How Captain Atom has changed through the years. From being a superpowered soldier in clad classic silver age costumes, he would be reinvented in a modern era with a nice silvery "containment" suit that expanded the initial silver sleeves to his entire body. The new appearence definitely an upgrade over the original, all sentiments aside.
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? 
Tommy and Jason Troy had lives that mirrored one another, to a point. Both lads when they received amulets allowing them to transform into the Fly men, both men gained superhuman abilities that were virtually identitcal. In a head-to-head matchup, Tommy as the original from Archie Comics would beat out Jason given his maturity and years of experience, having a longer and more prestigious career. Otherwise, it would be a toss up should they one day have to face each other.
Since the Ted Kord before Charlton's world was absorbed in DC and after its assimiliation is virtually the same, we'll consider Ted's alter ego versus Jaime Reyes, each an heir to the title of Blue Beetle. While neither was the original, they each have aptly shown they can carry on with the decades long tradition started by Dan Garrett in the 1940s. However, our focus is how these two would fare if faced with one another. Of course, as Reye's wears an alien armor derived from Garrett's scarab, itself extraterrestrial technology virtually actualized in Reyes. Allowing itself to configure into a variety of weaponry, the suit makes Reyes more than a match for Kord with his strobe gun. And unlike Ted's flying "Bug", which is an artificial intelligence of man-made design, the scarab suit mainframe is highly structured. The only advantage Ted would have over Jaime is his athletic and intellectual capabilities, while Jaime is still discovering how to maximize his own innate abilities.
Ralph Hardy, the noted archeologist and secretly the crimson crusader known as the Jaguar, was noted for being a ladies man. However, he may just meet his match should he ever encounter Maria de Guzman, herself the Jaguar in another universe. Both gained superhuman physiques including strength, agility and reflexes as well as senses unmatched amongst their fellow humans. However, while Ralph's power was dervied from a belt he was bequeathed with, Maria gained her powers through her heriditary lineage. Who would win in a match versus each of these feline furies? Maria, who would steal Ralph's heart, of course! Although Cat Girl may have something to say about this encounter, since hardy is her man!
When the Boy Wonder debuted in 1940 as the costumed crusader, Robin, he set a new trend that would be replicated with virtually every comicbook company and many major heroes, from then till today. Although a sidekick was always a component in the mystery men mythos, having one so young and eager to dress up like his mentor was revolutionary. And, in fact, MLJ Comics replicated this success by giving two of its premier protectors... the Shield and Wizard... their own teen titans in Dusty and Roy. Not only did these lads work well with their surrogate papas, but also as partners with one another in a short-lived series of their own during that time period.
While Archie Andrews and his pals had met some golden age superheroes back in the mid-1940s, including his number one hero the Shield, it was in the 1990s when he met the strangest hero ever. Or more accurately, an anti-hero, in the Punisher. Formerly Frank Castle, a battle-hardened veteran who lost his family due to a malevolent mob, took up his vigilante alter ego to strike terror in crime. Eventually, he was drawn to the peaceful burg of Riverdale, tracking down "Red" Fever for the government, and encountered Red's near-double in Archie Andrews. After a brief and tense first meeting, Punisher left the teen behind to continue tracking down his quarry through the streets of Archie's hometown. Turns out, Fever had a trump card of his own in case he had been cornered.
Disguising himself as Melvin Jay, a young entrepreneur, Fever took out Archie's on-again off-again girlfriend Veronica Lodge to a dance. Using her as a hostage in a standoff versus the Punisher, it ended up being Red's lookalike Archie who clumsily took down the criminal, with the aid of an old friend of his. As Fever was pulled from the social scene into the sky above, his foot hooked to a rope tied to a float of the Shield, Riverdale was safe once more from the criminal element. And so, Frank Castle bid his new acquaintences adieu. And they, for their part, eventually forgot about this entire surreal episode!
Just a reminder folks, that your humble blogger has been delving into the deep end of the DC Multiverse with its rich history and thousands of characters for the past few years with more to come. Since both the Charlton and the MLJ/Archie heroes have been blended into DC Megaverse from time to time, there is a connection between those characters and these. For instance, we see both of Riverdale's lovely lasses Veronica clad in Wonder Woman's gear, as is Betty as Supergirl, for which there is quite a bit to say on each subject. Come by for a visit in the DC Multiverse and stay awhile!
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.
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). 
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| Cap may have had a Red Skull over at Timely Comics, but Web had the more nefarious "Green Skull" to butt heads with |
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| DC Comics may have had the World's Finest Team, but MLJ's dynamic duo of the Web and Steel Sterling was "Top Notch" |
A comprehensive blog reviewing, comparing, contrasting and dissected the hidden gems found in Charlton and MLJ/Mighty/Archie/Red Circle Comics.
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