(Volume 1; 237 pages; DC ARCHIVE EDITIONS, 2005) (Volume 2; 228 pages; DC ARCHIVE EDITIONS, 2007) (Volume 3; 288 pages; DC ARCHIVE EDITIONS, 2008)
For 14 glorious issues of a book called LEADING COMICS (published between 1941-1945), eight (!) marginal heroes from the popular anthology books published by National Periodicals (part of DC Comics, home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) were featured in some of the strangest and most exciting adventures of their time. Like the only other super-hero team of the era (DC’s popular Justice Society of America), the stories were basically solo adventures starring the respective members. The catch with the Soldiers (alternately called “Law’s Legionnaires”) was that, rather than meeting on a regular basis to recount individual heroic feats to their colleagues, they were brought together by a common foe, separated to handle particular aspects of the case best suited to each individual’s abilities and came back together for the ultimate defeat of the villain (or villains).
Another, more unique aspect of the team was the fact that, while all were superb physical specimens and each possessed quite analytical minds, they had no super powers. Green Arrow and his young partner, Speedy (appearing regularly in MORE FUN COMICS), perhaps the most well-known of the eight, were expert marksmen with the bow, often using trick arrows to stymie their opponents; the Vigilante (from the pages ACTION COMICS), a motorcycle riding ex-singing cowboy radio star was as adept with a lasso as he was with a six-shooter; the Crimson Avenger, along with his partner, Wing, the unofficial eighth Soldier (the character with the longest comics pedigree, as a back-up in DETECTIVE COMICS) wasn’t afraid of a dust-up, but preferred to use his brain before his brawn to out-think the bad guys; rich kid Sylvester Pemberton and his chauffeur, Pat Dugan, better known as the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy (who held sway in – where else? – STAR-SPANGLED COMICS) used expensive gadgets and Pat’s muscles; Sir Justin, the Shining Knight (appearing in the pages of ADVENTURE COMICS), was exactly what the name implies – a valiant knight of Arthur’s fabled Round Table displaced in time. Aside from the Knight’s magical sword, the only “super-powered” being in the entire lot, in fact, was Sir Justin’s winged horse.
The stories, the early ones mostly written by Mort Weisinger (with helping hands from Jerry Siegel, Bill Finger and the seemingly ever-present “Unknown”), were always long on action and fairly short on plot. That really didn’t matter then and, truly, it’s not too much of an issue now… other than the occasional moan-inducing plot device or the cringe-worthy characterizations of various ethnicities. If you are one of those easily offended PC types, any comic produced before the 1970s probably isn’t for you. Real people, on the other hand, recognize these books for what they are: historical reference points in the growth of the country’s march toward racial equality and tolerance. To say that such things shouldn’t be readily available is to say that things like discrimination (in all of its nasty forms), war, and racial strife are better off forgotten… treated as if they never existed. That, my friends, is where the famous axiom, “Those who do not remember are doomed to repeat,” comes into play. Sure, the portrayal of the Avenger’s “Oriental” sidekick, Wing, is overly stereotypical of the way Asians were viewed in the ’40s, but that doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have an adverse affect on your enjoyment of these classic comics. Remember, the same things were happening in all entertainment mediums – from radio to film and beyond. Some of the movies and novels of the day are considered classics, even though they offered stereotypical views of Blacks, Jews, Germans and, often, women.
Okay, stepping down from the pulpit, let’s get back to the Seven Soldiers series. The first three issues of LEADING COMICS featured a different artist for each chapter, usually the character’s regular artist in their other appearances. George Papp drew all three Green Arrow chapters, as well as the wrap-around Soldiers chapters in the first issue’s story, “Blueprint For Crime.” Papp was a jobber… dependable, but not overly adventurous in his lay-out or execution. The Star-Spangled Kid’s chapters were handled by Hal Sherman. Let’s just say that his work was definitely an acquired taste – one I’m not certain that I will ever acquire. Sherman moves the story along, though, as he must. Jack Lehti, a cut or two above Hal Sherman talent-wise (though with more imaginative lay-outs), took care of the chapters starring the Crimson Avenger. Creig Flessel drew the Shining Knight chapters with a certain panache, an airiness that made his work seem a step above the norm. Though more adventurous than George Papp, his work – like Papp’s – was enjoyable and dependable. Mort Meskin drew four of the first five covers for LEADING COMICS, as well as the first three Vigilante chapters and the wrap-around chapters for numbers 2 and 3. Meskin’s work was stylized and unique, offering a – dare I say? – a Kirbyesque quality in lay-out and body structure and positioning. His Vigilante is the definite highlight of the first three issues and his cover for issue number 4 is certainly one of the best you’ll see.
Change was afoot with issue 4, as Bill Finger scripted the entire thing, called “The Sense Master.” Artist Ed Dobrotka dipped his pen in the inkwell on page one and didn’t let up until the final page. As I’m not the comics historian that someone like Roy Thomas is, I can’t say this with utmost certainty, but this could mark the first time that one artist was responsible for an entire 56 page comic book. Falling somewhere between Jack Lehti and George Papp talent-wise, Dobrotka’s work was serviceable and gave the story a nice sense of continuity from chapter to chapter. These first four issue make up the first volume of this archive series, with issues 5-8 filling up volume two and the final six issues (9-14) finishing up the archive collection in volume 3.
Dobrotka was back with issue number 5. Though this issue’s “The Miracles That Money Can’t Buy” and “The Treasure That Time Forgot” from number 6 are uncredited, comics scholar and foreword writer for volume 2 is fairly certain that honor belongs to Joe Samachson, who finished out the Law’s Legionnaires’ LEADING COMICS run. While the action and adventure aspects of the strip remained high, a little more thought was going into plot and script over the final 10 issues. In issue number 6, there was more interaction between the teammates, one of the more interesting teamings being the Shining Knight and the Vigilante. Oddly enough, Ed Dobrotka stuck around to do the cover for this issue; odder still is the fact that the only verifiable interior artwork comes from Maurice del Bourgo, who inked the entire issue and completely rendered the Crimson Avenger chapter. The pencil artist for the rest of the story remains unknown.
Issue number 7 features a story called “The Wizard of Wisstark.” The team comes together for charity and are suckered into a weird game of chance by an Oz-like master magician as, once again each hero is on their own until they come together at the end to defeat the bad guy. The artwork is at an almost impossibly high level of competency, with pencils by Pierce Rice. “Exiles In Time” in number 8 brings another artistic change, as last issue’s cover artist, Jon Small picks up the pencil, with Maurice del Bourgo returning to ink him. While not horrible, it is definitely a step down from Rice’s work in the previous issue. The plot revolves around one of the Vigilante’s old foes, the Dummy, who figures out a way to send the individual Soldiers careening through history. Not a new plot device, even then, but fun nonetheless.
With volume three of the archive series, the final six Soldiers stories for nearly 30 years are presented. With Samachson becoming ever more adept at devising interesting plot twists and storylines, the artistic reins finally were handed to Argentinian Arturo Cazaneuve. While Cazaneuve was certainly no Mort Meskin or Pierce Rice, he was more than up to the task of a team book, even if he did give Sylvester Pemberton an incredibly bulbous cranium at certain points throughout his run. His brother, Luis, split cover duties with Jon Small, to varying degrees of success. Issue number 14, “The Bandits From the Books,” is probably the best of the series, a fun romp through some classic reads with unforgettable villains. The cover, by Small, is a minor masterpiece. As a bonus, a script by Samachson, scheduled for LEADING COMICS number 15, is included. Unfortunately, the super-hero market was waning in 1945 and only big names like Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman were able to maintain enough sales numbers to keep their titles afloat. Since the Seven Soldiers of Victory were made up of second-stringers, the decision was made to change LEADING COMICS to a “funny animal” book. As foreword writer, Roy Thomas, notes, the script finally got published in 1975, with artwork by some of DC’s most well-known names of the time.
So, my advice? Disengage your brain for a bit, take a trip back to a simpler time and check out the Seven Soldiers of Victory, gloriously reproduced in hardcover archive editions. You won’t be sorry. (DT)
