Son Of Vulcan - The Diamond Dancers!

Son of Vulcan Volume Two, Number 49 is dated November 1965. This comic continues the numbering of Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds. The editor in chief and creator of Son of Vulcan is Pat Masulli. The script is by Joe Gill. The interior artwork is by the reliable team of Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico. The cover art is by Bill Fraccio and the inks are by Rocke Mastroserio. (The Grand Comic Book Database attributes these inks to Tallarico, but I disagree.) Here's a link to see what else was on the newsstands when this Son of Vulcan comic first appeared.


"The Diamond Dancers" begins in the big city where Dr.Kong, arch-enemy of Son of Vulcan is inspecting some diamonds at the Diamond Exchange. He then heads over to the theater where under the name of "Changchin" he is appearing in a play titled "A Chinese Folly". There he removes his large ring which is actually a camera and orders a young lady to develop the film.

Meanwhile Johnny Mann is interviewing the head of the Exchange and asks him if he thinks the two billion dollars worth of jewels are in threat of robbery and is assured such a thing is impossible.

Dr.Kong gets into his costume and heads to the stage while Johnny decides to take in a show. He recognizes his old enemy despite the costume and make-up and changes into Son of Vulcan, this time sporting a somewhat more elaborate costume. (More on that later.)

The Story then shifts back in time to the end of last issue when Mars was under attack by sea creatures. He escapes that threat and then finds large stores of diamonds in the Arctic. He decides to use this wealth to assume the identity of Warren Masters, and heads to the city and the diamond exchange. He finds himself outside the performance of "A Chinese Folly" at the same time that Son of Vulcan is demanding to see Dr.Kong.


Son of Vulcan confronts Dr.Kong and the two battle, Kong using his enormous electric sword and SoV using an axe. Son of Vulcan is struck down by Kong as Mars/Masters appears. The two villains talks and decide to work together to defeat their common foe. To that end they find a great pile driver at a local building site and using a steel beam drive the invulnerable Son of Vulcan deep into the Earth, creating a prison for him.

"The Magic Wand" is a one-page text piece telling the story of a television show and its special effects guru Burt Carsons. Carsons was contracted to create effects for a new show called "The Magic Wand", particularly a way to seemingly explode boulders and he does so by creating a "magic wand" powered by electricity which is immensely powerful and which is then used by its creator to take over the world.

Part II "The Living Tomb" begins as Son of Vulcan calls out to his adopted father Vulcan for help but it turns out that Vulcan and Venus have been forbidden by Jupiter to help SoV since his activities had forced Jupiter to banish Mars. Nonetheless Vulcan sends a fireball to help and it ignites a seam of coal in the ground around SoV and this allows him to explosively escape the trap.


Son of Vulcan then seeks out Dr.Kong and changes to Johnny Mann to do so. Meanwhile the two villains are working together to break into the Diamond Exchange, which shares a wall with the theater and while Kong uses fireworks to create a distraction on stage, Mars/Masters uses a bazooka to break through. Johnny Mann confronts Kong but must change to Son of Vulcan to escape his sword which then breaks on SoV's mighty shield.

Mars/Masters then appears and uses gas to subdue Son of Vulcan. Then he and Dr.Kong gather the diamonds and repair the wall, being careful to put Son of Vulcan within so he will get the blame. But the villains fall out as Mars wants Kong to pay for his crimes, but Kong is too clever and captures the god in a booby-trapped chair.



In Olympus Vulcan sends the real King Midas to assist Son of Vulcan by changing the Diamond Exchange wall to softer gold which SoV can break through easily.


He confronts Mars/Masters and learns that Dr.Kong is seeking to escape by boat. Flying to the docks, he finds the ship and learns that Kong is not yet aboard. He then goes underwater, finds Kong's one-man submarine and disables it. As Kong sinks to the bottom, Son of Vulcan returns the stolen diamonds and when he returns to the theater finds Mars gone but threatening to return.

"Enemies of the Deep" is a three-page comic story featuring dangerous sea creatures such as the hammerhead shark, the sea leopard, the killer whale, and the moray eel. The story features art by Frank McLaughlin.


This is hugely fun, if hugely goofy issue. The way the two villains with their immense abilities work so mightily to steal some paltry diamonds is mildly hilarious. Son of Vulcan seems to completely stumble across the plot, and this story to a greater degree than earlier one seems utterly dependent upon coincidence to work.


The new look of Son of Vulcan is the handiwork of a young Dave Cockrum, who would be very famous later for revising the look of DC's Legion of Superheroes and later Marvel's X-Men. This new armor is more detailed, but I'm not sure myself if it's a stronger design. The added details seem I think to detract from the basic shape, and make the whole thing a bit muddy. But if because of the perceived dreary costume or whatever, clearly the series was lagging in sales, and this was an attempt to salvage it. Cockrum gets no mention inside the issue, but they did give him billing of his work on the cover itself, possibly since covers typically go to press last.

This penultimate issue of Son of Vulcan is a hoot, but with only a single Charlton episode remaining things look grim for our hero.


This story was reprinted by Alan Class in Uncanny Tales #87.

To read the complete comic book follow this link.   

A little more to come.

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Nature Boy!

Nature Boy by Jerry Siegel and John Buscema debuted in 1956. It took over the series numbering of firefighting Danny Blaze and ran for three issues before surrendering the series to the Li'l Rascal Twins. Nature Boy is Dave Crandall, a young boy who was lost at sea and found by a multitude of gods who granted the youngster a raft of powers just by invoking their names. He was returned to his comfortable home with his parents and grew to young manhood where he used his abilities to master nature to fight crime and injustice. In the first issue he battles a dictator of a supposed "Utopia" and helps combat the devastation of a flood. We get a brief glimpse of Nature Man when an adult Dave Crandall wanders the land helping out folks who need it. Blue Beetle also appears in the debut issue in story drawn by Rocke Mastroserio. 

To read this issue follow this link. 

In the second issue in stories written by Joe Gill and drawn by Rocke Mastroserio Nature Boy fights to bring peace to the world by attempting to contain worldwide aggression and confronts corporate powers who are bringing starvation to regions of the United States which should be generating lush harvests. Later he stops an air invasion and rids natives on a remote island of their oppressive leader. Nature Boy seems to have an endless array of powers but mostly he uses weather effects and lightning to get his way. There is also a story about Pecos Bill by Bob Powell. 

To read this issue follow this link. 

Siegel and Buscema return for the third and final installment of the short series. In this one, adorned by one of comicdom's most outlandish yet memorable covers, we get our hero saving the town of Centerville from an invader from Jupiter and he goes on a journey across the globe and confronts evil in the Sahara. Later he battles for justice in the Khyber Pass and finally helps a youngster when kidnappers invade. We get a one-page glimpse of Nature Girl who fights to save an elephant from a hunter. Siegel seemed to want to evoke the Marvel Family with this series, and if it had been given time, we might've seen an origin for Nature Girl. But it was not to be as this wraps up the run of Nature Boy. 

To read this issue follow this link. 

 

Nature Boy was brought to the attention of modern readers as he's given an entry in The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris. 

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Sarge Steel - The Terrible Talon!

Sarge Steel #8 is dated March-April 1966. Pat Masull [sic] is listed as the creator, and clearly this is Pat Masulli's name misspelled which is stunning given he's the Executive Editor of Charlton at this time. Joe Gill is again scripting and Jon D'Agostino supplies the letters. Bill Montes and Ernie Bache return for the art chores. The cover for this issue is by Rocke Mastroserio.

File #108 "Case of the Terrible Talon" begins with Part I "The Talon Takes Sarge Steel". After a symbolic splash showing Sarge shooting at a mechanical talon, the story opens on a West German street where Professor Froelig is kidnapped. In Dusseldorf two men discuss the crime and attribute it to The Talon, a criminal mastermind terrorizing Germany. That evening a group of West German businessmen and other important types gather to plan a response and agree that they need Sarge Steel to take on the Talon. A waiter overhears this decision. We cut to Sarge as he heads out to take on this assignment and Bessie gives him a big kiss before he goes. In the taxi on the way to the airport he is met by a U.S. agent who tells him he's on his own. In the air on the way to West Germany Sarge finds a mysterious talon symbol in the bottom of his coffee cup, an ominous sign indeed. After landing he is met by Herr Wolffhundt who takes him to a cafe where the waitress pulls a gun and other men show up using a stun gun to knock out Steel and kidnap Wolffhundt. They leave a message on Steel's chest saying "Leave Germany or Die!". Sarge recovers and gets a car but as he leaves a beautiful redhead climbs into the passenger seat and presents herself as a West German agent. At that point a helicopter appears overhead.

"Tank Trouble" is a one-page text story about two WWII veterans, one American and one German who meet at an agricultural show and realize they know one another. They led men into battle during the war against one another and after the German leader had the advantage a clever tactic by the American resulted in a defeat forcing the German officer to flee Nazi German or be killed. He made contact with American forces and surrendered.

Part II is titled "The Faceless Man" and begins with Sarge's car being picked up by a giant electric magnet suspended from a helicopter. The car and Sarge and the German agent Gerta are taken to the Talon's headquarters in the mountains of East Germany. There Sarge meets the masked Talon and is shown the scale of Talon's operation. After attacking an armored agent though Sarge is again hit with the stun gun. He awakes strapped into a high-tech device dubbed the "Hypno Chair" which is used to gather information from him and defeat his free will. Sarge seems to succumb but when he is released he attacks Talon and knocks out his savage dog with his steel fist. He uses a device called the "Wailing Wallet" which emits tear gas to help him free Gerta and the pair take their unconscious Talon out of the headquarters as his men follow. Sarge then takes one of his shoes and throws it, and since that shoe is actually a delayed time bomb it explodes and allows them to escape in Sarge's Mercedes-Benz. That car is rigged with cannons on the front which they use to escape the Talon's compound.

Part III is titled "Trial of a Terrorist" and begins with Sarge and Gerta in the Mercedes under fire from Talon's men. Sarge uses rear canons to stop pursuit. The helicopter appears overhead and begins firing radar-controlled rockets at Sarge's car, but then a Messerschmitt Rocket Fighter appears disabling the helicopter and allowing Gerta and Sarge and the prisoner to escape. They drive through the East German border and deliver Talon to stand trial. As the trial begins the Talon, still masked, faces witnesses. Then word comes that his forces are coming to free him and a counter attack is ordered. A man wearing a rocketpack is stopped by Sarge and then a great metal claw snags him and pulls him into the air but Sarge is able to use his own weapon to disable the helicopter that has captured him. Taking the rocketpack Sarge flies clear as the helicopter crashes. Then in a sudden turn of events, Sarge suggests they let Talon go free but spread the story that he betrayed his own men making him forever a fugitive from his own people. Talon is sent packing as Sarge taunts the now helpless terrorist.

"Blue Four Top Secret" is a three-page feature drawn by Rocke Mastroserio in which the gimmicks and devices featured in the main Sarge Steel story are described in further detail. Shown and described are the "Wail Wallet", "The Shoe", "The Stun Gun", "The Hypno Chair", and a full-page on the Talon-copter the enemy agents used.

This is issue is fully devoted to the high-tech environment of the Bond-like super-spy world. Gone utterly is the noir atmosphere of previous issues. This is reinforced as again the first-person narration is absent. Sarge is here completely dependent on gimmicks and gadgets to fight the enemy who likewise use a host of machines to wage battle. The helicopter is very like the helicopter in You Only Live Twice though even more high-tech. The hypno chair scene reminded me of Goldfinger and the Mercedes-Benz was just another version of Bond's Astin-Martin. Clearly the attempt is made, as is evident on the cover to play the super-spy angle to the hilt. It's a fun issue, but not quite as emotionally compelling as earlier installments of the series.

This is the last issue of the series to be titled "Sarge Steel" but that's not the end of Sarge yet.

You can read the complete comic book at this link. 

More Sarge Steel to come.

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The Fightin' 5 - Monster From The Abyss!

Fightin' Five Volume 2 #41 is dated January,1967. The Executive editor is Pat Masulli and the Managing Editor is Dick Giordano. The script is by regular writer and creator Joe Gill along with Bill Montes and Ernie Bache on the artwork. The cover is by Rocke Mastroserio. This is final original issue of the Fightin' Five to be published.

The "5" are Frenchy the Fox, Irv "The Nerve" Haganah, Granite Gallero, Hank Hennessy, and Tom-Tom. Designated according to the first letter of their name, they formed "America's Super Squad" and the word "F.I.G.H.T.", hence Fightin' 5.

"Monster from the Abyss" begins under the ocean when Dr. Aquilla and his scuba-wearing henchmen try to take control of the nuclear submarine and underwater laboratory the U.S.S. Plankton. Aquilla has established a base under the sea where he mines precious gems and minerals. He perceives the Plankton as a threat and orders his men to take control of it. In the course of that a missile is sent astray which ends up going deep into a trench. Meanwhile the Fightin' 5 approach the area concerned over Aquilla's activities. The missile goes to the bottom of the trench where it explodes just above the head of a gigantic sleeping reptile. The ancient creature is understandably upset and rises from the depths to see what has awakened him and encounters another missile which explodes on contact.

"Aquilla's Doom" begins as the creature attacks the U.S.S. Plankton and the Fightin' 5 arrive on the underwater tableau. They begin to try and distract the mammoth creature and do draw its attention away, but it then seeks to attack them. Aquilla sees this and is happy to see the creature handle his enemies for him. The Fightin' 5 try to draw the beast away and succeed, but when Plankton crew try to emerge to effect repairs, they are attacked by Aquilla's men who issues an order for them to surrender their ship. The Fighitn' 5 though manage to turn the sea monster and it starts to destroy parts of Aquilla's undersea base. Aquilla's attempts to attack Hank with a squidlike ink gun only attract the creature to him and he has to swim for his life hiding in the coral. To save the undersea despot the Fightin' 5 use a small bomb and get the creature to swallow it. It explodes but only gives the monster the hiccups. This does though distract him, and he swims away while the Fighitn' 5 go to rescue the crew of the Plankton and capture Aquilla.

"Expendable Except" is a one-page text story set during WWII in which a scientist uses his wits and a wine cellar to enable himself and his daughter to escape the Nazis with an O.S.S. agent and emigrate to America.

The Peacemaker has a second installment this issue. The writing is by Joe Gill and the art is by Pat Boyette.

"The War Peddler" picks up the action from the previous issue with Peacemaker having just been shot from the sky by Emil Bork an evil arms dealer. But Peacemaker recovers in the nick of time just missing the ground when his jets restart. Later aboard his own jet he seeks out Bork who is trying to instigate a war by initiating conflict with his own men and equipment and tricking two bordering nations. Christopher Smith learns of his plan, confronts Bork but it is to no avail who escapes in his own helicopter. Smith then becomes Peacemaker and takes to the skies reaching the site of the impending battle. Using his ability the electronically scramble communications and some paralyzing nerve gas he incapacitates both armies. Bork seeing this, shoots four missiles at Peacemaker. Peacemaker uses his helmet laser to destroy three of the missiles and sends the fourth into Bork's own plane killing the amoral war peddler. The blurb promises for Peacemaker adventures in the next issue of Fighin' 5 but there will be no more. Instead, Peacemaker will get his own book. More on that later.

It has long been noted that the sea monster awakened in this issue of Fightin' 5 bears a striking resemblance to longtime Charlton monster-character Gorgo. As can be seen above in this cover by the Montes and Bache team for an issue of Gorgo, the resemblance is amazing. In fact, inside the issue the beast looks even more like Gorgo with the nifty little ear fins added which are missing from the cover.

This is the last regular issue of the Fightin' Five. The title is cancelled, and its place is taken by the debut of a new Peacemaker comic a few months later in 1967. It will be over a decade before the title is revived picking up the original numbering but using only reprints. Those have been covered in previous reports. While Peacemaker takes the lead, the Fightin' 5 are given the back-up position with some few new adventures. 

Read the actual comic book here. 

The Fight Continues in the pages of Peacemaker. 

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The Fightin' 5 - The Agents Of Death!

Fighitn' Five Volume 2 #40 is dated November 1966. The Executive Editor is Pat Masulli and the Managing Editor is Dick Giordano. The story was written by Joe Gill with the regular team of Bill Montes and Ernie Bache doing the art. Montes and Rocke Mastroserio did the rather striking cover this issue.

The "5" are Frenchy the Fox, Irv "The Nerve" Haganah, Granite Gallero, Hank Hennessy, and Tom-Tom. Designated according to the first letter of their name, they formed "America's Super Squad" and the word "F.I.G.H.T.", hence Fightin' 5.

"The Agents of D.E.A.T.H." (Dedicated Enemies of And Traitors to Humanity) are five rich international criminals who have banded together to take vengeance on the world for a multitude of reasons. The story opens with the Fightin' 5 taking a day off at Cape Cod with their girlfriends. But a relaxing day at the beach changes suddenly when a mysterious but beautiful woman appears and touches Hank who immediately follows her without explanation. She is Lady Dawn, a member of the Agents of D.E.A.T.H. The other members are Enrico Cuomo - an Italian treasure hunter, Anton Vidrian - appliance manufacturer, Thomas Lash - disgraced U.S. military man and financier, and Hans Muller - former boy genius for the Nazis. Aboard their high-tech and high-speed boat they plot the theft of secret submarines from the New London boatyards. Hank appears to be under Lady Dawn's control.

"Candidate for D.E.A.T.H..." begins with the raid which succeeds with the theft of one nuclear sub. While that one is leaving Lady Death and Hank stay to steal another. The other members of the Fightin' 5 though have figured out what must've happened and get their won submarine and use a steel-twine warhead to trap the escaping sub.

"Murder, My Friends" has the Fightin' 5 infiltrate the New London base and Hank appears to gun them down with gas when they emerge from the water. But it's a ruse as he is actually protecting them from the murderous gang. Hank, Lady Dawn and Enrico Cuomo head off in the other stolen sub to their villainous launch. Once there, they try to escape but Hank looking for an opportunity uses his knife to short-circuit the boat's electronics and quickly defeats Cuomo. As Lady Dawn prepares to shoot him he unleashes a smoke grenade and leaps off the boat. Enrico and Lady Dawn escape but the Five imagine they will return.

Debuting in this issue is The Peacemaker. Created by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette, this is a new hero in Dick Giordano's "Action Hero" regime.

In "Introducing: The Peacemaker" we meet Christopher Smith, international envoy to the Geneva Arms Conference and dedicated man of peace. On his way to the conference, he is waylaid by arms dealer Emil Bork and his henchmen, and his top-secret papers are stolen. Later Smith attends a dinner party with Bork where Smith weighs his options. Seeing no way to stop Bork by negotiation he puts on his Peacemaker gear and using jet takes to the air. Peacemaker then stops Bork's me from kidnapping three of the conference attendees. A twin-jet bomber takes to the air, and Peacemaker takes chase but seems to be shot down as the first half of the story closes.

This comic has not been reprinted to my knowledge.

 Read the actual comic book here. 

The Fight Continues. 

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The Fightin' 5 - Five Trails Of Death!

Fightin' Five Volume 2 #39 is dated September, 1966. The Executive Editor is Pat Masulli and assuming duties as Managing Editor is Dick Giordano. The script for this issue was by the always reliable Joe Gill and like the art inside was provided by Bil Montes and Ernie Bache. The cover is by Montes with inks by Rocke Mastroserio.

The "5" are Frenchy the Fox, Irv "The Nerve" Haganah, Granite Gallero, Hank Hennessy, and Tom-Tom. Designated according to the first letter of their name, they formed "America's Super Squad" and the word "F.I.G.H.T.", hence Fightin' 5.

"5 Trails to Death" begins with an ending of sorts. The Fightin' 5 team battle aboard a Soviet sub to capture Zero, a weirdly costumed and bald mastermind. They succeed and haul their captive to a U.S. base in the Everglades. But Zeru effects his escape almost immediately by using a foggy gas which incapacitates the whole base. But as Zeru runs through the swamp to find his comrades, he is followed by Frenchy who was using scuba gear during the escape. He follows Zeru to a Soviet sub and tags along until the sub eventually docks at what is called "Death Island". He is detected though and the twin dangers of sharks and scuba-wearing opponents appear to kill Frenchy. Zeru checks with his henchman and learns that the island is fully stocked with deadly creatures such as spiders, crocodiles, insects, and fish in addition to high-tech equipment. Meanwhile the Fighitn' 5 have recovered from the gas and begin a search for Zeru. Irv "The Nerve" flies out in a small plane and finds "Death Island" but is shot down by a deadly missle. 

"The Bicycle Soldier" is a one-page text story which discusses the various ways soldiers have been transported over the centuries, including on foot, the use of camels, and such. The focus though is one the Japanese use of bicycles to effectively wage the war in Malaya.

The remaining Fightin' 5 continue to search for Zeru and to that end Granite uses a jet to reach "Death Island" and parachutes in. He battles some crocodiles and is discovered by enemy soldiers and seems to be killed when he responds with a hand grenade. Hank and Tom-Tom have taken a launch and are too heading for the island when they detect a woman in scuba gear beneath their boat. The capture her and head on to the island but the boat is then blown up by Zeru's forces. With all of the Fightin' 5 seemingly dead, Zeru gives the go ahead to his leader that the United States can now be effectively blackmailed using lethal atomic missles located on the island. Then we see Hank walk out of the surf and he quickly obtains contact with Frenchy, Irv, and Granite, who have all likewise survived despite appearances. Then Tom-Tom emerges carrying the girl enemy agent.  Then the members reveal how they survived. Hank and Tom-Tom had an armored cockpit in the boat which protected them, Frenchy was saved by his nylon armor and shark repellant, Irv used a rocket-belt to escape his plane, and Granite used his nylon armor and a handy ditch to evade the explosion. Reassembled, Hank is then seemingly capture and confronts Zeru. At the last moment he grabs an enemy weapon and destroys the command console for the deadly missiles eliminating the threat to the United States. In a furious counterattack the Five appear to kill all the enemy agents including Zeru, though he is not shown. The Soviet ambassador is summarily kicked out of the office once his threat is rendered harmless.

"Experiment 74" is a three-page story drawn by Montes and Bache which describes a nuclear test which after the first part causes a scientist and his military liaison to check out a cave in the blast zone. The stumble upon a large reptilian creature immune to bullets. The escape, but just as the second part of the nuclear test happens, destroying the cave and the presumably the creature too.

This comic has not been reprinted to my knowledge.

Read the actual comic book here. 

The Fight Continues as the Fightin' 5 are joined by The Peacemaker.

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The Fightin' 5 - The Plans Of Satan!

Fightin' Five Volume 2 #38 is dated July 1966. The issue was edited by Pat Masulli and written by Joe Gill. The art as usual was by Bill Montes and Ernie Bache. The cover was done by Rocke Mastroserio.

The "5" are Frenchy the Fox, Irv "The Nerve" Haganah, Granite Gallero, Hank Hennessy, and Tom-Tom. Designated according to the first letter of their name, they formed "America's Super Squad" and the word "F.I.G.H.T.", hence Fightin' 5.

"The Plans of S.A.T.A.N." begin with an introduction to the organization S.A.T.A.N. (the meaning of the letters is never revealed but I think of them as Sabotage, Arson, and Terrorism According to Nico) and its leader, a former WWII double agent named Nico. The story begins when the Fightin' 5 defeat, they think, a Communist plot for smuggling but find themselves ambushed by Nico (dressed in a devilish costume and using a trident with electric rays) and agents of S.A.T.A.N. They are not killed but given a warning to stay out future dealings with the terrorist gang. When they recover Hank and the rest immediately begin tracking the terrorists and describe how Nico was both effective as an agent for the Allies and the Nazis.  Nico explains his plan to his men and sends bombers to the Riviera aboard secret submarines and on motorcycles. These explosions draw the Fightin'5 to Monaco while Nico and his men use a fake subway train to infiltrate the New York Stock Exchange where they force the employees to give them access to the wealth there. Their escape is masked by the use of the fake subway car which is confronted by the military while the gang use a helicopter disguised as a tour ride to leave town. The Fightin' 5 realize they've been decoyed.

"American Ingenuity" is a one-page text piece which talks about how U.S. troops in Vietnam have to use their wits to fight effectively, specifically the use of metal soles in shoes to avoid spikes and the use of hatchets to better wage hand-to-hand warfare in the dense jungles.

"Planned Disaster" begins with the Fightin' 5 being blown up by one more charge in Monaco. They recover, regroup and try to anticipate Nico's next move. The demonic leader reveals to his men a triple-prong attack against Venice, Berlin, and Marseilles. Knowing Nico's flair for the dramatic, Hank plays a hunch he will truly attack the canals of Venice and the team heads there aboard their jet bomber. Using his submarines and a small army of sharks Nico prepares to loot Venice. First a tanker spills fuel into the water of the canals and then it lit afire.

"City in Flames" sees the Fightin' 5 in scuba gear descending into the canals of Venice to confront Nico and finding mines and sharks. They fight their way through and confront the S.A.T.A.N. forces who are busy looting the various museums of the area. Nico tries to stun the team again with his pitchfork, but they are prepared and fake him out by only pretending to fall prey to it. When he and his men have left Hank and the other members regroup and counter attack eventually defeating Nico's forces. Nico himself leaps into the canals to escape but is surrounded by sharks. His fate is unknown as the story ends.

"Man to Man" is a three-page story written by Joe Gill and drawn by Montes and Bache which shows how United States troops must alter their tactics to be effective in Vietnam by adopting a more individualized and stealthy approach to warfare.

The issue is reprinted in Fightin'5 Volume 4 #49 dated December, 1982, the final regular issue of the run. The text page is missing and the "Man to Man" is replaced by "The Enemy", a WWII story about PFC Billy Trent learning to deal with the greatest enemy a soldier has to battle, even in the Pacific Theater, fear. The art for this story is in my estimation by the "Nicholas Alascia" team. Note how the devilish face of Nico has been removed from this version of the cover.

A version of the cover was used on 1998's The Power of Five from ACG.

And the lead story appeared in 2000's Heroes Ink #1 from ACG.

This is the second straight Fightin' 5 adventure which as the team battling enemies in jaunty jumpsuits. Unfortunately like most old-fashioned artists, Mones and Bache are much better at drawing actual people in realistic clothes than in super-suits. This tendency makes Nico and his henchmen look like what they are, men in costumes which often look somewhat silly. Modern artists often have the reverse problem, less able to draw realistic clothes than costumes.

The series came to a final end after its 1981 revival, sadly before all of the Fightin' 5 stories could be reprinted. We'll take a look at the last several. 

Read the actual comic book here. 

The Fight Continues. 

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The Fightin' 5 - Hidden Empire!

Fighitn' Five Volume 2 #36 is dated January, 1966. Edited by Pat Masulli and written as always by the iron man Joe Gill, this issue featured Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio not only on the covers which he'd inked and drawn for a few issues, but on the interiors as well giving the Montes and Bache team a break.

The "5" are Frenchy the Fox, Irv "The Nerve" Haganah, Granite Gallero, Hank Hennessy, and Tom-Tom. Designated according to the first letter of their name, they formed "America's Super Squad" and the word "F.I.G.H.T.", hence Fightin' 5.

"Part 1 Hidden Empire" introduces Dr. Hubert Nijus, a world-famous scientist focused on oceanography. We meet Nijus as he is meeting with one of his volunteers, one of many young men, and he gives the willing subject a pill which is designed to enable the terrestrial human the ability to function for long periods underwater. We see other volunteers who have progressed farther along who have actually developed fins on their bald heads and a purple color to their skin. The United States government is concerned and sends J.D. Leonard of Special Section to investigate. He finds Nijus and sees a "Fin Man" but before he can take Nijus captive, he is captured, taken in a tube to an underwater complex Nijus has built on the bottom of the ocean. When Leonard does not report the government contacts the Fightin' 5 to take a look. They fly and meet a man named Basil, the Chief of Special Section to get the details. Meanwhile a scientist leaves their meeting and makes his way through a hidden trapdoor into the water ultimately riding a powered sled to report to Nijus.

"The Strongsword" is a one-page text story about a Saxon named Edward who flees his homeland after the arrival of William the Conqueror and finds his way to Japan by way of China where a Japanese warlord named Yoritomo is much impressed by his large and powerful sword. He is made a samurai and helps them in a number of ways, specifically tactically in battling other clans and is given the named Kyianoto.

"Part 2 City of Missing Men" picks up the action when the Fightin' 5 reveal they saw lab assistant leave and follow him into the depths using their scuba equipment. They are soon attacked by Fin Men using sharks as weapons. The Fin Men then capture Hank, Granite, Irv the Nerve, and Tom-Tom in a net and take them to Nijus. Frenchy the Fox escapes but maintains radio contact with Hank. Nijus boast of his ability to turn men into his undersea servants and shows off his vast complex including submarines he has developed to deliver atomic weapons he has built. He then takes Hank and begins the transformation process on him.

"Part 3 The Fishy 5" sees Tom-Tom and the other captured Fightn' 5 members get the Fin Man treatment, but they seemed relatively unconcerned. Meanwhile Frenchy has located the powerhouse for the undersea city and blows it up. The seemingly transformed Fightin' 5, still using their scuba gear to ease their transition approach various of the Fin Men and offer them a cure for the Nijus treatments. Some agree and some don't. A battle erupts when Frenchy returns. Dr.Nijus fearing defeat runs into his base and blows it up, killing himself. After his death, all the Fin Men accept the cure and they head for the surface.

"The Treasure Pirates" is a three-page story by unknown talents which talks about how scuba gear has made treasure hunting of old sea wrecks much easier. Sadly pirates still are on the prowl for successful hunters and the story shows how they take the prize only to find themselves later held at gunpoint by the savvy hunter.

The comic was reprinted in Fightin' 5 Volume 4 #48 dated December, 1982. The cover is somewhat altered and notably the distinctive purple color of the Fin Men is dropped in this reprint. The treasure hunt story is also reprinted but the text story is changed to "Expendable Except", a yarn about an O.S.S. mission to rescue a scientist and his daughter during WWII.

While there have been a few high-tech details in the Fightin' 5 stories to this point, mostly the use of jet belts, this is the first story which could be categorized as a pure science fiction adventure. It was a interesting turn after the rather gritty story from the previous issue. 

Read the actual comic book here. 

The Fight Continues. 

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The Fightin' 5 - Green Death In Vietnam!

Fightin' Five Volume 2 #35 was dated November, 1965. Edited by Pat Masulli and written by Joe Gill, this issue was drawn by the team of Bill Montes and Ernie Bache. The cover is by Montes and inked by Rocke Mastroserio.

The "5" are Frenchy the Fox, Irv "The Nerve" Haganah, Granite Gallero, Hank Hennessy, and Tom-Tom. Designated according to the first letter of their name, they formed "America's Super Squad" and the word "F.I.G.H.T.", hence Fightin' 5.

"Green Death in Vietnam" begins with some information on the nature of the struggle between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese government assisted at the time by the United States. The Fightin' 5 are training in their headquarters, specifically using the M16 rifle. They get a call from a General in the U.S. military who orders the team to go to Vietnam and deal with a particular Viet Cong leader named Chu. Hank was serving in Vietnam before he was tapped to lead the Fightin' 5 and he is quite up to date on the problem. The team fly to Southeast Asia on a Convair B-58 and report to Major Harry Becker who knows Hank. While the regular forces will continue to battle the Viet Cong on the military front, the Fightin' 5 are given the specific mission to undermine the charm of Chu and render him powerless. The fly into the bush and immediately engage in a deadly firefight which reports of make Chu quite angry. He leads his forces in a stealth attack using reeds to breathe underwater to hide their approach as they take over a local village. The Fightin' 5 story continues as the team use a jet belt to reconnoiter after they come across the attacked village. and find Chu's forces.

"Danger and Delicatessen" is a one-page story about Sgt.John Hailler who is part of the Quartermaster Dept. and while visiting a local delicatessen finds a man who is eager to defect. He takes great pains to accomplish this and later is rewarded when he finally gets his food.

"Part 2 A Legend Dies" begins with the Hank leading a counter-attack against Chu's forces. It causes the leader to retreat and lose considerable face when he runs out. Later the team build a raft to follow Chu down river and eventually locate his base of operations. After infiltrating his base Irv the Nerve and Frenchy blow up his munitions. While they use their skills to destroy Chu's communications and infrastructure Hank challenges Chu to hand-to-hand battle. Hank wins the duel and Tom-Tom dumps the humiliated and diminished Viet Cong leader into a puddle. Having accomplished their mission the Fightin' 5 report to their superiors and prepare to return home.

"The Green Badge of Courage" is a three-page story illustrated by Ernie Bache which details the skills and training of the United States Special Forces soldier and suggest this type of warrior is the future of warfare.

This issue was reprinted in Fightin' 5 Volume 4 #47 dated August 1982.

Charlton was one of the very few comics companies that set stories in Vietnam during the actual war itself. Other war comics were set comfortably in the remote and heroic World War II. Vietnam was still pretty controversial. But at Charlton the war was real, at least as real as any war gets in comics.

Read the actual comic book here. 

 
The Fight Continues.

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