Viet-Cong Wallopers TOD HOLTON: SUPER GREEN BERET "The Curtain Rises!"

Never failing to capitalize on a pop culture trend...

...numerous comics publishers, noticing the popularity of the 1966 hit single Ballad of the Green Berets (by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler and Robin Moore) quickly produced comics series featuring the elite Army unit.
Most were standard war comics, but one stood out from the rest for sheer weirdness...

What do you get when you combine
the Green Berets

with Teenagers and SuperHeroes?

Why,

SUPER GREEN BERET

of course!

Using his new-found powers of teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, transmutation, time travel, invulnerability, and super-strength, Tod decides to fight Enemies of Our Country, mostly in present-day Asia, but also traveling through time to the American Revolution and World War II, during his two-issue run!
Yes, it's as hokey as it sounds!
Created by writer Otto Binder (who co-created the Golden Age Captain Marvel and the Silver Age Supergirl) and illustrator Carl Pfeufer, who was a busy artist in the Golden Age doing superhero and western strips at both Fawcett and Timely (Marvel Comics' predecessor), the series ran for only two Annual-sized (64-page) issues.

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Tales of the Green Berets

by Robin Moore and Joe Kubert

Paid Link

Russkie-Smashers CAPTAIN AMERICA "His Touch is Death!"

For the 4th of July, We Decided to Go with the Russkies' Attempt to Create Their Own Super-Soldier...

...Albeit One Powered by Electricity!

BTW, note the difference between how Electro, the Russkie "Super-Soldier" is shown on the cover and inside, even though both cover and interior art are by the same artist...John Romita Sr!

It's likely they were done a couple of months apart.

This cover-featured story from Atlas' Captain America V1N78 (1954) is written by Don Rico and illustrated by John Romita Sr.

Trivia: The name "Electro" was used by numerous heroes and villains at various comics publishers during the Golden Age, including a heroic robot appearing in Timely's Marvel Mystery Comics for several issues, making Ivan Kronov the second Timely/Atlas/Marvel character (and first villain) to use the name.
There have been two unrelated Marvel villains known as "Electro" since; Max Dillon and Francine Frye.

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Decades

Marvel in the '50s

Captain America Strikes!

(Which reprints this story)
Paid Link

Russkie-Smashers SPACE ADVENTURES "Captain Atom II '...on Planet X' "

Despite the misleading title, Our Russkie-Smashing Hero never leaves Earth orbit...

...as you'll see in this tale from Charlton's Space Adventures #36 (1960)!

WOW!

Writer Joe Gill and illustrator Steve Ditko jammed a lot into just five pages!

These days, that'd be a whole issue, if not a two-parter!

As you saw, "Planet X" was, in fact, an artificial satellite, not another planet!
But the code-name made for a catchy title for an extremely-action-packed tale, eh?

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Order...

Action Hero Archives

Captain Atom

Volume 1

Russkie-Smashers COMMANDER BATTLE AND THE ATOMIC SUB "Day in the Life of an Atomic Commando"

Did you know the leader of the Atomic Commandos, Commander Bill Battle, was...

...an ex-spy, not a Navy officer?

Was it really wise of President Eisenhower to give command of America's first atomic submarine to a guy with no military, much less naval, training or experience?

Talk about on-the-job training!

This never-reprinted backup tale from ACG's Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub #3 (1954) was produced by series creators Richard Hughes (writer) and Sheldon Moldoff (illustrator).
There are a few more "Day in the Life of an Atomic Commando" shorts featuring other members of the team fighting various Commies.
We'll run them from time to time.
Trivia: there was another Bill Battle,who not only had his own comic book from Fawcett, but was even more of a Commie-Crusher than Commander Bill Battle!

...However, "The One-Man Army" fought only Koreans!

Also, since his series ended after only four issues in 1953, when Fawcett closed their comic book division, the character name was available for anyone to use!

Russkie-Smashers MARVEL BOY II "Blast of Doom!"

Even though he was raised on Uranus, Robert Grayson is as all-American as anyone...

...and he'd defend the good 'ol USA against any and all Commie threats, whether they're Chi-Coms, North Koreans, or Russkies!

Note: the "Astros Invasion" involved an alien race, not Houston's baseball team (which didn't exist when this story was published in Atlas' Marvel Boy #2 (1951)!

Some days you just gotta let your inner nerd out!

Patriotic and a planet-saver!

Whatta guy!

Illustrated and likely written by Bill Everett, an under-appreciated creative who worked in comics from the beginning of the Golden Age in 1938 to the Bronze Age, when he passed away in 1973.

Support Hero Histories

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Marvel MasterWorks

Atlas-Era Heroes

Volume 1

which includes all of Marvel Boy's 1950-51 appearances as well as the 1953 re-intro of Captain America, Human Torch and Sub-Mariner
Paid Link