover had total approval over the final edit!

Here's the trailer for the movie, which features a cameo by J Edgar...

Enjoy!

Support Hero Histories
Visit Amazon and Buy...

Alex Toth in Hollywood
(which reprints the complete comic)
Paid Link

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!

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Order...

Action Hero Archives

Captain Atom

Volume 1

Paid Link

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!

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Order...

Blackhawk

by William Rotsler

Paid Link

Russkie-Smashers SENSATION COMICS "Dr Pat--Flight Surgeon!"

She cures the sick, catches criminals...

...and defeats Communists!

Is there nothing Dr Pat Windsor can't do...while looking really kool doing it?

Though Wonder Woman was the cover-featured heroine of Sensation Comics...

...it's obvious Dr Pat is the real "Wonder Woman' of the book, as this never-reprinted story from #100 (1950) by writer Robert Kanigher, penciler Carmine Infantino, and inker Frank Giacoia proves!

She outsmarts a high-ranking Communist officer and shoots down a fighter, while handling her flight surgeon duties!

BTW, the XB-49 "Flying Wing" was a real (albeit experimental) bomber tested during the late 1940s-early 1950s!

It's best-known to the public as the bomber seen in the 1953 movie War of the Worlds delivering an A-Bomb against the Martians!

(Actual flight footage of the ship, not a miniature, was used.)

Who says comics ain't educational?