Hero Histories

Monday, March 21, 2022

Russkie-Smashers AVENGER "Rust on the Iron Curtain!"

Helping the innocent escape from Russkies can be as satisfying as kicking their asses!

Luckily, this tale has both!

Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Powell, this story from Magazine Enterprises' The Avenger #3 (1955) features Austria, a country divided (like Berlin) into four zones, Russian, American, British, and French, a situation that existed from the end of World War II to the end of 1955, when all four occupying countries pulled their troops out and returned control of the nation to the Austrians.

You can read more about it HERE!

Be Here Next Week For Another Exciting Installment!

Monday, March 14, 2022

Russkie-Smashers AVENGER "Lost H-Bomb"

Before we begin, please note that this is a symbolic splash panel!

The Avenger doesn't have size-changing powers...but there's a footnote at the end of the story you won't want to miss!

Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Bob Powell, this never-reprinted tale from Magazine Entertainment's The Avenger #2 (1955) is typical of the "kick Commie ass" adventures that ran through his four-issue series.

Be Here Next Week For Another Exciting Installment!

Footnote: Powell illustrated the final five issues of Ant-Man/Giant-Man's original, Silver Age series in Tales to Astonish...

....demonstrating his proficiency in rendering enormous characters in normal-sized environments!

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Coming Sunday...the ULTIMATE RUSSKIE SMASHER!

There's an interesting sub-genre of superheroes, known as the "inspired-bys".

These are characters who are inspired by other characters to take up the mask and seek justice.

Usually they're family members who take up the same identity as their predecessor (The Phantom, Black Canary, Silk Spectre of The Watchmen, The Black Hood, HourMan, etc.)

Sometimes, as in this case, they're inspired by an unrelated hero who just happened to be published by the same company!

The best-known example is DC Comics' WildCat, inspired by the Golden Age Green Lantern to become a crimefighter.

Magazine Enterprises' The Avenger had a similar origin.

When his brother is taken hostage by Communist spies who wanted the prototype StarJet aircraft, inventor Roger Wright is inspired by remembering stories of the Original Ghost Rider (also published by Magazine Enterprises) to take up a masked identity to rescue his captive sibling!

Proclaiming himself "an Avenger against the evils of Communism", Roger dons a red costume in defiance (Communists were often described as "the Red Menace" because their flags were predominiantly red) and uses his StarJet to attempt a rescue.

Unfortunately, his brother, who had attempted to escape, was already dead! The Commies were dealing, of course, in bad faith!

Roger captured the spies, and declaring "No man can be complacent while such as you are bent on enslaving all Mankind", began a one-man war against Communists everywhere!

The war lasted only four bi-monthly issues from 1954-55.

The Avenger, like Nature Boy and several other mid-1950s heroes came along just before the audience was ready for the return of superheroes, who had all but disappeared from comics in 1949!

It wasn't until an updated version of The Flash appeared in Showcase #4 (a year after the last issue of The Avenger) that the Silver Age of Comics, and the resulting explosion of superhero books that continues to this day, got going!

Beginning Sunday, we'll be re-presenting his Russkie-smashing saga!

BTW, we at Atomic Kommie Comics™ have digitally-restored and remastered what we believe to be his first and best cover appearance by Golden Age great Bob Powell, on an assortment of pop-culture collectibles, including t-shirts, messenger bags, mugs and other goodies!

Show you believe in capitalism and buy an Classic Avenger goodie or two.

You don't want him thinking you're a Communist, do you? ;-)

Note: this character is in no way related to the earlier pulp/comic character The Avenger published by the same company as Doc Savage and The Shadow, and currently being revived by Dynsmite Publishing