Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "First Assignment: Break the Spy Ring!"

"Who He Is and How He Came To Be"...

...later known as "Peter Piper's Red Vipers"!

You'll note that Simon & Kirby add an extra layer to the weak-but-valiant-experimental-subject concept by making both scrawny Nelson and crippled brother Johnny physically-helpless before the transformation!
You may note there's no SpeedBoy in this story!
That's because he wasn't introduced until the second tale, which you'll see next week!
Trivia:
This story was renamed "Peter Piper's Red Vipers" when it was re-presented in Harvey's Fighting American V2N1 (1966), modified to fit into a previously-unpublished tale.
As with Captain America's origin, this tale was reworked and re-presented continually, including during the title's seven-issue run at Prize (so that's twice in one year), the Harvey one-shot in 1966, and the various reworkings/updatings at Awesome, DC, and Titan!
Oddly, this origin (and lead story) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby from Prize's Fighting American #1 (1954) wasn't the cover feature!
(We ran that tale last week!)

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Assignment Three: Duel to the Finish Line!"

We're beginning the presentation of our Russkie-Smashers' premiere issue...

...when the concept was taken (relatively) seriously!

Here's the cover-featured (though final) tale from Prize's Fighting American #1 (1954)...

A solid action-adventure tale, as were all the stories in this issue.
But Simon and Kirby were looking for something more, and as you've seen from our other posts, they certainly found it!

Russkie-Smashers FIGHTING AMERICAN and SPEEDBOY "Assignment: Investigate the City of Ghouls"

As we return to our regularly-scheduled feature...

...we're presenting this startlingly-sinister story which earned the cover spot in Prize's Fighting American #2 (1954)!
Notice on the cover it's called "Ghost City", but the actual title of the tale is the far catchier...

Note that the creatures on the cover weren't just the inbred hooded devil worshippers of the story, but actual monsters, perhaps radiation-produced mutants!

It's another example of the cover probably being the springboard for the story...which took a different turn when it was actually written and drawn later!

You can see a similar situation HERE!

Shark Week Special! THE SHARK "Sinister Secret of Pirate Island!"

When Last We Left Our Aquatic Adventurers...

....I'll just add that the adventure Neptune had with pirates was over two centuries earlier, when the old man looked like he was around The Shark's present age!

Now take it from there...

C'mon, you can't tell me you saw the Martian invasion plotline coming!

Remember, this was the beginning of the Golden Age of comics!

A creative working on these magazines could do almost anything, since there weren't any real "rules" or tropes or cliches to adhere to, so combining pirates with mutants with Martians was just another way to fill six to eight pages!
Writer/artist Lew Glanzman threw everything but the kitchen sink into this tale...because he could!
That was one of the kool aspects of those stories, and it's one of the reasons I and many others still love them!
We hope you've enjoyed this look at comics' first aquatic super-hero>
If reader response is good, we can present more time-lost tales of The Shark during next year's @SharkWeek !
It's up to you!

Shark Week Special! THE SHARK "Father Neptune and the Pirates"

We're going to conclude #SharkWeek with a rarity for Golden Age comic book tales...

...a continued story...and one with a serious plot twist!

Before you go "politically correct" on us, let me assure you that the "native" you saw a page earlier was not, in fact, human!

If you were a comic reader in the 1940s, you'd have to wait an entire month to see the conclusion to this never-reprinted story from Centaur's Amazing-Man Comics #14 (1940)!
But, in 2022, you'll be able to discover the "native's" secret on Friday, only a day later!
Ain't scientific progress wonderful?