Number 1600: Spirit of ’76, the patriotic hero

Today in America we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day. With the Fourth comes the old red, white and blue in abundance. Back in the early forties when war was raging in Europe and imminent for America, the patriotic heroes were popping up like dandelions on my lawn. Among them was Cadet Blakeley, the Spirit of '76. He was introduced in Pocket Comics in 1941, and then re-introduced in Harvey Comics’ Green Hornet #7 in 1942. The second version is basically the first, with some editing and some new artwork and rearranging in spots to make it 8 pages. (Wartime paper rationing, you know.)

Grand Comics Database says Edd Ashe did the Pocket Comics version, with Harry Fisk and Arthur Caseneuve doing some new artwork for the second.

I hope everyone has a fine holiday and three-day weekend. For me, tonight I stand guard in my yard with garden hose in hand, ready to douse any illegal fireworks, roman candles and rockets shot into my bushes and trees by celebrating and inebriated neighbors.

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Here’s a later Spirit of ’76 drawn by the great Bob Powell. Just click on the thumbnail.

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Number 1328: “A whirlwind of flying fists and smoking guns!!”

Black Cat is really Linda Turner, Hollywood movie star, who has nothing to do when not filming but go around in costume fighting bad guys. As a member of the “Evacuation Corps,” Linda goes on a short mission to buy a ranch to keep children safe in case the war comes to California. Naturally, the owner refuses (it isn’t as if Linda asked him; it was more of a demand), and that lack of patriotism gets Black Cat involved. Although Linda tosses in a gratuitous personal insult and seems high-handed in her treatment of the ranch owner, it turns out the guy is in a with a ring of saboteurs. So, owing to the temper of the times, he deserves to get his butt kicked all the way to Berlin. The story, drawn by Arthur (Arturo) Cazeneuve, is from Harvey’s Speed Comics #22 (1942).

This is our last day of Pappy's “War is hell on the homefront” week. All of our stories this week have been from comic books published in 1942, and the subject is the war against saboteurs fought on American soil. I want to continue this theme in the future.

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