EC Comics! It's An Entertaining Comic! Issue 71

The EC Reign Month by Month 1950-1956
71: December 1955 

Evans

Aces High 5

"C'est la Guerre!"★★★
Story by Jack Oleck?
Art by George Evans

"Iron Man!"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Jack Davis

"Spads Were Trump"★★
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"Ordeal"★★1/2
Story Uncredited
Art by Wally Wood

When an American pilot named Adams crash-lands at a French base after returning from a suicide mission in WWI, the French colonel on duty questions the man about why he embarked on the dangerous mission to bomb a well-guarded German base. The American pilots drew lots and Adams was selected; he completed the dangerous mission and was badly injured on his return. The other pilots are envious of the time off that Adams will get due to his wounds and Adams reveals to the French colonel that he did not fly the mission because he lost in the random selection, he flew it because he won!

"C'est la Guerre!"

"C'est la Guerre!" gets the final issue of Aces High off to a good start with outstanding biplane work by George Evans and a likable tale of a pilot who risks his life for a little more shore leave.

After sixty-one missions flying against the Nazis in WWII, Fred Allison is known as the "Iron Man." Time after time, other pilots are shot down, but never Allison. At first, he's a hero, but after a while the other pilots avoid him, ignoring him and not speaking to him. He watches one name after another being crossed off the chalkboard as men die until he sees his own name being crossed out and realizes that the reason everyone has been ignoring him is because he is dead.

Jack Davis does a decent job drawing Allison and his air battles and we get some sense of the man's strange relationship to the other pilots, but the ending has been done to death and elicits nothing more than a groan.

"Spads Were Trump"

It's April 1918, and Lt. Walt Muller is the hero to a squadron of Allied fliers, but Walt has no time for flattery. He shows great emotion when a German ace known as the Red Eagle starts showing up in the skies and the other fliers in Walt's squadron think he's chicken, so they write a note challenging the Red Eagle to a duel. The Red Eagle accepts but Walt refuses to participate, so a new flier named Jordan jumps in Walt's plane and challenges the German. Things are not going well until Walt zooms into the fray and soon he has downed the German ace. Back on the ground, Walt tearfully reveals that the Red Eagle was his brother.

That concluding revelation was no surprise to anyone who has read more than a handful of war comics. Krigstein turns in his usual mid-level art job on "Spads Were Trump" and Wessler's script plods along to the expected finale. Why Walt's fellow fliers thought it would be a good idea to challenge the Red Eagle to a duel in Walt's name is beyond me.

Was Lt. Stoner afraid when he volunteered to join the Flying Tigers and help China against Japan in the run-up to WWII? No! Was he afraid when he battled the enemy in the air or when they attacked his base on the ground? No! So what "Ordeal" has him so worried? Why, he's getting a medal from Chiang Kai-Shek! That's what has him so worked up.

Is there any kind of story that Wally Wood does not excel at? This is basically an extended gag with a punch line that elicits, at best, a small grin. But Wood's air battles are terrific, so we put up with the mediocre writing.-Jack

"Iron Man!"

Peter: The art this issue is all aces but the scripts could have used a little work, I'm afraid. Only "Iron Man!" won me over and that was due to the right-out-of-left-field twist ending. Some would say a little too random, but I say, "Hey, look, it's a Weird War Tale!" "Spads Were Trump" has the weakest of the four scripts; raise your hand if you didn't see that final panel coming from a mile away. I had to double-check to make sure Bob Kanigher hadn't made a surprise visit to the EC bullpen in 1955. So, yes, a glass-half-full issue of Aces High but, since this is the final issue, we can look back at an admirable five-issue run that, like the equally strong run of Valor, keeps this title relevant when discussing great moments in EC history, when so many of the other short-runs are ignored.

"Ordeal"

Craig

Extra! 5

"Dateline: Long Island Sound" ★1/2
Story and Art by Johnny Craig

"Steve Rampart" ★1/2
Story Uncredited
Art by John Severin

"Geri Hamilton" ★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Reed Crandall

"Dateline: Germersheim" ★
Story and Art by Johnny Craig

Keith Michaels (you know, the reporter who never does any actual reporting?) finds himself in the thick of more intrigue after a house-warming party that ends innocently enough until Michaels is conked on the head by a mystery man, who steals a new house-warming gift and then vanishes into the night. Turns out the gift (from girlfriend, Vicki), a piece of driftwood sculpted into a seagull, hides a treasure of uncut diamonds. Keith and Vicki head to the remote island where Vicki picked up the souvenir and become enmeshed in a web of murder and deceit.

"Dateline: Long Island Sound"

I love Johnny Craig but this series is (and always was) the pits. Michaels always seems to find himself in the thick of trouble (usually originating from innocent events such as Vicki's picking out the wrong gift), gets clocked a few times, and solves murder and mystery faster than a cop, all while keeping handsome and free from wrinkled clothing. Michaels delivers the obligatory two-page expository at the end of "Long Island Sound" while a cigarette dangles from his mouth. Sheesh. The second Michaels adventure this issue, "Dateline: Germershein," is microwaved Graham Greene, a tedious and silly espionage yarn about spies and double-spies and triple-spies that wears out its welcome long before the plot has to be rehashed and explained to us on pages six and seven. The two Michaels entries would be Johnny Craig's final full-length work for EC (he would contribute some spot illos for the Picto-line in 1956); after EC cancelled all titles but MAD, Craig would find work at Atlas/Marvel and then an advertising agency before making a triumphant return at Warren. We'll be going over his Warren work in just a couple months right here in this space.

Action gear provided by Fruit of the Loom

"Steve Rampart" is living the life of a photographer/bachelor, taking shots of beautiful gals at a carnival, when he stumbles into a con job put on by a fortune teller and his brawny bodyguard. The swami is putting one over on the trusting old Mrs. Mason, wife of deceased millionaire, Charles Mason, in order to bilk her out of her fortune. Rampart wins the trust of the old lady and then uses her to get the con man to reveal his true colors. Once again, Steve Rampart blurs the lines of photographer and cop (much in the way Keith Michaels uses his stationery to solve crime), even going to his boss at World Press and talking him into letting him cover "the story." Isn't that a reporter's job? This is not John Severin's best work (a lot of it looks rushed and sketchy and Rampart appears to be wearing a buttonless shirt under his coat and tie), but I would imagine the artist wasn't too enamored with the script he was assigned and decided to pump something out quick.

"Geri Hamilton"

Ace reporter "Geri Hamilton" has been assigned to a story in Egypt, where a rash of deaths has crippled an archaeological expedition tasked with finding the tomb of Anubis. The great God's resting place has been found but the unearthing comes with a curse, one that has taken the lives of six men. Geri won't accept that an ancient curse is responsible so she does a little homework and discovers that her guide, Dr. Mannheim, served in the Afrika Korps and he and several of his comrades stole and buried half a million in gold in a mining tunnel next to the dig. Geri catches Mannheim in the act of retrieving his gold, but the cad threatens our girl's life. The intrepid reporter causes a cave-in, which saves her life and alerts the authorities. Another exclusive for the cutest newshound going! "Geri Hamilton" gets a slightly higher rating than the rest of the stories this issue because Reed Crandall looks like he hadn't received his pink slip yet and was creating art just like he always did, meticulously and stylishly. The story is hogwash, of course. I'm still not clear on whether Mannheim buried his gold and then stumbled on the Anubis tomb or vice versa but, in the end, it doesn't really matter. Extra! will slide into obscurity (how many EC fans even acknowledge this, Psychoanalysis, or MD?) and you'll see not one tear shed from me. Like Psychoanalysis, Extra!'s biggest mistake may have been expending all its energies on a weak cast of continuing characters.-Peter

"Dateline: Germersheim"

Jack: Like the first four issues of this series, this issue was pretty good but in the end it was a waste of real talent. I love Johnny Craig's visual storytelling and the way he mixes words and pictures, and his half-splash pages on both stories this issue look great, but both of his tales run out of steam before we get to the end. I also thought Severin was not at his best in the fake swami story and the twist ending was superfluous. I always look forward to the third story in Extra! because it means more Reed Crandall, and I like plucky Geri Hamilton, but art alone does not a great comic make.

Davis

Impact 5

"Heart Interest"★1/2
Story by Al Feldstein?
Art by by George Evans

"The Travelers"★
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Joe Orlando

"The General"★1/2
Story by Al Feldstein?
Art by Graham Ingels

"So Much More"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Bernie Krigstein

The doctor gives Laura Harmon the bad news: in six months, death will separate her and her husband Walt. She refuses to tell hubby, though, and instead does everything to keep him from exerting himself. Eventually, he gets sick of the life of a homebody and tells her to leave him. When the doc goes to the funeral, it's Walt who asks him why Laura never told him she had a bad heart.

Even the squirrel wants out of "Heart Interest."

"Heart Interest" is deadly dull and the writer, who may have been Al Feldstein (according to the GCD) twists himself in knots to keep from the reader that Laura is the one with the bad heart, not Walt. For almost seven pages, we are made to think it's Walt. Yawn. Even George Evans can't enliven this dirge.

"The Travelers" are a family of three who are on a train hurtling through Pennsylvania on their way to New York City. They spy Edward, a boy alone and crying, and are nice to him, but when his mother doesn't show up they assume she's drinking in the club car. The train reaches its destination and Edward meets his father; his mother's coffin is unloaded from the train, much to the shock of the judgmental family.

She should have loaned him
Tales from the Crypt!
("The Travelers")

I knew right away that Edward's mother was dead, and these busybodies should have figured it out or asked Edward (or the conductor) some simple questions. Joe Orlando's art is not pleasing to my eye. John Severin did great work at EC in the '50s and DC in the '70s. George Evans did great work at EC in the '50s but by the '70s at DC his art was not so hot. Yet Joe Orlando's '50s art for EC is nothing to write home about, while his work at DC in the late '60s and early '70s was much better. Go figure.

Feodor, "The General," sits at a table with his guests and recalls his rise as a Russian general in the armies of the Tsar. He began as a peasant but later turned his back on his own kind and participated in killing them. The guests get up and leave and when the general puts on his cloak and walks out it is revealed that he too is a servant.

I did not get this one at all the first time I read it and on second reading it started to make a wee bit of sense, but I did not care for the surprise ending--it seemed to demean the more serious aspects of the general's rise.

"The General"

Ever since they were kids, poor Danny Herndon hated and envied the rich Lawrence boy. After an altercation with the Lawrence gardener, Danny ran away from home and lived on his own, eventually becoming a successful boxer. He never forgot his hatred for the Lawrence family and, when they fell on hard times, he used his winnings to buy the Lawrence home. He confronts Lawrence with his hatred but Lawrence admits he pities Herndon, since the poor boy always had "So Much More"--Lawrence has always been crippled and unable to walk.

The last issue of Impact is a real stinker and the last story barely edges out the first three for best in show, mainly due to passable art by the often overrated Bernie Krigstein.-Jack

The shocking climax to "The General."

Peter: During its brief five-issue life, Impact struggled to find a niche of its own, doomed to be just a mediocre step-child of Shock SuspenStories, and the final issue exhibits nothing to sway that view. But for one insanely bright moment ("Master Race" in #1), Impact is nothing to remember. "Heart Interest" features a bit of sly tomfoolery in its climax, and our uncredited writer does an admirable job of not tipping his cap, but the first six pages amount to a whole lot of tedium. Laura goes to the doctor for advice. Doc says tell Walt the truth. Laura says I can't. Doc says "Our time is up." Next page, let's do it all again. The reveal of "The Travelers" seems, at first glance, to be a powerful one but the entire story is built on a cheat. As if the conductor would answer Mrs. Horton's concern with a flippant, "Back there." But even if you could excuse the deception, there's still the matter of Joe Orlando's awful art, the blandness of which seems to leap from the page. Worst of all is "So Much More," a tawdry slice of maudlin pie that wastes a decent art job by Krigstein.

The only enjoyment I took from this issue, "The General," is a throwback to Harvey's war titles, and the twist is a humdinger. Feodor's fate is reminiscent of Jake LaMotta's at the climax of Raging Bull. Graham's art is the best this issue, detailed and stimulating; it's a damn shame that we've only got a little more time left with Ingels, as it seems he was becoming re-invigorated just as the ceiling was about to fall in.

Davis

Incredible Science Fiction 32

"Fallen Idol" ★★
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by Joe Orlando

"Food for Thought" ★★★
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by Al Williamson and Roy Krenkel

"The Ultimate Weapon" ★★1/2
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"Marked Man" ★★1/2
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by Jack Davis

"Fallen Idol"

In an apocalyptic future, a young man yearns to discover what's out in the "dead place," beyond his camp. Legends tell of a God named Hercules who dwells in the battle-scarred zone. When his father, the village leader, dies and the curious cat inherits the throne, he orders his people to accompany him into the "dead place." They discover gigantic carnivorous insects but, with the help of bow and arrow, they manage to defeat the creatures and wend their way into the ravaged city where they find Hercules in an abandoned building. They bring the steel God back to camp and the new leader dreams of the day he can use Hercules to build a new world. Even though the CCA has emasculated the hell out of "Fallen Idol," (the chief's right hand on page 4, panel 3 should be holding a club, but it's empty) it's not awful. It's not all that original though, and the "post-apocalyptic tribe that idolizes machinery" theme would be done much better fifteen years later in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. I had to use my handy-dandy Google to figure out what Hercules was; best guess is he's a 1950s washing machine. Orlando's art doesn't help either; the whole enchilada looks like something that would have wound up in one of the 1960s' Gold Key titles.

Forget the Sistine Chapel

After fifty thousand years, man returns to what was once a burnt-out and lifeless Earth. Re-seeding has grown a new landscape with new creatures and vegetation but the explorers deem it unlivable and prepare to lay waste to it yet again. This does not sit well with Grock, an intelligent tree that tries to get its message across through thought waves but has to resort to physical contact when all else fails. The explorers see this act as aggression and destroy Grock, then blast off, their destruction complete. Another script you'd swear you've read a thousand times before but gussied up with eye-pleasing work from Messrs. Williamson and Krenkel (according to 50 Girls 50, the Williamson/Krenkel volume in Fantagraphics' essential "EC Comics Library" series, Krenkel supplied the alien landscapes for "Food for Thought"). That splash is poster-worthy, as detailed as an acid trip, and fans remembered it fondly down through the years as it won the award for Best Artwork in a Science-Fiction Story at the 1972 EC Fan-Addicts Convention.  I'm sure it probably has to do with the CCA meddling, but what's with the square (rather than the usual oval) word balloons?  According to the von Bernewitz/Geissman tome, Tales of Terror! (the closest thing we have to an EC Bible), "Food for Thought" was to be a seven-pager until the good ol' CCA stepped in and objected to the ending. The climax was re-written and an extra page added.

When Peter visited Jack's house.

Fresh off conquering Mars, Gurt orders his men to fly their spaceship to Earth, where the destruction will be quick and easy. But his second-in-command, Andge, cautions him that the Earth people aren't like all the other planets they've conquered. After all, Earth has nuclear weapons and men have waged war among themselves for eons; how much fear will such a race exhibit? Landing on Earth, Gurt and Andge approach a farmhouse and ring the doorbell. A matronly old woman answers and immediately tears into both of them for trampling her roses. When Gurt explains they've come a long way and have a few questions, the woman tells him her husband is in town, but she knows all about the visitors and why they've come. Fearing a trap, Gurt orders Andge back in the ship and they hightail it, never to return. When the woman's husband returns, she tells him she regrets the day they made a deal with the movie company to film a science fiction film at their farm. The whole story is done somewhat tongue-in-cheek, so it'll do you no good to complain about the whopper of a coincidence that ends "The Ultimate Weapon." Krigstein does a good enough job for what he's given but, other than that Martian landscape on the splash, the entire story is nothing but talking heads. It's certainly more fun than the previous two tales this issue.

"Marked Man"

After the verdict on his court-martial comes down, Commander Abel Grant reflects on his twenty years of space duty, fighting battles with planets beyond Pluto and blasting Venusians who've taken Earthlings hostage, leading up to the event that got him into hot water. While taking the Grand Admiral of the Fleet out for a spin, their spacecraft is fired upon by "the enemy" and the ship has to make an emergency landing on an asteroid. The men escape and head for Earth but, on the way home, the Admiral keels over and dies from a strange disease. Informed that the bug is something Earth is not prepared for, the Commander orders the Admiral's body dumped into space. Some of his comrades see this as an inexcusable offense and put him on trial. When the trial is over, however, we discover there are men within the government who appreciate Grant's no-nonsense approach and elevate him to new Grand Admiral! Some great Jack Davis art and a surprise climax elevate "Marked Man" after a very slow first two-thirds. I thought it odd that, even though this is set in the (then) future world of 1999 and everyone wears space garb, the reporter giving his opinion on the Commander is dressed in the typical 1950s' newsman garb of long sleeves and Fedora! -Peter

Jack-The obvious standout this issue is the gorgeously illustrated "Food for Thought"; thanks for the notes about the censorship, Peter, I did not know about that. I wonder if Oleck was reading Walter Miller's "Fiat Homo" right before he sat down to write "Fallen Idol"? The Miller story, which would later be revised as the first part of A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959), was published in the April 1959 Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, so it's temporally possible Oleck could've seen it. The woman's reaction to the would-be conquerors in "The Ultimate Weapon" is priceless and while I thought "Marked Man" was well done I have to wonder at some of the art assignments in this issue. Davis did the cover and the last story? Krigstein did a story? Where's Wally Wood?

Wood

Valor 5

"Dangerous Animal"★★★
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Wally Wood

"Important Man"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Graham Ingels

"Treasure from Xanadu"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"Day of Reckoning"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Al Williamson and George Evans

Octavius Tiberius Caesar leads his men in battle successfully and catches the eye of the beautiful Claudia, who flatters her way into becoming his wife. Fast forward ten years and Tiberius is fat and lazy. A young soldier named Andromicus begins to make noise that he wants to replace Tiberius, so he is promptly arrested and made to fight wild beasts in the arena. Andromicus is a "Dangerous Animal," however, and defeats lions and panthers before challenging the emperor to a one on one duel. Tiberius is shamed into fighting and loses his life; Andromicus takes his place but is canny enough to stay away from Claudia.

"Dangerous Animal"

Carl Wessler gets creative by mixing up some real names from Ancient Rome with one that's almost real (Andromicus) and cooking up a far-fetched tale of succession by sword fight. Of course, it's all a fantasy. I read Suetonius's The Twelve Caesars and know full well that there was no emperor by this name and no soldier who killed and replaced him. Still, with Wally Wood at the drawing board, it's an impressive yarn.

"Treasure from Xanadu"

During the French Revolution, Dr. Antoine Louis had become an "Important Man" by inventing the guillotine. He coveted Robespierre's place and accused the man of treason; the trial had resulted in a death sentence, one he waits to see carried out. Yet the death sentence had been passed on Louis, not Robespierre!

Not the same gimmick again! Didn't we just have this in this month's Impact? With "Heart's Interest"? Not even Ghastly, who could have done so much more with a story involving a guillotine, can save this weak soup.

Kublai Khan gives Marco Polo a small box that holds "Treasure from Xanadu," a method for making silk and thus a gift more valuable than gold or jewels. Marco's uncle Nicolo schemes to steal the valuable box but is rebuffed at every turn until finally, with the aid of some native marauders on horseback, he succeeds in pilfering the treasure. He opens it and is terribly disappointed to see a handful of worms and a few leaves!

Not a bad little story, but I guessed the ending. Krigstein is good form and the journey back from Xanadu is intriguing, but in six pages it's hard to develop characters that have more than one dimension.

That's a George Evans face!
"Day of Reckoning!"

When his father's army had attacked Corcy Castle, Philip had broken his sword and run in fear. His father was angered by Philip's refusal to uphold generations of family honor and made him practice to face his future enemy, the son of Corcy. Both fathers are killed when Corcy attacks Philip's father's castle and Philip vows to avenge the old man's death. Yet when the "Day of Reckoning" arrives and young Corcy meets Philip, the visitor wants peace rather than battle. Philip refuses and challenges Corcy to a duel by sword. Though Corcy is afraid and untrained, he kills Philip, who does not even draw his sword. Peace between the families will follow and few will ever know that Philip's sword was rusted tight inside its scabbard and he could not pull it out.

It's an odd match with Evans inking Williamson, but it has a Prince Valiant look to it and Williamson's usual beautiful visuals have a definite Evans flavor here and there. The story is strangely uninvolving and the twist ending is dumb--why would Philip not have tried to pull his sword out before the duel, since it was his idea to fight in the first place? Still, the last story in the last issue of Valor is of a piece with the entire five-issue series: good art, decent story, nothing great but not bad either.-Jack

"Important Man"

Peter: "Dangerous Animal" has some fabulous Wally art, but the script feels like it was pulled verbatim from the Encyclopedia Britannica; cold and uninvolving. There's nothing surprising about the twist in "Important Man," since it's pretty much telecast from panel one, but the script isn't going to keep you turning pages. It's the exquisite "Ghastly" art. I'll call him by his famous nickname this one last time because this is the kind of art (and story) Ingels excelled at during the horror title heydays. Take a good look, drink it in, this is probably the last great Graham "Ghastly" Ingels art we're going to see. The climax of "Day of Reckoning" is open to interpretation (at least in my mind, it is); does Philip see, in the "cowardice" of Corcy Jr.,  a way to seize  his moment of fame and is then tripped up, or does he deliberately sacrifice his life for the betterment of his people? Either way, it's certainly visualized splendidly with a dream team-up of Williamson and Evans (and both artists can be seen very clearly!). "Treasure from Xanadu" bored me to tears, something that very few Valor tales can lay claim to. This has been a splendid title, one of the two best of the New Direction books, and one that I will miss a great deal.

From Valor #5

Next Week . . .
Rock, POW!
+ The Best Stories of 1973
Star Spangled #144.
As you were.

EC Comics! It's An Entertaining Comic! Issue 69

The EC Reign Month by Month 1950-1956
69: October 1955 Part II

Evans

Aces High 4

"The Green Kids" ★★1/2
Story by Jack Oleck?
Art by George Evans

"The Good Luck Piece" ★★★
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"The Novice and the Ace" ★★★
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Wally Wood

"Home Again" ★★1/2
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Jack Davis

Major Joseph Caswell is sick to death of watching as "The Green Kids," new pilots assigned to his squad, are shot down day in and day out. The academy gives the kids five hours of training and then spits them out for fighting. Pleas (and later insults) to his CO help not one bit and Caswell must change his style of fighting to protect those youngsters around him and salvage the squad. When Colonel Ross is reassigned, Caswell welcomes the chance to change the way things are done from the top down but he quickly discovers that he's just another cog in the wheel like his predecessor. Weeks later, Ross makes a return visit and Caswell, now apologetic and understanding, stands in shock as Ross introduces his traveling companions: three captured German pilots who had a mere three hours of training! "The Green Kids" is a strange one, almost as though it's unfinished. It's got a clear climax, to be sure, but it almost feels like one that's leading to a page eight that never comes. To be sure, George Evans's work is dynamite, an absolute joy to look at, with elaborate detail (check out the little notations on Caswell's wing on the splash) and characters that seem to live and breathe.

"The Good Luck Piece"

World War I pilots were a notoriously superstitious bunch, and Pete and Buddy were no exceptions. Pete had his blue garter and Buddy his stuffed teddy bear, Hap, and "The Good Luck Piece" seemed to do the trick, keeping the boys from feeling the sensation of heading downward. On a particularly grueling mission, Hap is injured and a gorgeous Red Cross volunteer offers to do a bit of operating to keep any more innards from spilling. As the girl is inserting the needle, Pete comes in and excitedly tells Buddy that they need to get into their Spads and hit the air as a "flight of D. VIIs" is heading their way to strafe the airfield.

The boys head out and, on the way, Pete asks Buddy where Hap is hiding and, when Buddy tells him, Pete insists he go back in for the good luck charm. No way are they flying without it. When Buddy tells him he's going up regardless, Pete gives him a killer right and lays his friend out. When he comes to, the squadron is already in the air but Buddy manages to catch up quickly. Pete's plane is ambushed and he's killed but Buddy avenges him, sending Pete's killers to hell in little pieces. Buddy lands and muses that he'll never believe in good luck charms again as it surely didn't do his best friend any good, until he looks down and sees Pete's blue garter wrapped around his hand. A twist climax like the one presented in "The Good Luck Piece" runs the risk of being maudlin but the final reveal is a poignant one. Wessler creates two genuinely likable characters who seem intelligent but hang their chances of survival on inanimate objects. Bernie Krigstein comes through, avoiding the cartoony style that creeps in from time to time (his Red Cross volunteer is a real sweetheart), although I will say those panels are starting to get really crowded with Fokkers and Spads.

More Krigstein!

The aces of Squadron 9 like to think they're burly he-men but something new has them heading back to base just as soon as they can. That something is the German Pfalz, decorated with 26 kills. Our boys are aces, but with only five kills apiece, they're barely aces and this new threat scares the bejesus out of them. Along comes the new kid, Pierce, who claims that within a week he'll have more "kills" than all the men combined. No amount of bullying takes this boy off his grandstand and so, the next day, the rest of the men head up into the clouds to see what this kid can do. It's a pretty easy day until the Pfalz arrives and Pierce decides to take him on. The other boys, knowing all too well that Pierce will probably end up as emblem #27, head back to the base.

"The Novice and the Ace"

They're not proud of their behavior but, they reason, they're still alive. Imagine their surprise when they hear motors and head outside to the tarmac to see the Pfalz landing, followed by Pierce's Spad. Almost speechless to a man, they approach Pierce, who has ordered the German pilot out of his cockpit, and ask him how he did it. He tells them he only threw a couple shots over the ace's head and that was enough. The German pilot, who's just a kid, allows how he actually didn't shoot down 26 planes, he merely put the emblems up to fool the enemy. Pierce shows the boys his own plane, decorated with 30 little German crosses, and admits that what's good for the goose . . .. A humorous tale thrown in, now and then, is a nice change of pace to all the killing and bloodshed, and "The Novice and the Ace" is just the right blend of drama and comedy for my taste. Carl Wessler seems to have found his niche, obviously a well-researched one, with these WWI tales filled with rich and detailed dialogue and flawed but likable characters. Wessler penned tons of stories for the Atlas horror anthologies until Gaines and Feldstein lured him to EC and then, after the collapse in 1955, the writer returned to the Atlas bullpen, writing reams more for Astonishing, Mystic, Worlds of Fantasy, and the other fantasy/horror/sf titles.

"Home Again"

Mechanic Ryan is assigned to a French squadron but flying (not fixing) is what he had in mind, so he goes to great lengths to prove himself to his Colonel. During a mission, Ryan steals a Spad and takes to the sky, shooting down two Germans and earning himself wings. When the Colonel tells his men that orders are to capture one of the new model German Albatross fighter planes, the boys sigh and vow they'll do their best but it's Ryan who accidentally crashes his plane behind enemy lines and discovers that he's a hop, skip, and a jump from the airfield stashing all the new planes! Throwing caution to the wind, Ryan saunters down the tarmac, hops in the lead plane and revs her up. Expecting to be shot down at any second, he takes off and discovers the rest of the German squadron following (rather than firing on) him. The planes land at the French base and Ryan is given the keys to the kingdom. Like "The Novice and the Ace," "Home Again" is chock full of funny moments; in fact, it resembles nothing so much as a Jerry Lewis flick with its "right place, right time" scene and its goofball lead character. The Jack Davis panel of Ryan, mouth agape, with a squad of Germans blindly following him, is comedic gold. -Peter

Jack- Evans's plane work in "The Green Kids" is superb and the story is well-told and compassionate but holds no surprises. I'm not as fond of Krigstein as you are, Peter, so I thought the art in "The Good Luck Piece" was uneven, though the tale held some excitement. The unexpectedly light tone of "The Novice and the Ace" was a relief, as you point out, and Wood is his usual stalwart self. As for "Home Again," it was told well enough to overcome my initial difficulty with taking it at all seriously in the face of the Jack Davis art.

Craig

Extra! 4

"Dateline: New York City"★★★1/2
Story and Art by Johnny Craig

"Steve Rampart"★★★
Story Uncredited
Art by John Severin

"Geri Hamilton"★★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Reed Crandall

"Dateline: Rio Para"★★1/2
Story and Art by Johnny Craig

Keith Michaels accidentally bumps into a bank robber as the man is escaping with his loot across a city sidewalk. The bandit's mask slips as he takes a shot at Michaels, who gets a glimpse of his face. Michaels is brought down to the station, where he pores over mug shots and identifies the crook as Eddie Broder; Keith turns down the offer of a bodyguard, even though he is the only man who can identify the bank robber.

"Dateline: New York City"

Broder telephones Michaels and asks for a meeting, but when Michaels arrives at the meeting place, Broder takes another shot at the ace reporter, who is saved by a bullet-proof windshield. Michaels now cannot avoid a police bodyguard and he has become the story, which means that other reporters follow him all over town. Broder narrowly misses running Keith over with a car and later comes after him in a restaurant. Thinking himself safe in the privacy of his own office, Michaels sees Broder climb in through the window and shoot him right in the chest; unfazed, Keith grabs Broder as he tries to escape and knocks him out, serving him up to the police. Good thing Michaels was wearing a bullet-proof vest!

It's no secret that I love Johnny Craig's work, and I thoroughly enjoyed "Dateline: New York City." I'll admit that it's a bit silly to have Broder following Michaels all over the Big Apple taking pot shots at him, but Craig's style of storytelling is so cheerful and breezy that I am always happy to take the ride. His characters and situations are a bit old-fashioned, but what fun!

"Steve Rampart"

Treasury agent "Steve Rampart" is on vacation in Mexico, happily taking photographs of the local sights and women, until his camera is stolen. Determined to find his missing film, he gets another camera and retraces his steps, taking the same shots all over again. This does not go unnoticed by a house full of smugglers, who grab Rampart and take him out into the hills, where he is presumably killed. His death is front page news. A week later, the smugglers take a group of displaced persons to the U.S. by night but are unpleasantly surprised when one of them turns out to be Steve Rampart, with a seven-day growth of beard, who breaks up the ring--it seems the man sent out to kill him was also a U.S. agent.

Simple and straightforward, with sharp art by John Severin, this Steve Rampart tale is another satisfying read. I did not think for a moment that Steve was dead but I wasn't sure how he got out of that tight spot. Like Craig's Keith Michaels in the first story, Steve has an eye for the ladies, allowing the artist free rein to populate the panels with pretty girls.

"Geri Hamilton"

Reporter "Geri Hamilton" is assigned to meet a train at a spot where it will take on water. On the train is an FBI agent escorting a bank robber named Mart Dannon who has never been photographed. At the meeting spot, Geri sees the two men, Dannon and the agent, pitch over the rail and down a hill by the tracks, handcuffed together. They disappear from sight but Geri borrows a horse and heads off into the dark woods after them. She finds one man, now separated from the other; he claims to be the FBI agent but she holds him at gunpoint because she has no way of telling for sure.

Soon enough, they find the other man, who also says he's not Dannon. The horse runs off and the three spend the next two days marching trough the woods with Geri unable to sleep for fear that the criminal will take her gun. Eventually, she falls asleep; the bank robber beats up the FBI agent and holds him and Geri at gunpoint. She reveals her strategy when she tells him that she removed the bullets from her gun, assuming that the crook would make a play for it. The agent overpowers the bad guy and Geri admits that she lied about the gun--the bullets were in it all along. At least now she can get some sleep!

I love Reed Crandall's work and, while the first two stories in this issue focused on men who loved women, this time the perspective is switched and a woman is the heroine. Not surprisingly, she does not go around ogling the beefcake! The story is another fun, tense one, with another reporter going well beyond the usual typewriter and copy room and encountering unexpected danger.

"Dateline: Rio Para"

Keith Michaels takes a ride toward the South Atlantic on the coastal freighter Empress to interview a muscular crewman named Condon, the only man who survived two prior shipwrecks on other ships in the same line. Condon denies any involvement but, when the ship sinks, he is ready to join others on the lifeboat, already in a life vest. Michaels, Condon, and the other inhabitants of the lifeboat wash over a dangerous reef and land on a remote coast in Brazil, where they await rescue. Keith accuses Condon of being the man to sink three ships and Condon knocks him out; Michaels awakens back on board a ship, where he learns that Condon is innocent and the guilty party has been apprehended.

"Dateline: Rio Para" has the usual elements needed to make a good story, including strong art by Craig and a confrontation between the reporter and a man who seems guilty, but it's a bit abbreviated at six pages and seems to rush to a conclusion. Girl reporter Ruth Hastings is just window dressing.-Jack

Peter: "New York City" has more great, manly Craig art but the script is a whole lot of blah. The real story is why the other reporters treat this like a big story. This is New York City, not Akron; surely, there's something more important happening in Manhattan? The rest of the issue follows suit: great art, ho-hum and unbelievable scripts. This is supposed to be an exciting and suspenseful funny book, correct? The only suspense I had reading this book was wondering why Geri Hamilton didn't just kiss the two men and find out which one was the bad guy.

Wood

Valor 4

"Gratitude"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Joe Orlando

"The Know-Nothing"★★★1/2
Story Uncredited
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"The Taste of Freedom"★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Graham Ingels

"A Knight's Dream"★★★1/2
Story Uncredited
Art by Reed Crandall

Aging, bent over, and half blind, former Roman Centurion Marcus Hostus picks up scraps of food in alleys and thinks back to his younger days when he was a hero in battle, leading soldiers as they beat back rebellious slaves near the Via Appinilli. Once, he met an old man and his grandson and became greedy for their treasure to the point of letting them be killed by rebels. He buried the treasure and from then on fought for his hidden wealth, not for the glory of Rome. He even turned down an annual stipend from the government when it was offered to him. One day, a soldier finds him and tells him that the government has decided to give him the stipend he turned down long ago. He is shown a statue of himself and, to his dismay, he learns that they dug beneath it and found his long-hidden treasure, which will now go into the coffers of the empire!

"Gratitude"

We complain about Joe Orlando's art for EC, especially in its later years, but his style seems right for "Gratitude," a reasonably interesting story with a twist ending that is not much of a shock. The only thing that puzzled me was why Marcus waited so long to reap the fruits of his hidden treasure. Why not dig up a bauble now and then and avoid scavenging through the alleys for food?

One night in 1745, Englishman John Venner enters the cottage of old Brian Macnice and announces that he is taking the old man at gunpoint and using him as a guide to travel to Stirling Castle to kill Bonnie Prince Charlie in order to prevent the prince from pursuing his quest to take Scotland back from England. Venner and Macnice travel for days and nights across the Scottish countryside, with Venner passing the time by asking Macnice questions about Scottish history, questions that elicit nary a single correct answer from "The Know-Nothing." They reach the River Forth and take a ferry across, but Macnice informs Venner that he pulled the stopcock and the ferry is sinking, along with Venner's cart full of gunpowder that was supposed to blow up the castle. Venner can't swim and Macnice has the last laugh as he heads for shore.

"The Know-Nothing"

Krigstein outdoes himself in this charming mix of history lesson and character study, and the journey across the Scottish countryside is beautifully rendered. This is one of my favorite EC stories by Krigstein to date.

"The Taste of Freedom"

During the Italian Renaissance, the cruel Borgias ruled the city of Perugia. The townsfolk constantly sought ways to wipe out their masters, but the Borgias hired food-tasters to avoid ingesting poisoned meat or wine. After a while, the Borgias decide to commandeer one of their enemies to be their food-taster, certain that their enemies would not kill one of their own. The food-taster has the last laugh when he takes small doses of poison each day to build up immunity. When the poisoned cup of wine finally comes, be is able to tolerate a taste but the Borgias are wiped out.

Ghastly's art is rather stodgy and the story is run of the mill, but it's always nice to see the cruel and powerful brought low, as they are in "The Taste of Freedom."

"A Knight's Dream"

In the time of the Crusades, young Martin, son of Gaunt, impresses Baron John with his fighting skills and is taken on as the man's squire. They travel to the Saracen stronghold of Acre, where a pitched battled outside the city walls leads to a challenge: Saladin will send a champion against Baron John in a one on one fight. During the struggle, Saladin tells his man to shoot an arrow into John's heart if it looks like he's winning; Martin witnesses this treachery and rides in front, taking the fatal arrow in his own chest. On his death bed, Martin is made a knight by John.

Ending a superb issue of Valor, Reed Crandall's art on "A Knight's Dream" continues to impress me. I am not sure I buy the story of Saladin's treachery, since it doesn't square with what I've read of Saladin, but the story is a stirring one. I'm sorry there is just one issue to go in this excellent series.-Jack

Peter: With its fourth issue, Valor remains neck and neck with Piracy for Best New Direction title, thanks to four very solid dramas, the strongest of which has to be "The Know-Nothing." The story almost reads like one of those lengthy story-jokes that make you laugh out loud and think at the same time. I actually chuckled several times as Venner escalated his insults about the old Scot (dolt, dumbbell, blockhead, etc.) and never saw the twist coming. A delight from start to finish, as was the rest of the issue. Not that it's just suddenly struck me, but I'm not sure I've mentioned how impressed I am that the average EC comic book takes at least twice as long to read as any of the books by the other publishers we read on our various blogs. Each story is dense with words (yes, I know we've mentioned that it's not always a good trait, but . . .), a sign that the EC writers really cared for their craft.

"The Know-Nothing"

Next Week in Star Spangled #142 . . .
Sink your teeth into a bloody Weird War Tale!

EC Comics! It's An Entertaining Comic! Issue 66

The EC Reign Month by Month 1950-1956
66: August 1955 Part II

Evans

 Aces High 3 

"The Rules"★★★★
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by George Evans

"The Spy"★★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"Greasemonkey"★★★1/2
Story Uncredited
Art by Wally Wood

"The Case of Champagne"★★1/2
Story by Carl Wessler
Art by Jack Davis

When Lt. Edward Dale joins the 95th Pursuit Squadron in WWI, he is determined to make a name for himself and become an ace by shooting down as many German planes as he can. He ignores "The Rules" of chivalry and decency and pads his total by shooting down every plane he sees, even if the pilot is waving a white flag of surrender. His own men shun him and there is talk of grounding him. After he shoots down a German plane that had assisted a damaged Allied plane in landing, the Germans issue an ultimatum: Lt. Dale is no longer subject to the rules of decency and they will do whatever it takes to shoot him down. He is alone in the skies when he falls for a decoy trap and a group of planes descend from above to end his career.

"The Rules"

Jack Oleck tells a cracking good story here about a man who flaunts the unwritten rules and deserves his punishment. Evans is superb at drawing WWI planes and air battles and his soldiers look realistic. This is a great start to the issue!

The men of the 17th Aero Squadron believe that there is a spy in their midst and they are convinced it's Klaus Ritter, due to his German name and heritage. Ritter was nowhere to be found when German planes blew up gasoline storage tanks! When German planes intercept an Allied mission to bomb a German ammo dump, Ritter is the first one suspected of being "The Spy," especially when he doesn't fire on a German plane that downs an Allied flier. Though Ritter protests his innocence, the men of his squadron shun him. Soon, a dangerous mission to bomb a well-guarded German target is announced and Ritter runs off and flies away on his own. The men of his squadron are convinced that he is off to warn the Germans, but when word comes back that the ammo dump was destroyed and Ritter killed, they know the truth.

"Greasemonkey"

A decent story with pretty good art, "The Spy" plods along without any real surprises. I never doubted that Ritter was loyal to the Allied cause and so the ending did not come as a revelation. Bernie Krigstein's art is best when he's being creative; when he draws a straightforward story then the weaknesses in his technique are most apparent.

Sergeant Stuart Warner is content to be a "Greasemonkey," repairing other men's planes, ever since an incident right at the end of his pilot training. He let his friend Smitty take his place on a night solo flight so Stuart could keep a hot date but Smitty was killed and Warner was consumed with guilt and thrown out of the pilot corps. Now, when a pilot captain reports that his wife has just given birth to a baby boy (as had the late Smitty's wife right before his death), Warner jumps into the captain's plane and completes a dangerous mission on his behalf. When he returns, the captain reveals that he's Smitty's brother!

"The Case of Champagne"

Wally Wood's gorgeous art aside, I liked this story because it did not follow the expected pattern. Yes, the fact that both brothers' wives had baby boys is a coincidence, but I expected Warner to be killed in the final flight; I guess I thought the story was going to go in the same direction as "The Spy" before it. The fact that it didn't and Warner made it back safely was a nice surprise.

Scotty returns to the 47th Squadron after being on leave in Paris and brings some fine booze with him, but he refuses to open "The Case of Champagne" despite the entreaties of new flier Nick Blaine, who remarks that "people die in wars" and suggests that they seize the day. Scotty's plane crash-lands after the next patrol but he ignores Blaine's suggestion to open the case and drink the champagne. Scotty grows obsessed with a particular German plane and is furious when Blaine downs the same plane while out on patrol with Scotty. Blaine ends up saving Scotty's life and they both return to base safely and finally crack open the champagne.

"The Spy"

Not a bad story, just the weakest in a strong issue. Jack Davis's style doesn't really fit air battle stories, in my opinion, and this one takes a coupe of twists and turns that end up being fairly meaningless because it's all about that case of champagne. Still, Aces High is an enjoyable comic.-Jack

Peter: I loved "The Rules" but why does it seem so familiar? Haven't we seen that plot before? Regardless, George Evans makes anything he illustrates into a great war story."The Spy" is a bit on the obvious side, don't you think? Bernie's definitely on his game this time, though. It's amazing when you contrast "The Spy" with "The Pyramid" (from Valor, below); Krigstein seemingly could change styles with a flick of his wrist. Talk about obvious, how about the maudlin "Greasemonkey?" It's just plain bad, until that final groaner pushes it into "awful" territory. Sheesh! At least Wally gives it a go despite being saddled with one of the dopiest scripts he'd ever been handed. "The Case of Champagne" is a lot like one of Hank Chapman's war stories--long and stuck on the same riff.

Craig

Extra! 3

"Dateline: Algiers" ★★★
Story and Art by Johnny Craig

"Steve Rampart" ★★
Story uncredited
Art by John Severin

"Geri Hamilton" ★
Story uncredited
Art by Reed Crandall

"Dateline: Paris" ★★
Story and Art by Johnny Craig

Crack World Press reporter Keith Michaels is in Algiers when he bumps into someone dressed in a Legionnaire uniform, someone who looks very familiar. The man excuses himself, insisting they don't know each other but, as he walks away, it dawns on Keith: the guy's a Fed. Oh well, shrugs Keith, on to the real story at the oil field that's been bombed. The supervisor insists that the explosion was the work of a saboteur and Keith drives back into town to type up his report. On the way, Michaels notices a commotion in the street and pulls over. Pushing through a crowd, he discovers the body of the Legionnaire. Beside it, visible only to Michaels' well-trained eye, is an envelope with a perfume odor and an earring bearing the name, "Shira." Keith wanders into a nearby cafe and (I mean, what a coincidence!) eyeballs the belly dancer on stage, a gorgeous dame by the handle of Shira, who happens to be missing one earring! The girl heads out the back door and Steve chases her down to hear her tell a sob story of an American FBI agent and true love. Keith's soaking it in with a reporter's ear when that ear is clubbed from behind and he loses consciousness.

"Dateline: Algiers"

The hack wakes up to find no girl but, luckily, they left him his camel. The babe had mentioned a place the Fed was supposed to meet up with the bad guys and Michaels puts his camel into gear and gets there in no time. He meets up with Shira, who explains that her boyfriend was supposed to be meeting up with another Legionnaire, the man responsible for the oil field bombing. He pats the girl on the fanny and tells her to meet him back at his hotel. When the other Legionnaire arrives, Keith sucker punches him and the men have a sturdy tussle, with Keith emerging the victor just as the Algerian police arrive on the scene, accompanied by a French officer. Michaels explains the situation but the Frenchman puts the kibosh on Keith's exclusive by revealing the identity of the saboteur: the lovely Shiva. Keith groans in embarrassment as, miles away, the oil field explodes. Keith swears he'll get revenge on the dame who made him look like a clown.

"Dateline:Algiers"

Well, here we have an interesting experiment that's also a preview of what's coming very soon in the EC Universe: the picto-fiction story (though it's not referred to by that term just yet). Comprised of about 70% text and 30% illustrations, "Dateline: Algiers" is actually a very good read. Sure, it's shot full of the dumb stuff that plagues these Extra! stories (the fact that Michaels does everything but report is exceedingly annoying) but, for once, Michaels has mud, rather than smugness, on his face in the final panel. Craig won't be mistaken for John le Carre, but he holds his own in the prose department and we know how stellar his graphics are.

Our favorite news photographer, Steve Rampart, is in Algiers (isn't everybody?), covering the oil field disaster when he bumps into his best bud, Keith Michaels, still cleaning egg off his face. Michaels gives Rampart the lowdown on his adventure and then the two board a flight to Paris, where Steve is to catch a connecting flight to New York. The two super-dudes say their goodbyes at the gate and Keith heads off into Paris where he'll . . . (oh, but that would be telling!) . . . and Steve hops his over-nighter. On board, Rampart uses his manly ways, good looks, and charm to win over a gorgeous brunette sitting next to him. The two head down below for a drink but when Steve offers to take the lovely girl's pic, things get frosty.

"Steve Rampart"

Not one to take "no" for an answer (like so many of these macho 1950s men), Rampart snaps a load of photos while the beauty is sleeping. When she awakens and Steve comments that he's captured her loveliness on film, the woman snaps and calls for her bodyguard, the man-mountain known as Max(!), to clean the shutterbug's clock. Rampart comes to in time to see the lovely maiden (who we now know is Shira) and her companions parachuting to safety, so he does what any red-blooded newspaper guy would do: he hops on top of Max and away they go! The pair land and have a bit of a kerfuffle, with Steve winning out. Meanwhile, Shira and her fellow agent are hoofing it and flag down a passing car. Too late, they realize, it's being commandeered by Steve Rampart, who saves the day and captures the two enemy spies.

Though I'm all for a little cross-over action now and then, this installment of "Steve Rampart" isn't the ticket. It follows the formula to the tee: Steve romances a dame (probably not one you'd take home to Ma), gets clobbered a few times, threatens to take a lot of pictures, and ends up staving off world domination by the Commies. Like our other World Press employee, Keith Michaels, Steve doesn't do much in the way of providing material for the company, instead flying around the world on their dime. The guy should be a Fed. I love Severin's graphics, though; that "Steve Canyon" vibe grows stronger every chapter.

"Geri Hamilton"

If there's one thing that Geri Hamilton can smell (even through her fancy French perfume), it's a good story and juvenile delinquent Eddie Harris is that good story. She and her camera-guy, Dagger, head down to the slums to try to smoke out the good-looking Harris and find out what's bugging him. Turns out a whole heck of a lot. Like enough problems to fill a week's worth of Days of Our Lives. The kid has no respect for elders and that goes for the poor old man, Pop, who raised him after Eddie became an orphan. Geri wants to know more about the troubled youth, so she digs up an old file and then suddenly realizes why beat cop Conley is always cleaning up the kid's mess. Seems he was the guy who ventilated Eddie's real Pop during a stick-up gone bad. Since then, both Conley and Pop have tried to bring Eddie up the right way despite his surroundings.

"Dateline: Paris"

Eddie has a confrontation with Pop over some dough and the old man's heart finally gives out, and Conley goes to search for him. Eddie tries kill his guardian angel, misses badly, and ends up in the clink. Geri doesn't get her happy ending after all. Why is every old man in an EC story nicknamed Pop? Despite the fact that Reed Crandall was professional enough to draw a typewriter into a couple of panels, I'm still not buying that this fashion model named Geri knows how to type or put a few words together to form a sentence, for that matter. These soap opera stories disguised as "human interest dramas" just suck the life out of my soul. It's like a really bad episode of Naked City.

In our second Keith Michaels adventure this issue, "Dateline: Paris," our favorite reporter travels to the city of love to check on a "rift in the French Cabinet" and uncovers what might be a case of adultery between one cabinet member and his rival's wife. But the suspected philanderer is found dead and suspicion falls on his lover. Since the police in every country Keith visits are morons, it's up to our hero to scratch at the doors and sniff out the facts. Back to the doldrums of Keith Michaels, Super Spy/Detective/ Romancer/Fashion Example, the boredom of which is inescapable. Only a sense of duty pushes me to read every panel carefully, looking for nuggets of zzzzzzzz . . .-Peter

"Dateline: Paris"

Jack: "Dateline: Algiers" didn't jell for me, despite the nice art by Johnny Craig. It's too hard to read the prose and then switch to panels with word balloons, back and forth, across eight pages. It took some figuring to realize that I was supposed to read across rather than down, and the text seemed overwritten. "Steve Rampart" flowed better for me and I liked the reference to It Happened One Night when the girl in the story flags down a truck by showing some leg. Severin's art is solid, as usual. "Geri Hamilton" doesn't work at all, after two linked stories, since it has nothing to do with them. Crandall is great but he really doesn't have much to do here. I was happy to reach "Dateline: Paris" and see that Craig was back to doing a straight comic story, but my excitement wore off quickly when I read this weak tale. Even Craig's art seems less tight and finished than we're used to.

Orlando

Valor 3

"The Cloak of Command" ★★
Story Uncredited
Art by Al Williamson

"Gentle as a Whisper" ★1/2
Story Uncredited
Art by Joe Orlando

"The Pyramid" ★★★
Story by Otto Binder
Art by Bernie Krigstein

"Debt of Honor" ★★★1/2
Story by E. Toomey
Art by Reed Crandall

Hoping to become as great a warrior as his father, Gaius Augustus marches a group of Roman soldiers through occupied Iberia, but arrogance and pride lead him down the wrong path into an ambush. Only the quick thinking of his father's advisor, Flavius, helps him avoid complete catastrophe after most of his men are run through. But, in the end, his complete 180-degree flip from mocking young stud to appreciative learner transforms Gaius into a man ready to ascend to greatness.

"The Cloak of Command"

Well, if these mini-epics are tantamount to sword-and-sandal sagas of the 1950s and 1960s, then "The Cloak of Command" is one of those on a par with Hercules and the Sons of Samson Meet the Daughters of Neptune, rather than Spartacus or Ben-Hur. It's not that our uncredited writer hasn't done a good job of creating a realistic scenario and interesting characters, it's just that it's a bit on the samey side. We've seen this before (and we'll doubtless see it again) in comics and movies and it's just not all that exciting. About the only bit that caught my attention was the scene where Flavius has the men anchor torches on their oxen and send them stampeding down into the Iberians, fooling the enemy into thinking the Romans were charging. Al Williamson, as usual, provides stunning visuals.

"Gentle as a Whisper"

A ship bearing gold stolen by Cortez wrecks on an island populated by Incas. The men are trekked to the temple where they are sacrificed to the gods, one man per sunrise. A Spanish friar convinces the Incas to let him have one night in their temple before he is slaughtered and he convinces the savages that their gods are no more than clay. He is freed. Though I get that the word "Valor" means more than sword-wielding vikings with big helmets, I'm not enamored with "Gentle as a Whisper," a slow-as-molasses morality story and its hot and cold Orlando art. Really, Joe's work looks fabulous in spots and absolutely awful in others. This story gives us a peek at what might have been should Bill and Al have opted for a religious funny book.

Thousands of slaves toil in the blazing hot sun of an Egyptian desert, all for their pharaoh, Amra. His royal physician by his side, the pharaoh sits in a tent, observes the work, and hopes it can be completed by sundown. For that is all the time his physician gives him. Feeling helpless, Amra takes his chariot out to beg his slaves to work faster, eventually offering them water, food from his palace, and then gold. The sun sinks lower and it becomes evident that the task is just too much when a worker cries out that they have finally uncovered a passage to "The Pyramid" where Amra's son had wandered in and become lost. The relieved father hugs his son and explains that the rest of the pyramid ("this folly") will be dismantled later. Without cheating one bit, Otto Binder steers you to an obvious conclusion (that Amra is sick and must be interred in a new pyramid by sundown) and then throws a very clever slider your way at the conclusion. Having a pharaoh feed his slaves is a nice change of pace as well. Bernie's art is a little on the doodly side here and there but, overall, it's nicely done.

"The Pyramid"

"Debt of Honor"

King Richard of England is in a precarious position: he's trying to force-feed Christianity to Jerusalem but Saladin, Jerusalem's ruler, is not buying it and Richard's men are starving. The kings of Germany and France both want to listen to Saladin's parley but Richard will not rest until Saladin and his men are run through with British steel. Guy Mortain, a traitor to Richard, convinces Saladin that he can serve Richard to him on a plate for a nominal sum. Saladin, wanting to avoid any more bloodshed, agrees despite his intolerance for turncoats. Mortain tells Richard of a secret passage into Jerusalem and offers to show it to him for one thousand pieces of gold and the king's oath never to punish him for his past betrayals. The king agrees; they enter the city and are ambushed and taken before Saladin, who offers the king his life if peace can be agreed upon. Richard begrudgingly agrees and is on his way. Later, that night, the rat Mortain has the gall to request his gold, knowing the king must keep his word. Richard gives the Judas his gold . . . in molten form.

An absorbing quasi-history lesson from page one right through its ironic climax (which would be echoed in a notorious scene from the first season of Game of Thrones), "Debt of Honor" is the best kind of history lesson. No dry sermons, packed with action, light on expository and stuffy dialogue, and beautifully drawn by Reed Crandall. -Peter

Jack-I agree that "Debt of Honor" is the best story this issue and I would give it four stars. I recently read a book on the Crusades and this story rings true, with an excellent, subtle twist ending and superb art by Crandall. Next in line for me is "The Cloak of Command," since I have an interest in Roman history. The young commander's hubris is well-portrayed and the exciting battle is drawn well by Williamson, though I prefer his science fiction work. "Gentle as a Whisper" features above-average art by Orlando, with none of the ugly caricatures that often mar his stories, while "The Pyramid" once again leaves me wondering what all the fuss is about in regard to Bernie Krigstein.

In Our 139th Issue of
Star Spangled DC War Stories . . .
A death in The Haunted Tank crew!
Fer reals!