Russkie-Smashers DOLL MAN "Man with the Iron Face!"

Russkie-Smashers Come in All Shapes and Sizes...

...even if they're only as big as an action figure...or a doll!

Created by Will Eisner and Lou Fine in Quality's Feature Comics #27 (1939), Doll Man had a longer career than many other Golden Age characters, continuing in Feature Comics until #139 (1949) and his own book from the first issue in 1941 to #47 in 1953!

During that stretch, he battled Nazis, gangsters, monsters, aliens, ghosts, and finally Russkies, as shown in this never-reprinted story from Quality's Doll Man #45 (1953), written by Bill Woolfolk, penciled by Chic Stone, and inked by Chuck Cuidera.

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Superhero Comics of the Golden Age

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Russkie-Smashers PRIMUS "Saboteur"

Before "detente" occured in the mid-1970s...

...the Russkies were reliable baddies in fiction, as this never-reprinted comics tale, derived from a short-lived TV series in 1971-72, demonstrates!

Written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Joe Staton, this tale from Charlton's Primus #7 (1972) was one of two tales in the same issue with Russkies as the bad guys!

(The other story involved a plan to have an impersonator replace President Nixon!)

The syndicated TV series detailed the adventures of Carter Primus (Robert Brown), scuba-diving scientist-adventurer dealing with everything from eco-terrorists to drug-runners to Russkie spies!

Because it ran during the Family Hour (7-8pm) it was limited as to how much violence it could show.

As a result, it wasn't even as action-packed as it's 1960s predecessor Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges!

So, unlike Sea Hunt, which ran for 155 episodes, Primus sank without a trace after only 26 shows.

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Primus
by Bradford Street
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Russkie-Smashers BLACKHAWK "Nightmare Cruise"

We're Winding Up a Month of Russkie-Smashing with the Busiest Russkie-Smashers of All...

...awww, you guessed!

Scripted by Robert Bernstein, penciled by Dick Dillin, and inked by Chuck Cuidera, this never-reprinted story from Quality's Blackhawk #105 (1956) showed no matter what environment (air, land, or sea), nothing stops the Dark Knights (yes, they were referred that way long before a certain Caped Crusader) from defending democracy!

Next Week: We're Back to Nazi-Punching...with Blackhawk and his team!
(He was around a loooong time!)

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Blackhawk

by William Rotsler

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Russkie-Smashers PLASTIC MAN "Incredible Sleep Weapon"

 Though the Villain of This Tale is Named The Sandman...

...the foul fiend doesn't use sand or knockout gas, as DC's Golden Age hero did!

So, the one-shot Sandman, who used hypnosis, from Quality's Plastic Man #51 (1955) was a sandwoman!

Such a gender-swap has been a moderately-common trope in comics, usually detectible by any or all of the following...
A) villain wearing bulky or shapeless costume.
B) villain using voice-altering mask/filter.
C) villain usually not performing any sort of hand-to-hand combat.
In this story, written by Dick Wood, pencilled by Charles Nicholas, and inked by Chuck Cuidera...it was all three!

Russkie-Smashers DATE WITH DANGER "Spies Walk Alone!"

Not All Russkie-Smashers Wear Costumes...

...because sometimes...to battle spies, you need a spy...like this guy!

Remember, this was the era before we had elegant secret agents in dinner jackets, carrying various kool gimmicks!
(But he still got to make out with the "bad girl"! Some things never change!)
It was a time of down n' dirty action and survival meant using your wits and whatever was at hand!
Illustrated by Ross Andru and inked by Mike Esposito, this never-reprinted story from Standard's Date with Danger #5 (1952) featured a character the publisher might have wanted to do an ongoing strip about, but since the book ended with the next issue, he never returned!

Russkie-Smashers HUMAN TORCH & TORO "Human Torch - Fugitive at Large!"

Since We Spent All of March Punching Nazis...

...it's only fair we dedicate April to kicking Russkie ass, starting with Captain America's fellow Russkie-fighter, the original Human Torch!

Written by Hank Chapman, penciled by Dick Ayers, and inked by Ernie Bache, this tale  from Atlas' Sub-Mariner #35 (1954). is one of the most-reprinted of the 1950s Human Torch stories!
Understandable since its' packed with a lot of action in only five pages!
(BTW, besides appearing in the Men's Adventures and Young Men's anthology comics, the "Big Three" of Captain America, Sub-Mariner, and Human Torch all had backup features in each other's comics!
"Corporate synergy" long before the phrase was coined!)

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Marvel Masterworks

Atlas-Era Heroes

Volume 3

(which includes this story)

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