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| Ahhh the naivete of 1950s superheroes: just put on your "plastic suit of your own invention" , slap on a black mask and start fighting crime ...so cool ! |
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| Isn't that Paul Gattuso art on "Assignment... Manhunt"? |
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| That Black Cobra was one tough guy. And, all for the forces of the free world over the red commie scourge. Life was easy then, you knew the good guys from the bad guys, even when they wore black. |
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| What can a superhero of the 1950's do? Join the cold war? Well the Black Cobra did fight the Reds. Great comic book for the times. |
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| This was an interesting romp through several tales of the Cold War. I could have lived without the Cobra Kid, but I really enjoyed the rest. Of course, one wonders why the Cobra's speedster has left-hand drive on p. 9 of the first story and right-hand drive on p. 30 of the last story [PDF #'s, not original page numbers]. I didn't know Czech autos were right-hand drive.
Of course, I was sneering at the idea of plastic stopping bullets, too. Then, I discovered that kevlar is made of a poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide-based plastic material. Doh!
And I always thought those upper thigh "wings" to old-fashioned jodhpurs were ornamental. So, I checked out the original design and realized it was so that horse riders had more flexibiity in the waist and hips while still having skintight pants below. Newer materials make them unnecessary, but I guess they make sense even for a "kevlar" superhero costume.
I don't remember this book from my childhood, but I remember the Korean Conflict and the Cold War. Except in fiction and film, I don't want to go back. I do like the fact that this "hero" is willing to allow for some necessary deaths. The Cold War was not a bloodless epoch even though it didn't have front lines, strategic theaters, and formal declarations of war. |
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| Additional Information |
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| Publication | October-November 1954 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 1 | Frequency: bi-monthly |
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| Cover | America's Champion of Justice |
| Content | Genre: Superhero |
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| Comic Story | Ace Spy Smasher / The Voice of Treason (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | FBI agent Steve Drake in his alias as Black Cobra takes down a Communist spy who was broadcasting secret code from the Voice of America offices. |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: Steve Drake's unnamed boss; Griggs; Adam Cleve (villain, killed); unnamed Russian agent posing as Adam Cleve |
| Notes | Last appeared in CAPTAIN FLIGHT COMICS (Four Star Pub, 1944 series) #11. Black Cobra's secret identity is changed from Jim Hornsby to Steve Drake in this issue. |
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| Comic Story | Scourge of Evil / The Case of the Confused Crooks (5 pages) |
| Synopsis | In order to prevent a trio of crooks from getting it, FBI agent Steve Drake injects himself with Formula Alpha, a serum invented by Dr. Sykes which enables a person to go without sleep for a week or longer. After switching to his alias Black Cobra, he captures the crooks, enabling Dr. Sykes to be ushered to the Pentagon where he will explain his formula to the military. |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: Dr. Sykes; Joe (villain); Louie (villain) |
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| Text Story | A Million Dollar Surprise! (2 pages) |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
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| Comic Story | Assignment: Manhunt! / Only the Vile Die Young! (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | Lew kills unsuspecting women for their jewelry and makes it look like suicide. But the Black Cobra and the Cobra Kid can see right through that ruse! |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: the Cobra Kid (introduction; unnamed office boy); Steve Drake's unnamed boss; Lew (villain); Peggy (killed); Karen (killed); Webb (deckhand) |
| Notes | This reprint of the first appearance of the Cobra Kid was modified in many ways:
The Black Cobra is now Steve Drake rather than Jim Hornsby;
The Cobra Kid is now an unnamed office boy instead of Bob Hornsby;
Steve Drake works for the FBI (as opposed to Jim Hornsby who worked in the D.A.'s office);
Steve Drake's boss is an unnamed FBI agent (rather than District Attorny Hornsby);
The killer, Lew Griffin, is now simply called Lew;
The first victim, Peggy Austin, is now simply called Peggy;
The second victim, Karen Hale, is now simply called Karen. |
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| Comic Story | Black Cobra Smashes The Ring of Red Death! (7 pages) |
| Synopsis | Black Cobra helps the Czech resistance now suffering under Communist rule. |
| Content | Genre: Superhero | Characters: Colonel Ivanovov (villain, killed); General Konstanty (villain, killed) |
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| The data in the additional content section is courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a
Creative Commons Attribution License.
More details about this comic may be available in their page here |
