One thing I discovered to my dismay while I was gathering materials for my Judomaster reports was that my
Sarge Steel collection was incomplete. The series runs for eight issues as
Sarge Steel then becomes
Secret Agent for two more issues. I thought I had them all, but it's been years since I looked closely and I found to my horror that I did not have a copy of
Secret Agent #9 thus making my collection woefully incomplete. I jumped onto the Mile High website and found a copy listed but they said they did not have it in stock, so I jumped on ebay and found a copy which promptly ordered. It arrived promptly, so I can for the first time read the entire Sarge Steel saga through. I begin that today with the first issue. Oh and as a footnote, when my order from Mile High arrived a low-grade copy of the comic was included after all so now I have two.
But on with the report.
Sarge Steel #1 is dated December 1964 and begins as a quarterly comic. Oddly for Charlton this is Volume 1 #1, something common to other publishers but almost unheard of for the Derby outfit. But wait, the numbering and titling will get confusing later so don't fret. The credited creator of the series is Pat Masulli, also the executive editor of Charlton at this time. Joe Gill is listed as scripter and Dick Giordano is on the art. The story titled "The Case of the Pearls of Death" is File #101.
Chapter I is titled "Consignment Terror". It begins in the morning as Sarge returns to his office at 5:45 after a night of entertainment. His secretary Bessie Forbes meets him and after some flirting from Sarge she shows in his client. She is a lovely Vietnamese girl named Lin Ying. Sarge dismisses himself to shower and change clothes then he gets Ying's story. Her father is pearl merchant and has disappeared and a man named Ivan Chung might well be involved. As they walk along the street a thug of appears but Sarge puts him down fast. They have breakfast and Sarge learns that there is a secret deal with these pearls out of Saigon and Ivan Chung, a name Sarge already knows, is involved. Sarge and Lin get in his XK-150 sports car and head to Chung's presumed headquarters. Here Sarge uses his steel fist to break in the door but they find nothing. Then another thug appears but he is dispatched and the pair get onto a small boat looking for Chung's ship. But they are spotted and Chung and his henchman try to shoot their boat, then run it over. Sarge is cast into the sea but is fished out by Chung's men and Sarge's last thoughts are of Saigon where he lost his hand.
"The O.S.S. in World War II" is a three-page feature about the efforts of the Office of Strategic Services and its role in arming partisans and other espionage work in the Big One. It seems to be by the Bill Fracchio and Tony Tallarico team.
"The Spark" is a two-page text piece about some key battles during World War I.
"The Road to Freedom" is a one-page piece about Marines in the 1st Division trying to maneuver after the battle of Chosin. The are seems to be by Sam Glanzman.
Chapter II of the Sarge Steel story is titled "Nightmare in Saigon" and is a clever flashback sequence featuring Sarge's memories of his days in Saigon while cutting back once in a while to the unconscious form of Sarge and Lin on Chung's ship. Captain Sarge Steel was apparently quite formidable and was responsible for breaking up the network of Ivan Chung in Saigon. But after capturinng Chung several attempts on Sarge's life are made which he survives. The last one happened at a dance and while Sarge was attempting to enjoy himself dancing with a young lady a grenade tumbles into the room. Sarge grabs it to throw it out the window, but it has had some sticky substance applied so all he can do is thrust his arm out the window. This of course doesn't kill him, but he loses his hand.
Chapter III is titled "Destination Death" and in it Sarge wakes from his Saigon nightmare to confront Ivan Chung. Lin is by Sarge's side in tears. Chung is trying to find the pearls Lin's father brought to him but has now hidden. Lin is distraught so at one point Sarge smacks her to bring her to her senses. Listening in using a bug, Chung overhears Sarge and Lin talk about the pearls being hidden in the lining of an attache case. Chung sends agents to find it. Meanwhile Bessie has contacted the CIA to tell them that Sarge has gone missing and inform them about the case he was on. The CIA intercept Chung's agent getting the pearls and then have him take them to Chung's hidden location. Back on the ship, Lin is reunited with her father and the three plan an escape. Chung goes to thwart the plan, but this time he's been tricked as Sarge is waiting for him and subdues him with his steel fist. After some small gunplay they radio for help and Lin is so relieved that she hopes aloud that her vacation won't be a complete waste. Sarge tells her if she sticks with him, it won't if she says "Yes Sarge" to everything he suggests.
This is a neat origin story. It's got plenty of action, answers the questions about the background of our hero but leaves lots of room for expansion. Sarge is clearly a blend of the noir-style tough guy detective and popular super-spy. The story is a tad wordy, but the use of first person point of view adds to the noir feel of the book and gives the story an interesting character. This point of view will be used throughout the series with a few exceptions. Sarge's Vietnam connection gives the book a specific and modern feel that other comics of the era lacked, since rarely was Vietnam mentioned in comic of the time other than a war book. This is something that Charlton did quite often in fact in their books. Sarge is definitely a cold warrior, and that will become a greater part of the series as it develops. The unofficial subtitle of the book is "Private Detective", but this focus will shift also as the series continues.
More to come.
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