CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE GREAT GOLD STEAL "Origin" & "Introduction"

Appropriately enough, we begin our prose adventure on the 4th of July...

THE ORIGIN OF CAPTAIN AMERICA

Steve Rogers was born on July 9, 1917. Orphaned in his youth, he grew to be a pitifully puny physical specimen who devoted all his energies to intellectual pursuit. Sensing the outbreak of World War II, Rogers attempted to join the Army and was rejected as unfit.

Crushed, he returned to his studies at Columbia University until a strange letter summoned him to the Department of Justice. Because of his negative qualifications, Steve Rogers was to become the guinea pig in a bold experiment—Operation Rebirth.

For weeks, Rogers underwent an exhaustive series of tests and operations. Steel tubing was inserted into the marrow of his bones. He was subjected to rigorous physical training and fed new high protein compounds. Day by day, the weakling grew into an amazing physical dynamo.

And then, the final treatment—a secret chemical injected into Steve Rogers’ system gave him complete control over every nerve, muscle and cell in his now magnificent body.

From that time on, Steve Rogers could withstand extraordinary physical punishment; his metabolism could be speeded up or slowed down at will; wounds would heal in half the normal time; and, he became impervious to disease, numbing cold or blistering heat.

Steve Rogers the scholar, became the invincible human juggernaut destined to champion the cause of world justice—the living legend known as

CAPTAIN AMERICA!

INTRODUCTION

by STAN LEE

Many are the superheroes who have risen from the carnage and the devastation of World War II…but none more gallant, none more daring, none more inspiring than the red-white-and-blue-clad avenger who has fired the imagination of two generations of freedom-loving fans.

Where is the heart that does not beat faster at the mere mention of his glory-studded name? Where is the pulse that does not quicken at the sight of his lithe, muscular form—his flashing shield—his colorful costume? Where is the spy, the traitor, the murderous arch-fiend who does not tremble in unabashed terror at the awesome sight of democracy’s greatest defender?

For those who have already thrilled to his fantastic exploits within the pages of world-famed Marvel Comics, we need say no more. But, if you are about to meet him for the first time, be prepared for one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life as you fight side by side with the living legend of World War II—the most universally honored hero of his time-the dazzling human dynamo whom men call…CAPTAIN AMERICA.

Tomorrow...

Chapter 1

Death by Laser

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Captain America
The Great Gold Steal
by Ted White
The long out-of-print first Captain America novel!

Asian Avengers GREEN TURTLE "The Vengeance of the Green Turtle"

We re-presented the Green Turtle's premiere adventure HERE...

....now we continue with his second appearance, with a cover that's not by the strip's writer/artist, Chu Fook Hing!

How do we know?

Because you can see the Green Turtle's face...which was never seen before or after this!

And, his sidekick, Burma Boy is wearing a costume which also was never seen before or after this cover!

So, who did the illustration?

The answer is sadly, lost to the mists of time...

The Green Turtle's revelation of his origin was always interrupted by an emergency through the strip's entire run!
Talks about a "masked mystery man"!

The Green Turtle WILL Return...

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Shadow Hero

(the award-winning revamp of Green Turtle by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew)

Asian Avengers BLACKHAWK "Operation White Dragon" Part 2

When Last We Left Our Heroes...

...during World War II, the Blackhawks are sent to Japanese-occupied China to help the Resistance against the invaders.

They encounter a costumed hero named The White Dragon who leads a band of rebels harassing the Japanese!

The team then contacts the local leader, who refuses to help them in their operations, to avoid antagonizing the Japanese, and his son, who collaborates with the occupiers!

To appease the Japanese military governor, the leader gives up the location of the White Dragon's headquarters.

When the invaders ambush and capture the hero, he's revealed to be the Chinese leader's son and ordered to be executed...

Though still called "Chop-Chop", Liu Huang was an equal member of the team, even flying his own aircraft (In the old days, he was stuck in the passenger seat of Blackhawk's plane.)
A couple of years later, with sales dropping, DC "updated" the series by making the middle-aged aviators into superhero/spies with outlandish  powers and code-names.
Liu, as the youngest of the group, became "Dr Hands", started speaking hipster jive, and was given a tuxedo...and titanium gloves...

There was never an explanation of how the gloves worked.
At least DC didn't put the team into spandex, considering their ages ranged from mid-30s to mid-50s...

To read the entire sordid story, click HERE and Follow the links at the end of each chapter!

Bonus: Click HERE to read Chop-Chop's Golden Age origin in our "brother" RetroBlog, Not Safe for Work Comics!

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Blackhawk

by William Rotsler

The only novel based on the comic book!

Asian Avengers BLACKHAWK "Operation White Dragon" Part 1

Previously, we brought you the Asian super-hero known as The Green Turtle...

...and we'll be returning to his story shortly!
But now, we present the never-reprinted Silver Age tale of The White Dragon...a Zorro-like character leading the local Resistance against the Japanese in World War II-era China!

The story concludes...

Next Wednesday

Note: writer Bob Haney makes a common mistake!

In China, family names are first, and given names are second.

"Liu Huang" and "Khan Huang" should be "Huang Liu" and "Huang Khan"

And, since "khan" is like "caesar"...a title of office...is it the elder Huang's title or name?

This story from DC's Blackhawk #203 (1964) by Haney, penciler Dick Dillin and inker Chuck Cuidera is radically-different from Chop-Chop's premiere appearance and intro to the Blackhawks in Quality's Military Comics #3 (1941).

DC had a similar problem with it's other characters who had uninterrupted runs from the Golden Age to the Silver Age like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

The creation of Earth-Two, placing the Golden Age versions on a separate world solved most of those problems with the exception of clearly-defining where the Golden Age-related tales ended and where the Silver Age versions began, which varied from character to character.

(It also gave the opportunity for Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the characters to meet!)

BTW, the Quality Comics characters were on Earth-X ((where Nazis won World War II).

The Blackhawks were shown as deceased in DC's Justice League of America #107 (1973), during the annual "Crisis on..." team-up between the Justice League and Justice Society.
So we can take it as given that the post-WWII stories (most featuring Communists) by Quality were part of the Silver Age Blackhawk history.

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Blackhawk

by William Rotsler

The only novel based on the comic book!

Asian Avengers GREEN TURTLE "The Wrath of the Green Turtle!"

With all the negative "Yellow Peril" stereotypes in Western fiction about Asians like this guy...

...we're "counter-programming" by presenting heroic Asian and Asian-American characters in pop culture!

First up...The Green Turtle!

Created/written/illustrated by Chu F Hing, one of the few Chinese-American creatives in the Golden Age, The Green Turtle was the cover-featured character for the first four of the six issues of Rural Home's Blazing Comics anthology series.

Here's his premiere appearance (but not his origin) from #1 (1944).

May be NSFW due to mild racist stereotypes of Japanese characters common during World War II.

BTW, look carefully at Green Turtle's face throughout the story...

You may have noticed that The Green Turtle's face (even with his mask on) is never shown.

There's much speculation as to whether it was simply to create an aura of mystery about him or writer/artist Chu Hing's refusal to show him with White facial features rather than Asian.

His skin has the standard 25% Magenta/25% Yellow coloring used for Whites in comics while all the Asians have skin tones at 50% Magenta/50% Yellow.

At least the publisher didn't use the "Bright Lemon" 100% Yellow skin tone some other publishers used for Asians...

The Green Turtle WILL Return...

Please Support Hero Histories!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Shadow Hero

(the award-winning revamp of Green Turtle by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew)