The Yang Reports #8

Yang Volume 3, Number 8 is dated June, 1975 and was published by Charlton Publications Inc. The editor is George Wildman. The cover was painted by Warren Sattler who is also the artist on the interiors. The script was supplied by Joe Gill. Here's an amazing link with a glimpse at the newsstands when this issue of Yang arrived.



After a two-page reprise of the story of how Yang came to America, "Night of the Wolf" begins right away with an attack by gray timber wolves on a miner. Yang intercedes and is attacked himself. The wolves are controlled by a woman wearing a wolfskin mask, shirt and cape. Yang fends off the wolves and is about to unmask his attacker when he is struck from behind by a gun butt wielded by the Wolf woman's partner named Blackman. The pair ride away leaving the wolves to kill and consume Yang, but he awakens and takes to the trees to escape the voracious beasts.

The woman resumes her real identity of Miss Rebecca a seamstress who lives with her Aunt Edith in a local boarding house. Other miners arrive and Yang climbs down from the trees and tells them of the attack. He then seeks refuge and goes to Miss Rebeccas' boarding house and surprisingly is given a room. He recognizes his attacker when he sees a wolf whelp in the house. Nonetheless he stays and gets a bath and a some sleep. But the tea he had earlier seems to give him nightmares about wolves and his sleep is restless, especially when Rebecca and her wolf peek in on him.

The next morning he seeks information and learns that Rebecca's father was a gambler who was found cheating and was hanged by the local miners. Rebecca couldn't stop it. Yang hears a wolf and heads out of town to investigate and finds Rebecca seemingly being attacked by a large wolf.

"The Killer Wolves" begins as Yang finds that Rebecca tricked him and she holds him down as the wolves gather. He though is able to turn the tables and gets her in a hold and uses her as a hostage to return to town. But meanwhile Blackman has been talking down Yang and making it seem he might the villain. When Yang and Rebecca return to town Yang is arrested. He soon learns the Sheriff is in on the conspiracy with Blackman and Rebecca. A Yang languishes in jail the wolves prowl the town. Eventually Rebecca in her wolf gear appears and goes to the jail to set her wolves on Yang yet again. She leaves as the wolves stalk the hero in his now open jail cell. Rebecca changes clothes, gathers up the gold she has stolen and leaves town. Yang climbs into the rafters to escape the wolves while Blackman and the Sheriff have a laugh while they listen to the attack.

But Yang is able to fend off the wolves one more time and locks them in the cell. He then gets a horse and goes after Rebecca. Blackman and the Sheriff realize they've been double-crossed but the miners of the town overhear their talk and take the pair into custody for a miner's court which seems likely to end in a hanging for both of them. Yang pursues Rebecca but her wagon comes under attack by wolves she does not control and she, her panicked horse, and her wagon full of stolen gold tumble over the cliff. Yang realizes the wolves will get to her body before him and he heads back to town and meets the miners who have taken back control.

"Yin-Yang Mail" offers up three letters this time. One comments on how foolish Yang is to allow Yin Li to constantly get the drop on him. One appreciates the complexity of their romance. And the third purports to be from the sister of a young boy who reads Yang. She is upset by the Yin-Yang legend which paints women as evil and she plans to tell her mother and so stop her brother from learning such vile things.

This issue of Yang has never been reprinted, though you will find it in its original form at this groovy link.

We have another issue of Yang in which Yin Li plays little part. It is again a nice change of pace as Yang does find himself battling another evil woman for sure, but this one is certifiable. Once again Yang finds himself getting drugged by a woman, and you would think he'd learn eventually.

The action in this one is nicely varied, but Yang never really gets into much of a real fight with the wolves, as he usually uses his acrobatic skills to merely evade them. Having Rebecca wear a wolf skin outfit does sell the idea of this series as something akin to "superheroes", but not all that much really.

I did like that Yang recognized Rebecca as his attacker pretty much immediately, and so saved us pages of him seeming to be dunce. But then that does bring back that conundrum of his taking tea from her. I guess we are just supposed to accept that the dark spot in Yang's mostly white soul just can't say no to drugged concoctions from shady women.

The Yang universe is about to get bigger later in the summer of 1975. More to come next time for sure.

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The Yang Reports #7

Yang Volume 3, Number 7 is dated April, 1975 and was published by Charlton Publications, Inc. The editor is George Wildman. The cover is a beautiful painting by Warren Sattler, the artist on the interior of the comic too. The script is supplied by Joe Gill. Here's an amazing link to see what else was on the stands when this issue arrived.

The story "Queen of Evil" begins in Chinatown with Chao Ku, Yang's enemy, issuing a bounty on Yang for $50,000 dollars. He also comments that while he wanted a son, his lovely Yin Li's evil is all he could've hoped for. Yin Li and a one-eyed assassin find Yang at a temple and get the drop on him. The hog-tie the hero and carry him through the street to Chao Ku. But Yang when confronted by a swordsman ready to take his head, is able to have the blade cut his bonds instead and gets hold of the massive sword and throws into the body of Chao Ku, killng the the slaver and opium overlord. Chao Ku's body is pinned into his chair and Yin Li overcome with grief and anger attacks Yang but gets caught by him and they go to the basement together where she tries to trick him with a basket of cobras. Yang throws the cobra on the henchmen, evades Yin Li's poison ring one more time and jumps out the window. He picks up a rifle and shoots a guard and then makes good his escape from the compound.
Chao Ku's body is laid out and then Yin Li takes charge. Her first act is to poison Huk Hui a ruthless killer she does not trust. She orders Captain Keegan to bring in the myriad creatures he's brought from Borneo and elsewhere. Meanwhile Yang is being hunted by hounds.

"The Valley of 1000 Deaths" begins as the hounds are replaced by cheetahs who Yang can only evade by running them into a cactus field. Momentarily safe from the hunters Yang ponders his situation being hunted by Yin Li's men. Meanwhile Yin Li continues to solidify her position by killing off more untrustworthy men. She hires three Apache Indians led by Three Arrows to hunt down Yang. These killers though relentless hunters are nonetheless dispatched quickly by Yang when he kicks two of them from a high cliff. He then runs to confront Yin Li, but she is prepared and he is taken prisoner and put into a cage with ferocious Komodo Dragons. Chained Yang is helpless but he soon breaks a chain and battles the giant lizards, and eventually they threaten Yin Li too. Yang sweeps up his beloved and they fight off the dragons, Yin Li shooting her pistol to assist their escape. Outside they share anther kiss before Yang leaves and Yin Li leads her killers in another direction.

"Yin-Yang Mail" features two letters one being somewhat critical of Yang for being too like other martial arts heroes in other comics and the second wanting Charlton to do away with some of its romance books to make room for Sanho Kim's Wrong Country feature. The editors reject both opinions.

This issue has not been reprinted to my knowledge.

This was my very first issue of Yang, and it's a dynamite example of this series. Warren Sattler's artwork always reliable and his wonderfully atmospheric cover for this issue might the best the series ever enjoyed. The death of Chao Ku was a good move for the series, clearing the way for desperately needed character development,but it's strange how this killing of Chao Ku by Yang is so similar to a scene from the previous issue where Chao Ku's fate was left open somewhat. There's no doubt in this issue that Yang kills him though.

In fact Yang is quite bloodthirsty in the series. He shoots a rifle this issue and kills a guard, and just a few issues back he killed a man with a pistol. He also kills the two apaches and various of Yin Li's guards this issue. Yin Li too is given two scenes which serve only to show how ruthless this new "Queen of Evil" will be. This is a surprisingly rugged series when it comes to violence, though Sattler's warm and inviting art style masks over much of that lethal mayhem.

We've moved into the second half of the original Yang run and the series has been solid but a bit static. With the death of Chao Ku, hopefully things will open up a bit.

Much more to come.

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Judo-Mistress!

I've not read a single story featuring Sonia Sato, the current "Judomaster" of the DC Universe. She first showed up in Birds of Prey and has since appeared in Justice Society of America and JSA All-Stars. Here are all the covers with the distinctive miss Sato that I can locate. What her status is in the new DCU I don't have a clue.

The design of Judomaster is a fantastic look and looks pretty good adapted on a lady for sure. But this stuff about an "aversion field" which protects her from direct attacks seems silly to me. (Reminds of Black Canary's oddball sonic powers.) Judomaster, girl or boy, should be a master of martial arts only in my mind. But then I'm biased to the classic original Hadley "Rip" Jagger. He sadly appears to be currently demised at DC, but you never know in the wacky world of comics where getting killed off can really kick-start a career sometimes.


















You can barely find her on some of these covers. She must not be very popular. Sigh.

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The Yang Reports #6

Yang Volume 3, Number 6 is dated February, 1975 and was published by Charlton Publications Inc. The editor is George Wildman, and the cover art was done by Warren Sattler. Sattler also did the interior artwork, and the script was furnished by Joe Gill. Here's an amazing link to see what else was on the stands when this issue landed.

"The Sacred Jade Buddha" begins in San Francisco's Chinatown where Yang is watching Chao Ku being carried down the street in an elaborate chair which hides a stolen Jade Buddha from the temple of An-Yang. Yang attempts to intercept the villain but runs into his thugs. A fight follows and Yang ends up throwing a sword into the body of his foe. Yin Li is distraught as Yang leaps out of a window and goes to the home of Chinatown's leader Wu Chan who gives Yang some help and they intercept the carriage of Eugene D. Bellows, a rich man who controls his own town in Nevada. Bellows is transporting the stolen Buddha to be used as an attraction in his proposed opera house there. The carriage proves to be too fast and Yang is forced to merely follow after it.

Bellows arrives in his the town of Bellows, Nevada which is guarded by his own uniformed militia and inhabited by people who are utterly loyal or at least fearful of the rich man. When he arrives at his lush Victorian mansion, he meets the Italian prima donna named Cerini. Yang runs after on foot and encounters a gunman named Pippin Kramer, one of Bellows men. Yang overpowers him and takes his horse. Next Yang is next assaulted by a sniper named Dutch. Again Yang is triumphant and takes Dutch's rifle. Entering town, the people realize he has beaten these men and two men named Smitty and Mikos are careful to arrest him at gunpoint. Yang allows himself to be arrested to get to the center of the Bellows operation which happens to be the gold mine. Yang is taken captive into the mine and given a ball and chain to restrain him. He is placed among the many other men made slaves in the mine and forced to work.

"The Death Pit" begins when Yang stops a guard from whipping another prisoner. He yanks the man off his feet with his own whip and beats down a few others before grabbing a gun and shooting one of the guards. Using the gun, he demands that he and the other slaves be freed. They use dynamite to booby-trap one of the ore cars which tips its load into the great stamp mill and blows the operation to smithereens. Yang then leads the slaves out of the mine but allows himself to again be captured. He is tied and taken to Bellows who vows vengeance for all the money Yang has cost him. He plans to drop Yang into his great smelter and obliterate the hero. But then Cerini reveals that she is not only a singer but a federal marshal and that Bellows is under arrest. Bellows gets the drop on her and she is caught up in a great crane bucket to be dropped into the smelter, but Yang is able to overpower Bellows and holds him helpless above the smelter's roiling heat. Bellows orders that they be freed and then getting the stolen Buddha and taking Bellows too into the carriage Yang bolts out of town. The people of the town are glad to see the tyrant leave and take no action. The Buddha is returned, Bellows is taken into custody and Cerini gives Yang a kiss to show her gratefulness.

"Yin-Yang Mail" offers up two letters this time. Both are complimentary and one looks forward to Sanho Kim's Wrong Country but is told that no decision has been yet made to start new books. A writer from Canada wants some back issues and a subscription and is told how to do the latter and that sadly no back issue can be had from Charlton directly. It's a wistful note from a time before comics shops when old comics were difficult to locate.

This comic has not been reprinted to my knowledge.

This is a solid issue of Yang, if it has a rather lackluster cover. Bellows is a worthy opponent and a nice break from Chao Ku and his cronies. Leaving Chao Ku pinned to the wall with a sword makes an interesting mystery for the next issue, if it is indeed dealt with. Captain Keegan returned this issue and he looked pretty bad off last time after being thrown into a canyon by Bigfoot. Yin Li makes a cameo admittedly but for once the woman in the story turns out to be a good character and actually helpful to Yang's cause. Charlton has stated a few times in the letters pages that they don't adhere to the aspects of Yin-Yang which regard women as inherently evil but this is the first time they've demonstrated that in the stories themselves.

All in all a solid and entertaining issue with a great pace. The henchmen in this one are nicely distinctive and Sattler's artwork gets better and better as the series continues.

More to come.

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The Yang Reports #5

Yang Volume 2, Number 5 is dated November, 1974 and was published by Charlton Publications Inc. The cover is by Warren Sattler who is also the artist on the interiors. Joe Gill offers up the script with George Wildman in the saddle as editor. Here's an amazing link to see what else hit the stands at the same time as this issue of Yang.

"The Beast is Waiting" begins when Yang is challenged by a murderous gunman and Yin Li the deceitful daughter of Chao Ku, Yang's arch enemy and the man who murdered his father. Yang throws an axe to disarm the gunman and then leaps and overpowers Yin Li who vows again to kill him. He embraces her and they share a passionate kiss, after which he walks away from her. She threatens him again and shoots repeatedly but harmlessly at his feet as he leaves.

The action shifts to the train of A.J.Hartley, the unscrupulous railroad magnate who uses the coolies supplied by Chao Ku to build his line. He is enjoying some drinks with the slaver and opium dealer Chao Ku and Captain Keegan, formerly of a clipper ship Yang burned a few issues previously. They share their hatred of Yang and enjoy the spectacle of the beast who is caged in a special car. It is a shaggy man-beast known in Chao Ku's homeland of China as the Yeti but called in America Bigfoot. This particular beast was captured by Paiute Indians and has been tortured by Chao Ku to become a man-killer. At that same time, Yang is with some local Paiute Indians talking about among other things the reality of a man-beast called Bigfoot.

The scene shifts again, this time with Yin Li seemingly thrown out the door of her father's headquarters with scorn. She wanders into the rugged terrain and is followed by Yang. This is her plan of course to lure Yang into a trap, which she springs by falling into a steep canyon. Yang follows her and is observed by Chao Ku, Captain Keegan, and J.L.Hartley as the Bigfoot appears and threatens the couple. Yang battles the beast to limited effect when Yin Li does a turnabout and grabs a branch to help him fend off the savage killer. At that same moment riflemen under Chao Ku's orders begin to fire to kill the Bigfoot to save Yin Li. They hit the Bigfoot and Yin Li and Yang realize the creature might be less savage than they imagined.

"The Jackals Gather" begins when Yang battles the wounded Bigfoot assisted by Yin Li. They are able to fend off the beast, but then gunmen on the canyon ledge continue to fire trying to kill Yang. Keegan and Hartley join in on this effort and bullets whiz into the canyon. Yang attempts to climb out to confront the attackers and is followed by the Bigfoot who instead of attacking Yang overtakes him on the cliff and attacks the gunmen, specifically Keegan who he pitches into the canyon. Other gunmen follow and the Bigfoot is wounded many times. Chao Ku and Hartley have fled. Yang and Yin Li work to bind his wounds and get him into a wagon taking him to a location where another Bigfoot appears to look after the beast. Yang and Yin Li share another kiss, despite Yang's knowledge that Yin Li will betray him on another day.

"Yin-Yang Mail" features three letters. One writer complements the book and wants to know if the Yin-Yang myth is a Charlton creation. Another has good things to say about Gill and Sattler. The third wishes that Charlton would give the old Action Heroes another try and especially complimentary of Ditko's Blue Beetle, but the editor's response suggests Charlton is more interested in new heroes like E-Man and Yang.

To my knowledge this issue of Yang has never been reprinted.


I love Bigfoot stories and movies, so needless to say this is a fun comic. I don't necessarily believe in Bigfoot, but the myth and the lore are great fun to follow and explore. I was still a young man when the infamous 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film appeared, and I remember seeing it in the theaters. It had a profound effect on my imagination, and I've adored Bigfoot stories since.

As Bigfoot stories go, this issue of Yang is not bad. The Bigfoot/Yeti is assumed to exist in the stories and no one really doubts it. The Bigfoot featured here is at once savage and beastly, but Sattler does a great job of making it not too ape like. This is another type of beast all together. That Chao Ku has to torture the beast to make it a danger, points to notion that Bigfoot is a gentle creature capable of great harm when roused. That's some of the charm of the lore, and this story by Gill gets right to it. They do call the creature "Bigfoot" in this story, and that name for the man-beast is likely anachronistic, since I don't think it was coined until the 1950's. But that's a small glitch in a story that clearly is not meant to be history, though it makes heady use of an historical setting.

For the record, here is the the Patterson-Gimlin film. It's been somewhat discredited in more recent years, but still and all for the time, it's a remarkable bit of movie-making, whatever the truth.



More to come.

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Showcase Presents All-Star Comics!

Here's a gem that's coming out this week. This one I missed until just this morning. I've got the original stories, adoring them as they came out in the 70's. After years of seeing the Earth-2 heroes only during the summers, it was neat to see them get a more permanent home. When I traded away a bunch of my DC comics many years ago, I could not let go of my All-Stars, they were too cool.



I picked up the color trades with the handsome Bolland covers from a few years ago, but I still feel the need to have this handy collection in my possession. The Joe Staton cover is outstanding!

Here's the solicitation.

SHOWCASE Presents ALL-STAR COMICS

And here's an original cover gallery.

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The Yang Reports #4

Yang Volume 2, Number 4 is dated September 1974 and was published by Charlton Publicatons Inc. The cover was illustrated by Warren Sattler, who also did the interiors. The script was written by Joe Gill. George Wildman was the editor. Here's a link to see what else was on the stands when this issue of Yang hit.

"The Hooded Death" begins in Lucky Nugget, a mining town and specifically the bar owned by Mrs. Brundage where Yang rescues an innocent miner about to be gunned down during a poker game. Yang is able to defeat the thugs in the employ of Brundage who lures Yang into taking a cup of tea which is drugged. The unconscious Yang awakes penniless and is directed to a unscrupulous banker named Webb. Webb stakes Yang to mine in Grizzly Gulch, sending him there with equipment and a mule. Yang arrives there but soon enough learns the place gets its name from a ferocious grizzly bear who attacks but is beaten back by Yang. Yang then begins to mine and finds a mother lode of gold. After a month of mining he loads up and heads back to Lucky Nugget. After leaving the Gulch he is set upon by a sniper but escapes being wounded and defeats his attacker, killing him with a single blow to the neck. Adding the body to his load he gets into Lucky Nugget in time to see a robbery in progress which he stops before encountering Webb who knows the name of the sniper, a man named Childrers. Another gunman named Thompson confronts Yang.


"Boot Hill Booty!" begins as Thompson is shot by Mrs.Brundage who appears to help Yang. Yang is directed to Boot Hill where he buries Childers. He has one sack of his gold assayed and it proves to be ninety percent pure and Yang puts the remaining sacks into the safe. News of his strike gets to Webb and Brundage who plot to lure Yang into trouble. A woman claiming to be Brundage's niece takes Yang to her, but a group of thugs interferes and Yang is forced to defeat them. When Yang leaves Brundages, a trap has been set by the local Vigilantes who are actually in the employ of Webb and Brundage and they manage to hogtie Yang and the masked me threaten to hang our hero. He fights back successfully until a masked Brundage gets the drop on him and he is put on the back of a horse and a noose put on his neck. But Yang is able to use his great training to escape and in the darkness he evades the vigilantes. Webb and Brundage decide to steal Yang's gold but after blowing the safe they find only dirt in the sacks. Wile Yang did strike it rich, he hid the gold in the grave with the body of Chliders and not the safe. The miners in the meantime have elected a sheriff named Morgan who then arrests Brundage and Webb and the other thugs. Yang vows to use his wealth to help free his people from slavery.


"Yin-Yang Mail" features three letters, mostly of praise for the new series. There is explanation of a comment made in the letters page of Midnight Tales #6 which mentioned that Sanho Kim was working on a superhero series. Folks imagined Yang must be that series, and as it turns out they were not completely wrong. It turns out that Kim did indeed produce a work titled Wrong Country, but it was lost in the mail. The paper shortage at the time prevented Charlton from publishing it immediately. The editors also mention that they've gotten few letters to Yang, and that they do not agree personally with the unfavorable attitude toward women reflected in the Yin-Yang philosophy.

This issue of Yang has not been reprinted to my knowledge. Here though is a groovy link to read the story in its original form.


This is a solid issue and it's good to see Yang interacting with some new players. Mrs. Brundage fills the female Yin role nicely and while if I were Yang after this, I'd be a confirmed woman hater. The mining town backdrop is a good one for action, and this issue has a bunch. Yang's willingness to kill his opponents opens up the complexity of the story quite a bit and gives the proceedings some real gravity.

The cover of this particular issue is a pretty violent one too, and I'm a bit surprised it got past the code. While the image is one which suggest racism, the story inside doesn't really show that at all. It's not Yang's race which is a problem for Brundage and Webb, merely his do-gooder habits which keep them from profits.


Not mentioned in this issue's letters page, but well known now is that Yang by Joe Gill and Warren Sattler was the replacement for Kim's lost project. Later Sanho Kim would be tapped to do the spin-off House of Yang and he would not have time to continue Wrong Country which was eventually published in the pages of Charlton Bullseye #3 many months later.


For your entertainment here is a groovy link to the complete story of the almost-Yang. Enjoy!

More to come.

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