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.
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