Saturday, August 12, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 224: Silver Nemesis

If you're Ryan Choi, the All New Atom, you need to remember your Survival Guide to Sub-Atomic Hell ABCs:

Always
Be
Continually Punching Jet-Pack Hitler



Panels from The All New Atom #14 (October 2007), script by Gail Simone, pencils by Mike Norton, inks by Trevor Scott, colors by Alex Bleyaert, letters by Travis Lanham

Of course, while Atom's kickin' Hitler's flying ass, Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord has his own target already picked out:


Friday, August 11, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 223: Batman Explains It All for You


Panel from "The Bond Wagon" in Detective Comics (1937 series) #78 (August 1943), script by Joe Greene, pencils by Jack Burnley, inks and letters by George Roussos

Help with identification of this panel came from online pal Comics in the Golden Age. Thanks CGA! Check out his amazing Twitter feed!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 222: The Justice League versus Nazis






from "The Savage Time" on Justice League (November 9, 2002), script by Stan Berkowitz, directed by Butch Lukic and Dan Riba

Wednesday, August 09, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 221: DC Two-in-One

It's Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman! That is, Diana teaming up with her mom, to take down supervillains selling superweapons to Nazis on, I dunno, 1940s eBay, in a story that could only be called


Cover of Wonder Woman (1987 series) #185 (November 2002); pencils, inks, and colors by Adam Hughes

First, a moment of quiet reflection aboard a airplane with no visible in-flight entertainment and you can't even find the packets of peanuts. By the way, Diana is dressed as obscure 1940s heroine Miss America for Plot Reasons™ (but a mom always knows).


Panels from Wonder Woman (1987 series) #185 (November 2002); script and pencils by Phil Jimenez, inks by Andy Lanning and Lary Stucker, colors by Trish Mulvihill, color separations by WildStorm FX, letters by Comicraft

Enough mutual admiration, goils, let's get this party started*! (*Song not by U2.)


Honestly, I don't know of no better way to make your entrance during the years 1939-1945 than by bustin' in and tearin' up a big-ass Nazi flag! Actually, that same rule applies to 2016-present.


How do you think Hippolyta will disarm supervillain Armageddon?


Whoa! That works. This is just like that song "Harper Valley P.T.A.", except instead of wearing a miniskirt, the mom just lops the guy's whole arm off.

So, the moral of the story is this: When just one princess warrior will do against a buncha Nazis and their collaborators, use the double-Wonder action of new Wonder Woman Squared! It gets Nazis out!


Cover of Wonder Woman (1987 series) #184 (October 2002); pencils, inks, and colors by Adam Hughes

Tuesday, August 08, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 220: In which Cloris Leachman kicks ass

Na na na na na na
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman


Today's episode of "Let's Kick Some Nazi Butt" highlights one of my favorite retcons of the Modern Comics Age. Trust me, it's much better than "the Beyonder was an Inhuman" or "the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are Inhumans", or "everyone loves reading about the Inhumans." Nope: it's all tied up (with a golden lasso, I assume) in this:


Panels from Wonder Woman (1987 series) #184 (October 2002), script and pencils by Phil Jimenez, inks by Andy Lanning, colors by Trish Mulvihill, color separations by WildStorm FX, letters by Comicraft

To get you up to speed, Wally West-style, on what's happenin' here: Princess Diana (aka Wonder Woman) has (unknowingly) travelled back in time (doncha hate when that happens?) and has stumbled across Nazi soldiers (boo!) working in partnership with...Clea!


Cover of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #13 (January 1990), pencils and inks by Butch Guice

No, no, not that Clea! This Clea...


Cover of Wonder Woman (1987 series) #182 (January 1990), pencils and inks by Phil Jimenez, colors by José Villarrubia

...who's a classic Golden Age villain created by Marston and Peters as the jerk ruler of Atlantis (sound familiar, Marvel?) and charter member of "Villany, Inc.," which I think is some sort of licensed limited company. She's a go-getter gal in today's World War II's modern age of feminism and she's teaming up with Nazis, so hiss to her. She's in cahoots to trade a mystic Atlantean translation horn (the Rosetta Horn?) for an armored German submarine, presumably so she can finish filming her visionary film "Das U-Boot."


When what should appear to their Nazi sights but


WONDER WOMAN IN HER SATIN TIGHTS!

To explain: that's actually Hippolyta, Wondy's mom, who, the Post-Crisis Universe told us, was the Golden Age World War II Wonder Woman! I've always loved this relatively new retcon. (It leads to some neat character stuff over in the JSA comic, too.) I'm pretty sure this retcon doesn't exist in today's comics, which only makes me hate you more, New 52/Rebirth Universe.


Wonder Woman (Diana) needs to aid Wonder Woman (Hippolyta), but rushing into battle in her Wonder Woman (Diana) costume will surely wreck the timeline and confuse Wonder Woman (Hippo). So here's a plan: why not Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) herself into the costume of another, '40s contemporary Wonder Woman (Miss America), Miss America!



Of course, two Wonders make no blunders and easily beat a pack o'Nazis and a Clea. But the adventure isn't over yet! Tune in tomorrow, same Wonder time, same Woman station, to see the continued team-up of Wonder and Wonder in a tale we had to title...ah, but I'll make you wait for that one.

Monday, August 07, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 219: Don't go back to Earth-10


Page from "Forerunner, Part Two: The Origin of the Species" in Countdown to Adventure #2 (November 2007), script by Justin Gray, pencils by Travis Moore, inks by Saleem Crawford, colors by Tanya Horie and Richard Horie, letters by Pat Brosseau

That quote at the bottom is well worth repeating: "The mighty stand upon the shoulders of the weak, and with a change of heart the base of their power can rise to consume them."

Fight. Resist. Defy.

Sunday, August 06, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 218: Captain Marvel (Jr.) zapped him right between the eyes

Continuing this week's Nazi-bashin' theme! I wish I had better images from Captain Marvel Jr. #1 than these scans from a microfiche (seriously, DC, let's start publishing Archive Editions for Captain Marvel Adventures, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., The Marvel Family, and more!). But I can't resist showin' ya Cap Jr. battling Captain Nazi himself as well as leading captives of Hitler in a rebellion and uprising against the Ratzis! Just don't ask him to tell you his name, okay?



Panels from "Wings Over Dazaggar!!" in Captain Marvel Jr. #1 (Fawcett, November 18, 1942), pencils and inks by Al Carreno