The Coast Guard gets the nod on this wartime cover by Simon & Kirby, as part of an attack on Japan. Nice cover, especially the ship in the background there.
This issue also has a three-page story “Coast Guard Reconnaissance” signed by S&K and reprinted as a Kirby classic in NEW GODS #4, but the Kirby Checklist says it was Simon solo, which looks right.
Published 1945
Kirby’s chronicles of the Losers brings them to France this issue, in a story reportedly very close to a few of the real war stories that Kirby would tell, “A Small Place in Hell”.
![Our Fighting Forces #152 [1975]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/09/Our-Fighting-Forces-152-1975.jpg)
The Losers have a rare three-day pass, and go to a town that they think should have been taken by the allies weeks ago. Unfortunately, they took a wrong turn somewhere, and the town is full of Germans, leading to a lot of firefights and general destruction before the American forces roll-in. That includes a cameo from General Patton, who thanks them for keeping the Germans occupied and declares the Losers “Fine boys, but ‘foul-ups'”.
Also in this issue, two pages of various machine guns used in WWII, and on the letter page Steve Sherman mentions that Kirby used an extensive picture file of WWII material for the book, and they’d recently gone out to get more reference material.
D. Bruce Berry inks the cover, 18-page story and 2-page backup.
A reprint of SGT. FURY #13 (1964), with one page edited out, teaming up the two great WWII based characters of Marvel. This is a really jam-packed and fun story, maybe my favourite Cap story of the Silver Age. It opens up in London with Fury on a date with Pamela, where they watch some newsreels of both the Howlers and Captain America, with Fury noting that while the Howlers clip is met with a “reserved British” reaction, Cap and Bucky get cheers. Later an incident in a pub leads to a brawl between Fury and his usual foil Bull McGiveney, which brings Fury and his men to the attention of Steve Rogers, secretly Captain America.
![Special Marvel Edition #11 [1973]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/08/Special-Marvel-Edition-11-1973.jpg)
Cap and Bucky are off on a mission to Europe to find out about a secret German project, and when they get enough info they send a message to send the Howlers. The Howlers follow, with Fury and Reb making it to the end, where they first encounter Steve Rogers disguised as a prisoner and Bucky disguised as a Hitler Youth, with the two later changing to their costumed identities to take out a tunnel being dug under the Channel to England (the taking out including a panel of one of Kirby’s earliest collages).
Dick Ayers inks the now 22-page story while Chic Stone inks the cover.
Published 1973
Pressed for time today, here’s a gorgeous Kirby/Stone war cover guaranteed to knock your socks off.
Published 1964
In “Doctor Vundabar and His Murder Machine” Kirby has a lot of fun with his new Big Barda character this issue after her debut the previous issue, as she exercises out in the yard for the opening splash, shows off her strength as Scott takes delivery of a Civil War cannon for his act. While Scott and Oberon practice the act, Barda enjoys the scenery like nothing she’s seen on Apokolips but gets attacked by Virman Vundabar’s men.
![Mister Miracle #5 [1971]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/07/Mister-Miracle-5-1971.jpg)
And yes, Kirby even makes a point about how the name “Virman Vundabar” is goofy, so don’t bug me about it. It’s Granny’s sense of humour. She named “Scott Free”, after all.
Scott flies off to the rescue, and winds up in the car wash of doom. God, just those bizarre connections that Kirby could make work. Great scene with Scott, having escaped, standing behind the gloating villains not aware he’s there.
Letter column plugs the next issue with Funky Flashman, who “doesn’t know the meaning of the words ‘Fair Play’ or, if he does, he’s never bothered to practice it”. Ouch. I’ll have to get to that issue soon.
Also in this issue, the first chapter of the “Young Scott Free” story that leads into the classic “Himon” in #9. A great story as you get a look at Granny Goodness and her treatment of her “orphans” and their indoctrination and Scott’s early defiance, leading to his first encounter with Metron.
Mike Royer inks the 22-page lead story, his first issue of this title. It’s kind of notable because this is the issue where he changed Barda’s face on the first go-round, prompting Kirby to take the original heads from the photocopies of the pencils so they could be restored, so the copies of these pencils have those faces removed and Royer was much more faithful after that. Colletta inks the back-up and Royer inks the cover, with some touch-up by Neal Adams to make the weapons look more obvious (the original version appears in COMIC BOOK ARTIST SPECIAL EDITION #1).
The S&K reprint for this issue is “The Invasion of America”, a Boy Commandos story from DETECTIVE #76 (1943), previously covered from another reprint. A fun story, I especially like the scene with the kids coming into New York harbour, talking about how the role of their own countries in New York history.
Published 1971
What’s the Fourth without a look at Kirby’s tribute to the fighting men of WWII, the Howling Commandos? Great Kirby/Ayers cover of one of their forays into the Pacific on this issue (and I like the characters addressing the change of venue in the dialogue), with those huge guns and action in every corner, circling around to the classic splayed hand that leaps off the page.
Published 1964
Story continuing from the previous issue. Great opening sequence of the secret Japanese air base in Panama, where they plan to launch a kamikaze attack on the canal. Meanwhile, the Losers are prisoners of Panama Fattie and her men, but manage to get loose. Fattie is unable to pull the trigger when she has a chance to shoot Storm.
![Our Fighting Forces #158 [1975]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/06/Our-Fighting-Forces-158-1975.jpg)
She escapes, but (intentionally?) leads the Losers to the Japanese base, where she dies and the Losers take out the bomber.
In addition to the 16-page story, Kirby also does a 2-page feature on “Nazi Super-Planes”, showing some hypothetical planes that the allies might have faced if the war lasted longer. I’m not sure if these are based on any historical records or come straight out of Kirby’s imagination, but they definitely feel more Kirby than reality.
Mike Royer inks the whole thing, cover, story and back-up feature.
Published 1975
This is the second of two issues published in 1973 reprinting 1940s S&K Boy Commandos stories. Boy Commandos is my favourite of the major S&K work for DC from the 1940s, so these are welcome reprints to go with the stories reprinted in MISTER MIRACLE the year before.
“Nine Lives for Victory” is a 9-page story from BC #2 (1943). In this one the boys pick up a stray cat, and keep it hidden from Rip Carter as it’s a violation of regulations. It sneaks its way aboard on a mission to France. The team runs into a nazi patrol and let themselves be captured to keep the rest of the Nazis off the trail of the rest of their mission. The hidden cat then attacks the rat-ish looking nazi officer.
This creates enough confusion for them to finish their mission and get away. Back in England, the boys expect to be rewarded but are instead put on kitchen duty for disobeying orders while the cat is toasted as the hero of the mission.
The second story is an 11-page story from BC #6 (1944), “News from Belgium”, where the team are given a mission to smuggle parts for a printing press into Belgium so that the underground can continue to produce their newspaper of real news of the world to counter the Nazi propaganda. The team gets split up along the way, and Brooklyn and Alfy wind up being helped by a Belgian farm girl who disguises them in girl’s clothing, which is pretty amusing. Later re-united with the rest of the team, they get the parts to the newspaper editor, and come up with the idea of baking the newspaper into loaves of bread, so they can be delivered right under the noses of the occupiers.
Some of the inking on this story is especially good, especially the scenes in the Belgian forest. Also, I know I don’t give too much attention to the scripting in these things, but there are some interesting things in this one, like “with a practiced landing that would put even the feather-footed tiger to shame” and “the ominous thud of booted feet bodes evil for those living under the Nazi heel”. There’s some really nice scripting and imagery in here.
Published 1973
This issue has the first part of Kirby’s only two-issue story of his run on the Losers. Mike Royer inks the 16-page story and the 2-page look at ships and subs of WWII, while D. Bruce Berry inks the cover.
This story starts with a look at some espionage going on in Panama, led by a rather large female bar owner Lil, nicknamed Panama Fattie. The Losers are sent in to investigate, taking the role of navy men transporting supplies, and get stopped by Lil pretending to have a broken car as cover for a hijacking. The Losers drive off the other hijackers, but Lil gets them to drive their truck over to their club and drugs them.
![Our Fighting Forces #157 [1975]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/03/Our-Fighting-Forces-157-1975.jpg)
After selling their supplies to a Japanese agent and gives the order to have them shot, and there the story ends.
Panama Fattie is fun in these issues, with a great look and charcter. The art also has the usual nice mix of exotic locations and aggressive combat scenes.
Published 1975
This late-1960s annual collects two 1964 issues of SGT. FURY by Kirby, both inked by George Roussos (as George Bell). While I really preferred the Dick Ayers inked issues, Roussos does pretty good here, and suits the material much more than he did on FANTASTIC FOUR.
“The Fangs of the Desert Fox” from SGT. FURY #6 features the Howlers given a mission to kill Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox in charge of the German campaign in North Africa. Unfortunately, Dino Manelli is injured in a practice jump, and replaced by George Stonewall, who turns out to be a bigot, with particular problems with the black and jewish members of the team, Gabe and Izzy. So of course those two are the ones who end up saving him during the mission. Stonewall is still cool towards them after they return, but quietly leaves his forwarding address to Gabe and Izzy.
A little preachy, but well-intentioned, and a great war comic, with lots of firefights, hand-to-hand combat, loving renditions of tanks and planes and more.
That story was also the SGT. FURY selection for the recent MARVEL VISIONARIES – JACK KIRBY
Some special features between the two reprints, one of them from Kirby, the single page “Weapons of War” from SGT. FURY #5, showing various machine guns used in WWII.
Next up is “The Court-Martial of Sgt. Fury”, from SGT. FURY #7. In France now, the Howlers are given a mission to help the French resistance attack a German ammo depot. The American lieutenant in charge turns out to be an old school-mate of Fury. Just as they’re about to attack, Fury tries to stop the attack, and they get caught in an explosion.
![Sgt. Fury Annual #5 [1969]](http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/kirby/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2005/02/Sgt.-Fury-Annual-5-1969.jpg)
Fury wakes up back in England, with no memory of why he tried to stop the attack, and is put on trial. This gives us some background on Fury from before the war. Some very interesting writing in there. On the sidelines, the Howlers of course wind up in the guard-house after defending Fury’s honour from slurs by rival Sgt. Bull McGiveney. Eventually Fury gets his memory back and realizes that he stopped the attack because it was a trap, as he knew from questioning a German prisoner earlier (but for some reason didn’t pass on the information at the time. Whatever).
The story works a lot better this issue than the other one, and the art is just as good, if a bit less action filled, with all the court-martial scenes. That does give a rare chance to see Sgt. Fury in his dress uniform.
There have been occasional rumours that we might see an ESSENTIAL SGT. FURY at some point for a while now. I certainly hope so, as they’re a lot of fun, with art as good or better than Kirby’s super-hero art of there era, with some really fun stories, and most haven’t been reprinted in well over 30 years.
Published 1969