Thursday, August 23, 2012

AMERICAN EAGLE "Eagles' Shame"

Ten-Hut...
There were a number of aviator-team strips during the Golden Age...
Art by Pat Masulli & Rocke Mastroserio
...but only one created during the Silver Age, ironically at the same time that the prototypical aviator-team series, Blackhawk, was undergoing a metamorphosis into a campy spy/super-hero strip!
Introduced in Fightin' Air Force #50 (1966), Native American pilot Captain Fort, nicknamed American Eagle, and his three fellow pilots, known as the Eagles, used unorthodox tactics to battle often overwhelming enemy forces.
Unlike Blackhawk and his team, who operated independently of any military authority (though they cooperated with various Allied forces), the Eagles were US Army Air Corps pilots who went wherever they were assigned, but once there, were given free rein to get the job done.
This tale from #53, the final issue of Charlton's Fightin' Air Force in 1966 was also the fourth and final appearance of the team.
Though the art is attributed to Ernie Bache, it's believed that Sam Glanzman either laid out or penciled the story.
Until next time...
Dis-missed!

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