The Invaders Versus The Battle-Axis!

The 90's were a raucous time in comic books. After nearly passing into the mists of time alongside the pulps of the 30's and the paperbacks of the 50's, the lowly comic book was given a reprieve when suddenly they became very very "hot". On the back of wild speculation, comics became highly collectible and suddenly everyone wanted a taste. This led to some really woeful comics, but also to some real surprises. Chief among the latter was the 1993 revival of The Invaders by Roy Thomas, this this time with artist Dave Hoover.

To his credit Roy picks up The Invaders saga soon after it had been left, only a few weeks have passed in the comic though it had been nearly fifteen years in the real world. The Invaders are back in the United States on a mission when they find themselves suddenly fighting a bunch of very colorful super-villains working for the Nazis. The tragic part being that these villains seemed to be all Americans who had axes to grind with their homeland and so had turned traitor.

Not wanting to use vintage Timely Golden Age heroes as Nazi turncoats, Roy trawled the vast sea of public domain heroes and found quite a colorful cache of potential agents to serve as his "Battle-Axis". 

Strongman is a vain playboy willing to sacrifice an already meager intellect for physical strength.  

Doctor Nemesis (renamed "Doctor Death" for the Invaders stories) is the nominal leader of the team and who has connections to the Human Torch.

Volton is the electrical villain with a deadly secret which even he does not know.

Spider-Woman is a villainous wench with a hate on for the Soviets who she regards as a more deadly threat than even Hitler's hordes.

And finally, Duke O'Dowd, The Human Meteor, bears a grudge against the British because of his Irish heritage.

The story itself is pretty simple. The Battle-Axis as they dubbed themselves are making for a location called the "Mojave Project" where it seems the Nazis have established a pretty elaborate subterranean base of operations. The idea is to attack the United States west coast with deadly gas and make it look like a natural disaster.

With the assistance of The Whizzer, Miss America along with new-to-the-series Golden Age heroes like Blazing Skull and Silver Scorpion and the mysterious Vision who is more enigmatic than helpful, the Invaders are able to repel the threat. But you knew that already. The Golem shows up too as well as the villainous Sky Shark. 

The best thing about this four-parter is the seamless way it picks up the storytelling from the end of the original series. I've never before read it just after completing the original run and it is very impressive. The writing was very much in keeping with what had come before. The artwork by Dave Hoover is perfectly adequate, but despite his many evident skills, I've always been cold to his work which does show clear connections to classic talents, but given that we were in the 90's was also forced to showcase many of the hyperbolic deficiencies of that era.

Tomorrow The Invaders take a drive in the country. 

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The Spirit Archives Volume Fourteen!

It's still all gravy as we are in the thick of some of Eisner's best Spirit work. Jerry Grandenetti is brought aboard to assist with the artwork. The ravishing P'Gell, introduced in the last volume returns with more than a vengeance in this volume. Those soulful eyes make any man want to wrap his arms around that impossible waist. She's a stunner for sure. Eisner will get more and more experimental in his storytelling as the stories rumble along. 

Perfect Crime January 5, 1947

When a gangster and his moll think they've committed the perfect crime, the curse of The Spirit continues to haunt them. The escaped to a remote island, build an elaborate warning system, a fortress to protect their freedom. But a storm and their own guilt and fear overcome them, their weaknesses rise up and bring them to ruin. All the while The Spirit remains. 

Saree January 12, 1947

The beautiful teenager Saree is deadly. She had no use for Miss Vritrola who runs the School for Girls and plots her murder. But before the act can be accomplished her boyfriend intervenes. Then her Dad arrives, as does the Spirit. The Spirit brings insight when Miss Vitriola turns up dead, and Saree's dad brings a new wife, as P'Grell returns. 

A School for Girls January 19, 1947

It's a whole new and quite dangerous situation when P'Gell takes over as headmistress for the School for Girls. Her latest husband Mr. Raymond the father of Saree turns up dead. It's a classic locked room mystery. But the answer lies below as P'Gell's past surfaces with potentially even deadlier consequences for The Spirit. Eisner really has some visual fun with this one. 

The Partner January 26, 1947

Mr. Skinch appears to be an upstanding citizen, but his criminal past comes to light when his partner returns after a stretch in prison and demands his cut. Skinch tries to get The Spirit to do the dirty work with an elaborate scheme, but it backfires when his henchmen decide they want a piece of the action as well. This one is a downright dance of best-laid plans going awry with deadly consequences. 

The Cosmic Answer February 2, 1947

The Spirit engages the Atomic Age with this story about a tiny country which claims to have an answer for the atom bomb. This "Cosmic Answer" is obviously much sought after and this chaotic story told by The Spirit to an associate of Silk Satin shows just how much the new deadly weapon has changed society. While the injured Spirit battles thugs and spies his helpers Ellen and Ebony get caught up in fashion and dance. 

Mad Moes February 9, 1947

Mad Moes is a river and by that river resides a chap named Lizard who refuses to move when it's decided to dam the river. Two gamblers, Stud Sharpe and Queeny are run out of Central City but find refuge at Lizard's place when it's made into its own land in a ploy to force him to move. Now it becomes a gambling haven which undermines the efficiency of getting dam built. The situation is a tinderbox, and The Spirit brings the fuse. 

Fat Looey February 16, 1947

Ebony and his pal Pierpont want to become "Touts" at the racetrack. They come upon Fat Looey who claims to be a tout and begins to reveal the secrets to the boys. His "scientific methods" are a blend of coincidence, blind luck and fat chance. We see time and again that gambling is a loser's gambit. While this is happening, The Spirit is rounding up some gangsters seeking to fix races. 

Heel Scalllpini February 23, 1947

The stink of underhanded politics rises again in Central City as The Spirit tries to get to the bottom of the year-old murder of Joe Scallopini who had campaigned against Julius Caesar. There is a lot of threats and people are afraid to talk. The Spirit is able to get Caesar to pledge to serve the honest voters, but it requires that The Spirit throw a few punches and even a few pool balls to make it happen, especially when Ellen Dolan shows up with a black eye. 

A Granule of Time March 2, 1947

A scientist named Wilmore once put forth a new notion of time, suggesting that all of time is a form of matter and to access either the past or the future one need only get free of the spinning Earth. Once in space time travel was inevitable. So, we are presented with a chap who claims to have knowledge of the future and shares it with a Dr. Lateur. We also meet a gorgeous physicist named Dr. Silken Floss who teams with The Spirit to save Lateur and survive a potent volcanic eruption. 

Silken Floss M.D. March 9, 1947

The incredibly lovely and the incredibly smart Dr. Silken Floss returns. This time her skills as a medical doctor are needed as she and The Spirit work closely together to get control of a deadly X-Germ, a bug which could unleash a ravaging plague. Floss tricks The Spirit into signing a marriage contract and this news of course saddens Ellen Dolan and Ebony White, both feeling betrayed. Despite her vigorous efforts to seduce our hero, he remains stalwart. While Ellen recovers, we discover that Ebony has left town. 

Hoagy the Yogi March 16, 1947

Ebony, now a free agent partners with a huckster named Hoagy the Yogi who pushes a miracle compound he dubs "Floz".  Ebony ends up in the depths of a building and has to resort to partnering with rats to get free. Meanwhile The Spirit partners with Lieutenant Grey from Albin Village to uncover a strange fraudster who fakes his own death to get out from under his many debts. Our heroes' stories mingle, but neither Ebony nor The Spirit realize it. 

Hoagy the Yogi - Part Two March 23, 1947

In a series of postcards The Spirit, Ellen Dolan and her father the Commissioner follow the misadventures of Ebony White as he travels to India, China, Arabia, and back to Central City. In each of these lands he and Hoagy the Yogi encounter challenges, which ultimately sunder their alliance. Hoagy seems to find love while Ebony seems to have found wealth. Ebony also leads The Spirit to a smuggler in Central City. 

April Fool March 30, 1947

A reporter named Byline likes pranks and so is all too ready for April the first when he can unleash a torrent of tricks. One he puts out is a bogus story about two seemingly wealthy men named Roger P. Deficit and Avery Vault who die in a suicide pact by shooting one another. But the trick gets printed and when the men see it along with Deficit's less than trustworthy mate Sylive, it seems to set into motion the inevitable terrible outcome. 

Pinhead April 6, 1947

Pinhead is a powerful man who was raised as if he were a monster. But access to books has given him the soul of a poet, a gentle man who seeks a place to be happy. Eisner combines this character with the fetching Sylvie Vault from the previous story who gets off from her possible crimes. Looking for a man to protect her she finds Pinhead who immediately recognizes her dark nature. Nonetheless he fights to protect her from The Spirit until Vault turns on him. 

Escape April 14, 1947

Three men escape prison and find different fates awaiting them outside the walls. Rabbit O'Hare heads to Garters, his girlfriend so they can use stashed stolen loot to get away, but he finds only treachery. Sonny Boyd seeks only to go home to his father and finish the job of killing same, but he finds his father has beaten him to the punch. Cracker Barrel is looking to get a gang together and to that end his cousin Lifty is eager to join. But The Spirit tries to convince the young Lifty that such a life is a mistake. 

Bebop April 20, 1947

Ebony White tries to become an agent for Tailgate Smear and his combo, but our hero has to revert to becoming a detective to find out he whereabouts of L'l Teebo, the piano player for the band. Ebony finds Teebo, but has quite the adventure getting him to return. When the band finally plays for an international audience, the reaction is on a global warming level. This is a bizarre little epic. 

Every Little Bug April 27, 1947

The song which has been woven into so many previous Spirit yarns finds its final form when it's published in a way on the very last page of this story. But getting there is of course the fun, as Ebony is  seeking a way to make money, and The Spirit is seeking a way to escape making money. His need to pay back taxes puts him in a bind with Ellen and a woman named Coyle Wylie. The Spirit finds wisdom from an old gumshoe. 

The Fix May 4, 1947

This one is all about baseball and the dread by one player named Monk that an upcoming game might well be fixed by a gambler named Longchance. When Monk is attacked The Spirit gets on the case in a real way. When manager Yappy Poacher is also attacked the stakes get even higher. We meet other players on the Central City Orioles team as well as Yappy's wife Lonny. Eisner seemed really to have a lot of fun with this bright open yarn. 

The Fortune May 11, 1947

The gorgeous Miss Eden has just become the richest girl in the world and at the same time the most haunted. She's waiting for The Spirit to arrive to rescue her from her fears as she is stalked through her own home. Is it madness or is there really someone there with murderous intent. Mistaken identity plays a big role in this atmospheric story. 

Saree Falls in Love May 18, 1947

Saree is in the throes of love for her history teacher Mr. Bigelow. But when it's known that Bigelow might have some family money, Saree's stepmother P'Gell sets her sights on him as well. This drives Saree to adopt the guise of a mobster's moll and attempt to hook up with the Rattler mob. When she discovers The Spirit has been captured by that gang. things get very complicated. Young love is a powerful thing. 

Il Duce's Locket May 25, 1947

P'Gell is the star of this story which uses a bit of recent history to suggest that Mussolini's locket has fallen into her hands and is valuable in mysterious ways. Things get exciting and dangerous when a European chap named Bandito arrives in Central City as well as Stilleto, a former Fascist from Italy. They vie for the locket, with violent consequences. The real secret of the locket is a neat surprise. This story of course features Eisner's definitive presentation of the alluring P'Gell. She seems to have her claws into Will as well. 

Circus of Crime June 1, 1947

Ebony and Teebo join the circus but find that the clowns are out of hand. Meanwhile The Spirit is searching for a criminal named Raul who just so happens to be the nephew of the older ladies who run the circus. A pretty acrobat named Peeret is also involved with Raul, a trapeze artist. When thieves turn against one another in the "Big Top" it makes for quite a lethal plunge. 

No Spirit Story Today June 8, 1947

In a Fourth Wall shattering yarn, we discover that The Spirit, Commissioner Dolan and Ebony are up against it when the victim of the crime appears to be Will Eisner himself. Eisner's rendering of the culprit proves quite problematic as well. Eisner pulls out all the stops on this one, each page serving up wild images that pull the reader into the story in peculiar ways. 

Black Gold June 15, 1947 

The scene shifts to the Middle East where we find two equally ruinous sons coming home to sit at their father's deathbed and get their inheritance. One brings The Spirit in a bag and the other brings a mysterious new wife. Of course, that wife is P'Gell, once again on the prowl for riches. This is a violent tale filled with murder and betrayal. We get a tiny insight into how oil was about to transform the region. 

Hangley Hollyer Mansion June 22, 1947

Ebony and Pierpont meet a strange old lady on the sidewalk just outside Hangley Hollyer Mansion, which is being cleaned out upon the death of its owner. She tells the two boys a story of romance, and the all-too-common dance between love and hate, and romance and murder. The "Hollyer Mansion Mystery" as she dubs it began in 1909 when two brothers love the same woman, but neither cannot for a host of reasons pledge marriage to her. Her steps to hasten that asking lie at the heart of the story. 

The Whiffenpoof Song June 29, 1947

The real-life world comes crashing into the world of Eisner's The Spirit when Robert Merrill, a star of the Metropolitan Opera agrees to sing "Ev'ry Little Bug", the tune created by Eisner for the series. Also  key to this bizarre tale is "The Whiffenpoof Song", the ditty sung by college lads when they drank. When some criminals escape and kidnap Merrill to force him to sing their song, things get weird and wild fast. Eisner apparently, whipped this one up at the urging of Merrill's agent, as Merrill it seemed was eager to be caricatured in the pages of series. 

For fans of Will Eisner's The Spirit, this is the hard stuff, the purest blend. Eisner seems chomping at the bit each episode to make the story resonate, to make each one distinct but still recognizable. Some of the experimentation gets pretty out there, but the talent and craft help to keep the lid on the pot just barely. I'd suggest in my meager way, that a few of the stories might be a tad too wordy for best effect, but it's a small complaint indeed. 

I am very much looking forward to more of the same in volume fifteen. See you there in a couple of weeks Spirit fans. 

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Action-Heroes Day!

Dick Giordano was born on this date in 1932. Giordano began his career as an artist, working for Charlton Comics for many years. In the late 60's when superheroes were all the rage, he assumed the role of editor of the comics line. His goal was to create not "super-heroes" so much as what he called "Action-Heroes". These would be heroes, but people with skills and not so much power. Later Giordano was an editor at DC and was a partner with Neal Adams in the art firm Continuity Associates. 

Dick Giordano became editor of Charlton Comics after Pat Masulli. Giordano had made his mark with Sarge Steel, a hard-nosed detective turned super-spy. His artwork was always crisp and attractive. Shifting to the editor's desk, he surveyed the landscaped and decided that if Charlton were to make a move into the superhero market, they would need to find a way to make their heroes distinctive. Some heroes were already around and might need adjusting and new fresh heroes were needed. 

The line-up consisted of Frank McLaughlin's creation Rip Jagger, a WWII soldier who becomes a deadly master of martial arts Judomaster, who battles the Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater with his young partner Tiger. Peter Cannon - The Thunderbolt created by Pete Morisi, is a man trained by Tibetan monks and is possessed of fantastic skills and powers of the mind. Christopher Smith, the Peacemaker created by Pat Boyette and Joe Gill, is a diplomat who realizes that talk alone will fail to solve all problems and uses his technology to fight when necessary to preserve the peace. Giordano inherited Captain Atom, created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko a decade before. Giordano had the good Captain's vast powers muchly diminished, and Steve Ditko was all too happy to do so. Added to the Captain Atom cast was Charlton's lone female super-heroine of the era, Nightshade. We learn more about her when Steve Skeates and Jim Aparo take over. 

The line-up was completed by the arrival of Steve Ditko's "All-New" Blue Beetle. Ted Kord becomes a Blue Beetle who is not reliant on a magical scarab but who turns to modern technology and fisticuffs to bring villains to heel. With the arrival of Blue Beetle the "Action-Hero" line was complete, just in time for it all to end. Sales were not what everyone hoped for and the super-hero craze which allowed for this flowering of talent and creations withered. The arrival of a new fresh look for Charlton, the big "C" which would in a few years be replaced by the famous Charlton Bullseye badge, marked both the height and the end of the "Action-Hero" line.

Dick Giordano went to DC and took many of his most talented artists with him. He found great success at DC, sticking with the company for decades. DC purchased the "Action-Heroes", mostly as a gift to Giordano, the editor who had made these fondly remembered heroes possible. As we all likely know, the "Action-Heroes" formed the basis for Alan Moore's and Dave Gibbon's The Watchmen, which originally began as a vehicle for the classic Charlton characters, before DC decided to save them for other things. Hence the "Action-Heroes" live on. 

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The Invaders Versus The Super-Axis!

The Invaders wrapped up its run with some action-filled stories which called back many of the flamboyant characters which had been created over the few years of production. In these issues you do get the sense that Roy Thomas knew the comic was shutting down and was closing the books a bit on some of the story lines with the help of Don Glut. Long gone is Frank Robbins who will in a few months leave comic books entirely to head out to Mexico and a long life of fine art painting. Taking over the regular art chores is Alan Kupperberg with some assistance by Rick Hoberg from time to time. The regular inker is a Bullpen veteran returned to the fold after many years away, the great Chic Stone. Some of the artwork in these issues is by Don Heck when work he'd done some time before for a proposed Liberty Legion comic is taken and framed by new stuff from the new Invaders art team.

Alan Kupperberg and Joe Sinnott

The Invaders (Cap, Subby, and Torch) are called back to the United States, New York City in particular where they are soon found by The Whizzer. He tells them that the Liberty Legion has been captured by an iron-clad foe called The Iron Cross, a German super-patriot who fights on the side of the Nazis. His goal is to capture his former colleague who developed the intimidating armor and make it even more potent.

Alan Kupperberg and Joe Sinnott

The team face off against The Iron Cross and he proves a sturdy opponent. It takes all the team can muster to finally free the Liberty Legion and save the day.

Alan Kupperberg and Joe Sinnott

When they finally do so, they find that their number have increased by two as The Whizzer and Miss America join up for the time being, presaging the All-Winners Squad which will debut after the war is over.

Alan Kupperberg and Joe Sinnott

This team then falls under the spell of the vivacious and seductive Lady Lotus who is assembling a super team of villains to further her schemes to advance the Japanese war cause. Her first conquest is Merrano the U-Man who she hypnotizes from afar to join her.

Alan Kupperberg and Joe Sinnott

Her goal is to tempt the Golden Girl of the Kid Commandos to join her in her schemes. That fails when Gwenny Sabuki rejects Lotus utterly,  but not before the former teenage sidekicks need some help from The Invaders themselves.

  Dave Cockrum and Joe Sinnott

Then the Invaders team is alerted to the revived threat of Baron Blood, who likewise has been recruited hypnotically by Lady Lotus. We check in on Union Jack and Spitfire who battle the Baron only to lose track of him as he heads for the U.S. and a rendezvous with his new mistress.

Al Milgrom

There he joins U-Man, Master Man, and Warrior Woman to form the Super-Axis, all fighting under the hypnotic sway of Lady Lotus. The battle is furious and lengthy but in the end as they must the Invaders win the day and the villains are captured for the police who are faced with the challenge of keeping hold of the villains, all captured save Lady Lotus.  Afterwards the team returns to London, England to continue their primary mission to "invade" Fortress Europa and stop the Axis forces. Our final  image of the Invaders in this extra-lengthy finale is the team of Cap, Torch, Subby, Spitfire, and Union Jack charging off to face the next threat the war will bring their way shouting their evocative battle cry "Okay Axis - Here We Come!"

Meanwhile the defeated Lady Lotus hides out in New York's Chinatown where she encounters the Yellow Claw who informs her that while she did okay he plans to do better with time and patience.

And that's a wrap folks on the grand experiment to bring to a Bronze Age audience the revised and extended adventures of the Golden Age heroes.  The book closes with a delightful two-page spread by Kupperberg of all the heroes and most of the villains who have appeared in the series during its impressive run.

But Roy Thomas is not done with The Invaders, not yet -- though it will take several years. 

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