Boy Commandos Meet Dale Evans

It's a rip roaring western adventure, as Rip Carter takes the Boy Commandos (Brooklyn, Andre and Tex) out west to meet Dale Evans in Boy Commandos #32 (March-April, 1949) by Jack Kirby.

Detective Comics Stars Besides Batman Golden Age

Detective Comics has had many features over the decades, but Batman was usually the dominant one, being featured on most of its covers over the years.

Still, a few other characters have managed to be featured on Detective Comics covers, and, as Detective Comics #1000 approaches, time to take a look back at a few of them.

Crimson Avenger

Premiering before the Batman, Crimson Avenger was Lee Travis, who originally fought crime in a cloak, with a mask and a hat, like the old pulp heroes, starting in Detective Comics #20 (October, 1938) by Jim Chambers. 

With his chauffeur, Wing How, the two battled crime through Detective Comics #89 (July, 1944), with the two eventually adopting more traditional mystery men outfits (Crimson Avenger in Detective Comics #44, Wing in Detective Comics #59), with the two being members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory for the first 14 issues of Leading Comics. 

Retroactively, they were both members of the All-Star Squadron during World War II (though those comics didn't happen until the 1980s). 


Too few of their original tales have been reprinted, but here's a guide, adding Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman to it, with a reprint of Detective Comics #20.


A planned 2 volume reprint of Detective Comics #1-26 was scheduled, but cancelled...

....a shame, as a look at comics that existed before Batman would have been fascinating!

Boy Commandos

Very few characters even made it onto the cover of Detective Comics other than Batman, and it was a lock for the Dynamic Duo after Robin's debut.  Still, an issue after they debuted, the Boy Commandos did indeed share a cover with Batman and Robin.

The Boy Commandos were a creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and ran in Detective Comics from Detective Comics #64 (June, 1942) to Detective Comics #150 (August, 1949), as well as having their own series that lasted 36 issues!

Read more about these youths that fought for our freedoms here, as we've covered them before as Jack Kirby was being celebrated!

All The Detectives

So many other characters didn't make the covers of Detective Comics, but quite a few did long after their premieres, with a special story in Detective Comics #500 (March, 1981), with the lot making the cover, as they all met in a special story covered here, but, here's a little bit more info on all of them....

Slam Bradley

Slam Bradley first appeared in Detective Comics #1 (March, 1937) in a story by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.



He was a simple but tough private investigator, not the smartest of men, but good in a fight, whose series ran until Detective Comics #152 (October, 1949), as well as appearances in both New York World's Fair Comics.



Bradley was an old school gumshoe....who was replaced by the latest in technology!

Roy Raymond TV Detective

Roy Raymond took the spot of Slam Bradley, starting in Detective Comics #153 (November, 1949), in a series that was first titled after his TV Show, Impossible -- But True in a story drawn by Ruben Moreira!

Roy was a wealthy man, but got that wealth by not believing in anything.  During his life, he would expose charlatans for what they were, and did so on his TV show, with his assistant, Karen Colby, for years, until Detective Comics #292 (June, 1961), after which he disappeared for a while...

....being saved by Superman in Superman #285 (March, 1975), with his show being revived for Galaxy Broadcasting under Morgan Edge, next being in Action Comics #448 and Superman Family #195, returning for one special appearance in Detective Comics #487 before issue #500.

Pow Wow Smith

This is actually the story of two heroes, both named Ohiyesa, who both got the unflattering nickname of Pow Wow Smith.

The first premiered in Detective Comics #151 (September, 1949) by Don Cameron, Carmine Infantino and George Klein.  Ohiyesa was a Sioux Indian Tribe member, who went to college, and came back to Red Deer Valley to become come home, to use his learning to help his people and becoming sheriff, with the locals giving the nickname Pow Wow Smith. 

This was the modern day Pow Wow Smith, which lasted until Detective Comics #202 (December, 1953), then switched over to Western Comics.  That series, which lasted from Western Comics #43 (January-February, 1954) to #85 (January-February, 1961), with the later series focused on 1880s adventures in the desert.

Captain Compass

Mark Compass started his career as a naval investigator in Star-Spangled Comics #83 (August, 1948) working as a detective for the Penny Steamship Lines in a story drawn by Jimmy Thompson (the title's covers were dominated by Robin at this time).  His adventures on the high seas lasted until Star-Spangled Comics #130 (July, 1952), moving World's Finest Comics #63 for an issue, then to Detective Comics, from #203 in January, 1954 to #224 in October, 1955 (with his spot going to Martian Manhunter's debut in the next issue).

Mysto Magician Detective

Rick Carter was a stage magician, who also solved crimes as a detective from time to time, with his adventures first appearing in Detective Comics #203 (January, 1954) by George Kashdan and Leonard Starr. 


Sadly, this didn't seem to catch on with readers...


....as Mysto soon pulled a disappearing act for years after Detective Comics #212 (October, 1954).

Jason Bard

Jason Bard first appeared in Detective Comics #392 (October, 1969) in a Batgirl story by Frank Robbins, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson, as Barbara Gordon saw a man with a limp fleeing a murder scene.  That was Jason, who was a Marine and a Vietnam veteran, who had taken up criminology on campus.  Working with Barbara and Batgirl, Jason eventually became a Private Investigator, hanging up his own detective shingle starting with Detective Comics #425 (July, 1972), appearing in every other issue of Detective Comics until #435, then Batman #252, Batman Family #15 and #16, Batman #297 before working regularly with Man-Bat, starting in Batman Family #20, Detective Comics #481, #485 and #491, and Batman in Brave and the Bold #165 and #172.

Human Target

Christopher Chance was an assassination expert for hire.  He wouldn't assassinate people, but instead take over their life for a time, using various Hollywood make-up tricks, then find the assassin as they tried to kill him, and stop the villain. 

Chance premiered in Action Comics #419 (December, 1972) by Len Wein, Carmine Infantino and Dick Giordano, and had tales in Action Comics #420, #422, #423, #425, #426, #429, and #432, before making a cover with a back-up in Brave and the Bold #143 and #144  in 1978, then living to nearly die in Detective Comics #483, #484, #486 (saving Dane Dorrance of the Sea Devils) and #493, before attending the detective's send off for Archie Evergreen with all of the above.

The DC Universe by Len Wein recently collected the Action Comics stories of the Human Target (hoping the B&Bs and Detective Comics come somewhere soon).

Now, there were more back ups in Detective Comics, and even a few of the characters in them made it onto covers, but, more will come later, but here's the cover of the Best of DC #30 from November, 1982, with a cover by Jim Aparo, to give clues to who some of those characters are! 

This issue also has reprints of some of the ordinary men who were featured in Detective Comics mentioned above.

Kirby Covers Detective Comics

While one does not usually associate Jack Kirby with DC Comics, the "King" did do many features for DC, and even got the chance to draw an early cover for Detective Comics, Detective Comics #65 (July, 1942....which was also worked on by Joe Simon and Jerry Robinson, likely Kirby/Simon on the Boy Commandos and Robinson on Batman/Robin) as Batman and Robin welcomed the new creations to Detective Comics.  

Batman had been a bit of a cover hog since his Detective Comics premiere, so this was a big deal.

It was also a little late, as the creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby had premiered in the previous issue of Detective Comics #64 (June, 1942).  Young Frenchman Andre Chavard, Dutchman Jan Hansen, Englishman Alfy Twidgett and New Yorker Brooklyn, were helpers of an American fighting unit called the Commandos stationed in Great Britain, who then worked solo missions with their guardian, Captain Rip Hunter.  

They even branch out, having adventures published in World's Finest Comics #8 to #41 in the 1940s, as well as continuing in Detective Comics until #150 (August, 1949), and having their own title which lasted 36 issues (until November-December, 1949).

The Boy Commandos were revived for 2 issues of reprints in 1973, as well as a Super Spectacular, after having a few tales reprinted in the 1970s Mr. Miracle series, as well (which included reprints of the tales of their meetings with Sandman and the Newsboy Legion).

Along the way, they teamed up with Guardian, Newsboy Legion, Sandman and Sandy (a rarity at the time for DC), as well as fighting menaces like Agent Axis and Crazy Quilt.  Members did leave the group, first Alfy, to be replaced by Tex, then Andre, who then had Percy Clearweather take his place. 

All the lads survived well past World War II, Brooklyn growing up to become a cop, Dan "Terrible" Turpin, who met Orion of the New Gods, and the other original lads as well as Rip had a reunion in the Millennium crossover issue of Blue Beetle (which also featured Mr. Miracle and the Manhunters).

Better still, DC has put out two volumes of reprints of their original tales, but we need many more to get the full adventures of these brave, patriotic lads!

Superboy Super Spectacular With Friends

Superboy was a star of more than one DC Super Spectacular...here's a look at his first, 100 Page Super-Spectacular #DC-15 (March, 1973), edited by E. Nelson Bridwell, with a cover by Nick Cardy, featuring Superboy and a few of the friends he would make along the way.


Here's a look at the stories contained in this issue.. 

Adventure Comics #273

First up, Superboy has to deal with "The Boy Who Was Stronger Than Superboy" from Adventure Comics #273 (June, 1960) by Jerry Siegel and George Papp, with a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.



This story has Superboy facing off against Ted Grahame, a boy from Smallville that Superboy rescued from a climbing accident, who develops super powers stronger than Superboy's, but whose parents are taken hostage by criminals....resulting in Superboy having to help save them, and take away the risk for Ted (his super powers) for the lad's own good.

Detective Comics #65

The second story reprinted is the second story of the Boy Commandos from Detective Comics #65 (July, 1942) with "Nostradamus Predicts" by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who also got to draw the cover (with Jerry Robinson) of the first of the Boy Commandos cover appearances (and this time, with Detective stars, Batman and Robin).

The Boy Commandos were a group of orphans (Andre Chavard, Alfy Twidgett, Jan Haasen and Brooklyn) who worked with Rip Carter (a member of the U.S. Army stationed in Great Britain) who worked together to fight the Nazi menace.  In this story, the boys were sent to school to continue their education, but found a Nazi hidden there, working as a gardner named Bathingham.

Superboy #57

Back to a Superboy story, with "The Boy Of The Year Contest" from Superboy #57 (June, 1957) (which you'd think Superboy would win, as the cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye evidences being a one man baseball team) by Otto Binder and John Sikela.

The story reprinted here has Superboy being disqualified from being in the Boy of the Year contest (because the Boy of Steel cannot supply a home address, without giving away his secret identity).  So, four other boys are up for the award, but are beset by accidents, which people feel Superboy is causing.  Clark Kent defends his alter ego, ends up being nominated, and while Superboy finds the real culprit, Clark Kent wins the award!

Adventure Comics #270

Time for another second appearance, this time that of Aqualad in the Aquaman feature from Adventure Comics #270 (March, 1960) by Robert Bernstein and Ramona Fradon, with "The Menace Of Aqualad".

Wait a minute?  Aqualad a menace?  That's what a fortune teller told Aquaman, and over the next few days, Aqualad acts odd, imperiling Aquaman.  Aquaman finally confronts his young friend about his odd behavior, which Aqualad explains as he was preparing a cave for the two of them to live in, and wanted it to be a surprise for Aquaman's birthday.

Hawk and Dove #3

It's a pair of brotherly super-heroes as Hawk and Dove (brothers Hank and Don Hall, teenagers who got super powers from a supernatural source) feature in one of the stories from Hawk and Dove #3 (December-January, 1968/1969) with "Twice Burned" by Steve Skeates, Gil Kane and Sal Trapani.


Hawk and Dove have to hunt down criminals who beat John Kieves (Don Hall/Dove's friend Linda's father), with Hawk taking the more aggressive approach, and Dove trying to reason with Linda's brother, Mark, to stop him from taking vengeance in his own hands.  Dove does stop him, but only by resorting to violence (which he claims to abhor).

Superboy #63

Back to Superboy and his legal troubles, with "The Trial Of Superboy" from Superboy #63 (March, 1958) by Jerry Coleman and Creig Fessel, under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye (where Lana Lang tortures poor Clark Kent).

Superboy is being sued by a man who claims his house was destroyed by a piece of the rocket the brought Superboy to Earth from Krypton hitting his dwelling and wrecking it.  They get Superboy to reenact the original flight of his rocket, and pieces do fall off, hitting a glass factory where the house had been.  But, an astronomer comes out with proof that a comet effected the trajectory, getting Superboy freed from charges (and, later, it was discovered the glass factory was really producing secret government weapons).

Adventure Comics #81

Next up, a look at "A Drama In Dreams", which is a Sandman and Sandy tale from Adventure Comics #81 (December, 1942) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (showcasing those yellow outfits, with it being Sandman's newer costume, as he had abandoned the gas mask a while ago....).


Sandy the Golden Boy finds his mentor, Sandman, has been replaced by an imposter, and has to go on a hunt for Wes Dodds, finding him by following the fake.  But, Sandy gets captured as well, and he and Wes work together to get free, with Wes taking over being Sandman from the phony, allowing him to defeat the criminals.
 

House of Mystery #164

Dial up the excitement with this adventure of Robby Reed and his H-Dial from House of Mystery #164 (January, 1967) by Dave Wood and Jim Mooney, as the hero of multiple identities takes on "Dr. Cyclops - The Villain With The Doomsday Stare".


Robby ends up fighting new villain, Dr. Cyclops, and his super-spectacles, as the villain runs amuck in Zenith City.  Dialing an identity, Robby becomes Zip Tide to face his foe, but has to save innocent bystanders instead.  Finding the villain a second time, Robby becomes Super Nova, but fails, and re-dials to become Robby Robot, where he is finally able to end his battle with Dr. Cyclops.

Superboy #130

Last but not least is a tale of Superbaby (Superboy as a baby) from Superboy #130 (June, 1966) by Otto Binder and George Papp (under a Curt Swan and George Klein cover).


Superbaby, missing his canine, Krypto (that Jor-El had sent into space), goes looking for another pet in Smallville, causing chaos at the farm, a zoo and then heading out to space, where a shape-changing creature attacks the lad, who luckily defeats it, and returns to Earth, puppyless.


(Don't worry, Clark Kent eventually finds Krypto when he's Superboy!).

A hundred pages of fun, excitement, danger and thrills...

...just one of many (Superboy would later get another Super Spectacular full of reprints, and would have an issue of his own title feature many other stories as well....that much more to look forward to!

....as well as looking back, at this beautiful back cover for this issue, by Nick Cardy.