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!

BLUE BEETLE "Turkey Joe"

Here's an odd military-themed Thanksgiving tale from an odd source...

...Holyoke's Blue Beetle #27 (1943)!

Written and illustrated by Sid Lazarus, this never-reprinted short story is an example of humor that guys in the military (who made up a big part of the comics audience during World War II) would appreciate!

To All Those in Uniform, Past and Present:

Happy Thanksgiving!

FOXHOLE "Lucky Stiff"

Ten-hut!
It's Veteran's Day, so let's salute the troops...

...with a Korean War tale written and laid-out by a veteran of WWII, Jack Kirby...

The penciler-inker for this tale from FoxHole #5 (1955) was Joaquin Albistur, a well-established illustrator from Argentina who tried to break into the US market in the early 1950s.
Besides  almost two dozen comics stories for the Simon & Kirby studio, he did some illustrations for LOOK Magazine.
Unfortunately, the logistics of dealing with sending art long-distance from Argentina to America precluded his doing more work for US publishers.

Until next time...

Dis-missed!

Check out the PX..

 ...for all your uniform and equipment needs!

EAGLE COMICS "Lucky Aces"

Ten-Hut!

Aviators were popular in WWII comics.

Blackhawk...AirBoy...Captain Midnight...

Then, there were these guys from Eagle Comics #2 (1945), probably the first aviators in comics to fight in two World Wars!

Regrettably, there was no next issue of Eagle Comics.

BTW, you notice that the Aces are now toasting their victories with tea or coffee, not champagne, as they did in World War I!

Well, they are 23 years older, and they have to keep those reflexes sharp!

But, I note they can still fit into their old uniforms...

Thus, the saga of the first middle-aged flyers in comics history was cut short.

Their publisher, Rural Home, was famous for taking unused and leftover material and running it literally anywhere it would fit in their comics line, so romance tales would pop up in funny animal titles, horror stories in superhero books, etc.

Yet, no other "Lucky Aces" tales ever appeared, only this never-reprinted story, illustrated by Golden Age stalwart Rudy Palais!

Until next time...

Dis-missed!

Visit the Aviators' PX..

 ...for all your uniform and equipment needs!

BILL BATTLE "I'm the Best There Is!"

Ten-Hut!
Before Sgt Fury!

Before Sgt Rock!

There was...

...the One Man Army, as he'll happily tell you, in his premiere appearance in his own title!

While the writer is unknown, the art is by Dick Dillin, who was also doing Blackhawk for Quality Comics at the time.

Sgt Bill Battle appeared, full blown, in his own title beginning in October, 1952.

In a unique touch, all four issues of his series featured photo covers of a model portraying Bill Battle in action, the only war comic to do so.

After the book was cancelled, he made several appearances in other comics, including the final issue of Master Comics, which featured Captain Marvel, Jr and cowboy star Tom Mix!

Until next time...

Dis-missed!

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Visit the

Korean War PX

featuring Bill Battle!

FIGHTIN' ARMY "Gavin's Stupid Mule"

Ten-Hut!

We go from the jungles of Vietnam to the bloody fields of the Civil War...

 ...for a tale of a tail (and the mule it's attached to)!

This tail...I mean tale from Fightin' Army #20 (1957) was one of the first art jobs by a young artist who would go on to co-create Spider-Man, Dr Strange, Captain Atom, The Creeper, and The Question...Steve Ditko!

Until next time...

Dis-missed!

Visit the PX..

...for all your uniform and equipment needs!