WWI in comics

Gregvan · 15 July 2009, 08:55 PM

Here's an oddity, but one of my favorite guilty pleasures. In 1966, Gold Key of Western Publishing tried to revive the career of the classic pulp fiction hero, G-8: America's flying spy and his Battle Aces. This was issue No. 1 - sadly there never was a 2. I don't know who did the painted cover, but the interior art was by George Evans - thank heavens. He had worked in the pulps in their dying days of the late 40's, and he knew what to do with G-8. I would bet he played a big part in writing the story, too.

The story featured all of the hallmarks of a real G-8 tale: G-8 and his many disguises, his manservant Battle, his pals Nippy and Bull in their Spads numbered 13 and 7, and a dastardly German mastermind named Karg. The secret weapon of this tale was a huge Zeppelin-combination-airplane shaped like a giant eagle that dropped screaming bombs.

Gold Key always tried to make their comics "educational", so the back of the front cover featured this lovely drawing- classic George Evans:

Here's a panel from the story. Check out the Oberursel in that Fokker Dr.I; being a WWI enthusiast himself, Evans knew that rotary engines rotated! Something that Joe Kubert never got right in the many Fokker Tripes and Nieuports he drew.

Gregvan · 15 July 2009, 09:19 PM

Here are a couple more WWI-themed covers from Dell's Air War Stories. The first is by Sam Glanzman, who always did all the interior art. Each issue featured 3-4 stories, and one of them was usually WWI oriented. The stories were very formulaic, but Glanzman's art has a charm all its own. He is a WW2 navy veteran who is still doing some work in comics today. I believe. His military hardware may not always be totally accurate, but it has a gritty, dirty, "real" look to it.

This cover doesn't look like Glanzman, but the inside was still his.

Willi Von Klugerman · 15 July 2009, 09:59 PM

Man Im glad that I made this thread!!

Balloon_Buster · 16 July 2009, 09:33 AM

Don't forget Von Hammer's "War in Heaven" series:

Originally in an issue of Haunted Tank, the ghost of Jeb Stuart meets the ghost of Von Hammer, suggesting he didn't survive the war. But he got retro-ed into a series that took place in the '20s where a group of misc DC adventurers are taking on Vandal Savage, the time traveller. He still had his tripe. Then the "War in Heaven" series shows that he came out of retirement to fly in the Luftwaffe in an all-red Messerchmidt (sans swastika). "War Idyll" of course showed him at the end of his life.

Von Hammer met the Balloon Buster on two occasions; Savage lost both times. However I once saw online a joke comic panel with Von Hammer captured, and Steve Savage holding Schatzi!

Von Hammer also met Booster Gold in his time travels connected with the DC series "52".

Enemy Ace also took on a pteradacyl once:

DC also had a war story about a yank in the RAF who flies his Sopwith Camel through a dark cloud evading a Fokker. On the other side he runs into a Bf 109, which he destroys with a lucky shot to the gas tank. The Bf's tailplane gets stuck in his wires, but the officers don't believe him. Next time he goes up with his mechanic with a camera to prove he's not nuts. He flies through the cloud and runs into a MiG-17. Another lucky shot, but his mechanic is wounded. They land, develop the film, and it's blank! But the doctor then enters and tells the group that the bullet is of a unknown caliber! The last panel has the pilot telling his mechanic "They're trying to find out what medals to give us for fighting in wars that haven't happened yet!". Art was by the spectacular Russ Heath.

There was a backup story once in one of the war comics of two friends who had a falling out over a girl. They wound up in the war in a new squadron where there was a race to see who made ace first. They did things like cut each other off, etc. In the end, one got his plane shot up and jumped (!) onto the other's plane and they helped each other score the 5th victory. Awww...

I still have a fair number of my original Enemy Ace and Balloon Buster comics. And I have the Von Hammer action figure, too!

Balloon_Buster · 16 July 2009, 09:37 AM

The action figure:

Balloon_Buster · 16 July 2009, 09:42 AM

I am glad to see that some 40 years after his debut, Enemy Ace is still going strong!

Willi Von Klugerman · 16 July 2009, 11:42 AM

I have the action figure!Theres also a GI Joe figure of him (whick is now very expensive).

Willi Von Klugerman · 16 July 2009, 12:01 PM

Nice artwork!

Another great artwork by Kubert!

And as one already mentioned,Von Hammer did have a few encounters with Steve Savage.

Balloon_Buster · 16 July 2009, 06:22 PM

I had to post this one, that I referenced earlier. Alas, Schatzi not only is not dead, but he has switched sides! SCHWEINEHUND!

Southside Bucky · 17 July 2009, 06:23 AM

Thanks for letting us see that Schatzi joke panel, Balloon Buster. Either the artist drew the bandage on the wrong leg, or Schatzi's been in the wars again!

Here's a few more Enemy Ace. In these, the planes were kept in the background.