Monday, November 11, 2013

WARFRONT "Tomorrow's War"

Ten-hut!
In honor of Veteran's Day, we present an unusual tale...
...which was created and produced during the Korean War, but published several years later, resulting in an interesting re-write...
Though the enemy sub and crew are described as "Japanese" (thus placing the tale during World War II), all the ships and aircraft are Korean War-era technology.
America had no military jet aircraft (except a couple of experimental prototypes) until after WWII.
The "angled deck" aircraft carrier with the deck angled to the port side creating a second "runway" wasn't developed and built until after WWII.
Helicopters weren't used on American carriers until the beginning of the Korean War.
(The few helicopters that did see action in WWII were too big to be practical on a carrier)
The jet fighters are shown attacking an enemy rocket base...but Japan had no such bases!
(Korea did!)
So, why were the changes made?
We can only therorize that when the story finally appeared in Harvey's Warfront #34 (1958), the Comics Code Authority ordered changes probably due to the use of the racist term "gook" in the original script, although simply calling them "commies" or somesuch would've done the same thing and kept it in the Korean War timeframe.
The art's by Bob Powell and his studio, but the writer (and rewriter/editor) are unknown.
Until next time...
Dis-missed!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

WORLD WAR III "Commando in Mufti"

Ten-Hut!
Things are not as they seem in this tale...
...about a third World War that began in 1960!
(You remember when that happened, right?)
This never-reprinted (in color) story from Ace's World War III #2 (1953) was written by pulp and paperback writer Robert Turner and apparently inked by Jim Mooney, who might have penciled it, as well.
Until we meet again...
Dis-missed!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

WORLD AROUND US "These Brave Fields"

Ten-HUT!
On the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettyburg, we present a never-reprinted feature from World Around Us #26 (1960), based on Battle of Gettysburg, an eyewitness account of the battle by Colonel Frank A. Haskell.
A few weeks after Gettysburg, Haskell wrote an account of what he had experienced at Gettysburg and sent it to his brother Harrison, who couldn't get even a local newspaper to publish the first-hand story!
Colonel Frank A Haskell
The tale would be published (postumously since Colonel Haskell was killed in 1864 at the Battle of Cold Harbor) in 1898 as Battle of Gettysburg. 
The book was hailed by noted Civil War authority Bruce Catton as "One of the genuine classics of Civil War literature."
Dis-missed!
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Monday, July 1, 2013

"Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg"

Ten-HUT
It's the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg....
...so this week we're going to present two never-reprinted stories about the battle.
You'll note the ambivalence about which side was "in the right" in this tale from Hillman's AirBoy Comics V5N12 (1949).
Both the writer and artist are unknown.
Be back here on July 4th for another tale time-lost of Gettysburg.
Dis-missed!
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Thursday, June 6, 2013

D-Day Special: D-DAY "D-Day for the Fighting Airborne"

69 years ago today, the course of World War II changed...

...when the Allies, spearheaded by American forces, invaded Nazi-controlled "Fortress Europe" at several locations on the coastline of the French provence of Normandy.
Unlike our previous, closer to real-life D-Day Special, this one is a more gung-ho, typical "war comic" tale, albeit featuring some superb artwork by comics legend Wally Wood!

Published in Charlton's D-Day #2 (1964) on the 20th Anniversary of the invasion!
D-Day was an annual title from 1963-68.
All the tales in the first issue were about the June 6th invasion of Normandy.
All successive issues had at least one D-Day-themed tale.
But later issues also featured other World War II battles as well as Korean War, Vietnam War, even American Civil War stories!

Since he was too young to enlist in the military during World War II, Wally Wood joined the Merchant Marine.
Turning 18 in 1945, he enlisted in the Army, became a paratrooper, and served in post-war Japan.
After his hitch, he briefly attended the brand-new Hogarth School of Art (now-known as the School of Visual Arts) and made the rounds of comic book publishers, where he met fellow artist John Severin (who illustrated our earlier D-Day Special).
And the rest is comics history...