Boy Commandos #2

The talent listed on the front cover is the main reason I wanted this book. Boy Commandos was a World War II war comic by legends Jack Kirby and Joe Simon- the very same duo that created my all-time favorite comic book super hero Captain America. After leaving their creation at Timely Comics, the duo went to National (DC) Comics and worked on a number of new creations. It was 1941 and the US had yet to enter WWII. Since comics about kids were a big seller and war comics were yet an even bigger sales magnet, Kirby and Simon decided to create a war comic starring a bunch of youths called The Boy Commandos.

  Now, I highly doubt that any of the Allied forces knowingly used minors to form crack special forces teams. But I understand the premise quite well. Formed of orphans from allied nations, such as America, England, France, and the Netherlands, the premise of the Boy Commandos was to inspire children to get on board the coming war efforts. Something obviously clicked as the series continued well past the end of the war and ran for about 36 issues.

This comic from 1973 was issued during Kirby’s brief return to DC after having established himself as one of the premiere forces in all of comic-dom during his tenure in the Marvel Age of Comics (1961-1969) at Marvel Comics. Feeling overshadowed by the more camera friendly, Stan Lee, Kirby went to DC hoping to make a name for just him and nobody else. DC released this comic, full of reprints from the 40s to cash in on Kirby’s time at the Distinguished Competition.

Normally, I hate it when comic publishers reprint material under the guise of being all-new. However, this book was published over 40 years ago and I highly doubt I’m ever going to get my hands on any of the original Boy Commandos comics from the 40s. There are 2 stories in this special release. The first is what the cover is based on. The boys pick up a stray and want to make him their mascot. However, military regulations prevent animals from being allowed on based. Naturally, the boys defy orders and take the raggedy kitten in secretly.

This was a story I had to break my one rules and read ahead. I have 5 cats and I cannot stand it when animals are hurt or killed, even in a comic book. So, I had to make sure this little guy survived. Not only does the kitty live, but he becomes a hero when he rats out a squadron of Nazis poised to ambush the commandos during a mission.

Story #2 involves the Boy Commandos going deep into enemy territory to support the efforts of the underground to continue to provide printed media to those people who have fallen under Nazi rule. The idea of the paper is to give hope and needed intel to resistance fighters working with the allies to overthrow Hitler. This tale is similar to the last act of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington when a bunch of kids defy a Boss Tweed like character to print the truth about Jefferson Smith. The scene where the Commandos are being driven off the road by Nazis is almost exactly like the scene in Frank Capra’s classic film. I loved it.

Sadly, Boy Commandos only lasted 2 issues in its ‘revival.’ Years later, DC did finally reprint most of the Boy Commandos stories in a premium hard bound edition but even those books price about $50 a book and are out of print. So, I have a feeling that this might be my only experience with these young soldiers.

A true diamond in the rough, I found this in a bargain box of course. I highly recommend this if you ever stumble across it. It’s worth the read no matter how implausible the premise may be.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.