House of Secrets #125: "Catch As Cats Can!"

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When I picked this one up off the spinner rack at Rexall's Drug Store, I was surprised that this tale of Medieval sorcery was written by E. Nelson Bridwell as I was used to seeing his byline on Superman or Action Comics. However, my surprise turned out to be a pleasant one as I thought this story was pretty good. The always capable Luis Dominguez illustrated "Catch As Cats Can!"

Star Spangled War Stories #183: Unknown Soldier in "8,000 to One"

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"Remember, soldier, one slip-up and 8,000 innocent people... will die!"

I recall purchasing this comic book when I was a kid because I found the Joe Kubert cover very intriguing, but I came away from the experience genuinely moved by the story inside. In "8,000 to One," the Unknown Soldier is forced to choose killing a collaborator or permit 8,000 others to perish. The final scenes are very dramatic and worth the read to get there. While the Unknown Soldier was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert and first appeared in Our Army At War #168, this story was written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Gerry Talaoc.

The back-up story features the Balloon Buster, whose real name is Steve Savage, Jr. Born and raised in Mustang River, Wyoming, Savage was trained by his poverty-stricken father to be a consummate marksman, learning that the gun is merely an extension of the man who wields it.

Enlisting in the Army Air Corps at the onset of World War I, Savage repeatedly disobeyed orders, breaking formation to attack and destroy the German combat balloons, which earned him his nickname.

















"Hell's Angel! Featuring Enemy Ace and the Balloon Buster, Part III: To End in Flames!" is an Enemy Ace back-up story, which was written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by Frank Thorne.

A1 Book #1: Warpsmiths of Hod in "Ghostdance"

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The Warpsmiths of Hod were created by Alan Moore when he was a teenager for a small publication by an arts lab in his native Northampton, England. He and artist Garry Leach expanded on the characters for the UK magazine Warrior, and figuring into a fictional timeline and universe developed by Alan Moore and Steve Moore (no relation), the Warpsmiths only appeared in two stories before the end of Warrior. The first appearance of a Warpsmith was in the 1982 Warrior 4# or "Summer Special," which can be read online by clicking here. Leach retained ownership of the characters, and lent them to Moore's series Marvleman and later Miracleman (which Leach had illustrated earlier in Warrior) in which they became a major part of the story, with art by John Totleben based on Leach's designs. In 1989, Leach began a new anthology title, A1, the first issue of which included the Warpsmith short story "Ghost Dance," which was written by Alan Moore. Subsequent issues would feature stories by other writers.

In this story, the Warpsmiths mourn one of their dead and contemplate the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Axel Pressbutton #2: Warpsmiths of Hod in "Cold War, Cold Warrior"

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"We are the Warpsmiths of Hod... we are the power that cannot be imagined."

"Cold War, Cold Warrior" is my favorite comic book story of all time—it has been so since 1984. Don't ask me to elaborate too much as to why, but everything about this short science fiction story hit me just right when I read it and it's been tops ever since. In my opinion, this is the only story that rivals Saga of the Swamp Thing #32 (my second favorite comic book story) for sheer quality. Published by Eclipse Comics, this is a color reprint from British black-and-white Warrior magazines #9 & #10, which was written by Alan Moore and beautifully illustrated by Garry Leach.


Credits

Cover: Dave Gibbons
Script: Alan Moore
Pencils: Gary Leach
Inks: Gary Leach
Colors: Gary Leach
Letters: Gary Leach

Reprinted:

• from Warrior (Quality Communications, 1982 series) #9
• from Warrior (Quality Communications, 1982 series) #10

Surprise bonus download: Hellfire #1, which contains a six-page interview with Gary Leach and Alan Moore.

Download Hellfire #1