Balloon Buster And Enemy Ace In World War I

It's the eternal war of good versus evil...and those who fought those wars were as different as the wars they fought.

But, there were two men on opposite sides of the first World War who had their careers covered in comic books....so, let's take a look at the lives of the Balloon Buster and the Enemy Ace!

Balloon Buster

Lt. Steve Savage got his start in All-American Men Of War #112 (November-December, 1965) by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath, but the character was born and raised in Mustang River, Wyoming, raised by a poor farmer, who taught junior how to shoot a gun (any gun).  Savage promised his father on his death bed to make his name remembered, enlisting in the Army Air Corps to be a pilot.  Savage was insubordinate, a risk taker, gaining the nickname Balloon Buster as he used German attack ballons as his favorite targets.  

Savage was not the world's best pilot, but his can do attitude and success rate kept him in the air (at least for issues #113, #114 and #116, then Our Fighting Forces #133 of September-October, 1971, his only non cover appearance to this time, before...well, time to introduce the other player on the field....).

Enemy Ace

Hans von Hammer first appeared in Our Army At War #151 (February, 1965) by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert (hidden behind a Sgt. Rock cover), with his first cover being Showcase #57 (July-August, 1965), then moving to a run at Star Spangled War Stories starting with issue #138 (April-May, 1968), Hammer was the son of an aristocratic German family, being one of the first to enlist in German flight training school as World War I began.  An impeccable flyer, Hammer was also guided by an incredible sense of honor, refusing to kill unarmed or wounded opponents.  

Hammer got an impressive record of kills over the years, earning the nickname the Hammer of Hell, but was deeply conflicted about war and killing, appearing in Our Army At War #153 and #155, Showcase #57 and #58, then a run in Star Spangled War Stories from #139 to #150 and #152...at least until he had a confrontation with Balloon Buster!

The Fight!

The Balloon Buster and the Hammer of Hell first met in Star Spangled War Stories #181 (July-August, 1974) to #183 (November-December, 1974) by Robert Kanigher and Frank Thorne (though only the Enemy Ace made the first two covers....barely, so, offered instead a tease of the battle between the two, so instead some interior art including American biplane vs Fokker...which ended with both continuing their battles in World War I later).

After the battle, Balloon Buster only had 3 appearances in Unknown Soldier (#262 to #264) and a bit in Crisis On Infinite Earths, with his tales ending in Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight Annual #7 (1997, with a slightly different history), while the Enemy Ace had only one more appearance in Star Spangled War Stories #200, then for about half the issues of Men of War (time travelling to meet the JLA and JSA during this run), then to back ups in Unknown Soldier from #251 to #253, and #261 to #267, missing the Balloon Buster issues), as well as a bit in Crisis; Post-Crisis, Hammer had many appearances, in the superb Enemy Ace: War Idyll, even post World War I, including meetings with Swamp Thing and Vandal Savage with the battle always continuing...

  

Our Army At War Sgt. Rock

What's in a name?  

DC fans asked that, as after 301 issues of Our Army At War, the title suddenly changed to Sgt. Rock with issue #302 (but they still had Joe Kubert contributing his wonderful covers for the title. with Robert Kanigher providing the words!).

True, Our Army At War #1 (August, 1952), didn't feature Sgt. Rock (he started in Our Army At War #81 in April, 1959), it was Sgt. Rock that was the main feature of the book from then until Our Army At War #301 (February, 1977), with the title becoming Sgt. Rock #302 (March, 1977), and following the adventures of the top kick of Easy Company until Sgt. Rock #422 (July, 1988).

Saluting the Rock of Easy for holding it together for all those years, fighting World War II under what was DC's longest running war title!    

Happy Birthday Jim Steranko

Celebrating the birthday of artist, writer, publisher, magician, film production illustrator and comic historian, Jim Steranko with this December 1983 cover to reprints of a few of his Nick Fury Agent Of SHIELD issues from the 1960s, featuring Nick Fury, Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine, Jasper Sitwell, Jimmy Woo, Gabe Jones and Dum Dum Dugan!

The stories reprinted there were from Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD #1 and #2 from June and July, 1968 (along with pages from a Nick Fury story from Strange Tales #168, but Steranko didn't do that cover, as it featured Doctor Strange, the other half of that split book at the time).

A true performer, still touring comic conventions to this day, with the occasional work of art gracing a cover now and then, a living legend in the history of comics!

Happy Halloween 2021

A Happy Halloween to one and all with this cover from Elvira's House Of Mystery #11 (January, 1987), the last issue of the series, drawn by Dave Stevens.

The series began in 1986, featuring Cassandra Peterson as the host, replacing Cain, and even had a special after the regular series ended!

Revolutionary Frankenstein

Tomahawk faced many threats trying to establish our nation during the Revolutionary War of the 1700s, but some of the odder threats he and his Rangers faced were in his later issues, when he faced an anachronism...

...that of the creature of Frankenstein (which Mary Shelley didn't create until the 1800s!).

How did this come about?  

Follow along....

The Frontier Frankenstein

In Tomahawk #103 (March-April, 1966), by Ed Herron and Bob Brown, Tomahawk and his Rangers were trying to rest one night, when they were set upon by a large green monster!  They were able to chase him off with grenades, but what was it, and where was the missing Ranger, Big Anvil?  

The night before, German scientist Von Skeller showed the British Army his newest experiment, where he took a captured rebel soldier and, exposing him to special chemicals, turned him into a large, obedient green monster (that would change back into a normal man every day, while the chemicals still worked in him).  After another battle with the creature in the night, the Rangers were victorious in chasing it away.  The next morning, Big Anvil catches up to Tomahawk and the Rangers, where the tired team get ready for another advance of the British Army.  

Tomahawk wants Big Anvil to use his great strength to send a big old mill wheel at the army to distract them, so Tomahawk and the rest of the Rangers can surprise the army.  Big Anvil agrees, and is ready to....until night falls, and Big Anvil changes into the big green creature!  That proves quite a distraction, as the creature throws the wheel at the Brits.  As they flee, the British fire at cannisters of oil, which Tomahawk then gets his men to do, soaking the ground in front of Big Anvil, so the night lights up as day, and he turns back into Big Anvil. 

Then, the next day, Tomahawk and the Rangers just have to wait for the chemicals to burn out of Big Anvil's system so he won't change again!

If you think that was wild, at some point, might take a look at these tales (or, maybe just check out these classic covers by Neal Adams instead)!

Jimmy Olsen Monster Mash

Jimmy Olsen sure has become some strange monsters in his day, but he was the menace. 

But, for a couple of issues, Jimmy's monstrous transformations became a menace to him.

Let's see how these events happened...which both happened under covers by Curt Swan and George Klein.

The World Of Doomed Olsens!

First up, in a story by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and George Klein from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #72 (October, 1963), Jimmy appeared on a Meet the Celebrities show, showing off a few of his past transformations.

Then, suddenly, a man calling himself the Collector appeared in a travelling bubble, taking Jimmy to the far away planet of Gion-El, where the Collector manifested alternate versions of Jimmy, including the Wolf-Man, Giant Turtle Man, Human Porcupine, Fat Boy and Elastic Lad.  Except for the mute Wolf-Man, they all verbally taunted the real Jimmy (rooted to one spot), at least until Jimmy got them to turn against the Collector (at least until the Collector rooted all them too).  

In frustration, Jimmy threw his mini-microphone at the Collector, and, as he dodged it, Jimmy figured out what was going on.  The Collector and alternate Jimmys were all members of the Legion of Super-Heroes (Mon-El as the Collector, and Proty II, Colossal Boy, Cosmic Boy, Bouncing Boy and Chameleon Boy as the Jimmys).  The Legion did this to see if Jimmy could spot the hoax.  When he did, they were to make him an honorary Legionnaire.

The World Of 1,000 Olsens!

Jimmy's second battle with himself (times 1000), happened in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #105 (September, 1967) by Otto Binder, E. Nelson Bridwell and Pete Costanza.

This time around, Jimmy takes the Flying Newsroom of the Daily Planet to an observatory of Professor Worthington, where the Professor is disintegrated as he tells Jimmy of his discovery of a new asteroid he has named after Jimmy.  Checking his notes, Jimmy sees the asteroid is populated by versions of him.  With Superman off planet, Jimmy thinks he has no way there, just a flying saucer arrives, willing to take him there.  Jimmy goes, but isn't given the warm greeting as he's attacked by the Jimmys of that planet.  

Saved by one Jimmy, he is menaced by the Giant Turtle Man, saved by Elastic Lad, then ends up in prison with the Human Octopus, Human Porcupine and Wolf-Man, escaped by donning a beard, then met by an Agent Double 5 Jimmy, who saves him, giving him a Fat Boy Jimmy disguise.  In disguise, Jimmy finds Tempus, a mad clockmaker who wants to destroy the Earth, and is using robot duplicates of Jimmy (both good and evil) to move the asteroid into Earth.  Jimmy, sends the good Jimmys against the evil ones, sending the Giant Turtle Man smashing into the machine which was sending the asteroid at Earth (and powering the robot Jimmys).  Superman arrives to investigate the asteroid, taking Tempus in custody, and Jimmy back to Earth. 

Follow these links to see Jimmy as the Wolf Man, Giant Turtle Man, Human Porcupine and Octopus, Fat Jimmy Olsen and more (though they forgot Jimmy as Superman or as a gorilla), and come back later, at some point, to see coverage of Jimmy as Elastic Lad, Flamebird and Agent Double 5!

Remembering JoAnna Cameron

Remembering actress JoAnna Cameron (September 20, 1951 - October 15, 2021), with a quick look back at her career, including the series she is most remembered for, the Mighty Isis, a super hero created for the TV, but ended up as a part of the DC TV line, along with Shazam, Welcome Back Kotter and the Super Friends.

JoAnna portrayed the lead character of the Mighty Isis from September 6, 1975 to September 3, 1977 for 22 episodes (along with guest starring with Captain Marvel in 3 episodes of Shazam, as he guested in 3 of her episodes), as young schoolteacher Andrea Thomas, who found an ancient amulet on a dig in Egypt, giving her the powers of the Egyptian god, including strength, speed, connection to animals and elemental powers (mostly over the winds).  

Later, when the series went into syndication in 1978, it was retitled the Secrets Of Isis, as Andrea assisted fellow teacher Rick Mason (Brian Cutler) and student Cindy Lee (Joanna Pang).

DC capitalized on the success of the Saturday morning show, by introducing the character in Shazam #25 (September-October, 1976), by Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano, then spinning the character off into her own series, which lasted 8 issues, with a first issue by Denny O'Neil, Ric Estrada and Wally Wood, and later issues by Steve Skeates, Jack C. Harris, Mike Vosberg, Jose Delbo and Mike Netzer.    

Issue #1 and #2 (1976)  Covers by Kurt Schaffenberger and Mike Vosburg/Jack Abel

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Issue #3 and #4 (1977) Covers by Mike Vosburg with Vince Colletta and Dick Giordano

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Issue #5 and #6 (1977) Covers by Mike Vosburg with Vince Colletta

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Issue #7 and #8 (1977) Covers by Rich Buckler and Vince Colletta 

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Due to the character being owned by Filmation, DC has come up with its own Egyptian goddess, with the alter ego of Adrianna Tomaz, tied to Black Adam more than Captain Marvel, appearing in series like 52, Titans and the Justice Society of America.

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JoAnna got her first movie role with help from Linda Hope, daughter of Bob Hope, in How To Commit Marriage, with Bob Hope, Jane Wyman and Tim Matheson in 1969.  Later, she had roles in multiple TV shows, including Spider-Man (The Deadly Dust) and Columbo (Negative Reaction), with her last TV movie being Swan Song in 1980.

JoAnna's portrayal of a female hero predates Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman, Lindsay Wagner's Bionic Woman and Lucy Lawless' Xena, as well as reflected in Tala Ashe's Zari Tomaz/Tarazi on Legends of Tomorrow, paving the way for generations of female heroes to come.