Gold Nuggets: Fighting the Jungle Hordes of Hitler!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

I've had some fun with the obscure heroes of Golden Age comics here in the Gold Nuggets feature, all courtesy of the fantastic Golden Age Comics site.  They've got hundreds of old comic books available to download (pending registration), all of which have passed into the public domain...so anyone can view them or use the characters in their own comics.  In fact, Dynamite Comics will be featuring many of these forgotten heroes in their upcoming Superpowers series...with new stories, updated costumes (reimagined by Alex Ross, no less) and a chance to regain their Golden Age glory.

One of the front-and-center stars of Superpowers will be the eternally cool Daredevil (known as simply "Devil" for obvious copyright issues), whose skintight, cape-free costume was the basis of so many modern-era costume designs (such as Spider-Man's).

Daredevil made his debut as the headliner of Daredevil Battles Hitler (July of 1941), a fascist-bashing jamboree featuring the heroes from the Lev Gleason line of comics: Silver Streak, Lance Hale, Dicky Dean, Cloud Curtis, and the Pirate Prince! 

Throughout the issue, the hapless Hitler and his fiendish inner circle (such as Goebbels, Goering, and Himmler) randomly wander the globe and encounter the fists, boot heels, and...yes...charging elephants of our fighting-mad patriots.

The second story finds Hitler preparing to take over the jungles of Africa, going so far as to lead the invasion himself!

Let's join Herr Schickelgruber and his generals are they're interrupted by a certain red and black-garbed visitor (along with his own "personal shock troops")...

And that's how they did it back then.  No "talks".  No "diplomacy".
Just fists and feet, pal!

Oh, and since tonight is another round of Friday Night Fights, Bahlactus decrees another knuckle sandwich for Uncle Adolph!

Comments

[Rich]

The character in the lower right corner of the Daredevil Battles Hitler cover, The Claw, appears elsewhere in that line and looks quite similar to a Skrull. Any evidence whether Marvel just "borrowed" him/them? After all, The Claw is about two decades older.

[Mark Engblom]

Interesting connection there, Rich. The Claw does look a bit like the Skrulls (must be the skull-cap thing).

Probably one of the most bizarre comic book characters I've ever come across, the giant-sized Claw was obviously a grotesque and extremely racist caricature of the Japanese. In this particular comic book, the Claw has his own chapter, where he "double-crosses" Hitler (whom he holds in the palm of his giant yellow hand). Extremely bizarre stuff to say the least.

[Brian Disco Snell]

Ah, WWII comics, where grotesque racism was not only condoned, but practically a requirement...