Showing posts with label air corps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label air corps. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

WARFRONT "Lone Tiger: Last Day of the Lone Tiger"

Ten-HUT!
Though Harvey's WarFront ended with #39, there was material prepared for #40...
...which would've taken the strip in a different direction!
Note: Could be NSFW due to racial stereotypes common to the era.
Scanned from the original art, this tale illustrated by George Roussos is so far-fetched that I find it hard to believe Otto Binder scripted it!
Perhaps it was the book's editor, Joe Simon, who had a predilection for really-weird concepts.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

WARFRONT "Lone Tiger: Revenge of the Dragon"

Ten-Hut!
Here's the final published (but never-reprinted) adventure of...
...from Harvey's WarFront #39 (1967) as the series takes a sci-fi turn!
Since the series is based on the idea Ed is the only Flying Tiger still operating in China (the rest were reassigned to the USAAF while Ed was incapacitated and presumed lost in action), what "squadron" would the imposter help destroy?
Writer Otto Binder and artist George Roussos never explain it!
While this was the final published adventure of the Lone Tiger, there was one more tale, written and illustrated for WarFront #40!
But the book was canceled as of this issue!
However, we've found scans of the original art for that never-published story scheduled for #40...and we'll be presenting it next week!
Be here...that's an order!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

WARFRONT "Lone Tiger: The Tiger vs The Dragon"

Ten-Hut!
Continuing the never-reprinted adventures of..
...as creator/artist Wally Wood is transitioned out and replaced by a new creative team!
Does the Dragon realize the Lone Tiger is the only Flying Tiger left in China?
(the rest were recalled to join up with US Army Air Corps units!)
And why does the Tiger claim he "won't lead his men into her trap"?
Also, why, in the story's opening panel, do we see other Flying Tigers, despite being clearly told Lt Barker is "the last American at the front"?
There seem to be continuity gaffes aplenty in this never-reprinted tale from Harvey's WarFront #38 (1966) as writer Otto Binder and illustrator George Roussos (over Wally Wood roughs on several pages) take over the strip.
Whether or not the character of The Dragon (and the fact she's a woman making her a Milton Canniff-esque "dragon lady") were part of Wood's concept is unknown!
The action continues next week!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

WARFRONT "Lone Tiger" and "Dollar Bill Ca$h" Features & Unpublished Art!

Ten-Hut!
...(here's the rough by Wally Wood for the page above, note the similarity in the rough of Dollar Bill Cash to Wally Wood himself)...
...but Wally Wood thoughfully provided a little background both about the character and the actual Flying Tigers...
..and here's the original art for a never-used WarFront cover (minus logo and cover text, which would have taken up the top 1/3 of the page above the art)...
...and, to top it all off, a text feature about the other Wally Wood-created character, Dollar Bill Ca$h!
That's an order!
Dis-missed!

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

WARFRONT "Lone Tiger"

Ten-Hut!
Presenting the never-reprinted adventures of..
from Harvey's WarFront #37 (1966)!
Written, penciled, and inked by Wally Wood (with Dan Adkins assisting on penciling and inking), this premiere adventure of The Lone Tiger "sets the stage" for the series.
Unfortunately, Wood wouldn't continue on the strip, and the new writer and artist took the series on a somewhat different tack...as you'll see next week.
Don't miss them...that's an order!
Dis-Missed!

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!

Friday, March 16, 2012

EAGLE COMICS "SharpShooters of the Clouds"

Ten-hut!
One of the more popular features in WWII comics was the "behind the scenes" story...
...detailing how the actual armed forces operated (within national security guidelines, of course)!
This particular tale appeared in Eagle Comics #1 (1945) and shows aerial combat only with Japanese aircraft, which makes sense since Germany had already surrendered at the time of publication!

Until next time...
Dis-missed!