Featured Cover, Fighting American #3

Fighting American #3
Fighting American #3 (August 1954) by Jack Kirby

In a comment recently, Mike made a request for post on Fighting American. Well it happens that I just finished restoring the cover to Fighting American #3. The first two issues of FA were pretty much the standard action hero format. Fighting America and Speedboy were Simon and Kirby’s remake of their own patriotic heroes Captain America and Bucky. Atlas Comics had recently brought out a cold war version of Captain America along with the Human Torch and Sub-Mariner. However the times had changed and despite Joe McCarthy, or perhaps because of him, the public did not consider the Communists as quite the same threat as the Nazis. Atlas Comic’s Captain America did not last long but Simon and Kirby adjusted to the times. With issue #3, Fighting American adopted a more humorous approach. Yes the Commies were still the villains, but nobody was meant to take Poison Ivan and Hotsky Trotski seriously.

4 thoughts on “Featured Cover, Fighting American #3

  1. Mike Moran

    Ahh. This is probably my favorite S+K work! I have the hardcover reprint from Marvel and I loved it. The fisrt 2 issues were kinda rehash of Captain America but once the black comedy spoof started it really took off! I laughed alot. I am not that old either but I knew enough about the cold war and the times that the jokes were still funny to me. Now lets see some Boys Ranch!

  2. Harry Post author

    Mike,

    Well I do have a Boys’ Ranch post in the pipes but there are other subjects ahead of it on the queue. In particular a couple based on Foxhole which I have come to believe to be the most unrecognized S&K masterpieces. Not as much of Kirby art as one might want (although what he did was really superior) but the artists are in top form and the stories really well done.

    Harry

  3. Mike Moran

    Cool! I havent had the opportunity to read Foxhole. I loved some of the covers I have seen though! Cant wait to see your write up!

  4. nick caputo

    Harry,

    I am in complete agreement with you on the Foxhole work. Sadly neglected nad worth further exploration. I have most of the issues in my collection and have enjoyed them thoroughly. I look forward to the upcoming Cap cover/discussion as well.

    Nick Caputo

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