Sleepy Sundays at Charlton vs Mighty MLJ

That's right folks. Steeler Sundays will resume next week, at least that is the plan. Right now we're focusing on all the goodness of the DC Multiverse and connecting the dots in the golden/silver/bronze age when comics were done right by yours truly. Fear not, there is still great love for (most) thing  Charlton and MLJ/Mighty/Archie, but for the nonce we're making up lost time plowing through the thousands characters at this site's Distinct Competitor. After eight months of solid back-to-back-to-back posts on these underrated publishers, its time for a well earned siesta. Ciao.

Fawcett Fridays: Red-and-Blue Heroes True

Pair up these paragons of power and you have a truly dynamic duo. Jack Weston was a career soldier enlisted to be a one-man-army in his Minute-Man clad splashed in blue, red and white. With no origin nor explanation for being at peak physical condition and seemingly doing the impossible. He simply accomplishes various feats with one-part daring-do, one-part foolhardy bravado unmatched even by some more famous non-powered golden agers. Minute-Man was the standard bearer for the costumed crusader supreme and eventually teamed up with fellow heroes to honor the Marvel Family... and find himself frozen in time for decades then decide to retire and become a restaurant owner to wile away his days until boredom brought him back as an unmasked man once more.

There was a definite explanation for Peter Cannon's Thunderbolt identity, raised in remote Tibet a student to ancient disciplines leading him to a "can do it...must do it...will do it" mentality which allowed him to achieve feats unimagined by others, save perhaps for Mr. Weston over on Earth-S. Reluctantly protecting his own Earth-Four, Peter rarely mixed with his fellow superheroes until a Crisis graced the skies of his world.

Neither hero garnered the long-term reputation nor mainstream appeal of their contemporaries, yet each earned the respect of friends and foes alike during their brief yet memorable careers. And proved that wearing loud clothes does not diminish your street rep.

John Raymond the Web similarly made the most of no abilities on Earth-MLJ, while a non-powered Joe Higgins as the Shield preferred a similar colorful plumage to Minute-Man's and seemed to be capable of righting wrongs with or without his superpowers during World War II.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

World's Wickedest Wednesdays: Neurotic Nazis

What would a fictional world be without a nasty Nazi neerdowells needlessly needling noble nice-guys? Well so that we may be homage to this overly redundant category, we highlight to Aryan airheads that really rubbed our heroes the wrong way.

Next to Captain Nazi, perhaps the position for number two national socialist of Earth-S would be Baron Von Gatz, a thorn in the side of Captain Midnight the inventive licensed legend at Fawcett. Not much to say except he definitely crops his hair clsoe to the scalp and is shameless in the plumage he's draped in. And he had a short fuse, but then didn't all these cookie cutter creeps back in the day?

At least Charlton's standard issue socialist had something distinct (unless you count another such character over at Marvel), he was a real bonehead! Literally! The Smiling Skull was born ugly and didn't let that get in the way of his aspirations for world domination, which he never accomplished thanks to the interference of such do-gooders as Judomaster and Sarge Steel.

Steel Sterling's opposite number Baron Gestapo seemed to represent Earth-MLJ's version of the same old same old in crew cut corrupt cronies of creeps.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Tremendous Trios Triumph!

The Lieutenant Marvels were an early edition to the Captain Marvel mythos, in fact they predated the more famous addition of Captain Marvel Junior by only a few months. Three young men also named Billy Batson, one from the Brooklyn, one from the west and one from the south, met their more famous contemporary Billy Batson the radio host. During a confrontation with Doctor Sivana, the quartet of Billy's learned that they all possessed the powers of the original Marvel, only the three had to call upon such powers in unison. Not to easy to get three distant Billies together given their geographic distances and all.

We previously considered the Sensation Sentinels (of Justice) early this past year. Three young musicians are bequeathed devices by a dying Russian scientist with the intent of protecting humanity. As Helio, Mentalia and Brute. Instead of a Tall, Fat, and Hill version, we have the dashing leader, the beautiful blonde and the muscular guy. All standard stereotypical fair for comics of those times.

While the Sentinels had strength, flight and mind-over-matter abilities dolled out between the three, the Lieutenants had strength, flight, etc granted to each one. Neither team was very enduring, having but a handful of adventures. While the Sentinels were originally known by their folk music handle of the Protesters, the Lieutenants went by the handle of the Squadron of Justice. Turns out, other teams of heroes would borrow those names later.

 Earth-MLJ's Terrific Three consisting of Steel Sterling, Jaguar and Mister Justice were a trio of heroes very similar to the Lieutenants Marvel with mighty powers equally divided between each individual member, with limited appearances.

Marvel Mondays: Glorious Gal-Pals

Every truly successful superhero has a female partner riding his coattails, and hopefully one day stands out on her own as a marketable character. A case study in whether or not this works, and how very often it doesn't, is our skirt-clad sisters of scintillating superheroism.

Mary Marvel was the third (okay actually the sixth if you count three runners-up to her brother's title) of the Marvel Family to debut in the early 1940's. Mary Blomfield, the long lost twin sister of Billy Batson, gained powers like her brother beyond those of mortal men. Soon she was featured in her own titles as well as alongside her new extended family.

Nightshade, whom we've already considered, was Eve Eden a debutante daughter of a U.S. Senator.  However she secretly had a family connection like Mary that granted her immense powers, only hers originated from a mother from another dimension. Like Mary, Eve was separated from a brother, Larry, as he had been trapped in that world when she and her mother escaped. It is unknown if Eve ever reunited with her brother from Earth-Four.

Instead of Mary power to transform into a flying invulnerable version of herself, Nightshade's differed in that she transformed into a shadow that transported from the third dimension. In each case, the gal was rendered immune to physical attack while in that form. And each provided a valuable skill set to aid their Captain comrades, that being Captain Marvel and Captain Atom. While the Marvels had a long documented partnership, Nightshade and Cap only had a few recorded cases together. And rather than brotherly affection like Billy, Captain Adam had something more in mind when he looked at Ms. Eden.

Over at Earth-MLJ, Fly-Girl aka Kimberly Brand was another female given powers that allowed her to mimic a prominent hero, including the requisite power set. Or perhaps the amibguous Catgirl, Jaguar's female counterpart with various superhuman abilities that assisted her male contemporary. There is no clear counterpart on that world for Mary, however.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

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...

Fawcett Fridays: Goggled Gadgeteers

Another obvious parallel between Earth-S and Earth-Four wherein the Fawcett and Charlton characters resided were this pair of goggle-clad gadget-making geniuses. Not intent to rest on their considerable financial success, Alan Armstrong as a Virginian sportsman/weapons-maker and Ted Kord as a robotics scientist, they decided to do more. As Spy Smasher and Blue Beetle, respectively, they attempted to assert some order in a chaotic world. And wearing a brilliant flue and gorgeous green they stood out from the pack.

Each knew that they needed an edge, beyond their inherent athletic ability and acrobatic agility. So these two built amazing air/sea crafts unmatched by their peers in the superhero set. Spy Smasher's Gyro-Sub was part-airplane, part-auto gyro, part-submarine/speedboat. While Blue Beetle's Bug was either an air or sea vehicle, it had remarkable auto-pilot programming designed by Kord.

One other point of similarity was that both genius good guys were chased by the law. In the Smasher's case, it was due to brainwashing inflicted upon him by arch-foe the Mask turning him into a foreign spy, until Captain Marvel finally shook the influence off his future ally. For the Beetle, it was due to his association in his civilian identity with Dan Garrett aka the original Blue Beetle, who disappeared and was presumed murders by Kord (he was but not by Ted, rather by his uncle Jarvis Kord). After vindicating themselves, they resumed their careers.

On Earth-MLJ,a parallel for Spy Smasher may have been the Comet aka John Dickering, another google wearing warrior in a slick all-environment vehicle. At least during the Comet's power-less phase when he had to rely on gadgets and his wits along, like Armstrong.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

World's Wickedess Wednesdays: B Class Brainiacs

These two brainiac baddies are "B" class cranium crooks, i.e. they have the requisite intellect and wicked gravitas to pull off being arch-criminals... but not the endearing evilness to match their peers.

Thaddeus Bogus Sivana Junior was the aspiring son of, you guessed it, Thaddeus Bogus Sivana Senior, the latter being Captain Marvel's greatest adversary. However, despite having a lengthy career causing Fredy Freeman (also a junior, as in Captain Marvel Junior) some level of anxiety, alone Junior was unable to match the dasterdly deeds of his papa.

In fact, perhaps his most significant act was actually a mishap, as his father had finally devised a method of removing the entire Marvel Family and their fellow Fawcett friends from planet Earth-S thanks to the element known as Suspendium. However, junior decided to pat senior on the back to congratulate the villain and instead captured both and his sister Georgia in the same snare! As a result, the Sivana Family was left out of commission during the same period as their opposite numbers for decades!

After being released from this floating prison in space, the most Sivana Junior accomplished was to styme both foe and father with his incompetent intellect. Needless to say, this is world's wickedest wednesdays not necessary world's most successful.

Over at Charlton's Earth-Four, Kong whom we previously considered had a modest career during his three encounters with the Son of Vulcan. Utilizing rotund robots, slicing swords and destructive devices, Kong attempted repeatedly to rid himself of his super-powered enemy and make a name for himself. Like Sivana Junior, he ended up a more or less a B class brainiac. And there are several just crooks in Mighty MLJ that fit that bill.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Watchmen's !mpact #5

The culmination of the visions set forth in Watchmen and Impact Comics' Crucible centered on two key players, but ones were not always featured prominently alongside their peers. Adrian Veidt and Rob Connors were the sons of parents now deceased who found themselves possessing abilities far beyond those of morta men. As Ozymandias and the Comet, these two young men attempt to use their gifts for the good of all humanity. Unlike many superheroes, however, their own determination to stick to the straight and narrow wavered a bit, leading the epic tragedy for those around each of them.

For Rob, it harkened back to the day when he first obtained his energy manipulating powers due to a tragedy befalling his parents and their research. Now possessed of immense power over electricity and flight, he adopts the alias of the Comet and embarks on a brief career. However, when he learns his body was swapped with that of an alien observer... and later still learning that he himself is that alien while the actual Rob Connors perished... he loses a bit of his humanity. After fleeing from the authorities, accusing him of having killed his secret identity, the Comet joins forces with the Black Hood until tricked into unleashing his destructive powers on an entire city. Turned criminal in a post-cold war age, his very ally the Hood is the one who rids the Earth of the Comet once and for all.

As to Ozymandias, after feeling disillusioned over his initial dreams of protecting his fellow man alongside fellow heroes in the Crimebusters, he seeks self-imposed retirement. Yet behind the scenes, he funded his own company development in genetic research that would one day unleash a monstrostity such that the world would have to rally around one another... dropping longterm grudges held throughout the cold war... and join together against a common foe from another world. However, Rorschach had like the Black Hood stood against his one time powerful comrade-in-arms, only unlike the Hood it was Rorschach who perished... not the instigator of so many deaths in that master of manipulation, Ozymandias.

And yet, all such victories are empty when the future in unknown. While the Crusaders ceased to be, themselves just returning from exile in space to face a former friend turned fiendish foe, and the Watchmen went back into retirement in a world now seemingly at piece... still their legacies are safely entrenched in the minds of all who read of their exploits.

Marvel Mondays: Protegees of Power

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Freddy Freeman was a normal lad until he and his grandpa faced a power mad Nazi during a fishing trip. As a result of this confrontation, he ended up losing his beloved relative and was now physically limp for life and near dead!

Johnny Mann was a world traveler stumbling on a war torn area, and became an innocent victim during a confrontation with a power mad warrior whom Mann crossed. This led to Johnny losing a leg and faith in humanity!

And then, each were noticed by prominent powerful legends who made sure that each "Man" was given  a physical form commensurate to their heroic spirits, becoming men of another kind. Gaining super-strength, flight, invulnerability and a host of abilities, this pair protected their respective worlds as Freddy's Captain Marvel Junior of Earth-S and Son of Vulcan of Earth-Four. Each were named after their heroes who were the ones that bestowed powers upon the lads after saving their lives. Freddy became an owner of a newspaper stand while Johnny remained in his position as reporter for the Worldwide News Syndicate. And each repeatedly faced a genius arch-foe, whom we'll consider in a couple of days during our next installment.

A parallel character on Earth-MLJ might be the the silver-age Shield, son of the original, himself inspired and empowered by his mentor and hero. Or perhaps Lancelot Strong, himself a latter-day heir to the Shield title with the standard flight/strength/durability powers of Junior, plus the ability to absorb massive amounts of energy like Freddy does with the lightning that transmits his immense powers!

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.

Fawcett Fridays: Scarlet-and-Gold Saviors

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

As the world was heading once more into a war that would grip the globe, a plethora of powerless protectors championed the cause of the everyman. Foremost among them were Mister Scarlet, a costumed hero who in his day-to-day life was district attorney Brian Butler. Tired of the rampant crime going unchecked in his burg, he donned a red and yellow costume, using his natural acrobatic prowess to combat the criminal element. After succeeding in his righteous cause, he found that there were no more criminals for him to prosecute. Left unemployed as the public at large felt Butler was lazy, he persisted in his double identity while adopting a ward named Pinky and supported financially by secretary Miss Wade.

Rip Jagger was a mere sergeant on a southern Pacific island when he encountered a band of Asian freedom fighters fighting against their Japanese occupiers. Once Rip completed his training and adopted the alias of Judomaster, he rejoined the armed forces and proved a valuable double agent while gaining a young lad named Tiger against the Axis.

Similarities? Definite love of red and yellow... not very common among the superhero set. Physically adept heroes equipped with various small weaponry. Mentors to junior partners. And during the latter 1940's, each was pulled from their own time and awoke in a modern age decades later without having aged a day, standing alongside their fellow mystery men.

While the golden age Shield had a kid sidekick, governmental occupation and for a few years only his wits and athleticism (with no powers) which mimic Scarlet's career, a closer analog for the Mister of Mystery may be the Black Hood aka Matt Burland. Himself on the outs with local law enforcement he swore to serve and protect under, the Hood had only his finely trained physique and minor gadgets. And years later, he had a junior apprentice in nephew Kip aka the 80's Black Hood!

History of the Blue Beetle and Fly Comics #3

In the third incarnations of Blue Beetle and the Fly, the masterful hand of Steve Ditko entered the fray and introduced some of his trademark elements to each series. We have already considered how each stacked up to the other, however a bit of expository history...

Blue Beetle - Charlton Comics June 1967- November 1968 / The Fly - Red Circle Comics May 1983- October 1984

 

  

Blue Beetle was struggling creatively and financially as a property. Enter Steve Ditko, who did a near whole sale house cleaning and boiled the character back down to his critical elements. Gone was the superfluous and wildly fluctuating powers, cryptic origin and character motivations, and bland secret identity. Dan Garrett accompanied his good friend Ted Cord to investigate Ted's power mad scientist uncle Jarvis, and in the forthcoming battle Dan's Blue Beetle perished at the hands of Jarvis' robots (nevermind that previously Beetle faced aliens, ancient Egyptians, floating eyes and nasty bug men). Feeling guilty at inadvertently causing the death of the Beetle, Ted used his own creative capabilities to adopt the identity. In place of a super-humanly powerful body, Blue Beetle now had a flying Bug. Instead of energy beams emitted from his hands, he was armed with a buzz-gun.

While Blue Beetle's revival was merely a year and four months after his cancellation, it took the Fly almost seventeen years to receive a third chance at his own publication. And when that day came, he was intended to be the cornerstone character upon which with the budding new Red Circle line was to be founded. Shortly thereafter, the Mighty Crusaders began an new edition running concurrent with the Fly's comic, and he gained the greatest level of exposure he had in decades. Within a couple issues of his revival, Steve Ditko jumped on board and highlight similar elements for the Fly that made the Beetle a critical fan favorite. Elements such as the everyman hero working feverishly against a system that would like to beat him down, mid-air acrobats, fancy holstered gadgets, romance ever elusive until the bitter end. Alas, neither reinterpretation of the bug-eyed bravehearts won over many fans, and each publication was canceled in short order.

Yet here at Charlton vs Mighty MLJ and, we suspect, in obscure corners of fandom, these are two beloved characters that have endured and show promise for further adventures (a conclusion DC reached when the acquired both characters for their own interpretations throughout the years and decades that followed).

World's Wickedest Wednesdays: Devious Docs

Dual demented docs do doggedly devilish deeds! Say that five times fast! Or better yet, have the bad Doctors... Sivana and Spectro... of adjacent Earths S and 4 say that via their cloned proxies. Each of the good Captains... Marvel and Atom... faced off against these evil geniuses more than once. And on one occasion, against several duplicates of themselves. Thankfully, their heroic opposite numbers still proved superior!

Doctor Thaddeus Bogus Sivana was once an aspiring physicist who invented various revolutionary devices for the benefit of mankind. And yet, secular authorities scoffed at him, and as a result Sivana swore revenge against his fellow man. From that point forward, upon meeting the World's Mightiest Mortal, Sivana was Captain Marvel's most persistent and deadly foe. In fact, on on occasion he trapped the hero and his allies in suspendium. Alas, the mad mental menace and his family was also captured and held in stasis along with the heroic Marvels in suspended animation for decades. Even after his revival, Sivana never won except once when his inventions were actually acclaimed to the point where he received a Nobel Peace Prize when Marvel used them to aid mankind... much to Sivana's chagrine!

Doctor Spectro also wanted to use his colored light technology for the medical benefits of mankind. However, once he was attacked by a gang of opportunistic hoods and his beam was reflected back on himself, Spectro turned evil and gained vast powers which he used against Captain Atom on more than one occasion... including when a miniature malicious mob of his clones attached the Atomic Avenger intent on reassembling Spectro into one man once more. Yet a good persona existed in the group of Docs, who attempted to exert control over the reconstituted Spectro later.

An analog for Sivana over at MLJ/Mighty Comics would probably be the Fly's arch-foe the Spider, another deformed bald midget of malice with a mind for marvelous machinery.

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In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Watchmen's !mpact #4

The ultimate effect of Alan Moore's storytelling style on subsequent comics resonates particularly well in the final !mpact series entitled Crucible. To sum up: the modern day Crusaders found themselves alienated from humanity much like the Watchmen had before them. The different being that while the Watchmen were sequestered into retirement as costumed heroes thanks to the Keene Act which was passed in the United States, the Crusaders were literally exiled from Earth. The result?

Four Crusaders: the Fly, Jaguar, Shield and Fireball left behind a world without any principle protectors. Only the Black Hood, himself the latest inheritor of the black hood mask and the legacy associated with it, remained to protect the innocents. Much like Rorshack aka Walter Kovacs, seventeen year old Nate Cray wasn't the most mentally balanced of champions to don the Hood. Thankfully, the fantastic foursome would return to aid our gun-weilding warriors in their battle against evil... the aforementioned Crusaders and the Watchmen consisting of Nite-Owl, Silk Spectre, Doctor Manhattan and Ozymandias. Would the latter team discover the truth that the Comedian took to his grave? And would the former team reclaim their world?

The clocks would be ticking, with seconds left. When both quartets reassembled with their bewildered buddies left on terra firma, they would discover a malevolent threat within their very ranks about to usher in an alien threat of unprecedented proportions! Would their resolve win out? Will the ugly truth destroy these mystery men as heroes from within? Time would tell.

In our next installment, we dissect the relationship between the featured characters of these two ground breaking mini-series, and how they were the sign of the times that storytelling in comic books had dramatically changed to imbrace concepts effecting popular culture itself.

The Watchmen was a limited series published from September 1986 through October 1987, and was based on characters purchased by DC Comics from the then defunct Charlton Comics. The Impact comics line was modeled after characters originally published by MLJ and Mighty Comics, and the Crucible series was issued from February 1993 through July 1993.

Marvel Mondays: The Captains of Energy

In 1954, aspiring comic book publisher Charlton purchased the rights to several prominent characters from the expiring Fawcett Comics, such as Ibis, Golden Arrow and Lance O'Casey. In 1980 and 1985, DC Comics purchase Fawcett's Marvel Family then Charlton's Action Heroes, and the two were linked once more, now on parallel Earths, Four and Shazam.Now the MLJ has been added to their stable of characters, we examine the parallels in this series.

No two figures are as prominent on Earth-Four and Earth-Shazam as the Captains, Atom and Marvel. Each our dynamos of power, the pinnacle of human perfection, the guardians of the greater good. And also partial to the similar color scheme in their speedos.

Captain Marvel is really Billy Batson, a young lad transformed by lighting which he calls upon from ancient Shazam to grant him vast powers unmatched by his peers. Captain Atom is Captain Nathaniel Adams, a soldier who during a mishap in a launched rocket finds him body atomized and transformed into a human nuclear furnace. Each fly, have superhuman strength and durability, and can call upon tremendous energy to transform themselves from mere men to mighty mortals!

Both men are the recognized leaders of their worlds premier heroic teams, the Squadron of Justice and Sentinels of Justice! Alongside their skirt-clad gal pals, goggle-clad aviators and fellow red-and-yellow spandex studs, they champion the cause of justice. While Atom changed to a red, white and blue suit latter in his career, Marvel remained in his familiar duds.

Another hero cut from Captain Marvel's mold is Earth-MLJ's Ralph Hardy aka the Jaguar. Transformed by an ancient entities, deriving abilities from mighty beings including super-strength/stamina/speed and flight, glad in a red body suit with yellow boots and belts.

Sideline Sundays: Charlton vs... Fawcett?

Beginning this week, our site is going to shift focus to include another displaced publisher of classic comics, the defunct Fawcett Comics and their find stable of classic characters that have sat on the sidelines for years with only brief revivals sprinkled throughout! As DC Comics assigned these character and those from Charlton on adjacent Earths before they were merged into one mega-Earth, we will be considering the astounding parallels derived from these under-appreciated worlds. And we'll also consider how MLJ stacks up to the Marvel Family and friends.

This will be considered in three weekly features: Marvel Mondays (focusing on the Marvel immediate and extended Family), World's Wickedest Wednesdays (focusing on the bad guys in each universe) and wrapping up with Fawcett Fridays (focusing on other heroes in Earth-Shazam).

See you tomorrow!