Judomaster #95 is dated June 1967. The credits list Frank McLaughlin as the scripter, artist, and letterer.
This story almost seems to have two titles. Above a splash-page image of Judomaster being ensnared by The Acrobat is "Judomaster Meets The Acrobat" and below the image "The Plot to Destroy Judomaster". Both titles work well. The action begins in Japan where in a tournament among Japan's mightiest warriors is underway under the eyes of the Japanese leadership. Among the many warriors are Mountain Storm and The Cat. But despite The Commander's suggestion that Mountain Storm is the mightiest, his Excellency does not agree. Then suddenly Nazi troops appear and The Smiling Skull enters the fray. So all of Judomaster's past enemies vie for the chance to attack him again. Then at the last moment another contestant appears, a small man who says he is a circus performer. He is permitted to join the fight which has been reduced to the three previously named and he defeats them all with superior acrobatic skills. Then he demonstrates a wire-gun that attaches to distant surfaces and gives him a line which he is quite able to walk across and more. Cut to the island where Judomaster and Tiger and Bushiri's warriors are headquartered. A Japanese sub appears and a dark figure disembarks and heads into the jungle. The figure invades the group including Judomater, Tiger, Bushiri, and Suzi and offers up a challenge. He now wears a distinctive yellow costume and mask. Judomaster charges off to answer the challenge and a lengthy battle between the two begins. After many moves and counter moves Judomaster begins to gain a small advantage, but the Acrobat then uses his wire-gun to entangle Judomaster and defeats him. Then he heads out to sea and the submarine and escapes. Aboard the sub the Captain remarks that Judomaster will be most surprised to learn that Suzi, his love is in fact a spy for the Japanese. The stage is set for a rematch with The Acrobat.
"The Art of Stealth (Ninjutsu)" is a two-page feature by McLaughlin detailing the myth and facts fo the Ninja and identifying some of their tools.
Sarge Steel returns for Part I of File 112 "Case of the Village Moneyman". The script is by Steve Skeates, the art by Dick Giordano, and the lettering is by A. Machine. The story begins with Sarge on the ground having been attacked by a couple of thugs, but then he gets up and uses his steel fist to repel his attackers. The thugs did drop a name though, "Eric Summins" a name of a counterfeiter that Steel is familiar with. When he gets to his "pad" Sarge finds a beautiful young girl inside who turns out to be the Bebe Summins the daughter of the aforementioned criminal. Her dad has disappeared and she is being followed. Sarge becomes aware that someone else is in his apartment then a man attacks from the bedroom. Sarge defeats him and then drops Bebe off at the apartment of his secretary Bessie. He then begins the search for Summins checking out leads and various bars and dives. The next day he arrives in the office and Bessie is there saying Bebe slept in. Two CIA men show up and we learn that Sarge no longer works for the Agency full time. They tell him about new counterfeit bills that are surfacing and all agree that it is the work of Summins. When Sarge returns to his apartment he finds a note from Bebe saying "bugged out" and she will meet him at the Silver Spoon in the Village that evening. But Sarge finds evidence of a struggle and suspects foul play. What he doesn't seem to realize is that someone is pointing a gun at him through the window as the story comes to a close.
"Flips and Counters with Judomaster" offers up two letters this time, but lengthy ones. Tiger is seen as something of a problem by both writers and one brings up something Giordano has said in previous letter columns about not needing sidekicks. The sidekick dilemma is then discussed a bit and having someone for Judomaster to talk to solved several dramatic problems for the writers. Also there is an indication that the short martial arts pieces by McLaughlin will be phased out to make for longer stories.
And that wraps another issue of Judomaster. One really gets the sense of a rogues gallery in this issue with all of The Crimson Crusher's enemies on hand. I assume The Acrobat is set up to be Judomaster's opposite number, a common enough idea in these superhero tales. There does seem to be a larger scheme in play though, as the Acrobat's trip to the island didn't mean much save to antagonize Judomaster. I did like that the Japanese are concerned with the public relations problems the defeats by Judomaster have caused. As a practical matter a single man is of little consequence in a war of this scale, but a colorful hero succeeding against such great odds does make the whole appear feckless and weak. Nice touch on McLaughlin's part to add this element front and center.
More to come.
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