Russkie-Smashers HUMAN TORCH & TORO "Human Torch - Fugitive at Large!"

Since We Spent All of March Punching Nazis...

...it's only fair we dedicate April to kicking Russkie ass, starting with Captain America's fellow Russkie-fighter, the original Human Torch!

Written by Hank Chapman, penciled by Dick Ayers, and inked by Ernie Bache, this tale  from Atlas' Sub-Mariner #35 (1954). is one of the most-reprinted of the 1950s Human Torch stories!
Understandable since its' packed with a lot of action in only five pages!
(BTW, besides appearing in the Men's Adventures and Young Men's anthology comics, the "Big Three" of Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and Human Torch all had backup features in each other's comics!
"Corporate synergy" long before the phrase was coined!)

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Russkie Smashers SPACE ADVENTURES Captain Atom II in "One Second of War"

Cold War Paranoia Hit It's Peak in the Early 1960s...

...when people were terrified about being one button-push away from nuclear annihilation!




Interestingly, Captain Atom isn't concerned about radioactive fallout contaminating the surrounding area...inhabited by innocents!

Guess if it's Africa, they don't matter, eh, Captain?

Written by Joe Gill and penciled/inked by Steve Ditko, this was one of two tales in Charlton's Space Adventures #38 (1961) involving enemy nuclear missiles!
(The other one doesn't involve Russkies!)

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Volume 1

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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!

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Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN ATOM II "An Ageless Weapon"

When You Need Vitally-Important Defense Plans Safely-Delivered...

...Only One Man Can Do the Job...Guaranteed!

Written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Steve Ditko, this is a short-but-sweet tale from Charlton's Space Adventures #39 (1961) about beating the Commies at their own game of deceit and deception by utilizing something...or rather someone...they don't expect!

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Russkie-Smashers SPACE ADVENTURES "Captain Atom II '...on Planet X' "

Despite the misleading title, Our Russkie-Smashing Hero never leaves Earth orbit...

...as you'll see in this tale from Charlton's Space Adventures #36 (1960)!

WOW!

Writer Joe Gill and illustrator Steve Ditko jammed a lot into just five pages!

These days, that'd be a whole issue, if not a two-parter!

As you saw, "Planet X" was, in fact, an artificial satellite, not another planet!
But the code-name made for a catchy title for an extremely-action-packed tale, eh?

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Russkie-Smashers/ChiCom-Crushers AVENGER "One Man War!"

As the Red Chinese threaten to invade/annex Taiwan yet again...

...let's look at how one of our favorite Russkie-Smashers was also a ChiCom-Crusher in a story (from 1955) that shows an amazingly-similar concept!

With both the North Koreans and the Red Chinese threatening the world...again...we believe it's only fair and right that we add them into the weekly rotation of Smashers, Crushers, and Clobberers, especially since most of the characters we've been re-presenting fought them along with the Russkies!

In this tale from Magazine Entertainment's Avenger #3 (1955) by writer Gardner Fox and artist Bob Powell, the Russkies are supplying the ChiComs with the armament and tech, while today the roles are reversed as technologically-superior Red China provides tech and armament to a struggling Russia!

Note: there are historical tie-ins, since the Russkies supplied the North Koreans with aircraft and pilots during the Korean War, and now the NKs are supplying ex-KGB guy Putin with armaments against Ukraine.

In addition, the Red Chinese assisted the North Koreans with arms and troops during the Korean War.
Technological Note: All the Asians (both good and bad) in this story have a skin tone of 50% Yellow!
While it's an improvement from the "bright lemon" 100% Yellow used during the Golden Age, it's still not quite correct!

Next week: another of our Russkie-Smashers shows versatility as a ChiCom-Crusher or NoKo-Clobberer!

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Russkie Savers SPACE ADVENTURES "Captain Atom: 2nd Man in Space"

Putin didn't take a holiday over Christmas, continuing to attack Ukrainian targets...

...but we Americans are far more benevolent than the ex-KGB putz and his allies!

So, in the spirit of the season...

This tale from Charlton's Space Adventures V3N34 (1960) was published almost a year before the USSR's Yuri Gargarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961.
Note: Not to minimize the achievement, but Gargarin made only one orbit before returning to Earth.
But the fact the Soviets had put both the first satellite (Sputnik) and the first man into space made America all the more determined to beat them to the Moon...which we did!
BTW, the "vaccine" in this tale written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Steve Ditko is total hogwash.
No drug would've counteracted the effects of acceleration on a human body!

Next Week:

No More "Mr Nice Guy!"

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Russkie-Smashers SUB-MARINER "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"

Despite the fact the US government tended to blame him for Russkie actions as shown HERE...

...Prince Namor kept trying to show he was one of the "good guys"!

Namor's creator, Bill Everett, wrote and illustrated this tale from Atlas' Sub-Mariner #33 (1954) which shows the Avenging Son at his snarky best!
Next week, we return to our rotating cast of Russkie-smashers, and you'll have to be here to see who it is!

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Sub-Mariner