Losers Of World War II

It's a sad fact of comics that at some point characters lose their own features, but very rare for those losers to get back together and make something of themselves.

Such was the case for Captain Storm, Johnny Cloud, Gunner and Sarge....all features set during World War II who lost their own individual features, but were brought together (along with the crew of the Haunted Tank) in G.I. Combat #138 (October-November, 1969) by Robert Kanigher, Russ Heath and Joe Kubert, and then given their own spot in Our Fighting Forces, starting with #123 (January-February, 1970), by Robert Kanigher and Ken Barr.

But, let's take a quick look back to see where these Losers came from....

Gunner And Sarge

Gunner and Sarge were Marines fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II, starting with All-American Men Of War #67 (March, 1959) by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, were in the next issue, before moving over to Our Fighting Forces, having a run there for issues #45 to #94 (May, 1959 to July, 1965).

The boys even worked with the brother of Sgt. Rock, the Fighting Devil Dog (Lt. Larry Rock) and Captain Storm in Capt. Storm #13 (May-June, 1966) on the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

This was the last appearance of Gunner and Sarge before they were recruited to the Losers.

Pooch

Billy was a combat dog Sarge assigned to Gunner in Our Fighting Forces #49 (September, 1959) by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti, but Gunner, resentful of his new partner, just called him Pooch.  Gunner, blinded in a firefight, and separated from Sarge, gets help from Pooch to save Sarge from an incoming tank, so Gunner got use to his new partner.  Pooch appeared with Gunner and Sarge here and there during their run, and eventually joined them in the Losers after their initial appearances.

Johnny Cloud

Johnny Cloud was named Flying Cloud by his Navajo Indian Chief father who saw an Indian brave in the clouds above his birth, all related in his first appearance in All-American Men Of War #82 (November-December, 1960) by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick.  Johnny had worked his way to being a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and singlehandedly defeated a Nazi squadron of planes that took out his squad, with his dying commander suggesting Johnny should lead his own group, becoming the Navajo Ace.

Johnny was eventually promoted to Captain after saving the life of a French operative with Sgt. Rock and Jeb Stuart (of the Haunted Tank) in a tale chronicled in Brave and the Bold #52 (February-March, 1964), and continued on working with both men over the years, including past the end of his solo features in All-American Men Of War #117 (September-October, 1966).

Captain Storm

Lt. William Storm is given command of a U.S. Navy PT Boat in Capt. Storm #1 (May-June, 1964) by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick, but it is taken out on its first mission by a Japanese submarine.  Storm survives, but loses a leg in the water, having it replaced by a wooden one after he is found.

Instead of accepting a transfer home, Storm fights for another command, and, in spite of his handicap, proves himself a worthy commander with another PT command.  Storm first meets Gunner, Sarge and Pooch when taking them off their Pacific island in Our Fighting Forces #87 (October, 1964), and meets Lt. Larry Rock in Our Fighting Forces #95 (October, 1965).  Storm's solo adventures end with Capt. Storm #18 (March-April, 1967).

The Losers worked together in Our Fighting Forces, and occasionally helping other of DC's war time heroes.  Captain Storm proved particularly prone to injury, as he was presumed dead for a time (starting with #135, replaced by Norwegian freedom fighter Ona Tomsen).

Storm was later found, having lost an eye (taking away his original premise, being close to the story of President John F. Kennedy's time on a PT Boat).

Writer/artist Jack Kirby took over the series for a memorable run of issues (#151 to #162), as Jack Kirby drew upon his real life experience as a soldier during World War II (though he was not allowed to do all the covers for the book during the length of his run).

After Kirby, the title continued on, still fighting the good fight in World War II, at least until Our Fighting Forces #181 (September-October, 1978), at which point the Losers lost their title.



But, they battled on....

The team appeared a few more times in the Unknown Soldier title, before facing their end in the Crisis On Infinite Earths #3 (June, 1985) working with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, the Haunted Tank and time displaced heroes including Geo-Force of the Outsiders to save Markovia.  Their final mission, without all the time travel additions, was chronicled in the Losers Special #1 of 1985, where the Losers lost, and were never to be seen again....

The Losers did live on, with a relative of Johnny Cloud's (Professor John Cloud) helping the Thanagarian Hawkman and Hawkwoman during the run of John Ostrander's Hawkworld, and Black Canary ended up fighting the War Time Forgot on a mystical island with dinosaurs, and included a time lost Gunner and Sarge (who had taken a dinosaur as a new Pooch) at the end of Chuck Dixon's Birds of Prey.

The original Losers had many of their tales reprinted, though mostly in black and white in the Showcase Presents The Losers (G. I. Combat #138 and Our Fighting Forces #123 to #150), and the Jack Kirby issues in Jack Kirby's the Losers (with the later tales being lost to the ages so far.....and subject to the idiosyncrasies of DC's reprints).

The Losers even lost yet again....fighting dinosaurs during the New Frontier mini-series (all but Johnny dying first, but he recorded their story, before his own death by dinosaur) by Darwyn Cooke....sacrificing themselves quite literally to allow the new breed of super heroes to take center stage, in a world based around the truly secret origin of the Justice League of America, that had the JLA and JSA living on the same world (which Rebirth has put closer to the DC world of now, there seemed to be more to the Crisis...and they didn't lose quite the way the Losers Special showed).

Except that they were seen again.  The Losers were revived as a Vertigo title in the 21st Century (except it wasn't these Losers, but instead secret agents left for dead, who survive to get revenge - though it was once planned to be the original Losers in a book set in the 1950s).  The original Losers even returned in a one shot set in World War II in a book in 2010.

Proving the Losers do what they need to do, even though they feel beaten, they return....

....even during the U.S. Bicentennial, where various legends of World War II gathered to remember the late Sgt. Rock in DCU: Legacies #4 (October, 2010) including the Losers, who seemed to somehow have survived World War II and had lives afterward!

 

Saluting Our Combat Veterans

Saluting the men and women who fought for our country on this Veterans' Day...

....with this cover of G.I. Combat #200 (March, 1977) by Joe Kubert, featuring a story by Robert Kanigher and Sam Glanzman teaming up the crew of the Haunted Tank (stars of this comic) working with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, Mademoiselle Marie and the Losers (Captain Storm, Johnny Cloud, Gunner and Sarge) fighting one of their many battles of World War II.

JLA JSA Third Multiple Crisis

Worlds will live, worlds will die.   The tag line of DC's Crisis On Infinite Earths....but, who were on all those Earths, and who was living there?

Another in a series of collections on the various Crisis events faced by the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America....and, with this series of team team-ups, additional parts of the DC Universe were added to each grouping!

Let's dive into them!

Earth -- The Monster Maker

First up this time, Justice League of America #91 (August, 1971) by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella, with a cover by Neal Adams, and a JLA/JSA team-up of the super-heroic counterparts of each Earth, including special guest, Teen Titan Robin!

It also started off with the scene on the cover, injuring the Flash, and dealt with a lost boy and his dog, but they were interdimensional beings, who were symbiotic, so needed each other to survive.  The Flash (E-1) was injured by the dog (Teppy) by New Carthage (the college home of the E-1 Robin, the Teen Wonder).  The JLA goes to fight the animal there, where they are joined by the JSA, who had fought the boy (A-Rym), with he taking on the E-2 Green Lantern at Slaughter Swamp.  After eventually capturing the dog, the E-2 Flash and E-1 Superman head to Earth-2, bringing along the rest....to find the boy getting help from.....Solomon Grundy!

Solomon Grundy -- The One And Only

While the similarly named members of the JLA and JSA work to resolve the menace of a lost boy in Justice League of America #92 (September, 1971) by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella (under a Neal Adams/Dick Giordano), they encounter Solomon Grundy!

While Barry Allen Flash recovers in the JLA Satellite (aided by Black Canary and Iris Allen), the JLA and JSA fight A-Rym and Solomon Grundy, with the two Robins taking a break as the E-1 Robin has a damaged uniform (and gets a new costume for a bit from the E-2 Robin, as designed by Neal Adams, and both dealing with their Batman problems, as well as battling the authority of their respective Hawkmen), then with the help of the Hawkmen, stop A-Rym, while the Green Lanterns stop Solomon Grundy, and the teams reunite A-Rym and Teddy, and see they get back to their own people. 

Meanwhile, Batman and Green Arrow find Aquaman (which leads into the next new issue after a JLA Giant, wherein the JLA faces the new villain Merlyn, and his ties with Deadman and the League of Assassins!).

Jay Flash appears next with Barry Flash fighting Vandal Savage in Flash #215, the Earth-2 Hawkman doesn't appear again until the JSA has its own series in All-Star Comics in the 1970s, the Earth-2 Atom waits until he is found by the Secret Society of Super-Villains in that team's last issue to appear again, Solomon Grundy  coming from the fourth JLA/JSA team-up, and faces the Earth-1 Superman in Superman #301, the Earth-1 Robin returns to his original costume in his next appearance (though that costume will appear again)....and the rest of the JSA are as follows....

The Unknown Soldier Of Victory

This JLA/JSA team up in Justice League of America #100 (August, 1972) by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella (under a Nick Cardy cover) is a big one, so just follow along as events get revealed during the three issues!

The entire JLA (plus a few friends) gather at the JLA's original mountain headquarters for their 100th meeting (with cameos by absent Martian Manhunter, Snapper Carr and Adam Strange), when the JSA suddenly brings them to Earth-2.  The JSA explain that the Earth is being destroyed by a menace called the Iron Hand, and are looking for help.  Dr. Fate, with the help of Johnny's Thunderbolt and Zatanna summon the cosmic being Oracle, who explains that the Hand can be stopped by the same device that the Seven Soldiers of Victory used to stop the Nebula Man.  Green Arrow asks...."who are the Seven Soldiers?"....and finds out they were a group of Earth-2 heroes who disappeared after their battle with the Nebula Man in the 1950s (including his own Earth-2 duplicate), leaving behind a tomb to the unknown Seven Soldier. 

The Seven Soldiers originally gathered to fight the Hand (who united their own foes), but were now scattered in the past, waiting for the current JLA/JSA to go retrieve them.

Dr. Fate, the E-1 Atom and Elongated Man are sent to get the Crimson Avenger in Mexico in the time of the Aztecs, as readers find out that the current Iron Hand menacing the world is the original Hand who faced the Seven Soldiers!

The Hand That Shook The World

Justice League of America #101 (September, 1972) by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella (under Nick Cardy's cover) is another busy one....so, let's go!

Diana Prince (at this time, the depowered E-1 Wonder Woman), is alone at the JSA HQ, and explains to late arrivals Mr. Terrific and the E-2 Robin and Green Lantern what has been going on.  Meanwhile, the E-1 Superman, E-2 Sandman and Metamorpho go to get the Shining Knight from Genghis Khan as he invades China; the E-1 Hawkman and E-2 Wonder Woman and Dr. Mid-Nite help Little John free the E-2 Green Arrow (who was filling in for Robin Hood); and the E-1 Batman with Hourman and Starman free Stripsey from Egyptian slavery building Khufu's tomb.

The three JSAers leave Diana at their HQ to help people on their Earth and find out who is in the unknown Seventh Soldier tomb.....and the Iron Hand shows up at JSA HQ....to deal with Diana!

And One Of Us Must Die

An ominous issue is Justice League of America #102 (October, 1972) by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella (as seen by the Nick Cardy cover), as fate does not bode well for one of our heroes.

The cosmic Oracle bemoans that he is not allowed to interfere in man's destiny, as the E-1 Green Arrow, Black Canary and E-2 Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt save the E-2 Vigilante from American Indians and their bison in the old West; Aquaman, the E-1 Green Lantern and E-2 Wildcat deal with cavemen and a flood rescuing a flu bug bidden Star-Spangled Kid; and the E-1 Flash, Red Tornado and Zatanna free the E-2 Speedy from the ancient sorceress, Circe.

But, that's Seven Soldiers!  Who is in the tomb?

It was the "eight" Soldier....Crimson Avenger's partner, Wing, who used the Nebula Rod to stop the Nebula Man, and was buried by monks who found him in the Himalayas.  The Iron Hand now reappears, trying to kill Diana, but she uses her judo to stop him, accidentally breaking his control device to stop the menace to Earth.  Android Red Tornado takes the Nebula Rod to stop the new menace, theoretically sacrificing himself for all (though later events prove that not true).

The JSAers all came from and appear next in JLA/JSA team-ups (most from the 8th JLA/JSA adventure), with Dr. Fate having come to this adventure after an adventure with Superman in World's Finest Comics and Mr. Terrific, who appears in the next to last solo JSA adventure in Adventure Comics.   The Seven Soldiers of Victory are now in the present, and their fates play out in All-Star Conics, DC Comics Presents, Infinity Inc. and in the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Crisis On Earth-X

How do you top that last adventure?  Why, introduce a new Earth to the JLA/JSA in Justice League of America #107 (September-October, 1973) by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano, with a Nick Cardy cover, in the issue that introduces the Freedom Fighters!

True, the Freedom Fighters are made up of old Quality heroes Human Bomb, Phantom Lady, Doll Man, Uncle Sam, the Ray and Black Condor....except they are living on Earth-X, a world where the Nazis won World War II.

Using new Transmatter devices, the JLA and JSA prepare to cross Earths, with the E-1 Batman, Green Arrow and Elongated Man heading to E-2, and the E-2 Superman, Sandman and Dr. Fate go to E-1....a breeze disrupts the machine while the two Flashes operate the devices on their respective Earths....that breeze being the revived Red Tornado, trapped on Earth-1 after events explained in the previous issue when Reddy joined the JLA.  The six heroes find themselves on Earth-X, fighting Nazis.   The Freedom Fighters find the heroes, and explain the world is ruled by mind control devices created by Hitler....and they all must work together to destroy the multiple devices.

Thirteen Against The Earth

Justice League of America #108 (November-December, 1973) by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano (with Nick Cardy cover) deals with the JLA, JSA and Freedom Fighters in a fight against the Nazis of Earth-X.

The combined heroes work together to take out the rest of the mind control devices, and learn that Hitler, on this Earth, even conquered Japan, turning on his Axis ally.  This sets up a chance for the last mind control device to work on the JLA and JSA, forcing them to battle the Freedom Fighters....but Red Tornado is also immune, and is able to control Hitler (or his android copy), and defeat it and the last mind control device, finally freeing Earth-X from Nazi control (and the computer brain that controlled all this was sufficient to use to connect to the Transmatter Cubes, to allow the JLA and JSA to return home with help from the E-1 Green Lantern and E-2 Flash).

The Freedom Fighters would return in their own 15 issue series (though now having relocated to Earth-1....but still not able to escape the ghost of Earth-X, but here are their Quality Comics adventures), with Dr. Fate returning next in Flash #236, the Earth-2 Superman not returning until the 1970s All-Star Comics series, and Sandman...getting a special focus in the next JLA/JSA team-up!

The Creature In The Velvet Cage

Justice League of America #113 (September-October, 1974) by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano (with this Nick Cardy cover) has the only one issue JLA/JSA story, but it's a doozy, explaining why Sandman left behind his yellow and purple outfit and what happened to Sandy the Golden Boy.

The JLA (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Elongated Man) meets the JSA (Flash, Hourman, Wonder Woman and Sandman) fighting the Horned Owl Gang, and discuss the E-1 Wonder Woman regaining her powers (but still not rejoining the JLA, taking on 12 Labors to prove her worthiness to herself), when Sandman abruptly leaves....the teams follow to find him at his home, with a wrecked caged room.  Sandman explains that his young partner, Sandy Hawkins, didn't leave him years ago, but instead was transformed into a silicon monster by Sandman's new Silicoid Gun.  Wes had kept him in a cage and gassed unconscious to keep him safe, and shredded his purple and yellow costume after this failure.  The teams pursued the monster, catching him, finding out that Sandy's initial madness had faded, and he was no threat.

Sandman would not return until the end of the JSA's run in All-Star Comics, Jay Flash returned to fight Rag Doll with Barry Flash in Flash #229, and Hourman and the E-2 Wonder Woman returned in the next JLA/JSA team-up (which is in the next Crisis On Multiple Earths volume).  Sandy's plight is addressed in two issues of DC Comics Presents (#42 and #47), that detail "What Ever Happened To...." Sandman and then Sandy!

A pretty important run of JLA/JSA team-ups, revealing not only a lot of DC Multiverse history, but positioning new events and happenings for later issues, building on its foundations and showcasing what was already there.


A truly special batch of stories, as new events were followed up on (especially in All-Star Comics when the JSA was revived, and the Star-Spangled Kid joined and Robin got a new costume)...

...as well as more history revealed, as later, the All-Star Squadron came into existence, and they helped fill in the holes in history with new "retroactive continuity", using new stories to fill in history that had yet to be explained (including the origins of Earth-X and the Freedom Fighters, and why Sandman first switched to the yellow and purple costume!).

Watching The Monitor: Infinity Inc., Huntress and All-Star Squadron of Earth-2

The previous adventures of the Monitor and Lyla focused on their interactions with Earth-1, but they were observing the entire DC Multiverse.


Here are their observations of Earth-2, where they were checking out the groups there.

Atomic Dreams - Nuclear Nightmares

First up, part of the origin of Infinity, Inc., from Infinity, Inc. #8 (November, 1984) by Roy and Dann Thomas, Jerry Ordway, Mike Machlan and Tony DeZuniga.

The members of Infinity, Inc. were the sons, daughters and proteges of the Justice Society of America, and were dealing with those mentors having turned evil due to exposure to the "Stream Of Ruthlessness" (which turned heroic people evil).  As the Golden Age Atom battled Nuklon, the Monitor negotiated with the Ultra-Humanite (a foe of the Golden Age Superman).

Sadly, this story has yet to be reprinted.

The Rise And Fall Of The Phantom Empire

Next up, Lyla and the Monitor are looking even further back, all the way to World War II on Earth-2, with the All-Star Squadron, in All-Star Squadron #40 (December, 1984) by Roy Thomas, Richard Howell and Bill Collins, under a cover by Arvell Jones.


The All-Star Squadron was a gathering of all the heroes of Earth-2 during World War II, focusing more on heroes who hadn't been members of any group before, like Johnny Quick, Liberty Belle, Robotman, and new heroes, like Firebrand and Amazing-Man.  Here, they defeated the Phantom Empire in Detroit (and readers learned that their super-powered front man, the Real American, was an android, supplied to them using future technology, by the Monitor).  Events of this story led to Amazing-Man becoming a member of the All-Star Squadron.

This story has yet to be reprinted.

The Final Blackout

Last, but not least of the tales of Earth-2, is Wonder Woman #321 (November, 1984), which has the last of the back-up tales of the Huntress (Helena Wayne, Batman's daughter) by Joey Cavalieri, Rod Whigham and Rick Magyar.

After a particularly hard time on a case, Helena Wayne (who became a hero after the death of her mother, the Catwoman....who had married Bruce Wayne/Batman, as these two had careers in the 1940s on Earth-2, and ended them in the 1950s).  In Huntress' reflections, as the Monitor cataloged her, Lyla wondered about her own place in the events to come. 

This tale of the Huntress has yet to be reprinted (though the first half of Huntress' back-ups has been, twice), and the mini-series promised never happened, thanks in part to the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Shadows

To be fair, Vigilante #14 (February, 1985) by Marv Wolfman and Trevor Von Eeden, didn't contain an appearance by the Monitor or Lyla, nor did it focus on the Earth-2 Vigilante, who was a member of Seven Soldiers of Victory of Earth-2, but instead focused on Adrian Chase, who had on occasion opposed the New Teen Titans of Earth-1.

But, the super-suit which allowed Mr. Hammer to blend into the shadows likely was supplied by the Monitor (and this Vigilante had his beginnings in the first tale that Lyla appeared in).

The Monitor and Lyla also observed a team-up of the JLA/JSA and Supergirl, and they would continue to watch Earth-2, as well as other times and places from World War II, to the wild west to the far future as events progressed to the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Happy Halloween Super Friends

Happy Halloween!

Ramona Fradon and Robert Allen Smith gave us the cover of Super Friends #28 (January, 1980) which teased a confrontation among DC's top heroes and most villainous monsters (but they were only magically transformed guests).

Here, a look at when these monsters first appeared, and when they met who they faced!

Bizarro

The first adult Bizarro version of Superman appeared in Action Comics #254 (July, 1959) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino as an imperfect duplicate of Superman created by Luthor, but, Superboy had faced an earlier Bizarro back in Superboy #68 (October, 1958), though that version was destroyed.

Swamp Thing

The Alec Holland version of Swamp Thing first appeared in Swamp Thing #1 (October-November, 1972) by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, a scientist burned in an accident and healed by the swamp.  He first met Batman in Swamp Thing #7 (November-December, 1973).

Demon

Etrigan the Demon first appeared in The Demon #1 (August-September, 1972) by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer, as an agent of Merlin, bonded to human Jason Blood during the fall of Camelot to fight evil.  He first met Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman #280 (June, 1981).

Man-Bat

Kirk Langstrom created a formula that turned him into a half-man, half-bat creature, called Man-Bat in Detective Comics #400 (June, 1970) by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.  While Batman and Man-Bat faced off in that issue, Robin didn't meet Man-Bat until Power Records 30 in 1976 in the aptly titled "Robin Meets Man-Bat".

Solomon Grundy

Now, Solomon Grundy first appeared in All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman fighting the Golden Age Green Lantern as the animated corpse of Cyrus Gold, but, even with multiple encounters with the JLA...never really ran into Aquaman before the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Though, well after, Aquaman and Solomon Grundy were in JLA: Year One #2 (February, 1998) in a retroactive retelling of the JLA's first year (which, itself, was a story of how five heroes became...super friends!).

How's that for a tricky treat?

The End Of The House Of Mystery

Mike Kaluta gives us the image no one wanted to see....

....a true horror....

....the end of an era, with Cain leaving the House of Mystery, from House of Mystery #321 (October, 1983).

Bernie Wrightson Halloween

Remembering the late Bernie Wrightson (October 27, 1948 to March 18, 2017), an incredible artist taken from us too soon.

This classic cover of House of Mystery #256 (January-February, 1978) features the host of the house, Cain, about to play some Halloween tricks on a group of holiday mirth makers.