Team-Up Tuesdays: Crusaders VS Invaders

This would be an epic matchup. Consider the following duels between the Crusaders and Invaders:

• The heat-generating android Human Torch versus circus fire-breather Inferno (not show). The latter took on Steel just as Torch does in the picture. Advantage: Human Torch.
• Two elemental men in Blue Diamond (not shown) versus Steel Sterling. Superstrong and invulnerable, each was a paragon of potent power. Advantage: Steel Sterling.
• High-flying Miss America versus the bird-handler Captain Flag, considering the lady had strength as well she'd take out Flag's pet eagle Yank. Advantage: Miss America.
• The Vision aka Aarkus versus Mister Justice: Although Aarkus could control temperature, illusions and teleport... Justice could  do that and more. Advantage: Mister Justice.
• The Whizzer versus Bob Phantom (not shown): A superspeedster versus a master teleporter. Whizzer was quite fast, but Bob was as fast as thought! Advantage: Bob Phantom.
• Sub-Mariner versus the Wizard (not shown): His world's first mutant, the Mariner would meet his match with the mastermind turned man of might. Advantage: the Wizard.
• Union Jack (not shown) versus Black Jack: Two mighty fine fighters, nevertheless the Battling Brit has the edge with his superhuman lighting powers. Advantage: Union Jack.
• Bucky versus Dusty: The supreme sidekicks of the super-soldiers. In the golden age: As the Boy Detective, Dusty takes this. As a retcon secret agent, Bucky. Advantage: Toss Up.
• The Destroyer (not shown) versus the Web: Both the pinnacles of human perfection, matching physical attributes with tactical minds and great courage. Advantage: Toss Up.
• The Patriot (not show) versus the Hangman: Non-powered but superbly talented second-tier mystery men, the former an optimist and the latter a pessimist. Advantage: Patriot.
• Captain America versus the Shield: Here would be the epic battle of ages. Two twin titans. As his superstrong self, Advantage: the Shield. If he is non-powered, Advantage: Captain America.

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...

Team-Up Tuesdays: Marvel Mondays Madness!

On the outskirts of Marvel's main fictional universe, a team of alien adventurers formed to protect a strange world made up of floating enclaves connected in a metallic web floating through space. We have already considered two of their members which were at least partly inspired by the Comet and Hangman. Two more members of this society also gained some notoriety. One tied to the Champions, an analog for the Crusaders, the other a native Xandarian who struck off on his own to explore the cosmos with his cosmic abilities.

Powerhouse was a young Rieg Davan that gained the power to harness energy which allowed him to magnify his superhuman strength further.  Much like Lancelot Strong aka the Shield, he had great potential yet his life was prematurely snuffed out before his career could take off.

Firelord began as an ordinary lad in Xandar society Pyreus Kril that was second in command of a stellar vessel, who first assumed his friend and captain's place after his abduction, and later adopted a similar set of cosmic powers from the same cosmic entity when the former captain was himself killed. Much like Fireball and Inferno, his fiery disposition was matched by his manipulation of thermal energies around his body. While never officially joining a team like his MLJ counterparts, he was ultimately on the same side of good. But there were other Champions, like their Crusader forebearers, for another Monday.

Fear not, you Charlton fans (both of you) for Mighty Marvel also featured a team-up of an energetic captain and a spunky femme federali (no, not Captain Atom and Eve  Eden aka Nightshade) i.e. Captain Mar-Vel and Major Carol Danvers aka Ms. Marvel.

But that is a tale for another week yet to come.

Battling Blondes: Round 4 - Facing Fiery Fiends

We have been remiss in revisiting the duel between Peter Cannon, aka Thunderbolt, and John Raymond, aka the Web. So we present for you consideration (and consumption) Round 4. While this could just as easily have been slotted into "Friday Fiends", we'll have a different type of entry in that slot this week. So without further ado, let's get under way...are you READY to RUMBLE? Our blondes  are.

We had previously considered today's adversaries, the Dragon (or Dragon Master) and Inferno, in our last entry Round 3 - Cover Boys, and how each stacked up. Let's consider them more in depth as they go mano-y-mano with our battling blondes.

Interestingly enough, Web's tale begins while accepting an award alongside fellow crime fighter Inferno...from a crook as it turned out! Despite this apparent death trap of a ticking time bomb, what really concerns our masked marvel isn't impending death...but impending nagging from his fairer half Rose. Poor professor... he can never seem to catch a break where she is concerned. As a result, she takes a position at a museum as an assistant, leading to jealous feelings consuming Johnny.

Peter Cannon is the antithesis of John... and he would be the ideal mate for Rose formerly Wayne. Ah if only they had met across dimensional barriers! In any event, while on an international flight, Pete's plane is hijacked by the Dragon Master and his thugs, threatening to nuke their prey if their demands are not made. And to make good his threat, old D.M. turns on his mini blow torch and burns cigar chomping chump... showing all present that he means business. Thankfully Tabu had packed his pals suit.

"Down with culture. Up with barbarism"! "He's one of the town's swingingest playboys". You just can't make this stuff up! Well, Mighty Comics can and did so on a regular basis. Thankfully, Web's possessive nature leads him in the right place and time to confront...his old friend whom he JUST hung out with! Has his life turned topsy-turvy or what? More importantly, how will swingingest playboy Tom Alexander handle that portable blow torch that old "flaming carrot-top" insignia is flashing his way?

Over at Charlton, Thunderbolt is making the rounds in his introductions to this issues prime baddie, that Master of Dragons wearing that babuska hat (is this Chinese dude a fan of Russian styles or what). Watch it Petey, you almost ended up on the business end of that flame thrower like your tubby buddy above! Fancy footwork helps him sidestep a grilling from Mr. Fu-Manchu and quickly he out maneuvers his foe... leading to animosity that will lead to another confrontation a few pages later.

Now Web can impress all three.. his sly wife, his sinister enemy and his swinging rival... at one time. Using the element of surprise he quickly gets the drop on Inferno and soon his criminalist instincts leads him to conclude something ain't right in Smithsonian-town. He no doubt is aware of  Inferno's former criminal past, if not from Inferno's own mouth than from Steel Sterling (when they were paling around the back pages of Mighty Comics together). Still, since when did his former heroic colleague need to rely on a weapon

Returning to his secluded mansion outside New York City, he learns that Dragon Master as ascertained his duel identity and taken his loyal manservant Tabu hostage. Nothing gets Pete's lather up than when his buddy is in trouble, and he quickly tracks down both prey and predator. This leads to a trap set by the Master which he hopes will finally seal the doom of the red-and-blue action-hero. A sealed room transformed into a ready made coffin for the pair. Is this the end? Well, it is the last issue of Thunderbolt's 60's run... his creator the enigmatic writer known at the time only as P.A.M. had since vacated the title. So anything is possible.

Finally the real Inferno reveals himself and aids teh Web to take out his imitator and the generic gun wielding henchman that was all in vogue in the swinging 60's. Eat your heart out, Tom Alexander... this is how REAL men take out the trash. While you're dusting off those crusty old artifacts, our spandex supers are dusting off the criminal element in the city! To bad clueless hag Rose doesn't get the point... she goes ape over hubby varnishing the wood finishing at Raymond Casa. Sigh such is a lost art.

Steely willed resolve isn't just a mantra... it is literally a way of life for Mr Can... Must... Will. Finding a handy battering ram and the strength to swing it relentlessly despite blazing temperatures that would cause a mere mortal or patsy (read: Tabu) to faint in the presence of...Thunderbolt after two pages of indoctrinating us readers with the "can-do" pep talks all teens need to get out of bed in the morning...evacuates himself and his old ally. And not a moment to soon, for Dragon Master is making a hasty getaway!

And so ends yet another adventure of the Wonderful Web. Talk about "caught in a web of your own making", he knew this was going to happen and yet he still has to suck it up. It might help his cause if he changed out of his work clothes and back into his civvies, it no doubt irked dear Rose to see her love drapped in that wacked out garb. And so ends the silver age run of Professor Raymond... he would not return in a fresh adventure until the 1980's. Two decades didn't soften up Rose nor her stance to much.

Once more our Bolt of Thunder sidesteps a dreadful end at the end of his Asian adversaries barrel, and nearly allows gravity to grab hold of himself instead. Thankfully it is Dragon Master's own arrogance at his booby trapped weapon which cause a grisly end to both he and his own generic henchman (again...they were IT back in the day). And so wraps up the last silver age case of Mr. Raymond and not a moment to soon, as on a previous page he mentioned how every day of life as the Thunderbolt was one more day that Pete died a little more. Rest in retirement, pal.

Battling Blondes Rating

1.) Story Drama: Definitely the thrill of international intrigue lends this category in T-Bolt's direction. Still, how can you beat henpecking by a relentless antagonist that is close to the protagonist's heart? This is almost unheard of in comic book fiction and is a niche that Web fills nicely. However, a novelty doesn't replace a terrorist threat manifest in Thunderbolt #60. So Pete gets this one.

2.) Imaginative Use of Abilities: Thunderbolt and Web both used equal portions of physicality although Bolt tops him in the endurance department. Web just wilted under the scorching heat of his desert Rose. This goes to Thunderbolt.

3.)Adversary: As previously mentioned in our last entry, Dragon Master wins this item for Pete due to the scope of his scheme. The faux Inferno is strictly small potatoes in his scheme and in his organizational structure...although he's got a WAY cooler costume than D.M. Of course, he stole it so points for originality go to Dragon.

4.) Intangibles that Worked: We must reflect back to Tabu and Rose...and which intangible actually didn't hinder the hero as much as the other? Tough call... Tabu despite his years of training never seemed quite able to defend himself. The monks that raised him must've wanted their money back. Rose, however, was one tough cookie that rarely cracked under pressure. And she never sweated when facing near death by faux Inferno. So Web gets away with this category...if we skip the ending of Mighty Comics #50.

Thus Round 4 is Thunderbolt's victory by a score of 3-1. We have one or two more rounds to go before we find out who ends up the all time winner. Besides, of course, you their readers!

Friday Fiends: Bad Dudes...Bad Breath!

Last week we considered a a couple of hot customers. Well, turns out we have another pair a bit hot under the collar, More specifically, hot under the larynx. Inferno and Mister Blaze. Let's introduce both side-by-side.

Inferno was a circus fire breather who seemed to emit from his mouth heat at will. He was lured into crime named Frank Verrano. This brought him into conflict with the man of steel, Steel Sterling.

Another circus performer, known only as Mr. Blaze also turned to a life of crime when his own act proved a dismal failure. And  he met Mr. Smith!

Now in prison, Inferno revealed a softer side despite his gruff demeanor, as he learned a new inmate may have cause the fare Dora Cummings to unnecessary danger. He soon learn that this prisoner is his old enemy, disguised as a fellow captive to ferret out a rumored prison break. Steel begins to realize that Mr. Verrano may have more in common with him than he knows. What will Inferno's future have in store for him?

Now coating himself and his special suit in Chris Smith's compound, Mr. Blaze is about to reveal his trump card, as he had discovered a  hidden race of underground lava men (all the rage in the hip 60's) ready to yield to his will when he displays an invincibility to fire. Still there is one obstacle... ex-diplomat now masked man... Peacemaker.

After Sterling's testimony, Inferno embarks on a heroic career getting one of those neat uniforms. From his initial appearances in Zip Comics 10-13... he then had his own series in Blue Ribbon Comics  13-19.

After drawing Peacemaker back to his hidden lair, Blaze does what all psychotic would-be world conquerors would do as reveals his scheme...to steal his rival's jet as a heat  missile of sort, and topple Washington D.C. 

Coming out of retirement, Inferno joined two other heated heroes, Firefly and  Fireball in Mighty Crusaders #4 in order to join the team. Sent to combat the threat Hangman (himself a former applicant of this team...turned evil on a reverse career path from Inferno). Later on, Inferno fights alongside with former foe and ally Steel, although neither seem to have much to say after all these years. And our hero leaves after his request to join...along with that of the others...is rejected by the Crusaders until later on.

Of course, Smith doesn't take the news of his invention being used as a weapon of war well, and pursues Blaze in his backup aircraft. Fortunately, he knows the flaws of his device well and this proves to be the undoing of Mr. Blaze, who disappears after ejecting. There is a hint that he would return...and had Peacemaker's series continued past issue #5, which was Blaze's debut, our turban tormentor may well have as he had potential. Oh...and the lava men slithered back into the hole they crawled out of. They got burned.


Both Inferno and Mr. Blaze started out in the same career, then followed up as felons. Would Blaze have also eventually repented and become a force for good? Doubtful but who know? Or cares? Meanwhile, Inferno makes one more silver age appearance...and it appears he may have turned back to the dark side! We'll leave that for a future Battling Blondes.

Friday Fiends: Fire Fiend & Fiery Friend

We break a pattern this week, as this post should be retitled "Friday Fiend & Friend" as only one of our candidates is a villain who only appeared twice yet is unique enough to consider among the hordes of other hot and cold criminals. The other is a golden age hero who's initial run was short and rarely appeared since, yet started out as a novel idea. Let's start the latter.

Fireball first appeared as Ted Tyler, fearless firefighter, who as often happened in comics both in the golden and then silver ages was exposed to "those" funky experimental chemicals that always seemed to be lying around. Thankfully his buddies are there to bring their unconscious comrade from the flammable structure...or would he have survived considering what was about to occur within his mutating body? Only his unknown creator knew for sure.

Ted then makes miraculously quick recovery (considering the page count of those 1940's comics) and immediately resolves to use his heat absorption and projection powers to fight fire bugs...and decided to track down the cause of his transformation before others are  then transformed as well into superhuman human torches. After all, who needs the competition in the long-underwear set? He still needed to nail the right color scheme, however.

Tracking down "the Bug" (as in firebug), Fireball shows how invincible his powers make him...bullets melt on impact...heat is his to command...his stamina is tremendous and his legs allow him to leap vast distances! And the Bug gets while the getting is good...we're unsure exactly where he landed but we are sure it wasn't pretty. As for Fireball, he continued his career as a one-man firefighting force, preventing fires from getting out of hand and burning bad guys who were their cause.This lasted about a year or so.

After 11 issues in the back pages of Pep, Fireball's fleeting fame burnt out. He next appeared in the 1960's as a potential member of the Mighty Crusaders, in fact he was the first applicant in issue #4. After an outing alongside fellow flaming fellows Firefly and Inferno then working alongside "too many heroes", he returns to retirement until Archie's Weird Mysteries #3 when he's finally accepted as a Crusader himself. Along with two dozen others!

August 1967's Captain Atom #87, a new adversary of our Atomic Ace appeared with an interesting set of abilities, the ability to project scourching heat from his right hand, and biting cold from his left hand...via his projectors attached to his specialized armor. Atom in his alias of Captain Adam, while swimming in the sea, came upon this baddie and his henchmen. And while the hired help aren't exactly pulling their wait, F-I is ready for this new challenge.

After cornering Atom into a trap which his henchmen sent thanks to their freezing cannon, Fiery-Icer mistakenly believes this is the end of the good Captain...sealed in a icey tomb underneath several tons of ocean. Ah if only he knew what was in store...a battle royale with our hero. Apparently Icer's objective is to disable a new missle tracking station which might have interfered with his "purposes" although what those were is unknown. Was he a foreign agent or simply a criminal opportunist?

It seems like Icer comes equipped for any opposition, including a nuclear powered sentinel, and uses a one-two combo of heat and cold to stun Atom. Note that Icer doesn't simply rely on his gadget, using his brawn as well as brains to pin down the Atomic Avenger!  The chips seems down until Cap finds the reserves necessary to deck his truly tempermental temperature foe. Knocking out Icer, Atom frees the ever annoying Abby Ladd from his clutches.  Sigh, oh well.

After years in the lockup, Fiery-Icer learns to folly of tying his career to a bunch of green clad goons and instead ties his future to a bunch of...green-red-and-yellow clad goons i.e. Blue Beetle's foes the Madmen as well as the Manipulator and another foe of Captain Atom, Iron Arm. Despite sheer numbers on their side, Icer's sinister Squad is no match for the fully assembled Sentinels of Justice. Still he manages to squirm away from Nightshade, to be seen nevermore.

Battling Blondes: Round 3 - Cover Boys

Returning to comparison of those battling blondes, John Raymond aka the Web and the Peter Cannon aka Thunderbolt, so far we have a 3-1 lead from round 2 (round 1 ended in a draw). Our next area of focus are the covers portraying the pair in action. We've picked four...let's get started!

Pete going tet a tet against vicious apes...while John gets spanked by a common thug who is turn scared by bread roller! Pete takes this. Definitely not John's finest hour but the future Pow-Girl is showing some potential.

Although John shares billing with his Fly friends, he's definitely standing erect and ready for battle...unlike John who's tasting the potent power of that poisonous princesses of Ptolemy, Evila. I think John would have a shot against that gal considering he faces Rose every morning, noon, and night.

Once more John shows that he's isn't afraid to tackle solid girth. Those sumos no doubt eat guys like Bolt for breakfast. Meanwhile, it looks like the Fly is doing most of the work with John coming just in time for to bull rush the non-descript felon. We'd give it to the Fly, were he in this contest,  just for the sound effect alone.  This is the "POW" age, after all. You know he means business. Otherwise, this is ALL Petey for manning up.

Two fire-breathing baddies...now we're talking! Pete seems to have his oppenent, this time the Dragon, on the ropes. However, John has taken a tactical advantage..getting the drop on a villain, Inferno, imitating a hero who himself was a villain and foe of Steel Sterling. Anyways, since Dragon seems to be smirking despite encountering this might of the Bolt while Inferno seems to be in panic mode, will give a slight nod to the Web.


Battling Blondes Rating

1.) Story Drama: Or, at least, Cover Drama? It would seem that Thunderbolt wins out since his covers are serious while typically there are comical elements strewn in Web's appearances. Although Pete's static and stilled poses do not convey quite as much action as John's fluid motions. Pete gets this by a nose.

2.) Imaginative Use of Abilities: Not much imagination in these covers. Flying fists are fairly typical. As are leaping through windows.Thankfully category 4 touches on this (see below) in a creative way.

3.)Adversary: Inferno beats Dragon since he has style points for his costume and legacy connection. The Wayne women beat Evila as we mentioned last week and Rose...as a foe or ally...wins every time hands down simply due to her dogged persistent and character motivation...preservation of her fool husband's life.

4.) Intangibles that Worked: Heed the Web's words "The Web will not only thrill you...it'll make ya laugh, cry, and mebbe even sneeze..you'll sneeze when...oh go buy the mag". Sneezing is a powerful incentive in our book. Pete's reply? "I can do it...I must do it...I will do it". Yawn! John wins.

To sum up, John wins Round 3! We'll resume Battling Blondes in a few weeks, after we introduce Dueling Ditko: Bugged-Out Bouts! Can't wait.

Team-Up Tuesdays: High Camp Heroes

Both Mighty and Charlton were prone towards a bit of camp humour, popular at the time, especially when introducing their heroic teams. While Mighty took the concept farther into a continuing series, Charlton was hesitant in teaming up all their big guns at one time and show them (sort of) only once).

Allow us to introduce the Mighty Crusaders in their debut appearence in Adventures of the Fly #31:

Next we present to you the "Mightiest Armada of Enemies of Evil" in Charlton Premier #3:

The members of the Mighty Crusaders were Fly, Comet, Shield and the Black Hood...brought together by the Fly's arch-foe Spider-Spry. Fly-Girl joined later. Others attempted to join the foray, including Captain Flag:

Meanwhile, the "Mightest Armada" included heroes we've already covered, including Peacemaker and Blue Beetle, as well as a more obscure trio: Superguy, Captain USA, and the Green Spider:

While Superguy filled the niche for the goofiest of the caped set, the honor among Archie/Mighty characters fell to Captain Sprocket who had once mixed up his dry cleaning with a few of the Crusaders!  Aside from a cameo with Fly, Comet, Black Hood and Shield, he mostly kept to himself. Then there were the Captains, Flag and USA. Finally there was the fairly useless Green Spider, more of a hinderance then a help as seen in the accompanying panels, and the aforementioned rogue Spider-Spry, a criminal genius whose intellect was matched only by his ineptitude.

While Captain Flag had a short but memorable career in the 1940's. any exploits of Captain USA beyond this issue were left unchronicled (although we here suspect he may have moonlighted in the 1940's as Captain V, a backup feature in Blue Beetle's comic, as the two are very similar), as were those of Superguy and Green Spider. The villain of the piece Sinestro seemed to know of them, so they had some notoriety.

And each team had inventive adversaries to bedevil them such Boy Fiend, Sinestro, and alien scientist, Inferno the Destroyer.

Alas such heroic teams from our two aspiring comic publishers were short lived and would take years before they reappeared. Still, there are tales to tell of heroic pairings in the silver age of comics, which we'll next consider.