Star-Spangled DC War Stories! Part 2: July 1959

By Corporals Enfantino and Seabrook

Grandenetti

All American Men of War 71

"Target for an Ammo Boy!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Joe Kubert

"Snipers Roost!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mort Drucker

"Tell Baker I'll Be There!"
Story by Ed Herron
Art by Russ Heath

PE: The deadly sharpshooter in the "Snipers Roost" remains mostly unseen to us throughout the story. We catch glimpses of his trigger finger and unfocused eye but, for the most part, he's a faceless killing machine. On the other end of the scope, our G.I. (the sniper's target) is a fearless predator, intent on putting an end to the menace in the bell tower. "Snipers Roost" is a lot of suspense packed tight in a five and a half page package with stark, minimalist art and narrative ("The sniper fixed the two tiny figures in his sight like flies on a large saucer..."). As the G.I. nears the tower, the previously unwavering marksman loses his cool and, even though we're meant to root against this Nazi monster, the claustrophobia is palpable and we feel his fear. Artist Mort Drucker is known primarily for his long career with Mad Magazine but he also found time to illustrate several DC war stories. "Sniper" was Drucker's thirteenth job for All American Men at War.

JS: I like "Target for an Ammo Boy!," which looks like the first story featuring a soldier known as T.K. or Tank Killer and his sidekick, a younger man who loads his bazooka for him. The "Kid" narrates the story and at first he is frustrated because all he does is carry the bazooka around--T.K. always has the thrill of firing it. They get into quite a few sticky situations with tanks firing at them but T.K. always manages to blow up the lumbering machines with a well-placed shot from his bazooka. Kubert's art is sharp, especially in the faces, and there's a fair amount of action. I liked this story and am looking forward to see if it becomes a regular feature, though I can't imagine they'll just keep wandering around shooting a bazooka at one tank after another--that would get old fast.

Grandenetti

G.I. Combat 74

"A Flag for Joey!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru

"Six-Gun Beach-Head!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath

"No Word for a G.I."
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Bob Forgione and Jack Abel

PE: "No Word for a G.I." suffers from that annoying habit war writers had: take a word and run it into the ground. In this case, the word is "committed," which we learn means an outfit that has been given orders to stay on the battlefield no matter what (in other words, a suicide squad). At first, the word is meant to educate us (and it does) but then Haney gets carried away, overeducating us. "Committed" is used 35 times in 6 pages and, by the end of the story, I needed to be committed.

We figured Joey's days were numbered.

JS: Definitely a weaker issue than this month's All American Men At War, G.I. Combat features repetitive stories and by the numbers art. In "A Flag for Joey!" Joey survives some battles by carrying his good luck charm--a flag his father gave him to plant in the war. When he breathes his last, his pal, who had only been tolerating the flag business up to then, takes over as the chief flag-carrier until he finally puts it where it belongs. There is some nice writing here: "The enemy bomber's nose gunner swept the deck with a lead broom" made me stop for a few seconds to figure out that a lead broom is a flurry of bullets. "Six-Gun Beach-Head!" is another good-luck charm story; this time, the object is a six-shooter that a soldier inherited from his Texas Ranger grandfather. Like last month's story, "The Next Man!" (Star Spangled War Stories 82), a single soldier does the work of a whole unit.

Kubert

Our Army at War 84

"Laughter on Snakehead Hill!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Irv Novick

"Flameout"
Story by Hank Chapman
Art by Ross Andru

"Cleared to Combat!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Bob Forgione

PE: In "Flameout," our narrator, a fighter pilot, watches helplessly as his brother Joe (also a pilot in the same squadron) is shot down and killed by the enemy while attempting to stop a munitions train. Seizing vengeance by the reins, our nameless Captain redoubles his efforts to destroy the train before it enters a tunnel. Two unfortunate incidents happen almost simultaneously: the bomb he drops "hangs up" on him (it doesn't completely disengage) and his jet has a "flameout" (the engine stalls). With not enough time nor altitude to restart the engine, he aims the plane at the tunnel, ejects, and blows the train to hell. As I've mentioned, it's hard to find fault with any of the war stories if for no other reason than most of these writers experienced the hell of combat and I haven't. Reading some of these stories is both enlightening and exciting. When our Captain's jet effectively becomes the bomb, I could feel the tension come off the page. What the hell do you do in that situation other than prepare for the worst (you're gonna be blown to pieces) and hope for the best (lots of broken bones)? Outside of The Amazing Spider-Man, I've not seen much of Ross Andru's work and here his art has a nice Alex Toth vibe to it.  Andru might benefit from the fact that there's only one character illustrated here and his face is covered with an oxygen mask the entire time. There are several artists I've encountered over the last few years of comic blogging that might have come out the other end with a more checkered career had these ideal restrictions been in place for them (Frank Robbins, take a bow). "Cleared to Combat" suffers from a problem I have with several of the war stories: the writer feels the need to educate rather than entertain. Can war comics be entertaining? Yes, they can, by telling an involving story rather than, like "Cleared," finding a phrase and running it into the dirt. My problems with the story do not translate to the art.  I see Bob Forgione did several jobs for both DC and Atlas in the 1950s so I'm eager to check out some more of his work there.

We'd know those Ross Andru eyes anywhere!

JS: Poor Irv Novick. A decent artist, sure, but he seems to have the misfortune of following great artists. On Batman, it was always a letdown to see a story drawn by Novick when we were hoping for one by Neal Adams. In "Laughter on Snakehead Hill!," a perfectly decent story about Sgt. Rock and Easy Co., Novick has the misfortune of following last issue's milestone work by Joe Kubert. It seems that Novick can only be appreciated when he appears after a long stretch of mediocrity by, say, John Calnan. As for "Flameout," I wasn't that excited by this story, which seemed like another "do it for Joey" piece like the one we just saw in this month's G.I. Combat.

Kubert

Our Fighting Forces 47

"TNT Birthday!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Jerry Grandenetti

"Pigeon for a Tiger!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"The Three Unknown Commandos!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath

PE: In "TNT Birthday," Gunner's birthday party is continuously interrupted by enemy attacks. Unlike Sgt. Rock, the "Gunner and Sarge" strip featured a heaping helping of humor and this may be why I don't like it very much. Of course, it might also be the vacuous characters, a surprise when one realizes that its author, Robert Kanigher, was also responsible for Rock. I shouldn't be so hard on the injection of humor into "the hell of war" here and there since one of my favorite TV shows, Combat, did so as well (and usually very successfully). Much better is "Pigeon for a Tiger," wherein a fighter pilot is shot down by the infamous ace "Tiger," but gets his revenge in the end, aided by the enemy's firepower. The art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito (who would partner up several hundred times over the years, most notably on Wonder Woman and The Amazing Spider-Man) is not great, the Asian enemy ace looking as though he should be spouting "Ah, So!" lines and our hero barely fleshed out, but Bob Haney's story's an exciting one.

"Pigeon for a Tiger!"

The captured American pilot, with rapidly growing facial hair, droning "Someday... somewhere... somehow..." continuously as he watches The Tiger lift off from the battleship, is a perfect code-approved moment of why the words "war is hell" can never be topped. Writer Haney later created the Teen Titans for DC. The scariest writing in the issue, however, goes to Robert Kanigher in his answer to Michael Byrne's letter in "Combat Corner." Michael asks: "How do the men in a submarine abandon ship?" The editor maps out in great detail exactly what the sub-mariners must do to save their skin. While the sub is on surface, no problem, but if the craft is submerged, there is a complicated and harrowing array of maneuvers that seem almost impossible.

Jack: I liked "TNT Birthday!" precisely for the reason you didn't--the humor. Gunner and Sarge aren't much different than Tank Killer and Kid (see All American Men at War, above) but the story is different from any other I've read so far this month because of the birthday angle and the humor. It's a nice break from all the grenades. "Pigeon for a Tiger!" is notable only for the art and for being yet another example this month of how the Japanese were still being drawn, 14 years after the end of the war. I don't think Asians got a break in popular culture in the U.S. till at least the 1980s--watch any sitcom from the 1970s and cringe at the Asian jokes.

Grandenetti

Star-Spangled War Stories 83

"Jet on My Shoulder!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"A Stripe for St. Lo!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mort Drucker

"War Doesn't Sleep!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

PE: "War Doesn't Sleep!" explores the ironies of "The Grass is Always Greener..." in wartime. One morning, a tank driver, heading off to battle, sees a sleeping soldier in a foxhole and wishes he had it so well, snoozing the war away. Of course, once the night comes, the reverse happens. "Jet on My Shoulder" suffers from the "running the phrase into the dirt" ailment mentioned previously. A new pilot attempts to show his squad he can keep up with them while his aircraft continually "tells" him "Show Me!" When the young man has finally broken through and applied himself to his task, his jet replies, "Showed Me!"

"A Stripe for St. Lo!"

Much better is "A Stripe for St. Lo." Buck Private Charlie Kidd is told he'll get a nice fat stripe for his uniform if he can be the first to break through the gates of St. Lo (located in Northern France). On his way, he meets a similarly undecorated "old man" in a foxhole and becomes convinced the man wants the stripe as well. A one-sided mental battle begins as Kidd watches the old soldier take St. Lo and, ostensibly, glory but it's his own cover fire that ensures victory. Later, Kidd is startled to discover the "pop" is actually a General (the officers must strip their bars so as not to draw sniper fire), who hands the youngster his first bars.

JS: I didn't know what the heck was going on in "Jet on My Shoulder!" except that Ross Andru was drawing another guy wearing a helmet while flying his plane. I kept thinking that there was some secret he didn't know about his plane. Alas, 'twas not the case. "A Stripe for St. Lo!" was a goodie. I thought the old soldier was the C.O. tricking the Buck Private I was surprised to see he was a general!

PE: And here's a good place to give a shout out to those incredible covers. The stories and art inside the titles may not always rise to the top but the majority of the war covers are knockouts!

All credits found at the Grand Comic Database.

Next Week!

The Hitchcock Project: Henry Slesar Part Three-"On the Nose" [3.20]

by Jack Seabrook

"On the Nose" was the third tale by Henry Slesar to be adapted for broadcast on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The story on which it is based bears the title "Something Short of Murder!" This title has nothing to do with the plot and sounds like it was tacked on by the editor of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, where it appeared in the November 1957 issue under the pen name of O.H. Leslie.

The story begins as Fran Holland calls her bookie, Phil Cooney, to place a bet on a horse. He refuses to accept, insisting that she first pay him the twenty five dollars she owes. Cooney tells Fran that he will pay her a visit. She looks in the mirror and sees "a young face still, with all the marks of the years concentrated around her eyes. Her hair was jutting in too many directions . . ."

Cooney arrives and wants his money today, threatening to return at six o'clock to ask her husband for it. Fran fears that such a visit would result in her husband's being disappointed in her; she is addicted to gambling and wonders "how could she face that scene again?" Fran has even pawned her engagement ring to support her habit. She scours her apartment but can only find a few dollars in change. Struck with an idea, she walks to the bus stop and pretends to be out of money for bus fare. Fifteen cents at a time, she convinces strangers to give her coins. By three o'clock she has almost fifteen dollars.

Before she can collect any more money, however, a man accosts her and, thinking he is with the police, she goes with him in his car. She soon discovers that he has other intentions and is not a policeman She manages to escape from the car and he crashes; she takes ten dollars from his wallet while he is unconscious. Beating the six o'clock deadline, she pays Cooney what she owes. On returning home, her friend Lila tells her that her husband called: he had to fly to Chicago at the last minute and will not be home tonight. Having learned no lesson from her ordeal, Fran calls Cooney to put five dollars on a horse named Chicago Flyer!

"Something Short of Murder!" is an entertaining story that (like "The Day of the Execution") was snapped up by the producers of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, filmed, and broadcast on February 16, 1958. Irving Elman wrote the teleplay, which is a faithful adaptation of the Slesar's story. The TV show opens with a scene at the breakfast table, as Fran's husband Ed notices that her watch is missing and tells her that he will leave her if she starts gambling again. Ed never appears in the short story, but this added scene takes something that was told on the page and dramatizes it onscreen. In scene two, we see Fran's friend Lila; this scene is also new to the story, again dramatizing something that was only referred to on the page. Here, Lila arrives at Fran's apartment and boasts about having won the daily double the day before--"two hundred and sixty eight bucks!"

Carl Betz

Fran then calls Cooney and the TV show follows the story closely for awhile, until Fran is unable to raise the necessary funds from her stint as a bus stop con artist. She walks into a store and steals a silver compact case; on exiting the store, she is immediately accosted by a man who inexplicably knows what she has stolen. He takes her in his car, as in the story, and when she realizes that he is not a policeman and has other intentions (he offers to give her twenty dollars if she will be "agreeable") she hits him with her purse, causing the car to crash. She walks away from the accident in a daze. Later, policemen come to her door at home and return her purse. They tell her that they found a twenty dollar bill and the silver compact case next to the purse and assumed they were hers. She returns the case ("It's not mine!") but keeps the twenty. She pays off Cooney before the deadline and gets a call from Ed, who tells her that he is flying to Washington (not Chicago, as in the story). Though she had sworn to Cooney that she was through with gambling, it does not take long for her to call him to place a bet on a horse named Washington Flyer.

David Opatoshu

"On the Nose" was written by Irving Elman (1915-2011), who later said that he first met Joan Harrison, producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, when she was producing Janet Dean, Registered Nurse, a series that ran from 1954 to 1955. She later hired him to write for the Hitchcock series and he penned three episodes in all.

Jan Sterling (1921-2004) is perfectly cast as Fran; she is a little hard-edged and past her prime, pretty but no longer young. She was 36 years old when "On the Nose" was filmed and her prior film roles included Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951) and The High and the Mighty (1954), for which she received an Academy Award nomination. She appeared in one other episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and another of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. One subtle touch that enhances "On the Nose" is Fran's hairdo, which recalls the hot roller style popular in the 1940s. The fact that Fran still wears it in 1958 suggests that she is behind the times and clinging to a past where she was young and pretty.

Linda Watkins

Co-starring as Fran's husband Ed is Karl Swenson (1908-1978), who seems a little old for the part (Swenson was 13 years Sterling's senior). His one scene is marred by some sloppy shot matching, especially in two shots where he moves his arm from side to front before and after a cut. This sort of problem crops up from time to time in this series, which was never meant to be scrutinized in high definition on a large screen over fifty years after it was produced. Swenson appeared in three episodes of the Hitchcock series, can be seen as the prophet of doom in the diner in Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), and played Lars Hanson from 1974 to 1978 on Little House on the Prairie.

Another character actor who makes the most of her brief time onscreen is Linda Watkins (1908-1976), who plays Fran's friend Lila. She appeared twice on the Hitchcock series, three times on Thriller, and also was seen in the memorable made for TV movie, Bad Ronald (1974).

Karl Swenson

David Opatoshu (1918-1996), recently seen here as the proprietor of "The Magic Shop," appeared in a total of three Hitchcock episodes. His performance as Cooney, the bookie, is smooth, he is smiling on the surface but hard underneath.

The score in "On the Nose" is notable in the scene where Fran realizes she has a deadline to raise the money to pay Cooney. There is a phrase that sounds like a chiming clock, followed by ominous music that reflects Fran's mood. These episodes were scored with stock music from the studio vault and this episode does not even have a credit for a music supervisor.

Carl Betz (1921-1978), who would soon become famous as Donna Reed's husband on The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966), makes an early appearance as the man who is not a policeman. His handsome, rugged features make him a natural as someone pretending to be a policeman; the revelation that he is actually a con man and a masher is all the more surprising due to his winning smile.

Jan Sterling

"On the Nose" and "Something Short of Murder!" are both light, clever treatments of the disease of gambling addiction. All of Fran's actions stem from her inability to stop gambling and her need to keep it a secret from her husband in order to save her marriage. Director James Neilson (1909-1979) keeps things moving at a rapid pace. He had directed 33 episodes of Janet Dean, Registered Nurse, where he would have known Joan Harrison well and perhaps worked on a script by Irving Elman. He directed twelve episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

"On the Nose" is available on DVD here or may be viewed online here.

Sources:

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. Churchville, MD: OTR Pub., 2001. Print.

IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.

"On the Nose." Alfred Hitchcock Presents. CBS. 16 Feb. 1958. Television.

Slesar, Henry. "Something Short of Murder!" 1957. Clean Crimes and Neat Murders. New York: Avon, 1960. 72-84. Print.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 May 2013.

Do You Dare Enter? Part 1: June 1968-February 1969

The DC Mystery Line 1968-1976

by Jack Seabrook, 
Peter Enfantino

& John Scoleri

#175 - Neal Adams

Check out the image above that we'll be using as our "title page."

Hard to resist, isn't it?

That hand beckoning from the darkened doorway.

Vintage Nick Cardy.

Teen Robby Reed had been dialing H-E-R-O on his H-Dial for a couple of years [since House of Mystery #156 (January 1966)], transforming himself into all manner of superheroes such as Human Solar Mirror,  Sphinx Man, Rainbow Raider, and, my favorite, King Kandy, who uses candy as a weapon. The inventive gimmick behind Dial H was the fact that Robby couldn't control his morphings. He had to make the best of what the Dial did for him (how do you make the best of being the Human Starfish?) no matter what the obstacles. When Robby Reed came along in #156, he knocked the previous star of HOM, J'onn J'onnz, Manhunter of Mars, into the back-up slot. In 1968, DC tried a radical new experiment that would put both characters in the bread line. 

#177 - Neal Adams

Well, a radical experiment for a four-color comic published in the 1960s. Horror comics had been a staple of funny books from the 1940s but the Senate witch burnings of the 1950s (designed to run EC Comics into the ground) had put a damper on scary happenings at the comic stands. Even in the Viet Nam era of 1968, comics were forced to produce watered-down thrills, bereft of anything you could call horror. Which is why, when House of Mystery was rebooted with its 174th issue (cover-dated June 1968), there was no hype about a new DC horror line. There was no banner in #173 proclaiming a "bold new direction in horror!" Horror, in fact, was one of the words that was banned by the Comics Code Authority (along with just about any other word used in a EC title--it's a wonder "the" and "of" weren't included) so DC had to sidestep that word entirely. Luckily though, they hired some people who knew how to write and illustrate creepy stories that could get by the CCA. HOM was certainly the place to try an experiment. The title had been floundering for years, veering from mediocre gothic tales ("I Married a Witch" in the premiere issue, January 1952) to mediocre science fiction tales ("The Spider-Man" by Ed Smalle in #28 certainly didn't blaze trails like Peter Parker's alter ego did nearly a decade later) to mediocre heroes who couldn't carry their own titles. The circulation numbers for 1967 show that HOM sold an average of 158,500 copies a month (or, roughly, 20% of what DC's top title, Batman, sold). It's a wonder that DC didn't simply close up the House rather than refurbish it.

It just took the new tenants a bit of time to bed in. Though Nick Cardy's creepy talon beckoned us into the new House of Mystery, inside we found the same old lukewarm leftovers from DC's 1960s science fiction pablum (#174, in fact, was made up entirely of reprints from HOM's sister zine, House of Secrets) and the content stayed pretty much the same for the first few issues, with little hints of what was to come peppering each subsequent number: Neal Adams's iconic covers, Sergio Aragones's first doodlings, the introduction of mascot Cain the Caretaker and, finally, some original content.

PE: That original content wasn't all good nor was it at all original."The Curse of the Cat" in #177 is a tepid Edgar Allan Poe knock-off and "The Game," written and illustrated by Neal Adams for #178, is a nonsensical fantasy about a boy who meets himself in a rainstorm that wastes a beautiful art job by Adams. In fact, only one story in the first five issues of HOM blew me away and, surprisingly, Neal Adams had nothing to do with it (other than a typically wonderful cover illustrating the story). Jack Oleck and Jack Sparling's "House of Gargoyles" (from #175) manages to terrify four decades after the fact despite the restraints put upon it by the CCA. A mysterious French sculptor arrives in a small rural town, setting tongues a-wagging. Who is this quiet man who keeps to himself in the old, dark mansion (which is actually The House of Mystery itself!)? If the portly artist wasn't enough, the populace gapes in awe at two gargoyles, seemingly sculpted overnight, suddenly perching atop the tall building. All agree that the monsters are horrible, disgusting, and should be removed. All save young Jimmy, who takes a shine to the stone creatures and decides he needs to get to the bottom of the mystery. The boy knocks on the sculptor's door and, when the artist answers, Jimmy asks him what the gargoyles want. We find out through a flashback that the sculptor once loved a woman who left him for a rival named Francois. In a rage, the man strangles Francois and steals his designs for cathedral gargoyles. With his dying breath, Francois curses him. When the artist has finished the stolen masterpieces, the monsters take wing and begin a long chase around the world. In a bit of malicious fun, Jimmy and two of his friends climb to the roof of the building and yell out to the artist that the gargoyles have left. With a scream of joy the man throws open his shutters, only to find the two stone monsters winging their way right to him. They carry him off into the night and the little town becomes quiet again. I have fond memories of picking this one up initially when it was reprinted in a DC Special titled "Beware! The Monsters Are Coming Here!" (#11, April 1971), one of those all-reprint things the majors were pumping out to take advantage of their work for hire contracts. This one featured five stories from the early days of HOM and the gargoyle story. I must have read this story a dozen times when I first got that comic. The writing has an almost To Kill a Mockingbird-ish quality to it (yes, I know it's just a short comic story) and Jack Sparling has never been better (certainly not over at Marvel). A real gem.

Jack: "The House of Gargoyles" is a terrific story, notable for being the first time Cain serves as narrator. The plot has that kind of sick fascination that marked EC's humor/horror tales, and Sparling's art is cartoonish and frightening at the same time. This is a great place for the new DC horror line to get its start. The editorial page in #176, "The Wonderful World of DC Comics," includes a review of a fanzine called Super Adventures, edited by Marvin Wolfman. Coincidentally (?), the new story in that issue is said to be Wolfman's first pro writing credit, according to the DC Comics Database. I liked "The Game" better than you did. The Adams art is flawless and what's with the cloven hoof footprints leading away from the bed in the last panel? A head scratcher indeed but a pretty cool one.

We first meet Cain on page one of HOM 175

John: I wasn't as enamored with "House of Gargoyles" as you two were. It was a fine story, but I thought that the payoff didn't require such a lengthy build-up. And while it's hard to call a single page illustration an original story, I do want to point out that Sergio Aragones first of several "Page 13's" was featured in the otherwise all-reprint HOM #174. There's much to be loved about Sergio's style, but I personally enjoy exploring all the creatures he manages to squeeze into the single panel illustration. And starting in issue #175, Aragones also provides a number of his classic-style cartoons under the byline of "Cain's Game Room." Sure, they would be equally at home in Mad Magazine, but they share a delightfully macabre twist that makes them a perfect fit in the House of Mystery. Despite Jack Sparling's art, I also enjoyed Marv Wolfman's "The Roots of Evil" in #175. It's a ridiculous premise, a scientist is working to bring trees to life for the good of man, but when you add a jilted ex-lover to the mix and sprinkle in a bit of Triffid juice, it makes for a good time. I also really enjoyed Adams' art in "The Game," but I don't think we'd even be discussing this snoozer had it been drawn by anyone else.

#178 - Neal Adams

PE: This new bb feature will examine the best that DC had to offer in such titles as House of Mystery, House of Secrets, The Witching Hour, Ghosts, Weird Mystery Tales, and Unexpected. As with our DC Combat feature, we'll be accentuating the positive so, rather than an exhaustive story-by-story breakdown, we'll spotlight two or three stories from the various titles published that month. Like the comics we examined in the recently completed Batman in the 1970s project, I have extremely fond memories of these titles from my childhood so it may be a harrowing revisit if the stories don't re-ascend to that throne they've sat upon for the last forty years. I'm assuming though that there will be plenty to discuss. House of Mystery was the only mystery title that DC published between June 1968 and February 1969 but very soon HOM will have company and our discussion will be as fleshed out as that of our "Big 5 War" feature.

Jack: I have never read any of these comics before, so I'm really looking forward to this journey!

John: I'm in the same boat as Jack, and look forward to seeing how many of these stories are as good as the Neal Adams covers might lead you to believe...




THE ORIGINAL STORIES

There were thirteen stories featured in the first five issues of HOM, less than half of them original. The following list of the new material includes (writer/artist(s)).

175 (August 1968)
"The House of Gargoyles" (Jack Oleck/Jack Sparling)

#176 - Neal Adams

176 (October 1968)
"The Roots of Evil" (Marv Wolfman/Jack Sparling)

A scientist whips up a formula that enables trees to think and move like humans. His well-meaning experiment goes awry when a jealous rival scientist sabotages the plan. Sparling's art isn't as sharp as that on "Gargoyles" but it's good enough. One of Wolfman's first writing credits. His writing will get better.

177 (December 1968)
"The Curse of the Cat" (Howie Post/Bill Draut)
A cad cons a blind beggar out of his fortune in gold but vengeance arrives in the form of fearsome felines. Interminably boring and overlong Poe knock-off with dreadful, almost Archie-esque artwork.

178 (February 1969)
"The Game" (Neal Adams)

Adams the artist is undone by Adams the writer, unfortunately, with this head-scratcher about a boy, caught in a downpour, who takes shelter in an old dark house and meets another lad who looks suspiciously familiar. Not sure if you'd call this a time travel tale or what. Adams doesn't even attempt an explanation and the finale seems to end in the middle of a sentence.

"What's the Youth?" (E. Nelson Bridwell/Win Mortimer & George Roussos)

A portly man visits an old crone for a potion to make a young beauty fall in love with him. The witch sells him enough of the serum for him to become a handsome man for just one night and he heads off happily. Shortly after, we see the old goat take some of the same potion to transform herself into the very babe the man had desired. Nice humorous touch to a tale that seemingly introduces one of the hostesses of the upcoming The Witching Hour title.

Aragones provided page 13 (from HOM 175)

In Two Weeks: It's The Witching Hour!

You can see previously published Bare Bones articles on the DC mystery line here.

Next Week!

Star-Spangled DC War Stories! Part 1: June 1959

by Corporals Seabrook & Enfantino

Grandenetti

Our Army at War 83

"The Rock and the Wall!"
Story by Bob Kanigher
Art by Joe Kubert

"Flying Baby Sitter!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"The D-Day Sun!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mort Drucker

PE: Though this is obviously not the first issue of Our Army At War, our study of DC war comics begins here at OAAW #83 because of the landmark story, "The Rock and The Wall," the first chapter in the ongoing saga of Sergeant Rock of Easy Company. Rock had actually appeared in stories in the two previous issues but only as background and mouthing an occasional grunt. The stories, which introduced Easy Company as well, were written by Bob Haney and illustrated by Ross Andru and Mort Drucker, whereas most of the Rock stories from here on out would be written by Robert Kanigher. In addition, a "prototype" of Rock (simply called "The Rock") appeared in a story in OAAW #68 (March 1958). It's hard to imagine Rock not drawn by Joe Kubert, with that three-day stubble and generally unkempt, un-military look. He's the Average Joe in everything but deeds. In this initial installment, we're introduced to not only The Rock but "The Wall," a new recruit who's a touch too arrogant but manages to back up that arrogance with action. In your typical comic book story, a mouthy character is introduced seemingly only to be set up for the inevitable fall. Not here, though, as "The Wall" continues to amaze the soldiers around him even while acting the smart-aleck. His continual prods at the Sarge ("So that's the Rock, huh? He don't look so tough!") are met with belligerence but the two begrudgingly acknowledge each other's prowess in the explosive climax. I'm not sure we'll ever see "The Wall" as a character in this strip again but I'm hoping to be introduced to the other men of Easy Co. before too long.

Jack: "The Rock and the Wall" is an excellent story with art by Joe Kubert in which Sgt. Rock shows why he's a revered leader of men. "The D-Day Sun!" has nice art and a standard story about the preparations in the minutes and hours before D-Day.

PE: Our Army at War doesn't have the maddening history of Star-Spangled War Stories or G.I. Combat. Its first issue (numbered 1) was published by DC in August 1952 and featured Robert Kanigher's first DC war story, "Dig Your Foxhole Deep," with art by Irv Novick and Bernard Sachs.

"The Rock and the Wall!"

Kubert

G.I. Combat 73

"Window War!"

Story by Robert Kanigher

Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"Floating Pilot!"

Story by Hank Chapman

Art by Russ Heath

"The Big Fist!"

Story by Bob Haney

Art by Bob Forgione and Jack Abel

PE: G.I. Combat was first published by Quality Comics (43 issues from October 1952 through December 1956). The transition from Quality to DC must have been a smooth one as DC's first issue, #44, came out the following month (January 1957).

Jack: In "Window War!" a young G.I. learns how windows of different kinds can be dangerous in wartime.

PE: "Floating Pilot" details the terrors experienced by a pilot forced to ditch his Corsair in the sea. Our hero must deal with a PT boat, sharks, and a particularly ornery MIG fighter armed only with emergency gear. Knowing that airmen had to deal with these possibilities every time they gassed up and hit the skies makes the yarn that much more harrowing. What kind of man is able to face this kind of pressure and close that cockpit time and again? I've a feeling I'll be asking that question over and over during our tenure. When I began researching the DC war titles, one artist's name kept surfacing: Russ Heath. I was familiar with the work Heath did, later in his career, for Warren (his "Process of Elimination," written by Bruce Jones, in Creepy #83 is a wild and unpredictable apocalypse tale) so I'm looking forward to delving into a different aspect of the artist's oeuvre.

"Window War!"

Grandenetti

Our Fighting Forces 46

"Gunner's Choice!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Jerry Grandenetti

"Frogman Out of Water!"
Story by Hank Chapman
Art by Russ Heath

"Battle Funnel!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

PE: The first issue of Our Fighting Forces was dated October-November 1952.

Jack: "Gunner's Choice!" is a Gunner and Sarge story that shows what happens when Gunner wants to land an easy assignment. "Battle Funnel!" concerns a very narrow area that two soldiers have to open so the rest of the army can get through.

PE: "Gunner and Sarge" (and Pooch), created by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti, debuted in the previous issue of OFF and would continue until #94 (August 1965). In that time, Jerry Grandenetti penciled all but the final ten stories (when Jack Abel would relieve him) and Robert Kanigher would write 49 of the 50 adventures. Every G&S installment was featured on the cover of its issue (and keep your eyes peeled for some of the most incredible Joe Kubert contributions during that run). Years later, the military pair would help form The Losers, a team that would headline OFF from #123 (February 1970) through its final issue, #181 (October 1978).

"Battle Funnel!"

Kubert

Star Spangled War Stories 82

"Ground Flier!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"The Next Man!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath

"Trench Trap!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

PE: SSWS actually began life in August 1952 with an issue numbered 131, taking over the numbering from Star-Spangled Comics. There were two subsequent issues (132 and 133) before DC re-numbered the series, not with #1 or #4 but #3!

Jack: "The Next Man!" is a good story with strong art. It was my favorite of the month. Nazis think U.S. soldiers are being killed one by one as they come through a minefield, a barbed wire fence, mortar fire and a machine gun. It turns out to have been the work of a single intrepid soldier.

PE: Sometimes these 8-pagers can read more like tutorials than entertainment. Sure, war is hell and shouldn't be taken lightly but you could say the same about crime and the four colors had a blast with that genre in the 1950s. "The Next Man" falls victim to the "tutorial" in that the meaning of the title is what we're meant to be learning about and the title is drummed into our heads no less than 16 times in 34 panels. I get it. The art is stunning though.  Equally stunning, to me, is the stark, gritty artwork on "Ground Flier" by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Andru would become my favorite Spider-Man artist in the 1970s with a much different style of art. We'll be re-examining that era of Amazing Spider-Man in a few months over at Marvel University and I'm wondering if Andru's art will hold up for me. Andru and Esposito were inseparable during the DC war era but Ross was assisted by a gaggle of inkers on Spidey. He was responsible for several noteworthy comic creations: he co-created Metal Men; with Robert Kanigher, he reinvented Wonder Woman; and, perhaps most importantly as far as this blog is concerned, he co-created "The War That Time Forgot" (upcoming in SSWS). The duo contributed to all five of the main titles we'll be covering in this blog and their names are sure to come up time after time.

"The Next Man!"

Kubert

All-American Men of War 70

"Pigeon Without Wings!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Irv Novick

"Tin Pot Listening Post!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jerry Grandenetti

"No Salute for a G.I.!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

PE: Like SSWS, this title has a complicated beginning. DC published two issues, #127 (August-September 1952) and #128 (October-November 1952) and then decided to renumber (a la SSWS) incorrectly. Thus the third issue of AAMOW is numbered 2. Still with me? If you're wondering where the first 126 issues went to, that's easy. It was titled All-American Western from 1948-1952 and previously it was known as All-American Comics, most famous for the debut of the Golden Age Green Lantern in #16 (July 1940). See, that was easy!

Jack: "Pigeon Without Wings!" tells of a poor parachutist who keeps landing on roofs of one sort or another. "No Salute for a G.I." follows a lowly soldier who has to salute everyone else but never gets salutes of his own--until he becomes a hero.

PE: "Pigeon" begins harrowingly enough -- with the nightmares of an impending parachute jump -- but its length becomes its undoing. The paratrooper, on his first jump, ends up landing on a rooftop (a la Red Buttons in The Longest Day) but makes the most out of his unwitting blunder. On his second jump, he lands on a tank and, again, turns misfortune into achievement. Ending the story after two mistakes (rather than adding on with an ensuing two) might have prevented it from becoming something Jerry Lewis would have filmed. The fact that this poor guy keeps landing in the wrong place elicits giggles rather than shivers. Nice art by Irv Novick.

"Pigeon Without Wings!"

Jack: Each of these five comics included a letters page called "Combat Corner." Unlike letters pages in Marvel and DC comics starting in the mid-60s, these letters were not about the stories in the comics themselves. Instead, they were questions and answers from readers about war-related topics.

PE: I wonder if some of these letters were cooked up by editor Bob Kanigher. Perhaps I'm just seeing extra men on the grassy knoll and the average reader age was a bit higher with the DC war titles because a lot of these missives sound like they weren't written by little Johnny Krackcorn in the third grade.

Jack: I thought it was interesting that the vast majority of the stories had to do with World War Two. I saw one about World War One and none about any prior wars or the Korean War. I assume this will change in the years that follow.

All credits are from the Grand Comics Database. Most of the stories are uncredited in the comics.

Coming Next Week!

The Hitchcock Project: Henry Slesar Part Two--"Night of the Execution" [3.13]

by Jack Seabrook

"Night of the Execution" was broadcast on December 29, 1957, during the third season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It was an adaptation of Henry Slesar's short story, "The Day of the Execution," which had been published earlier that year in the June 1957 issue of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

As the story begins, young prosecuting attorney Warren Selvey can barely contain his glee at receiving his first murder conviction. He races home to his wife, Doreen, deflecting any expressions of sympathy for the convicted man, Murray Rodman. On the day that the prisoner is to be executed, Selvey is approached by a "stooped, gray-haired man with [a] grease-spotted hat." The man, Phil Arlington, tells Selvey that he killed Rodman's wife and was out of town during the trial. On his return, he became consumed with guilt that another man had been sentenced to die unjustly.

Selvey is shaken and tells Arlington that he must have "dreamed the whole thing." That night, as the time of the execution draws near, Selvey is jumpy and short with his wife. Arlington telephones him, unable to forget his crime. Selvey tells the tramp to come to his apartment (near 86th Street in New York City). Doreen retires to the bedroom, miffed that her husband is working so late.

Arlington arrives and Selvey plies him with liquor until midnight, when Arlington tries to telephone the police with his confession. Selvey attacks him and strangles him, only to see Doreen watching from the bedroom doorway. Later, Selvey's rival, assistant D..A. Vance, is puzzled, asking Selvey why he "would want to kill a harmless old guy like that." Vance explains that he knows Arlington, who had a habit of "confessing to murders" What he can't understand is why Warren killed him!

The producers of Alfred Hitchcock Presents must have been impressed with Slesar's story, because they bought it and filmed it quickly. The teleplay is by Bernard C. Schoenfeld, and he took significant liberties with the source, expanding it and changing the focus. The televised version begins as Warren's father-in-law Sidney, whose business relationship to Warren is never made clear (he is a former judge who seems to be the equivalent of a party boss now), tells Warren that he needs to be passionate in front of the jury in order to secure a conviction. Warren has to break his string of losses so that he can ensure his political future. Unlike the Warren of the short story, whose ambition is never in question, the Warren of the TV show is uncertain, commenting that his rival Vance will use any cheap trick to make a jury laugh or cry. Sidney attacks Warren on two fronts, arguing that his professional ambition and his marriage to Doreen both depend upon a conviction.

Warren is a gentle man who has to be prodded into action, but when pushed he can rise to the occasion; we see him presenting his closing summation to the jury, as he demands the death penalty. As the jury deliberates, we see Vance chatting with reporters, certain that Warren has lost again. He is facile with the members of the press and possesses an easy familiarity that Warren lacks.

At home, Doreen is much different than her counterpart in the short story. Here, she is cold, calculating, and anxious for a victory that will help Warren's career and support her expensive taste in clothes and jewelry. When she visits Warren at the bar where he awaits the verdict, she wears a fur stole and is clearly the dominant partner in the marriage. "Someday your name's gonna be important in this state," she tells Warren, but it is clear that this means more to her than it does to him.

Russell Collins as Ed Barnes

The tramp, who is renamed Ed Barnes in the TV show, first approaches Warren in the bar before the verdict has been rendered, but he is unable to speak his piece before Warren rushes back to the courtroom. After the verdict, Warren relaxes at home with Doreen, who is already thinking about the governor's mansion. Barnes arrives and interrupts their romantic moment. He confesses to the murder in front of Warren and Doreen, implicating her in the cover-up. Warren cross-examines Barnes, trying to discredit his story, then threatens to turn the old man in to the police.The Warren Selvey of the TV show is a complex character, well-played by Pat Hingle. Is he kind or is he weak? One thing is certain: he is easily manipulated by his wife and her father. As the tramp, Russell Collins again plays the role he has played before (see "The Night the World Ended"): that of a drunk whose best days are behind him. He looks the part, with his red nose, rumpled clothes, and grizzled, unshaven face, though his blue eyes are bright and shine with conviction when he insists that he killed Mrs. Rodman.

The pressure mounts on Warren when his father-in-law telephones even as he is interrogating Barnes. Sidney tells him that "the boys all think you should run for US. representative." Sidney is a one-dimensional character, as is Doreen, unlike the compassionate wife in Slesar's original story. Warren, however, is morally complex, arguing with Doreen that he cannot let Rodman go to the electric chair now that Barnes has confessed. Doreen's reply is chilling: "it's Rodman or us." Warren then puts on another performance, this time manipulating Barnes into withdrawing his confession and fleeing.

Georgann Johnson as Doreen Selvey

On the night of the execution, Doreen appears in a dress that, she tells Warren, "cost you a fortune," and is ready to go to the governor's dinner, but Warren cannot stop thinking about Rodman and the injustice that may be imminent. Ironically, Rodman probably is guilty and Doreen is right--Warren succeeded in getting a conviction of a man who deserved it. Yet Warren's doubt and compassion are all part of the weakness that has kept him from succeeding.

As the heavy, metal clock on an end table ticks closer to midnight, Barnes bursts into Selvey's apartment. Warren is a wreck and has obviously been drinking. Barnes rushes to the telephone and Selvey pushes him away. Barnes grabs the clock to hit Selvey but Selvey pulls it away from him and hits Barnes with it. Just then, Doreen and her father enter. Sidney examines Barnes and announces that the old man is dead. Surprisingly, Sidney knows "Old Barnes," remarking that "when I was on the bench he was always confessing to murder. He'd study the evidence and then claim he did it." Doreen asks Warren why he did it and the clock strikes twelve, marking the time of Rodman's execution and tolling a death knell for Doreen's ambition and Warren's life and career. Their triumph is hollow after all.

Warren Selvey did not remain true to himself. In trying to remake himself in the image desired by his wife and father-in-law, he lost his moral compass and acted in a way that sealed his doom.

Vinton Hayworth as Sidney

"Night of the Execution" was directed by Justus Addis (1917-1979), with little flair and no notable camera angles or shots. Addis worked in television from 1953 and directed ten episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents; this was his last. In his private life, he was the lifetime companion of Hayden Rorke, who played Dr. Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie. Addis worked almost exclusively in television, from 1953-1968. He also directed three episodes of The Twilight Zone. His only feature film was The Cry Baby Killer (1958) for producer Roger Corman; this film was notable for being Jack Nicholson's first role onscreen.

Bernard C. Schoenfeld (1907-1980), who adapted the story for television, does an interesting job expanding and refocusing the story, making Warren the tragic hero and adding complexity to his character. Henry Slesar was later quoted as saying that he thought the teleplay improved upon his story by deepening the characterizations of the minor characters; I would add that Schoenfeld made the main character more intriguing as well. Schoenfeld wrote 16 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, including "The Night the World Ended," as well as an episode of The Twilight Zone. He wrote for television from 1952-1975, and earlier in his career he wrote the film adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's Phantom Lady (1944) and co-wrote another noir film, The Dark Corner (1946).

Pat Hingle as Warren Selvey

Playing Warren Selvey was Pat Hingle (1924-2009), making his only appearance on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He also appeared once on The Twilight Zone and played Commissioner Gordon in Batman (1989) and its three sequels. He worked extensively in episodic television from 1951 on, appearing in films later in his career.

Georgann Johnson (1926- ) played Doreen. She started on television in 1952 and can be seen in three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Like Hingle, she appeared in episodic television a great deal until 2007 and had a recurring role on Mr. Peepers (1952-1953).

Once again playing an aging drunk, Russell Collins (1897-1965) is impressive in one of his nine appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He was also memorable in the "Kick the Can" episode of The Twilight Zone and he was seen in one episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and an episode of The Outer Limits. He was in movies from 1935-1965 and on TV starting in 1948.

Frank Marlowe as the judge

Another familiar face was that of Vinton Hayworth (1906-1970) as Sidney, Warren's father-in-law. He began in movies in 1934, was in four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, played a bit part in Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942), and had a recurring role as General Schaeffer on I Dream of Jeannie, where he surely ran into Justus Addis from time to time. Vinton Hayworth's niece was the 1940s pinup/movie star Rita Hayworth.

Finally, Frank Marlowe (1904-1964) has a small role as the judge. He was in movies from 1931-1961, appeared twice on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and had small parts in Hitchcock's Saboteur (1942), Notorious (1946), and North By Northwest (1959), as well as being seen in The Dark Corner (1946--co-written by Bernard C. Schoenfeld) and The Screaming Mimi (1958), adapted from the Fredric Brown novel.

"Night of the Execution" can be viewed online here and is also available on DVD.

In two weeks: "On the Nose," based on Henry Slesar's story, "Something Short of Murder."

Sources:

"Galactic Central." Galactic Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. Churchville, MD: OTR Pub., 2001. Print.

IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.

"Night of the Execution." Alfred Hitchcock Presents. CBS. 29 Dec. 1957. Television.

Slesar, Henry. "The Day of the Execution." 1957. Clean Crimes and Neat Murders. New York: Avon, 1960. 153-60. Print.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.