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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Golden-Age Greats

Heroes vs Villains!

(Though, technically, The Avenger is a Silver-Age Hero!)

Russkie-Smashers JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Propaganda"

Not every Russkie-Smasher is a super-hero...or even human...

...as this tale from over sixty years ago seems as timely as ever!

Note: because of racial stereotypes common to the era of publication, this may be NSFW, though it is Comics Code-approved!

This story from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #80 (1962) by plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, penciler Jack Kirby, and inker Dick Ayers, is a reworking of an earlier more horror-oriented story, also called "Propaganda", from Atlas' Uncanny Tales V1N9 (1953).
That one was reprinted in Marvel's Uncanny Tales V2N1 (1973) and can see it on our "brother" RetroBlog, Seduction of the Innocent by clicking HERE!

In the meantime, here's a special treat...scans of the complete original art for this tale!

Enjoy!

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Secret History of Marvel Comics:

Jack Kirby and the Moonlighting Artists at Martin Goodman's Empire

A Twice-Told Tale About Nazis Becoming Russkies...and Being SMASHED Both TImes by Different Heroines!

This is a "twice-told tale"...

...demonstrating how similarly WWII Germans and Cold War Russkies could be portrayed in pop culture!

First, a tale starring a long-forgotten heroine from Elliot's Spitfire Comics #132 (1944)...

Secret agent Spitfire Sanders made only two appearances, in successive issues of Elliot Comics' Spitfire Comics, which despite the high numbering of this issue (#132), only had two issues!
(And this was the first of the two!)
The art on this story about an extremely competent female spy is by journeyman artist Paul Cooper, working for the Iger Studios, who also supplied art to Ajax/Farrell (where the re-worked version appeared several years later) and Fox Comics.
It was scripted by "Rick Shawn", which was likely a pen-name since he's only credited with the two Spitfire Saunders tales!

Now we jump a decade to 1954.

The Nazis have been defeated.

Communism is on the rise.

A comic book publisher needs a story about a superheroine to meet a deadline, so Nazi-Crusher Spitfire Sanders becomes...already-existing Russkie-Smasher Phantom Lady!

Oh, and due to space limitations, the original story has to be cut by a couple of pages...

For this presentation in Ajax/Farrell's Phantom Lady #5 (actually #1) from 1954, the brand new (and extremely-restrictive Comics Code also required a reduction in gunplay and use of torture instruments like whips, so a number of panels were reworked...or deleted entirely!

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Phantom Lady

TPB Reprinting the Complete Golden Age Fox Comics Series, Mostly Illustrated by Legendary Good Girl Artist Matt Baker, and with a New Cover by Good Girl Artist Adam Hughes!

Russkie-Smashers BLACKHAWK "Mission Incredible" Part 3

The "Magnificent 7" fight their final battle...

(BTW: note that this foreign reprint had to modify the cover artwork you saw yesterday since the logo was part of it!)

...as they attempt to rescue a dead scientist's daughter (without using any aircraft) from the Russkies and learn the secret her late father told her!

But the "Dark Knights" are nothing if not resourceful...

After this final Silver Age appearance in DC's Blackhawk #243 (1968), the team wouldn't appear in the DC Multiverse until a one-panel cameo in DC's Justice League of America #107 (1973), where it was revealed the Golden Age (Earth-2) team was killed after traveling with the Freedom Fighters to Earth X, a world where the Nazis won World War II.

Blackhawk was revived for a year in 1976 with the group as mercenaries battling corporate espionage, terrorists, and the occasional elderly Nazi...but no Russkies or Commies.

The Golden Age versions appeared with the Earth-2 Batman in a WWII-set tale in DC's Brave and the Bold #167 (1980).

The final pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths incarnation took place in 1982 when, due to rumored interest from Steven Spielberg in a feature film version, the series was revived, set during World War II...

...along with a tie-in WWII adventure with a time-traveling Superman in DC Comics Presents (1984).
There was also a prose novel by noted sf/fantasy writer William Rotsler (which you can order below from Amazon).
Shortly after this, DC did their first (but certainly not last) major reboot with Crisis on Infinite Earths.
While there have been several revival/revisions of Blackhawk since then, we're not planning on covering them.
But, since there's dozens of Russkie-smashing Golden Age Blackhawk tales, there'll be no shortage of Blackhawk tales in our saga!

Be Here Monday for

a Twice-Told Tale

About Two Heroines

Smashing Both Russkies and Nazis!

It'll Make Sense When You See It!

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Blackhawk

by William Rotsler