Summer Blogathon BLACKHAWK "D-Day for the Blackhawks" Part 2: Jigsaw Goliath

When Last We Left the Newly-Unified Blackhawks...

...they were heading out on their first mission as a unit, just before D-Day, June 6, 1944!

To Be Concluded...
TOMORROW!

Writer Arnold Drake, penciler Dick Dillin and inker Chuck Cuidera update the vague origin Blackhawk was given (in his first appearance in Quality's Military Comics #1 (1941) and a somewhat more detailed tale from Blackhawk #50 (1952) in this never-reprinted story from DC's Blackhawk #198 (1964)...though this tale contradicts the fact that Blackhawk and his team were operating from 1940 onward, long before D-Day!
What's the explanation?
Find out tomorrow!
Note: This is part of our annual Summer RetroBlog Blogathon, this year covering how various comics characters participated in D-Day!
You can see the Normandy invasion activities of Sgt Rock HERE and Sgt Fury HERE!

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Official Blackhawk 12" Action Figure

Summer Blogathon BLACKHAWK "D-Day for the Blackhawks" Part 1: Origin of the Blackhawks

We've covered the Blackhawks' unfortunate dabbling in 1960s superhero antics...

..but even before that, DC was tinkering with the team, changing them from wartime aviators to a team of scientific adventurers handling all sort of weird threats!

(You'll note as the tale begins, the team are in their red and green "adventurer" uniforms instead of their WWII leather outfits!

Also note that, in the final panel of the page directly below, Blackhawk and Stan are speaking each other's dialogue!)

To Be Continued...
TOMORROW!

Writer Arnold Drake, penciler Dick Dillin and inker Chuck Cuidera update the vague origin Blackhawk was given (in his first appearance in Quality's Military Comics #1 (1941) and a somewhat more detailed tale from Blackhawk #50 (1952) in this never-reprinted story from DC's Blackhawk #198 (1964).
Note: This is part of our annual Summer RetroBlog Blogathon, this year covering how various comics characters participated in D-Day!
You can see the Normandy invasion activities of Sgt Rock HERE and Sgt Fury HERE!

Please Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Order...

Blackhawk: the Movie Serial

starring Kirk (Superman) Alyn

Valentines Day Special NOT BRAND ECHH "Best Side Story"

What if the Silver Age Doctor Strange and Wonder Woman fell in love?

We'd probably have ended up with a serious version of this titanic tale!

Written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Tom Sutton, this titanic tale was included in Marvel's Not Brand Echh! #6 (1968)...

...a romance-oriented issue that also included a look at how a Human Scorch (Human Torch)/Gristle (Crystal) marriage would work out, and Spidey-Man (do I haveta tell you?) marrying the unlikeliest character of all!

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Marvel Masterworks

Not Brand Echh!

The Coming of...the Purple Claw!

PURPLE CLAW!

The name that strikes terror into the hearts of evildoers...at least to the minds of an impressionable 9-14 year old audience!
Technically, it's the name of the metal glove that imparts mystic powers to it's wearer, but some refer to the user himself (or herself) by the name, much the way they do Green Lantern...
The user in this 1950s series, which mixed horror with heroics, was Dr. Johnathan Weir, a former US Army doctor who acquired it when he crashed his plane in Africa.

The Claw's origin and history, which Dr. Weir tried to trace, is somewhat cloudy, since it was all word-of-mouth. (The damn thing didn't come with a user's manual.)
What is known is that it's an ancient mystic artifact of Great Power When Used For Good. (Those who attempt to use it for Evil usually come to a Bad End!)
The bearer becomes a Defender of Humanity Against Occult Evil...whether they want the job or not!
The Claw's exact abilities and limitations are unknown, and Weir had to experiment to see what would and wouldn't work, always stumbling upon the right way to use it before being killed/dismembered/disintegrated by a foe. (Talk about "on the job training"!)

The series ran for only three issues, but Weir continued to fight evil as a reprint in Tales of Horror, until the Great Comics WitchHunt of the 1950s killed almost all horror/occult-themed comics titles.

As you might have guessed, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ found it to be a perfect fit for our Horror Comics of the 1950s™ collection, even giving The Claw it's own section!

We think any of the collectibles we offer with The Purple Claw on them would make a kool Halloween-themed (or birthday) gift for the horror/occult pop culture kitch aficionado in your life!
But, remember...Use Them For Good...not Evil! ;-)

The Mystery of the 40-Year Old Missing X-Men Art

One of the Variant Covers of Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #1 (2018)...

...features the opening art from this text feature in Marvel's Rampaging Hulk #2 (1977)

Now, note the last page of the feature has NightCrawler, who BAMFed from the opening group shot!

The original art for the piece can currently be seen HERE, in the amazing collection of David Mandell!

So where is the accompanying NightCrawler illustration?

And why wasn't it incorporated into the Variant Cover?

We May Never Know the Answer...

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Dave Cockrum Treasury