Steeler Sundays: The New and the Old... Same Ol' Same Ol'

As Archie Comics reinvigorates their superhero franchise with yet another rendition of the Mighty Crusaders,  the Charlton cast of characters languish in the storehouses of DC Comics as acquired properties awaiting assimiliation into their main Multiverse of metahumans. However, which situation provides the best oppportunity for Charton vs Mighty MLJ to once more claim the captive attention of comicdom? As a web-only endearvor such as the Crusaders will be granted, with focus on just them yet without the marketing push of mainstream comics, or the ability to be ready-for-print in a big time publisher that the Charlton cast of characters has access to, albeit as background players?

With the advent of a "Steel Sterling Jr" over on Earth-MLJ, can there not be a Sarge Steel the Second lurking around the Multiverse as well? Given the number of potential marriage mates the Sarge encountered throughout the years, it would seem logical that eventually he would feel the need to settle down. In the potential Earth-Four i.e. Earth-Charlton upon which the original Sarge resided, time would tick down at about the same rate as on MLJ, and he would be well into his sixties at the point. Perhaps one day in another web-only venture, should the Crusaders succeed, DC might attempt the same for its acquired "Action-Heroes" from the town of Derby, we may find out...

  

Site Table of Contents: Charlton vs MLJ Style!

Steeler Sundays                                             

• The other Men of Steel
• Iron Curtain Defensive Schemes                        
• Ladies Loving Lips of Steel                               
• She Loves Him...She Loves Him Not...             
• Your Starting Line-Ups                                     
• Steeler Bowl VS Unholy 3 (+2)                         
• "Where does he get those Wonderful Toys?" 

Sideline Sundays

•  Steelers' Sultry Sidekicks
•  Faithful Fake Fauna  
•  Infatuated with Insects
•  Maidens of Military Mystery Men
•  Bewildering Bug Boys
•  The Gals Behind Type A Dudes
•  Sidekicks Assemble 
• Far-Out Alien Potentates 
• Brave Blue Boys Battle 
• E-nimals Week - The Other Action Heroes 
• Six Million Dollar Man Tech! 
• Captain Marvel Wannabees 
• Two Swell Duos of the 1800's 
• Non-Legionaire Kids and Lads 
• Noble Novices and Numbering 
• Charlton vs... Fawcett? 

 Team-Up Tuesdays 

• 3 Items of Power 
• Ageless Androids                                             
• More on our Obscure Teams!                           
• Steeler Sundays Crossover!                               
• High Camp Heroes                                            
• Darlings of Darkness                                         
• Phenomenal Phantoms                                      
• Bad Boys and Blonde Babes                               
• Dark Hooded Ones                                           
• Multiplying Mood Masters                                
• Giant Robots ATTACK!!!                               
• Bothersome Bureaucrats                                  
• Silver-Age Showdowns                          
• Showdowns in the Stars   
• Crusaders Cornered 
• The End of an Era 
• The Fox and The Feline Part 2 
• E-nimal Week - Gal Pals
• Five for Fightin' 
• Celluloid Heroes 
• Three is Company x 2 
• Ancient Adversaries Attacked! 
• Unpublished Crisis Issue 
• Marvel Mondays Madness 
• Shield and Dusty vs the Fang! Part One 
• Shield and Dusty vs the Fang! Part Two 
• Watchmen's !mpact #1 
• Watchmen's !mpact #2 
• Watchmen's !mpact #3 
• Watchmen's !mpact #4 

Friday Fiends

• Stark, Meet the Irons, Arm & Fist
• Superhero Assassins for Hire 
• A Couple of Real Boneheads
• The Tumbler vs the Acrobat 
• Malignantly Magnetic Marauders
• Monster Mash-Ups
• Knightly Knaves
• Greedy Gliding Goons
• Atomic Adversaries 
• Masters of Moods Materialize
• Bestial Bad Boys
• Fire Fiend and Fiery Friend
• Bad Dudes...Bad Breath! 
• Is It Hair-Club-For-Men or Evil-Heir-Club-For-Mad-Men
• Cancelite - Thy Name Is Sales 
• Shockingly Sinister Show-Offs 
• Wicked Weapon Wielders 
• Covert Carrot-Tops  
• High-Tech Napoleons 
• Face Fearless Fit Fighters 
• Mechanical Monster Madmen 
• Arch-Enemies for Men of Steel 
• Anonymous Archie Adversaries 
• Watchmen's !mpact Foes 
• Watchmen's !mpact Beasts 

 Battling Blondes

• Round 1 - Mental Madmen
• Round 2 - Femme Fatales
• Round 3 - Cover Boys 
• Round 4 - Facing Fiery Fiends 
• Round 5 - Saucy Sidekicks 
• Round 6 - Int'l Intrigue! 
• Round ? - Betty Versus Peggy 
• Round 7 - Teamup Tribulations! 

 Dueling Ditko

• Bug Bout 1 - Heroes in Crisis
• Bug Bout 2 - Mighty Man versus Our Man
• Bug Bout 3 - Eccentric Egocentrics
• Bug Bout 4 - Creepy Criminals 

Hero Profiles

• Black Jack 
• Black Hood I 
• Black Hood II 
• Black Hood II 
• Blue Beetle I 
• Blue Beetle II 
• Blue Beetle III 
• Bob Phantom 
• Bobby Bell 
• Captain Atom
• Captain Flag
• Captain USA
• Comet 
• Darkling 
• Dusty 
• E-Man 
• Fightin' Five 
• Firefly
• Fly 
• Fly-Girl 
• Fox 
• Golden Lad 
• Green Spider 
• Gunmaster and Bullet 
• Hangman 
• Jaguar 
• Judomaster 
• Kid Muscles 
• Mr. Muscles 
• Nature Boy 
• Nightshade 
• Peacemaker
• Prankster 
• Question 
• Red Rube 
• Shield I 
• Shield II 
• Shield III 
• Son of Vulcan 
• Thunder Agents 
• Thunder Bunny
• Thunderbolt
• Tiger 
• Wizard 
• Web 

 Licensed Legends:

• The Phantom Reviews The Shadow #1
• The Shadow Reviews The Phantom #30
• The Phantom Reviews The Shadow #2 
• The Shadow Reviews The Phantom #31 
• The Real Phantom Reviews The Shadow #3 
• The Real Shadow Reviews the Phantom #32 
• Sunday Sillyness 
• Charlton Bullseye #5 
• The Shadow Reviews The Phantom #36  
• Judo Done Bobby Bell Style! 
• Meet the Flintstones 
• Unlicensed Ape-Men 
• MLJ's Tarzan Wannabe 

Marvel Mondays

• Meta-Human Mimics 
• The Human-Fly-Man 
• Colorful Creepie-Crawlers 
• Shields Across Two Worlds! 
• The Captains of the Cosmos
• The Comets and their Avengers  
• Marvel Mondays Madness 
• The Captain's Curvacious Cronies 
• The Captains of Energy 

Yellowjacket Webnesdays

• Bygone Bug Boys 
• The Birth of Legends 
• Aid Damsels in Distress! 
• Yellowjacket #3 Part 1 
• Zip Comics #29 Part 1 
• Yellowjacket #3 Part 2 
• Zip Comics #29 Part 2 
• Yellowjacket #10 Part 1 
• Zip Comics #38 Part 1 
• Yellowjacket #10 Part 2 
• Zip #38 Part Two 

Miscellaneous Postings:

• Letter Columns
• Hump-Day Humour

Steeler Sundays: Return of Inferno Part 3

Postscript: Sarge Steel here. Wasn't that an excellent tale wherein my fellow Steel, Mr. Sterling, used a clever method to get the intelligence he needs to ferret out that rat... er snake. He wasn't just all brawn. Still not to sure about that Inferno, but I've been told some good things about him... we'll see...

Steeler Sundays: Return of Inferno Part 2

Picking up where we left off last Steeler Sundays, we find Steel Sterling facing off once more against his old foe Inferno in the pages of Zip Comics #11. Only this time, the fire-breathing foe of the Man of Steel gets caught up with his friend Twisto in a nefarious scheme hatched by the true villain of this piece. Pig Pan Wood. Realizing that he escaped by the skin of his teeth and the bumbling of a fellow fiend, Pig Pan adopts the alias of the Rattler with a unique modus operandi of his own.

Note the comical copper who is Steel's erstwhile companion, always a necessary component in any successful golden age character's strip. And Steel hiimself displays some versatility, not simply relying on his considerable superstrength, durability and "ZIPs" through the air. Realizing he needs to cosy up to the criminal element in order to track it down, he assume a down-and-out hoodlum alias all his own. Shade of Batman's "Matches Malone and definitely highlighting that strategically he is on par with his doppleganger Sarge Steel over at Charlton Comics.

In this battle between Sterling and Rattler, which side will Inferno join in this battle of good and evil? Well we know how he'll ultimately turn out, but the road to redemption is paved with many potential potholes. Not the least of which is getting that snazzy costume he's more famously clad in.



















For the conclusion of this mini-epic return with us next time for Part 3 of the Return of Inferno on Steeler Sundays!

Steeler Sundays: The Return of Inferno!

When last we considered Inferno, we learrned of his stunning origin and his radical turn to the side of truth and justice (even though he was framed by an impersonator stealing his unique modus operandi. But how did this famed flame-breathing fearless fighter face his most fearsome foe, Mr. Sterling himself? Let's look into Zip Comics #11 for the second appearance of this golden age villain turned hero, as he once more engages in a crimespree with his pal Flexo the Rubber Man.

With quite the flair for fiendish felonies, this dastardly duo deviously conspire to successfully loot and pillage, this time without the interference of their former foe Steel Sterling. However, their rather low rent approach doesn't seem to match that of their golden age peers over at All-American Publications or Timely Comics (precursors of DC and Marvel, respectively) despite their rather odd modus operandi of flexibility and fire-breathing. One definite difference from Sterling's doppleganger Sarge Steel is that there was some longterm plotting involved in Sterling's adventures, at least the initial ones, while Sarge's formula was more one-and-done tales (although there were repetitive foes that returned later on like Ivan Chung and other rogues). Perhaps Sterling's strip would be considered a launching pad for other characters in the backpages of Zip Comics (recall that this is prior to the debut of the Web, who himself only lasted for a scant ten issue run... they were really struggling with other features to supplement this publication unlike its companion Pep).

Nevertheless, it is quite clear that the seeds are already in place from the first part of this memorable masterpiece that Inferno is set to become something more than a common hood, even though he is shown rather menacely on both the cover and within this tale. Next week we'll carry on with part two of this timeless tale of evil turned to good. Return with us next Steeler Sunday...

Steeler Sundays: The Original Lex Luthor!

So you think the whole "I'm going to avenge myself upon you Superboy because you made me bald by blowing toxic fumes back in my face" stiche was patented by Lex Luthor? Think again. Another folicle-challenged foe of a Man of Steel beat him to the punch by several years, in Zip Comics #37.  Check out Jameson the jerk confronting Steel Sterling...

Unfortunately for our bald bad boy, he ended up getting burned by his own schemes... literally in fact. Never fear, though, for any concept is fresh for being raped and pillaged by the Big Two at a moments notice, dear reader!

Now had Jameson's opponent been another Steel, Sarge Steel from Charlton, he'd have a sympathetic foil who would understand the loss of a body part... although he at least kept his closely cropped crew cut that was all the rave of ladies in the 60's. Cut clear to the bone? Not so much...

Steeler Sundays: Dopplegangers Under the Hood

The Steels known as Sarge and Sterling, were there publishers' renditions for "Men of Steel", each possessing attributes of the original Superman while grounding them to a more human template in both characterization and abilities.

In order to obtain a skill set  necessary to dare approach such a legend, they each depended upon technology to give them an edge. For Sarge, it was his surgically repaired left hand, fully mechanized providing him hydraulic strength in its robotic joints. For Sterling, it was an anti-gravity belt allowing him to hurtle unencumbered through the air.

Alas, they need a steady diet of yellow sun radiation and light gravity to match the Metropolis Marvel's marvelous mighty. Oh wait, they have both! To bad neither was born on Krypton to take advantage of either...

Steeler Sundays: Post-Game Wrap-Up

Steeler Sundays: Don't Drink and Drive Part 2

Steeler Sundays: Don't Drink and Drive Part 1

Stay tuned later today for Part 2...

Charlton Meets MLJ Week: Steeler Sundays

Can someone please tell Jughead that Sarge gets REALLY cranky on an empty stomach?

Steelers Sundays: Steel vs Sarge Round 2

As Steel Sterling's second adventure rolled around (not counting an aside in Blue Ribbon Comics which insert some character references somewhat concurrent with this and the next issue), we see a new plotter steered the original Man of Steel in a new direction. A more human direction, actually. Gone was the superhuman abilities, now he was just above human with moments of marvelous muscles thrown into the mix to satisfy the superhero fanboys:

You got it... it's Robert Kaningher... aka Mr. Wonder Woman. Making his claim to fame as the plotter for some truly wacky stories during the silver age of the amazing amazon and then creating the most famous fictional sergeant in comics (Rock) and several other World War II characters, he was now winding now his comic book career. Attempting to make Steel "relevant" to modern sensibilities, more tales of angst and human drama would be interjected throughout the remainder of this series. Sometimes effectively, sometimes not so much so.

Introducing a strong female (Princess Diana?) to counterbalance the balance the rugged blonde boyscout (Steve Trevor?), Ms. Samson was more of an annoyance at this point then a love interest. But fear not... once she traded hairstyles and soften her approach she would become the twinkle in Steel's eye. Well, one of them anyways. The point of the above exchange was to motivate our titular tough-guy to push himself beyond his limits. Oh boy, would he!

Facing a rogue motorcycle gang without an appreciation for history (c'mon, you gonna slap around the dude who took out such immortal crooks as Monster Master, the Red Knight and the Magnetic whatishisname?), Sterling now has a tough decision to make... whether to bolt and save his tail or stick to his convictions and face down his fearsome foes?

________________

Sarge Steel #2 picked up the momentum of its previous issue and carried it further. Mostly due to the introduction of Bess Forbes, who is absolutely one of the best female love interests in comics (although they always tapped dance around something going on between Sarge and Bess). Werner Von Wess was the villain-of-the-week, a passable sort filling the ex-Nazi niche all in vogue in the robust 60's. His scheme to take over the world using a nuclear submarine was squashed by the most indispensable tool in Sarge's crime fighting repertoire: his steel fist (the picture was from his confrontation with arch-foe Ivan Chung last week. This week he used it to bust down a locked hatch!). Not a bad follow-up to a promising series of the P.I./Spy. Each Steel had some more adventures in store for them of varying types which we'll consider in the months to come!

Steeler Sundays: Inaspcious Introductions

One had a history of previous stories chronicled for their grandparents and parents in the 40's and 60's to read. The other was a brand new product in those very same late 1960's. Essentially, both Steels were brand new characters where Sarge Steel appeared the 60s and Steel Sterling reappeared in the 80's (we're ignoring his more superhero-type adventures of the 60s as they've been covered in some of our Friday Fiends posts previously). In each we see that our heroes reflect the times in which the writers attempt to market them in.

So Sterling was nothing more than a dime-store Ferrigno or Schwarzenegger? Not much respect for the original "Man of Steel". And apparently not much acknowledgment by his new writers Stan Timmons and Rich Buckler as to his legacy. He was being approached as a notable figure yet with his superhero persona downplayed almost the point of non-existence. Fair enough if the tales are strong enough to stand on their own. Alas, this first one is definitely NOT!

In the course of events we meet Steel's main squeeze (for now at least) Gayla Gaynor, she of the remarkably divergent hair styles/colors. Then we get a quick battle between protagonist and antagonist, in this case the man-monster known as Humongous. Truly a one-hit wonder if ever there was one, all brawn no depth, and despite our knack for scrapping the bottom of the barrel at times to highlight various Fiends... he simply doesn't merit further mention. Nor did his creators feel he had any redeemable value as he was quickly scrapped as a character in favor of more "human" tales of daring do by our hero. Nevertheless, if nothing else we have our hero's courage and might measured in appropriate context to frame future storytelling possibilities around Sterling. On that score and the Hollywood premise they wisely setup, this leads to some memorable yarns to come (although by another more legendary writer who himself aspired to write  of strong champions clad in red and blue from a Distinct Competitor to Red Circle Comics).

The setup for Sarge Steel contrasts that of Sterling only in the sense of what was "in" for movies of that era. While Sterling was featured in the action hero era where might-made-right, Sarge hit his peak during the secret agent phase in Hollywood. While initially a private investigator that dipped his hand in covert affairs only when it suit him, there would be a definite shift toward the latter in subsequent issues. In this initial outing we meet Sarge's fine (and only) supporting character in Bess Forbes, and his chief antagonist in Ivan Chang. Also added to spice things up is the distinctive steel plated left hand which he would use to great advantage repeatedly as a bulletproof shield. The finest component to this finally crafted tale was the use of first-person narrative, and Sarge's distinct personality literally jumping off the page.

Next week we'll dissect more of this pair of pretty potent playboys...

Steeler Sundays: Sarge and Sterling Beginnings

Both Steel series from Charlton and Red Circle (Mighty) Comics started off with a bang, but one ended up being more of a whimper while the other held promise of great storytelling.

To start out, we have two sets of panels that present the origins of Sarge and Sterling, which transformed mere heroic lads into men of steel!

For Sarge it was more tragic as he gave up a part of his body to save lives, and this seemed to leave him with not only a hardened left hand but a heart that didn't soften even around the most pleasing of females.

For Sterling it was the thrill of scientific discovery leaving him with a devil-may-care attitude as he plunges into a molten caldron and is forged in the form of steely hide! This leads him to a more cheery disposition than his contemporary and yet he too is rock hard in the attachment department where the fairer sex are concerned.

Two villains are introduced, the generic Humongous which is set up as a mere foil for Sterling on a purely physical level, and the psychotic and strategic Ivan Chang who becomes Sarge's arch-enemy throughout the remainder of the series. While not matching the status of true criminal legends in fiction, Chang still measures up in the critical criteria of plaguing the protagonist. And isn't that the point in comics?

Next week we'll delve further into this pair of tales and separate the wheat from the chaff. Until then adieu.

Steeler Sundays: Zippity doo dah zippity aye!

(The following is brought to you by Zip Comics:)

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye,

My oh my what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine coming my way,

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye.

Mister blue bird's on my shoulder,


it's the truth,


it's actual,


everything's satisfactual!


Zippity doo dah,

zippity aye,

zippity doo dah,

zippity aye! 

Steeler Sunday's will return in mere weeks. Stay tuned!!!

Steeler Sundays: "Where does he get those Wonderful Toys?"

For our post game wrap up from last week big season finale,  we thought we'd looked at the wonderful toys that are Men of Steel have used through the course of their illustrious careers and how they obtained them. And we're using a handy teaching tool, the wonderful power of alliteration.

The secret to Sarge Steel's accumulation of toys? Grabbing Greedy Goons' Great Gadgets. For instance note the ultra sleek Talon Copter which was once the possession of now disenfranchised foreign agent, the Talon, which was the method of capturing Sarge. And the stun gun. The hypno-chair hopefully came with a money back guarantee as it was fairly useless in controlling the Will of Steel. Nor does it recline.

The secret to Steel Sterling's possession of cool gimmicks? Devices Discovered During Dumpster Diving. Well that is not completely fair...only his supersuit and (apparently) his anti-gravity belt were found in a trash can next to a dumpster...but you get the idea. Why someone would throw out a flying belt is beyond me...although the Magnetic Menace found the foily of freely flying when he foolish felt the need to fly off with it. Never to return...as it headed straight for the stratosphere (until the 1980's when he apparently retrieved it). But fear not, for the genius dunderhead left behind his cool vehicle which Steel rechristened the Sterling Scooter. Check out all its gadgets! And then Monster Master was outwitted by his  sentient Robot-Brain Computer and then claimed by Sterling for use in his secret fortress. Yes folks, only in the comics...

So concludes the inagular season of Steeler Sundays. We'll revisit them once more when the next American Football (Gridiron for you blokes overseas) commences once more in August. Until then we are introducing a new feature next week: Sideline Sundays...where we feature some of the supporting characters who have been on the sidelines cheering our heroes on. And we'll sneak the Steel studs back for a cameo next Sunday with their girl Fridays in tow, Bess Forbes and Gayle Gaynor. Until then!

Steeler Sundays: Steeler Bowl VS Unholy 3 (+2)

Welcome to Steeler Bowl I, an epic battle pitting the sinister skills of the Unholy Three (+2) versus the tenacious teamwork of the Steelers. Going in, the Steelers are the underdog as the Unholy Three (+2) have experience on their side. After the coin flip it appears that the Unholy Three (+2) will lead off into the first plays of the game:

To recap, the Steelers starting lineup is Asa, Wong, Carmen, Red Wing, April, Arthur. Arthur had been benched indefinitely due to some off the field transgressions. Their coach is Steel Sterling.

The lad and lasses showed true potential and Coach Sterling felt they had a great shot at taking it all given their supreme dedication (not the mention their fashion sense which favored their mentor...please see below).

On the other side, the Unholy Three (+2) starting lineup consisted of Lynx (and her pet), Smiling Skull, Ivan Chung and Werrer Von Vess. There was a rumor that Werner retired...oh wait...Kurt WARNER. My bad). Sarge Steel was recruited to take Werner's place. Mr. Ize is their coach.

As we had suspected last week, Werner Von Wess is no longer in the starting lineup as Coach Mr. Ize pulled him in favor of our favorite Sarge, Steel!

Now the ball is in the Steelers court, so to speak, let's see how well they do after coach S. Sterling's pep talk from earlier this morning.

Looks like the spunky young Steelers brought their "A" game today. Let's turn to our sideline reporter, Rita, as she interviews Sterling's studs:

They seem cocky, and you gotta love their cliches! Simply exuding confidence, aren't they? We will return to the proceedings after these announcements from our sponsors (and boy...did they pay a pretty penny back in the day for these primo spots!):

Man...classic junk they were peddling! Since this IS a kid friendly game, there will be no "less filing taste great" commercials. Drink your Kool-Aid and like it, punk kids!

Let's turn our attention to the other sideline and see how Sarge is fairing after his injury. Will he return to the game in time to swing the momentum back in the direction of the Unholy Three (+2)?

What a stunning turn of events! No longer brainwashed, it appears Sarge has jumped to the side of the good guys and created a key deflection! He's making minced meet of his other former teammates!

With Coach Mr Ize and his team on the ropes, thanks in no small part to Sarge's debilitating tackles, the Unholy Three leave the field disgusted. Redwing's timely passes are coming in the clutch to pull his team ahead!

Key defector Sarge knew the thrill of victory as had Coach Sterling and his Steelers, while the Unholy Three (-2) knew the bitter agony of defeat. Coach Sterling will definitely seek to claim yet another world championship .

This August starts a new season of Steeler Sundays. But fear not, loyal readers, we still have the post game wrap up for you coming next week! Then we'll dissect the tools of the trade for our tremendous two teams!