Now, for the DC side of the unofficial Invaders/Freedom Fighters Crossover......

Freedom Fighters #8-9



For my money, Rich Buckler's cover for #9 was the best one in the short-lived series; but, it severely disappointed me that ha was not the interior artist, as he would have gone to town on this, based on his All-Star Squadron work.

Creative Team: Bob Rozakis-writer, Dick Ayers & Jack Abel-art, John Workman (possibly) and Gaspar Saladino-letters (according to GCD), colors-unknownm, though Tatjan Wood did the covers, Jack C Harris-editor

Time to own up to a mistake. I had it in my head that Gerry Conway wrote these issues; but, it was Bob Rozakis. Conway edited the early issues and plotted the debut (and wrote the second issue), while Martin Pasko scripted. Rozakis came onto the book with issue #5, while Tony Isabella was editing. The Freedom Fighters had a real problem with keeping a creative team, as it seemed like no one wanted to handle the thing...well, no one who could do it justice. Art chores went from Bablo Marcos and different inkers (Tex Blaisdell did a nice job, on one issue) and then Ramona Fradon and several inkers, then Dick Ayers and Jack Abel, with issue #7. Harris took over as editor with issue #8. Lack of continuity on the creative side hobbled this, from the get go and it is amazing that it made it to 15 issues. Conway started and then passed off more than one series at DC, including Secret Society of Super Villains, as well as Return of the New Gods, though he stayed on that one, to make a mess of Kirby's 4th World, until the J:A issues, where he finally seemed to get a handle on it.

So, blame Bob Rozakis and Jack Harris for this being not up to Invaders levels, though Ayers and Abel are more subdued than Robbins and Springer, too.

The DC Crusaders actually first appear in issue #7, on the last page....



The mystery picks up in issue #8. Black Condor, who developed new mental powers, in issue #7, goes nuts and Uncle Sam tries to stop him, over Niagra Falls (Slowly I turned.....step by step.....) The others are right behind and the Ray vaporizes the falls and Condor rescues US, after tossing him from the sky. this also plunges New York into a blackout, since the hydroelectric plants lose their water source.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders have appeared in the offices of New York DA David Pearson, who used to read of their adventures, in comic books, as a kid. They are interrupted by an aid, who says the FF have knocked out power to NYC. He is about to give authorization to the Crusaders to bring the FF in, but they are already gone.

Ace reporter Martha Roberts, girlfriend of Doll man, wants to go up to Niagra Falls, to cover the story; but her boss nixes the idea. She goes anyway.

The FF regroup and assess the damage caused. They hit upon the idea of the Ray lighting up New York, until power can be restored and head south to do that. When they arrive and he gets to work, the people of the city are frightened, because of news reports of the FF causing the blackout. Suddenly, the Ray is attacked by fireballs, which come from Fireball and Sparky. he alludes their attempts to capture him and alerts the others; but, Fireball calls in the other Crusaders. The Americommando parachutes to the ground and attacks Uncle Sam, calling him a mockery of the nation and claiming to be the True Spirit of America. Uncle Sam basically says he has been kickin' @$$ since 1775 and he isn't done yet......



This calls for music.....



Barracuda attacks Phantom Lady.......



(Man, I needed that after listening to Adelle and other modern stuff, all afternoon)

The Human Bomb takles him and they fly over the side of the hydroelectric dam and into the water, where the Bomb hits him with a bare, explosive fist, sending him flying out of the water, into the air, and crashing at the feet of Martha Roberts. Unfortunately, Martha's presence distracts Doll Man, as he battles Rusty, the sidekick of the Americommando. Rusty grabs him, then learns that holding Doll Man is another kettle of fish.....



Fireball and Sparky are knocked out of the sky by Black Condor and the Ray, but Martha ends up falling over the side, barely able to latch onto a railing. Doll Man is distracted enough to get swatted away by Rusty. The Human Bomb saves her and Phantom Lady uses her blacklight ray to aid Uncle Sam, but Americommando hurls his shield, which bashes PL in the back of the head. HB reacts and the recovered Barracuda attacks him from behind. He knocks off HB's helmet; but that unleashes tremendous power and blows them both to unconsciousness. Americommando uses the distraction to sucker punch Uncle Sam, knocking him out (wait, Uncle Sam could trash whole fleets...) He removes his mask and gloats and Martha Roberts observes that the silver-haired Americommando is none other than the Silver Ghost, the arch criminal who framed the Freedom Fighters!

Issue #9 picks up the story, as the Silver Ghost has the Freedom Fighters hooked up to a generator, and is preparing to throw the switch to electrocute them.

Outside, Martha Roberts revives Barracuda and tells him that his boss, the Americommando is the criminal Silver Ghost. She is interrupted by the arrival of the Americommando and rusty, who says the Freedom Fighters escaped and that you can't trust the word of a "bleeding heart reporter, who has been sympathetic towards the fugitives since they first broke out of jail." Martha takes exception to that and the Americommando, the supposed Spirit of America, slaps her....



Barracuda explodes at such treatment of a lady and attacks Americommando. They battle; but, Americommando gets the upper hand when Barracuda dives at him and slams right into AC's shield, knocking himself out. He then sends the rest of the crusaders westward, on a wild goose chase, while he goes to see DA Pearson, with Martha as his prisoner. he then drags her off to die with her friends.

Meanwhile, the Ray is able to disrupt the electrical charge long enough for Uncle Sam to recover and rip out the power line. The Ray then redirects the accumulated electricity into the generators and restores power to NYC. They head off to prove their innocence. AC drags Martha below and finds everyone gone and then goes after them, dragging Martha along. The FF track the Crusaders and then do battle with them. The FF kick hindquarters and inscribe names.

After the Crusaders are defeated, Uncle Sam questions them and we learn that they are actually a group of comic book fans, named Arch, Lennie, Marv and Roy, who were attending a convention and ran into the Americommando, who gave them their powers......



They must have ditched that pesky kid, Gerry.

The Ray and Doll Man chase after the Silver Ghost and catch up, but he knocks Doll Man from the sky, as Martha tells him that the Americommando is The Silver Ghost. Doll Man uses his mental powers (everyone suddenly has mental powers) to save himself and the Ray blinds the Silver Ghost, who tosses Martha to the ground below.



Ray catches her in time and gets her safely to the ground. Doll Man starts to go after Silver Ghost, but Martha begs him to stay with her and he tells Ray he won't run out on her again. He goes after the Silver Ghost.

However, on the next page (after several ads) we see Doll man walk into the DA's office and shoot him down.

Thoughts: Um......yeah..........there is a reason why Bob Rozakis didn't headline any top titles of oversee an entire line of comics.

There are moments here; but this is lighter stuff than the Invaders, in part due to the whole Fugitive element inherent in the series. Visually, the Crusaders are a bit less interesting than the Frank robbins designs of the Freedom Fighters, as the Crusaders, at Marvel. Dick Ayers did great westerns and I loved his Sgt Fury, and his Avenger comic, from Magazine Enterprises was awesome; but, he just doesn't seem to really invest a lot in this. The art is fine; but, it isn't as dynamic as you would hope. The whole nod to Archie Goodwin, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman and Roy Thomas is cute; but ultimately pointless, as we do not learn how the Silver Ghost gave them powers and they go undeveloped, as characters. There is no Dyna-Mite, with a secret past, to give purpose to their appearance here. They are just part of Silver Ghost's odd schemes.

Issue #10 has The Ray catch up to the Sliver Ghost, but he is defeated and left for dead, but saved by a mysterious stranger, to whom he tells his origin. The dude turns out to be Rod Riley, aka Firebrand, who ran away from the fight, on Earth-X and found his way to Earth-1, to live as a deserter. he helps Ray and redeems himself and joins the team. Meanwhile, Doll Man is arrested and tried for murder, which was not carried out by the Silver Ghost. Eventually, in issue #12, the Freedom Fighters rescue Doll Man from the electric chair, with the help of Firebrand. Martha arrives later and reveals evidence that Silver Ghost planted one of his stooges on the DA's staff and he turns out to be the murderer saw when the blackout is reported.

Issue 13 finds Firebrand aiding the FF in stopping a yet again nutsy Black Condor, while his origin is retold (raised by condors and all). Then, the last two issues of the series have them meeting Batgirl and Batwoman and solving a mystery at Kathy Kane's circus/carnival. The series then got the axe, as part of the DC Implosion (and poor sales) and was supposed to get wrapped up in Secret Society of Super Villains, but it got axed, too. They were pretty much ignored until a DC Comics Presents issue, in the early 80s. Then, left alone again, until they turned up in All-Star Squadron, under much better writing.

Rozakis is all over the place with his plotting and he never adequately resolves plot threads, before moving onto another. this series never lived up to the potential suggested in the JLA debut of the team, in part because Len Wein didn't get to write that. As it was, the idea of them fighting Nazi conquerors on earth-X was far more interesting than them as framed fugitives, on Earth-1.

Roy Thomas definitely got the better end of this crossover.

Next, back to Marvel as we get the debut of another new patriotic hero, but an American, this time.

ps The Americommando was the name of Tex Thompon/Thompson (started as Thomson, then someone forgot and it became Thompson), in yet another revamp of his feature, in Action Comics. Originally, he was a wealthy adventurer, who then became the masked patriotic hero, Mr America. Then, he was sent behind enemy lines as The Americommando, battlig Nazis. james Robinson later latched onto this for his post-War Golden Age, as tex Thompson turns out to be the assassin who killed Hitler and is welcomed back to America, as a hero. he then helps establish a darker relationship between the US government and heroes, as HUAC is underway and an experiment with nuclear energy to create a hero for the Atomic Age, Dynaman, as Dan the Dyna-Mite is subjected to treatments and a nuclear explosion and transformed into a super being. Meanwhile, Manhunter has secretly returned to the US, pursued by shadowy figures, who are trying to kill him. We eventually learn the truth and an epic battle, outside the Capitol Building ensues.

The design of this Americommando is as pure alternate Captain America. Where Cap wears a chain mail hood, the Americommando has a mask that is open at the top, allowing his hair to flow freely. Where Cap's costume is blue, AC's is red. Cap has vertical red & white stripes and AC has horizontal blue & white stripes. Cap has a single white star on his chest, AC has the 13 stars, in a circle of the original 13 Colonies, on the Revolutionary War flag. Cap has a round "buckler" shield, AC has a triangular "templar" shield. Cap's shield has concentric red and white rings, then a blue center with a white star; AC has horizontal red and white stripes and a single white star. Cap has red gauntlets and buccaneer boots; AC has blue boots and gloves. Rusy's costume looks rather like Cap's Nomd costume, after he abandoned the CA identity, except a domino mask instead of the half-hood mask of Nomad.

Len Wein and Roy Thomas were turned into either Fireball or Barracuda, though who was witch is never shown. The only reason I can tell that is because Marv Wolfman and Archie Goodwin are still shown standing there, next to Barracuda, as Fireball emerges. My guess is that Len is probably Fireball and Marv is Sparky, since they were close friends, Archie is Rusty and Roy is Barracuda, possibly because of his friendship with Bill Everett.

Martha Roberts was the love interest of Darrel Dane, aka Doll Man, in the Quality stories; and, eventually, she became Doll Girl. DollMan was a bit unique in the 40s, with terrific adventures, featuring art from Will Eisner, Lou Fine and Reed Crandell, some of the best artists of the 40s. He also had a pet dog, Elmo the Wonder Dog, who provided transportation. he also flew a Doll Plane, though was often shown riding on a bald eagle, during the war. His stories were fun and inventive and some of the better 1940s material. he appeared early, in 1939, and his adventures lasted for a decade, ending in Feature comics #139, in 1949. He also had his own comic, for 47 issues, from 1941-1953, the only member of the group to have his own series, other than Uncle Sam, who had a quarterly magazine, which lasted 8 issues. Everyone else appeared in anthology titles. he was Quality's most popular hero, behind Plastic Man, though probably Quality's #3 feature, after Blackhawk and Plas.

The Ray and the Human Bomb are the only ones with high level super powers, originally, though Uncle Sam is kind of a supernatural figure, whose power level depended on the story. Phantom Lady had a black light gimmick, though in the DC series, she could make her body immaterial. Doll Man could shrink and Black Condor could fly; but, had human strength otherwise. The mental powers both exhibit here are an attempt to jazz them up, which didn't take.

It is never stated who published the comics featuring the Crusaders, here. My guess would be Opportune Comics, the company of Martin Badman, with the work of Bill Seldomrett, Carl Villageos, Stan Windward, Joe Chimon, Jack Gutterby, and Syd Shoals.

Invaders #16



Master Man is back; and, he has been taking his steroids!

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer/editor, Jim Mooney & Frank Springer-art, John Costanza-letters, Janice Cohen-colors

Jim Mooney filling in for Frank Robbins.

Synopsis: PVt Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are sitting in a cinema, watching newsreel footage of the Invaders' recent raid on France, filmed for propaganda purposes, by Bucky, himself (and Toro). A young private and his English girlfriend thrill to the action, as he longs for his chance to get into the fight. As the picture ends, the crowd files out and Steve & Bucky head back to camp, with Bucky asking why the rush, as they haven't been court martialed for being AWOL in past, so someone knows Cap's identity. Cap agrees and starts to explain, then notices that the young private and his girl, who were right behind them, suddenly disappeared. Then, the city goes dark and they assume it is another air raid, but Namor and Torch are on patrol. The boys head to an alley to change, to watch for sabotage and looting and hear a cry and rush to check it out. They find the young couple from the theater, menaced by hooded figures, with swastika armbands.....



Nothing says covert mission like hoods and identifying armbands!

Cap and Bucky swing into action and bust some saurkraut-sucking heads and the private, Biljo White (cute), lends a fist. He tells his grl, Julia, that she is safe and she pulls a gun on him!



She makes Cap & Bucky stand down and then her thugs act as rear guard, as they depart, with shots fired to keep Cap & Bucky's heads down. Then, they are gone.

The Invaders meet up and Cap & Bucky make a report to military intelligence (I know...I know...). He mentions Pvt Biljo White and one of the officers says there is something familiar about the name and Toro suddenly sparks up and reminds Bucky that he knows the name, too. Biljo White is the artist on the greatest comics this side of those featuring adventures of the Invaders.....



White is the creator of a mystery man character, Major Victory, and an aid, Prvt Lee brings in an example, plus a copy of Stars & Stripes. The comic retells Major Victory's origin, which includes receiving a super soldier serum from a Dr Reinstein, making the 4F man into a 1A super soldier. Torch asks Cap if White was somehow involved in Operation: Rebirth and Cap answers negative, according to his knowledge. Stars & Stripes features new cartoons by PFC Biljo White, currently stationed in England. They put two and two together and get 42, the answer to all things, and assume the Nazis believe he knows something about the original Super Soldier Formula, or possibly the secret formula for Coca-Cola (maybe even the secret recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken!)

Cap pretty much ignores the orders of his superior, to go rescue White and the others join him....



The superior officer admits his mistake, to himself (HA!!!!) and the Invaders go tearing off to Occupied Europe, in Namor's flagship.

The team questions how the government allowed a reference to Rebirth to appear in a comic magazine and Cap says someone slipped up and America is new to this war. They soon arrive in Germany and Berchtesgaden



Allied intelligence says that several research scientists recently came to Berchtesgaden, though Hitler is placed in Berlin, preparing to address a rally.

All of a sudden, some kind of missile launches from the ground and hits the flagship, sending it and its passengers tumbling from the sky....



The "missile" turns out to be a returned Master Man, who is even more powerful and can fly! He soon knocks Namor for a loop and then the rest of the Inavders get their clocks cleaned and end up in shackles and other modified restraints and cells. It also transpires that Allied intelligence is wrong.....



Holy Schickelgruber!

Thoughts: Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Not only did some cartoonist stumble onto the name of the project that created Captain America; but, he duplicated the event in his comic. Now he is a prisoner of Nazi agents. If that weren't bad enough, Master Man is back and he is stronger than before and he smacked around the Invaders pretty well, the first time. To top it off, Adolf Hitler is there and the Invaders are his prisoners!

Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed!

Biljo White was a fandom friend of Roy Thomas. He was a fireman, in Columbia, MO, who moonlighted doing art for fanzines and small press comics, including Roy's Alter Ego and created his own hero, The Eye....



White passed away in 2003.

The basic bio of the character, PFC Biljo White, is somewhat taken from another private, who had been a comic book artist, before being drafted: Jack Kirby (jack had legally changed his name, in 1942, and was Pvt Kirby, in the US Army). It spread fairly quickly that the co-creator of Captain America was in the US Army, though it didn't land him a cushy assignment to Stars & Stripes or drawing educational illustrations for maintenance publications. Jack ended up drawing maps, as a scout, for a infantry company, which put him in the thick of the fighting, before everyone else got shot at. The illustration of Major Victory, riding an artillery shell, is based on Fawcett's Special Edition Comics #1, featuring Captain Marvel.



It has generally been established that Marvels heroes have been the subjects of comic books, in their world, which Roy extends back to Timely Comics, in the 40s, as Bucky and Toro mention their own adventures in those comics.

There was a Major Victory in the 1940s, from small publisher H Clay Glover/SVC Pub....



The design here is close to the original, except for a change in color scheme and the addition of the V emblem, on his tunic.

Jim Mooney is quite a change from Frank Robbins, though you can debate about whether it is for the better or worse. Robbins handled the action scenes in a more dynamic manner, though Mooney indulges in Cap and Bucky wading into a crowd of Nazis....



The staging there is a little wonky, with Cap and Bucky at different angles of attack, which would have them crossing paths. The subsequent panels of action are fine; but kind of lacking the power we have been used to. Mooney was a fine superhero artist, though not exactly a name you leap to when naming action artists, given his long association with Supergirl and her more emotionally driven stories. In that part, he excels, as his characters are clean and expressive, without some of the stock expression look that Robbins frequently used. Personally, I prefer Robbins, as he handles the mood of things better and stages the action in a more dynamic fashion, as we will see, coming up, when he returns. The reason he didn't do this issue is that he was busy working of the Invaders Annual.

Roy and Jim do throw a cameo in here, as the aid who brings the comic books is a Pvt Lee, and bears a slight resemblance to 1940s Stanley Lieber. Stan didn't legally change his name until the 1970s and would have been Pvt Lieber, though he rose to the rank of sergeant. However, Stab served stateside, first in the Signal Corps, then in the Educational Film unit, with a MOS of "playwright." So, Stan was a deeply REMF, which probably added to Jack's resentment, in later years, when Stan was getting all of the credit, though I have never seen evidence of him ever voicing such a criticism. I was in a support position, stateside, during the Gulf War; everyone does their part. Let's just say, though, in a fight, I'd rather have Kirby than Lee. If I need someone to write a speech, I'll call Stan.

In the usual Marvel hyperbole, Roy kind of elevates Timely's position in the industry, with Cap's comments about Major Victory "even giving Timely Comics a run for their money." Captain America, the Human Torch and the sub-Mariner were Timely's biggest sellers; but, they were not the top publisher in the 1940s, nor even number 2. You had a lot of competitive publishers, with Fawcett, MLJ/Archie, Quality, Dell, Eastman, Fiction House, Hillman, Nedor/Better/Standard, Fox, etc.

We get a mention of the Falsworth's departure, in the previous issue, but do not check in with them, in this issue. More of that to come. We will also learn more about, "Julia," the Nazi agent who posed as White's girlfriend, to maneuver him into a trap. We will also learn why.

ps Jim Mooney's depiction of Berchtesgaden is preety far from the mark. he basically draws a fortified castle. This is the closest thing to a castle, in the area......



and this is the Eagle's Nest.....



Hardly fortresses. The real fortress was Wolf's Lair, in Silesia, in Poland. That was a large fortified complex, with rings of defenses and security, with the innermost ring housing Hitler's command bunker. The buildings were heavily camouflaged and had the support of a regiment of troops, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, extensive land mine fields, perimeter fencing, guard patrols, dogs, radar installation and fighter cover. The Russians eventually overran it, in late 1944 and destroyed the bunkers in January 1945.

I suspect they wanted the castle imagery to match the themes of the old Timely covers that inspired the series, particularly All-Select Comics.....



As it is, we will also soon see a nod to a feature from Mystic Comics and USA Comics, from Timely.

Invaders #17





Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer/editor, F & F Express-art, John Costanza-letters, George Roussos-colors.

Costuming by Friedrichs of Dusseldorf

Synopsis: When we left our heroes, they had gotten their collective hinders kicked by a more powerful Master Man and were held in individual cages and restraints, negating their abilities and put on display for Adolf Hitler. Master Man reveals that he was recently liberated from an American prison, after being captured by the Liberty Legion, which takes place across FF Annual #11, Marvel Two-in-One Annual #1 and MTIO #20). He further reveals that more doses of the reverse-engineered Super Soldier Formula brought him back up to full strength, permanently. MM gets a little boisterous, as he emphasizes his disdain for his past self, the feeble Willie Lohmer, who was an American bundist. He smashes the walls of the castle, earning the wrath of Der Fuhrer"...



Namor mocks Master Man, daring him to let him out of his cage and Cap questions Adolf about the purpose of kidnapping an American GI (leading to a flashback of last issue. Adolf slaps Cap with a copy of Major Victory comics, to put an end to the recap. He then says the secret is held within the comic and departs. As he leaves, master Man takes a cheap shot at Namor's cage, knocking it about after "accidentally" hitting it.

We then cut to another cell, where "Julia," is busy playing Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS with PFC Biljo White......



"Julia" is codenamed "Madame Ratzel," or "Madame Mystery" and she points out the Major Victory origin story and the reference to Operation: Rebirth, the project that created Captain America. Biljo claims ignorance and only heard rumors and knows nothing of the formula. Fraulein Ratzel isn't buying the story and uses hypnosis to get at Biljo's subconscious, where he reveals he met Dr Anderson, one of the project scientists and an old friend, got drunk and the doctor let slip that one of the chemicals involved was potassium (Gee, that really helps.) Apparently, that was all the Nazis needed, as Fraulein Ratzel gets down to business....



She is interrupted by Hauptmann Schneider, who puts a stop to her testing it on herself and the Nazi Lady flips out, ranting about hating men and snatching him with her whip and sending him hurtling into her apparatus, causing an explosion....



Meanwhile, the explosion sends shockwaves through the castle, sending Namor's cage hurtling and namor adds to the momentum, until the cage is smashed open, releasing him from it. This also releases the Torch and he frees the others. The storm off to capture Adolf Hitler and run smack into Master Man. Human Torch corner's Adolf, who surrenders, rather than get burnt to a crisp and then someone intercedes with a firehose....



She precedes to deliver a beating to Torch and Toro. She then salutes Hitler, smacks around Bucky, and tosses Cap over the castle battlements to the ground far, far below (it is up on a mountain)...



She lends assistance to Master Man, to defeat Namor, since he isn't capable of beating him, on his own.

Hitler is pleased with his Ubermensch and announces that the Invaders will be subjected to a public trial and execution.

Thoughts: Oh, yeah, this is a humdinger! This is one of my favorite issues of the series. Not only does it introduce Roy's Nazi Wonder Woman analog, but it has action galore and a ton of pulpy goodness. This is the kind of Nazi villain that would have inhabited old Timely Comics' stories, had those involved thought to parody the competition (which given that john Goldwater supposedly called Martin Goodman into his office and threaten legal action, over Captain America, Goodman probably avoided, especially with the notoriously litigious National/DC). Everything about this is great, from the dark castle setting, to the scenes of the Nazi dominatrix/spy Madame Ratzel interrogating Biljo, to the interference of Hauptmann Schneider (did he have a little mustache and sound like Pat Harrington?), to the notation that the lady in question hates men. Then, there is Frank Robbins' design for this Teutonic Torturer.

Robbins is in his element, with moody pulp adventure and he goes nuts with the imagery, especially Warrior Woman's Nazi twist on the Wonder Woman costume. A whip is substituted for the Golden Lasso, black leather and swastika armbands for red white and blue basque and tap pants, knee high leather boots with the requisite sky-high heels (as if she wasn't tall enough, on her own) and a whole lot of belts. The bondage gear is so blatantly on display that you would think it was a cover to one of Goodman's men's adventure magazines, rather than one of his comics (or, rather, his successors'). To top it off, she gets Germanic braids and the whole package just says "Nazi Dominatrix," in a more blatant fashion than any of the Wonder Woman or Lois Lane covers, over at DC, a few years before..

This was SEX!

I'm amazed Roy got away with it.

This is why I champion Frank Robbins on this series. It looks like the 1940s, seen through a pulp adventure lens. It is Caniff and Raymond, if they had done superheroes (and, arguably, Raymond did). Robbins' costumes look like something that would have been conjured up in the 40s, in movie serials or comic books, or pulp novels. The scientific apparatus is all tubes and diodes and bulky things, with energy dancing around it. The restraints are all bizarre concoctions, like something out of an Eric Stanton fetish comic. It's all sexy and subversive, like good pulp should be and Roy is really gelling with that atmosphere. This whole storyline, for my money, is the height of the series.

I will come back to Master Man's battle with the Liberty Legion and a time displaced Ben Grimm, a little later.

Lot of people getting slapped with comic books in this one. A bit of self-loathing?

I don't know if it was a direct influence on this; but, I have to think that the infamous exploitation film, Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS has some part, in the look of Warrior Woman.



At the same time, blond women in modified Nazi uniforms were a long staple of the men's adventure pulp magazines and probably a bit more of a visual influence, for Robbins (or even Roy). There were a hell of a lot more of those than there were theaters that would screen Ilsa (though way more than you would think). Such femme fatales permeated pulp novels of the 30s and 40s, in variations, as well as comics, serials and film. Almost always, the German lady had a sexed up version of a Wehrmacht or SS uniform.



Not exactly the sort of thing you would see on your average dominatrix....unless she had a history professor client.

This does get into a rather troublesome area of comics and society, which is the fetishizing of Nazi imagery. The BDSM scene is filled with images that invoke Nazi iconography, if they don't outright depict it. The Leatherman scene, among gay men, has long displayed peaked caps and leather belts to suggest Nazi uniforms, even when they were "tasteful" enough not to include actual swastikas or Nazi eagles, or Iron Crosses. The hetero BDSM scene has also pushed those boundaries, at times, with such costuming for dominatrixes, especially in the 60s and early 70s, when memories of the war were still fresh enough to provoke reactions. Punks used some of this iconography, as did neo-nationalist types. Men's Adventure publishers used that kind of fetishism to sell their magazines, as they would be filled with Nazi torturers and two-fisted GI's in battle, or rescuing damsels from the secret Nazi enclaves and their perversions. Yellow Peril imagery was just as bad, if not worse, with the Dragon Lady image of Eurasian femme fatale, clad in a slinky Chinese silk dress, hugging every curve. The loosening of the Code allowed some of this stuff to creep back in to comics, after the 50s purge, right up to the 80s, with characters like Lady Luger, in the very fetishistic Femforce, from AC Comics. It was one thing to see Valkyrie, in Airboy, back in the 1940s (and she jumped sides) and quite another to see Warrior Woman in the 70s, though it fit in with taboo-breaking elements of the time, like punk, the mainstreaming of pornographic films, the drug culture, blatant pandering in advertising and entertainment ("jiggle shows" and the like).

Roy is spoofing the Justice League with his Nazi villains; first Superman, then Aquaman, followed by Batman and now Wonder Woman. They are all opposites of the DC heroes, cowardly, where they are brave, hateful, where they are nurturing. Warrior Woman is the negative side of Wonder Woman's philosophies, within the Marston comics, of liberation and empowerment (even when draped in kinky imagery), while Warrior Woman is about power and domination. The Amazons of Wonder Woman were a loving group, who removed themselves from what they saw as the destructive tendencies of male society and distrusted men, after their dealings with Hercules and others. Warrior Woman has an outright irrational hatred of men, though there is plenty of ammo to support her in that, especially in Hitler's Aryan Ideal. Women were there to be wives and mothers, producing babies to expand the Aryan Race. Women were given rewards for having more children and the propaganda imagery was of blond German women, hair in traditional braids, taking care of blond children. Any Weimar Era ideas of women in professional ranks was unthinkable. Still, the visual tends to overwhelm the philosophical and it looks more like a ploy to appeal to the baser instincts of young males. Thankfully, as marvel progressed, Warrior Woman, in that form, was used rather sparingly, making only one further appearance, after this storyline, in costume, before reappearing in the future, in contemporary clothing, in Namor.

As it is, Warrior Woman has some similarities to one of Wonder Woman's early enemies, Nazi spy Baroness Paula Von Gunther. Von Gunther was a sadistic dominatrix, with female slaves parading around in stiped bikinis (prison stripes) and chains, while testing out torture devices on them, before going after Wonder Woman. Eventually, she is revealed to have been forced to aid the Nazis to protect her child and Wonder Woman helps her get the child out and the Baroness turns babyface, becoming a noted scientist on Paradise Island. Von Gunther did get re-nazified, so she could be used to do an homage to first season Wonder Woman, which featured the Baroness and Fausta, the Nazi Wonder Woman, on Batman: The Brave and the Bold......



Next up, another old Timely character joins the adventure. Plus, we finally find out what Lord Montgomery and Jacqueline Falsworth have been up to.

Well, at least Hitler had the nous to send troops down the mountain to make sure Cap was dead instead of just announcing "No one could possibly survive that!" and wandering off.

Invaders #19



Hmmmmm.....Spitfire in the cage, too. Does she fail in her mission?

Let's find out.......

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer/editor, F & F Express-art, John Costanza-letters, George Roussos-colors, Archie Goodwin-"Consulting editor"

"Hey, Arch; those look like Nazis to you?" "Yup." "Okay, thanks."

Synopsis: The captive Invaders (minus Captain america, Spitfire and Union Jack) are being paraded through the streets of Berlin, for German crowds to see (or else!),



Torch and Toro have barely enough air to breathe and trying to alight will suffocate them. Namor has had all moisture drained away, and Bucky is chained up. That doesn't stop him from egging on some goosesteppers. He doesn't know it, but his acts of defiance are observed by his boss, Captain America, and his new buddy, The Destroyer. Destroyer has to restrain Cap to keep him from diving down there to free Bucky and tells him that his sources in the underground say that the execution isn't scheduled until dawn and they need the time to plan, to save them. however, Bucky is a butt-head and can't resist making a fool of the Master Race, as he kicks a guard off the truck, after he got too close and mouthy. The crowd laughs, despite the potential danger and the soldier is hopping mad and levels his MP-40 submachine gun at Bucky. That's all Cap can stands and he can stands no more. Down he goes, swinging off a Nazi flag and hits the soldier in the mush. The Destroyer isn't happy, but he dives into the fray, too and they start hurling bodies....



However, an SS officer calls out to Cap, as he holds a Luger to Bucky's head and forces him to surrender. The Destroyer continues fighting, though, until another soldier lobs in a "potato masher" grenade...



Cap is horrified at the carnage, as the German's have killed their own men to take out the destroyer. He has lost a great fighter and he knows his impetuous act is responsible. He is chained up, then dragged behind the truck, carrying the Invaders.

Up above the street, the Falsworth's, Dyna-Mite and Oskar watch in grim silence. Lord Montgomery stops Jacqueline and Dyna-Mite from doing anything rash and asks Oskar to try his contacts in the undergroudn to see if he can get details of where they weill be held. Meanwhile, he calls Dyna-Mite "Roger," and we learn that his real name is Roger Aubrey and his back history....


Roger was Brian Falsworth's best friend and Brian voiced dissent about Britain getting involved in Europe's affairs, as his father rails against Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. They have a row and Brian storms off. he and Roger travel to Germany and are photographed by Nazi propaganda agents, in the presence of Hitler, as they earn their way, as journalists. Lord Montgomery disowns his son and when war breaks out in Poland, they are trapped in Europe.



Oskar returns and says the Invaders will be held at the Institute of Science and they take the car to go liberate the, while also hoping to find weapons to use against the Nazis.

Oskar has liberated a high official's car and uses it to bluff the guard, long enough for Spitfire to overwhelm them. She and Dyna-Mite cut a path through the guards, while Oskar brings up Lord Montgomery.....



They battle their way through to a lab, where Dyna-Mite suddenly halts and cries out that he recognizes the scientist in the lab. His memories come flooding back and he attacks the man. We then learn what happened to Roger and Brian. They attempted to leave Germany, early in the war, only for the Gestapo to confiscate their passports. Brian attacked the Gestapo officer and was hauled off to a cell. Roger was hauled away to the scientist for experiments.

Lord Montgomery demands to know what happened to his son and is answered....



Brian Falsworth is....or, rather, was....The Destroyer!

Lord Montgomery and Jacqueline are hit by grief at the realization that they witnessed the death of their son and brother. They do not see the scientist press a button, which opens a section of the floor, dumping them into a chamber, where they are gassed.

We then cut to the ceremony, where Master Man and Warrior Woman are wed, as Hitler looks on....



He prepares to give the command to the firing squad, to execute the Invaders, including Jacqueline, when a grenade comes sailing down in front of the truck tailgate, killing the machine gun crew inside. Hitler looks up and sees a hated enemy coming to the rescue......



But, Lord Montgomery is crippled.....how can he move like that?

Thoughts: One of my favorite Invaders issues and one of the few I had, back in the day (along with issue 17). Lots of great action and intrigue, as we learn how Brian Falsworth became the mystery man resistance fighter The Destroyer and Roger Aubrey became the diminutive Dyna-Mite and part of the Crusaders. Roger was the only Crusader whose abilities weren't tied to gadgets, controlled by Alfie and we see why. he was the product of experiments in Germany, then smuggled back to England, while th e others were locals, recruited/duped into the scheme.

Brian Falsworth's story sound rather like Roy wanted him to be one of Oswald Mosley's Black Shirts, part of the British Union of Fascists. The BUF strongly supported a peace campaign and Edward VIII, who made a trip to Germany, in 1937, which was used to great effect by Nazi propaganda. It was believed that Edward favored an alliance with Nazi Germany against the USSR. Brian is spouting similar sentiments, causing him to fall out with his father and off he goes to Germany, where he becomes a figure for Nazi propaganda, showing they have the support of and English lord's son, though imagine if they had known that Lord Montgomery had been Union Jack in WW1?

Robbins & Springer also provide some of my favorite fight action, as we get several surprise attacks, from Cap and the destroyer, to Jacqueline and Dyna-Mite, to the new Union Jack, at the climax.

Also, in the background, we continue the saga of Master Man and Warrior Woman, as the marriage that Hitler ordered takes place. Robbins has a tendency towards stock expressions; but, Warrior Woman is anything but a blushing bride. Expect them to enter the fight, since they are near the Invaders.

So, if Brian Falsworth was the Destroyer, and killed in the fight on Wilhelmstrasse and Roger Aubrey and Lord Montgomery were captured, along with Jacqueline, who the heck is the new Union Jack? Oskar was with Lord Montgomery, too, so it isn't him. Who the heck is it? One of the other former Crusaders? Christopher Lee? Ian Fleming? Captain Peacock?

Guess we have to pick up the next issue! Or, more correctly, the next two, as deadline doom seems to rear its head, as issue #20 is half a new story and half a Sub-Mariner reprint.

Once we are finished with that, I will backtrack to the crossover between Ben Grimm and the Liberty Legion, which carries across Fantastic Four Annual, Marvel Two-in-One Annual and the series itself, showing what Master Man had been up to, before he ambushed the Invaders, as they approached Berchtessgaden. Then, we will look at the Invaders Annual, as we see the battle with the Avengers, from their point of view. The issue also features art by Timely staples Alex Schomberg, Don Rico, and fellow Golden Age artist Lee Elias.

Invaders #21



Toro's dead?

One down and one to go.

Um, Bucky, could you just move a little to the right? A Little more....back a step...Perfect!

READY.....AIM.........

Creative Team: Roy Thomas-writer/editor, F & F Express-art, John Costanza-letters, Sam Kato-colors, Archie Goodwin-Consulting Editor.

Some guy named Bill Everett also provided some art.

The credit of "consulting editor" for Archie has me picturing him sitting in a study, in a smoking jacket, with pipe, while various writers come seeking advice in solving their plot problems, while someone like John Romita throws in the odd "harumph" or "By Jove!" That can't be true, though, as we all know that Archie Goodwin was too busy doing the legwork, for Nero Wolf!

Synopsis: Hitler is escaping from the Invaders in his private bomber and banging on Captain America's Shield, which is giving Dyna-Mite an Excedrin headache Number 42....



We then learn how Brian Falsworth ended up becoming the new Union Jack....



Brian, as The Destroyer, released Roger, Lord Montgomery and Oskar from their cell, inside the Nazi Institute of Science and revealed his identify to his father. Then then rished to save the Invaders and Jaqueline. They steal a staff car and Lord Montgomery reveals he brought his costume and asks Brian to take on the mantle and he puts an end to his days as The Mighty Destroyer and becomes the new Union Jack. he then clicks his heels....



...and we are off to return to where last issue started, with him dropping in on the firing squad and busting heads. Meanwhile, Roger, as Dyna-Mite, Oskar and Lord Montgomery, clobbered the guards and pilots of the bomber and took their place, as Hitler arrived to make his escape. Dyna-Mite makes his presence known, clobbering Hitler's SS bodyguard and then Hitler decides to hit the silk.....



Lord Montgomery lament's not being able to maneuver the aircraft quickly, to strafe Adolf; but, they realize the Invaders need a dust off and head back to the airfield to pick them up.

Back on the ground, Spitfire and Namor are getting clobbered by Warrior Woman and Master Man, respectively, and Cap and Union Jack are kicking Heinkel on the SS troops (presumably, given Hitler's former presence there). A tank turns up to add to the misery and it has a flammenwerfer. Cap yells at torch to get his fiery butt down there and help and it shakes him out of his blood rage and he swoops down and turns it (and its crew, presumably) to slag. The Invaders notice Hitlers bomber circling and Spitfire realizes someone must have commandeered it (not necessarily, as Hitler might have wanted a look) and Warrior Woman tells Master Man that if he destroys whoever it is, he will get some lieben tonight (someone have Dwight Decker correct my German, please.)



The pirate crew spots him and drops a bomb on him......



...which is more than Warrior Woman is going to do for him, now!

Torch and Namor fly everyone up to meet the plane and they head West, as fast as they can, before the Luftwaffe turns up. It isn't long though, before some Messerschmitts turn up and Cap mans the dorsal guns and shoots down a pair (which Roy says he does reluctantly, but, Cap has a pretty high bodycount, in the war).

Roger is a bit downcast, as he has his memory back, but is stuck at his size. Brian tells him that Col Dietrich will work night and day, in London, to correct it, or he can try to fly (he came on board with Herr Schickelgruber) and the colonel willingly, and desperately, agrees. Lord Montgomery reveals that they don't have the range to make it to Blighty and they get out and push, but they don't have enough stamina for the entire trip and they have to set down in the Channel. Namor keeps the craft afloat, while they wait for the Royal Navy to rescue them and soon a motor torpedo boat, possibly captained by a future Time Lord, arrives on scene and picks them up, while Torch vows to barbecue Hitler, if Toro dies.

We then get more Sub-Mariner reprints, from Marvel Mystery #10.

Thoughts: First up, there is no letters column until issue #22, which contains the remainder of Dwight Decker's letter to Roy, correcting his German grammar. He says Madame Mystery, aka Frau Ratsel, should be Fraulein Ratsel, since there is no Herr Ratsel. Similarly, Krieger Frau implies Mrs Warrior and the correct term would be the feminine Die Kriegerin. he also corrects the common mistake of using Kapitan for Captain, when that is the naval version and it should be Hauptmann, when referring to Captain America, in German (or Hauptmann Amerika). He also sent Roy some East German comics to look at, which must have been interesting, though he gives no titles. Can't speak for East Germany, of the period, but, West Germany tended to feature more foreign comics than German -based creators, which is one of the reasons why Mathias Schultheiss (Bell's Theorem, Trucker, Propellerman) went to publishers in Italy and France (and Belgium) to publish work, since there wasn't much demand from German publishers.

The main plot is absurd, but fun, as we get a comical moment with Hitler and more of the Battling Bickerschoens, in the form of Master Man and Warrior Woman. Man, if you think 1950s and 60s tv husbands were hen-pecked, it is nothing compared to poor Willy Lohmer, aka Master Man. He just wants to be loved, is that so wrong?

I mean, apart from the Nazi ideology and the bully mentality.....

I had to go back and look at #20, to be sure; but, there is a panel of Dietrich boarding the bomber, after Hitler, with Hitler saying he wants his scientific genius safely onboard, while he also hold's Cap's shield. He is visible on the splash page, barely, as Hitler bangs on the shield. He is visible again when Dyna-Mite punches him, right after decking the SS bodyguard. I was focused on the panel of Hitler jumping from the plane I missed it, while doing my write up (I tend to skim along, as I write). So, he is a definite prisoner of the Allies, working to restore Roger to full size (and more importantly, work on rediscovering the Super Soldier Formula). It's a shame that no one has really picked up on the idea of German scientists continuing their experiments, after the war, as part of Operation Paperclip, the very real Operation Paperclip, which removed and resettled numerous German scientists, technicians and their families to the US and other friendly territory, to then exploit their research; first against Japan and then against the USSR. The project ran from 1945 to 1959, Within comics, the main usage of that idea, which I have seen, is in Warren Ellis and Chris Weston's Ministry of Space, which features an alternate history where the UK got the lion's share of German scientists and rocket technology and then made the great leaps in the space race, with a very dark undercurrent of how they beat the US to it and how the British space program was funded and the effect on it, politically. In reality, the UK had a similar scientific intelligence program and the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (which administered Operation Paperclip, under the authority of the Joint Intelligence Committee and in conjunction with US Army Counter-Intelligence Corps) and they shared information and access to research (to a point, no doubt).

Once again, the abrupt nature of this segment is a detriment to the overall conclusion of this storyline. Had the two parts appeared together, it would probably read better. As it is, the artwork looks more finished than the first segment, the previous issue, as they probably got more time to work on those pages. It could just be the scans I have though, since there isn't a drastic difference. Also, there isn't a significant difference with issue 19... so it may just be the interruption makes it feel that way or the scans, or a combination of both. Personally, I detested fill-in issues and using reprints to break up the story to give more time to finish it and would rather have the issue published late than in compromised form. It's almost as bad as Roy's insistence in revisiting the JSA in Space story, from All-Star Comics, in the pages of All-Star Squadron, while basically spinning his wheels in the main plot of the book. No one wanted to see that, except Roy. Here, it throughs off the rhythm of the story. I mean, I like reading old Bill Everett Sub-Mariner stories, as they are totally gonzo mayhem (depending on the era); but, I'd rather do something like that in an annual or reprint comic, rather than mess with the Invaders. Issue 10 specifically used the reprint of Cap #10 to feed into the plot; but, I don't think it is used very effectively then and here there is no direct link, even thematically.

The art is the usual Robbins and Springer, though I had to point out one of Robbins' weirder panels, with union Jack moving off to aid the Invaders, with that odd body positioning. It does look like he is clicking his heels. It's not as rubbery as some of his fight panels; but, it is still as bizarre. Even so, it is still rather a dynamic panel and works as well as most leaping illustrations might, in other hands. I might have gone for a dive roll, out of the staff car, to be a bit more logical. Still, I love Robbins and Springer on this book, for the reasons I have stated before (and I refuse to debate the subject, so don't try to engage me on this). I am happy to march to the beat of my own drum, on this subject.

So, that is pretty much the end of the Berlin adventure and, quite frankly, the apex of the series. It was a great little adventure storyline, with plenty of intrigue and action and Roy is in excellent form, throughout (minus the interruption because of deadline failure), as are Robbins & Springer, as they really make the action come off the page. As I said before, it is my favorite storyline of the entire series and what I usually think of when someone brings up the series.

From here, we get into uneven territory, but some great plots. Sadly, Toro's injury is going to be at the heart of things, for a bit. Quite frankly, I'd be happy to see Toro and Bucky go off to have their own adventures with the Young Allies (minus the racist caricatures). The pesky kids get in the way of the action and are mostly there to be rescued from trouble. They have Spitfire, now, to be the damsel in distress, and a sexier one than Bucky. His legs are too hairy, for a start. However, Roy will hit us with an idea that I would have liked to have seen expanded, far more than a revival of the Young Allies (though there was a much later, fairly good mini-series with the youngsters). The fact that he didn't pursue it should have been at the back of his mind, when he did The Young All-Stars, as it pretty much illustrates the problem with the concept, not to mention the likely way it would have been executed, by Roy. Maybe not, as he seemed far more beholden to established DC stories than old Timely ones, except the really big ones.

So, next time, we will go back to cover the battle between the FF (and Ben Grimm, solo) & Liberty Legion, against Master Man and a few other super-Nazis. Following that, we will look at the first and only Invaders Annual.

I meant to explain it to those who don't.  I didn't know it, until a few days ago, while I was watching a Doctor Who convention panel, with Frazer Hines and Michael Troughton.

For those who don't know or it hasn't clicked yet, actor Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor Who (and arguably the actor most responsible for the series continuing so long, since he proved it could change and you could have different actors and different styles to the Doctor and still have it be the same kind of hero), served in the Royal Navy, during WW2, on motor torpedo boats (the equivalent of the US Navy PT Boats, like the one captained by John F Kennedy....and Quinton McHale).  Troughton eventually rose to command his own boat; but, his former commanding officer's boat was hit on D-Day and the captain did not survive.  Had Troughton no transferred to his own command, he might not have survived the war.

If memory serves, Patrick Macnee also served on motor torpedo boats (I read his memoir, but it was years ago).....EDIT, just looked at his bio on wikipedia and it confirms that he was on MTBs and caught bronchitis and missed D-Day, as well, where his boat and crew were lost.  Macnee was a navigator and was assigned as First Lieutenant on a ew boat, when he caught bronchitis.

As I check Troughton's bio, I see he was on a Motor Gun Boat, similar to the MTB, but armed with gun emplacements, rather than torpedo tubes, and the y often engaged German E-Boats (or S-Boats, in the German classification, for Schnellboote).  Troughton was known for wearing a tea cozy on his head, instead of a knit cap, to keep warm, in the North Sea and Channel.

Michael Troughton wrote a biography of his father and there is one of William Hartnell, by his granddaughter, and I really need to see if the local library can get either or both, to read them.  I wasn't aware of Michael, but have seen Patrick's other son, David, in the Sharpe series (as the Duke of Wellington, in the first couple of episodes, along with Brian Cox, as Maj Hogan), as well as a nasty gangster, in New Tricks, and also his appearance in "The War Games," his father's final serial, before handing over to Jon Pertwee.

If you watch The Five (ish) Doctors special, fromt he 50th Anniversary, you can see Sean Pertwee (son of Jon Pertwee and the actor who played Alfred, in Gotham) at the beginning (talking with Olivia Coleman) and later see David Troughton, as one of the Dalek operators, who get locked in a room by the rogue original series actors, as they try to get themselves into the 50th Anniversary special episode.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it, as it is funny as hell, while also celebrates a lot of the classic series and actors involved (bunch of cameos from former assistants/companions).  The basic premise is that Peter Davison (Doctor #5), Colin Baker (#6) and Sylvester McCoy (#7) try to insert themselves into the 50th Anniversary special, after being ignored by the producer, Stephen Moffet.  It features cameos from Davison's sons and daughter and son-in-law (aka David Tennant, Doctor #10), Matt Smith (#11), Paul McGann (#8, from the Fox tv movie pilot), John Barrowman (new DW and Torchwood), several former companions, Peter Jackson, Ian McKellan, and Russell T Davies, who tries to get into the Five (ish) Doctor's special, to bring it full circle.




The faces swirling around the sleeping Stephen Moffett are all former companions, from previous years.  The woman, at the start, is Davison's daughter, an actress, who is married to David Tennant (the met doing the episode "The Doctor's Daughter," which makes their family life really weird).  Colin Baker is seen with his wife and daughters.  I didn't catch it, at first, but Davison's daughter is eating ice cream with a big celery stalk, an homage to the stalk that was worn pinned to his lapel, on his costume, during his Doctor's tenure (explained in his final episode).

That special an An Adventure In Space And Time, the dramatization of the original development and making of the show, with William Hartnell, were the best parts of the celebration, though Tom Baker finally returned in the actual special, as The Curator, implied to be his Doctor, and Paul McGann appearing in a webisode, to set up his regeneration into the War Doctor (John Hurt, who becomes Christopher Eccleston's Doctor).