Christmas Combat Comics G.I. JOE "Weepy's Christmas"

Ten-Hut!

Christmas is a helluva time to be fighting a war...

 ...as the ORIGINAL G.I. Joe and his buddies discover during the Korean War!

This never-reprinted story from Ziff-Davis' G.I Joe #10 (1952), illustrated by penciler Irv Novick and inker Frank Giacoia, was published long before Hasbro unleashed their 12" action figures upon the kids of America, the phrase "G.I. Joe" was slang for American soldiers.

It was popularized in 1945 by the release of the movie Story of G.I. Joe, starring Burgess Meredith as real-life war correspondent Ernie Pyle as he traveled with American troops during the invasions of Tunisia and Italy.

Ziff-Davis used the phrase as the title for a new war comic beginning in 1950.

Set in the (then) present-day Korean War, the series detailed the saga of Private Joe Burch, and the rest of his unit.

Running an impressive 55 issues, the series ended in 1957 with Joe Burch and his unit reassigned stateside to Camp Humbolt.

We'll be presenting the highlights of the original G.I. Joe's comics career next year.

Until next time...

Dis-missed!

SGT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS "Commission in Korea" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...the re-commissioned Howling Commandos under Colonel "Happy Sam" Sawyer, are sent into North Korea to blow up a secret air base!
With a slightly wounded "Happy Sam" stationed outside the base as backup, the Howlers attack in their own inimitable style...

Why all the set-up for Nick Fury?

He had recently-appeared in Fantastic Four as an eyepatch-wearing CIA colonel to help them stop the Hate Monger and reminisce with Reed Richards, whom he'd met during WWII when Reed was an OSS agent.

So we knew he had survived to the (then) present day.

But bigger plans were in store for Fury...

Nick had just replaced The Human Torch and The Thing as Dr Strange's co-feature in Strange Tales., making him the first comic character to have two simultaneous strips set in two different time periods!
(Howling Commandos in the 1940s, S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 1960s!)
Several of the Howlers joined Nick at S.H.I.E.L.D., including Dum-Dum, Gabe, and Eric Koenig, who had not yet appeared with the Howling Commandos in the 1940s storyline...which is why he isn't in this 1950s-era tale.
(That created a "Chekov/Khan Paradox".
In Star Trek II, the Wrath of Khan, Chekov is captured and recognized by Khan.
But Chekov didn't appear in the first-season episode, "Space Seed", since the Russian navigator wasn't created or cast...until the next season!
How did Khan recognize someone he never met?)
And we finally got to see the only exclusive Sgt Fury-themed Marvel merchandise of the 1960s...a Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos t-shirt (which, unlike most of the other Marvel shirts of the period, has never been reissued!)

Until next time...
Dis-missed!

SGT FURY AND HIS HOWLING COMMANDOS "Commission in Korea" Part 1

 Ten-Hut!

In 1965, we learned Marvel's WWII combat heroes saw action in the Korean War!

This tale from Marvel's Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos Annual #1 (1965), gives the details...

We'll observe, Commie...TOMORROW!

In the 1960s, Marvel's Annuals were a mixed bag.

Unlike DC's 80-Page Giants which were all-reprint, Marvel's Annuals combined a new lead story with reprints and, sometimes, behind-the-scenes featurettes and pin-ups into a 72-page package (which reduced over several years down to 68 pages) for the same 25₵ price as the aforementioned Giants.

This Stan Lee-scripted, Dick Ayers-penciled, Frank Giacoia-inked tale ("Frankie Ray" was a pseudonym) covered a major, but untold, event in the group's history...their only battle during the Korean War!

And you'll discover why...tomorrow!

Until then...

Dis-smissed!

SAGA OF THE LUCKY 7 "The Mission" & "The Rescue"

Ten-Hut!

The B-25 Mitchell bomber tells you we're in World War II...

...though we're not certain if it's the Army Air Force or Marine Air Corps!
(They both used the B-25!)

The Lucky 7 ran in all three issues of Fight the Enemy.
Art for this tale from Fight the Enemy #1 (1966) by Mike Sekowsky and Frank Giacoia.

Until next week...

Dis-missed!

Visit the PX..

...for all your uniform and equipment needs!