Which Came First: The Crusaders or...The Crusaders?

Unlike the other strange comic book coincidences I've covered, this one's more of a good natured quasi-collaboration than a perplexing mystery.

By late 1976, both Marvel and DC Comics were publishing titles that featured revivals of their respective Golden Age characters. First out of the gate was Marvel's The Invaders, which retroactively chronicled the WWII-era adventures of Captain America, his sidekick Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, and his young ward Toro. On the other side of the aisle, DC offered up The Freedom Fighters, featuring Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, Doll Man, The Ray, Black Condor, and The Human Bomb (all of whom were old Quality Comics characters DC had recently acquired).

Well, perhaps influenced by the Marvel-DC "Superman vs. Spider-Man" collaboration earlier that year, Freedom Fighters writer Bob Rozakis seemed to have caught a case of "crossover fever". As Rozakis himself explained in 2003, his idea for a pseudo Marvel-DC crossover soon took on a life of its own:

"As I recall it, I had come up with the idea of using the Crusaders...in Freedom Fighters and joked with then-editor Tony Isabella that it would be really funny if (Invaders writer) Roy Thomas used a version of the FFers in Invaders and called them the Crusaders as well. I believe it was actually Tony who spoke with Roy and suggested the unofficial crossover… but neither Roy nor I got to see these alternate-reality versions of our teams until the books were published."

Although Rozakis came up with the initial idea, Roy Thomas beat him to the newsstand with "Calling...The Crusaders!", which appeared in Invaders #14-15 (cover-dated March-April, 1977). In the story, a mysterious new group of superheroes appeared in war-torn England while the Invaders were elsewhere in Europe. It turned out the five members of the Crusaders unknowingly received their superpowers from a mysterious figure named "Alfie", who was actually a Nazi spy planning to assassinate the King of England! 

As with any pastiche of another company's characters, the members of Marvel's Crusaders (left) were clever mirror images of DC's Freedom Fighters (right): 

So...what was DC's answer to Marvel's opening salvo? Ah, you'll have to come back tomorrow to check out the other Crusaders, who appeared a scant two months later.  See you then!

Comments

[ShadowWing Tronix]

Spirit of 76 reminds me more of the Fighting Yank (thank you, WOWIO--hurry back) than Uncle Sam.

[Mark Engblom]

Well, at the time, Roy Thomas may very WELL have had the Fighting Yank in mind as a template from which to build Spirit of '76. As the Golden Age fan he's always been, I'm sure Thomas was aware of the Fighting Yank moreso than most people at the time (prior to the internet and no interest in the properties from other publishers)...so the look probably isn't coincidental (not much is when it comes to Roy Thomas. The guy knows his stuff backwards and forwards). As you'll see in part two, Marvel's doppelgangers were less similar to the originals than the Crusaders of the Freedom Fighters were.

[Kyle]

I hate to admit it, but while I was a pretty big fan of both the Invaders and (to a somewhat lesser extent) the Freedom Fighters, I never made the connection at the time between Uncle Sam's gang and the upstart European heroes of the Crusaders.

I'm so ashamed...

[Mark Engblom]

Nah...like I said, Marvel's pastiche of the Freedom Fighters was much more subtle than DC's take on the Invaders. There's no doubt who Rozakis was targeting...whereas Roy Thomas' takes a little work. Plus, the Marvel Crusaders were based on some fairly obscure characters that young kids in the 70's (like me) weren't very aware of (if at all).

[Ralph C]

I love to admit that I loved "The Invaders"! I really liked that Frank Robbins art-- it had a strange but appealing look, especially in the eyes. And I enjoyed the action, too. I wouldn't mind owning a few issues of that comic for a little bit of nostalgia. Someday, I'll have to go look for it.

[meng]

off topic question but the Crusaders illos got me thinking... are Frank Robbins and Frank Springer the Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman of comics?

[Mark. Engblom]

"I really liked that Frank Robbins art-- it had a strange but appealing look, especially in the eyes. "

Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I've never been wild about Robbins' art, but I've found myself warming up to it a bit more the last couple of years as I've filled in my Invaders run. He does some wonky things with ink that the cartoonist side of me appreciates...and when you understand how much a giant like Milton Caniff influenced Robbins, Springer, and the rest of their generation, the style isn't quite so odd (though, by the late 70's, it stuck out like a sore thumb). I think writer-editor Roy Thomas loved the retro look Robbins brought to the book, as if these truly were the lost Golden Age adventures of Marvel's WWII-era heroes.

[Mark. Engblom]

"... are Frank Robbins and Frank Springer the Bill Paxton and Bill Pullman of comics? "

LOL! You're right...those guys are easy to mix up....especially since their styles are somewhat similar.

[buttler]

Also, these guys actually became part of Marvel continuity, unlike the DC Crusaders, who were never seen again.

Well, only Spirit of '76 and Dyna-Mite were seen again, to the best of my knowledge, but they managed to wriggle into Marvel history retroactively by taking on the Captain America and Destroyer mantles for a little while.

[Mark Engblom]

You're right, Buttler. I should have added a mention of that...but you did it for me! Thanks!

Yeah, Spirit of '76 did indeed take on the role of Captain America following his disappearance at the end of WWII...though I can't remember if he was the first one to be Cap, or the second one. One of the substitutes was a guy named The Patriot. I guess you need prior "patriotic-themed superhero" experience if you're going to take over for Cap, huh?