[MarkWarner]

Quite a few of the reading group felt that last week's superhero didn't even qualify for  a "Flash in the pan" and instead they suggested a "Flush down the pan".  So let's hope an All-America boy is more to their liking.

I have been listening to a few of the Jack Armstrong radio shows we have on site and they are pretty good! If you are interested they are here: https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=2822.

I thought it might be interesting to see how Jack fared in the comic book realm. Most (but not all) of the shows we have pre-date this book, some by a decade! Anyway Jack Armstrong #1 can be found at:  https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=22411, and the story we are concentrating on is the first one "Jack Armstrong Solves the Arctic Mystery ".

[SuperScrounge]

Meet Jack Armstrong And His Friends - Sadly Jack seems more like an exceptional fellow rather than a "regular fellow" these days.

Jack Armstrong Solves The Arctic Mystery - Okay story, nice art.

All-American Award - Nice little fact piece.

The Case of the Forgetful Forger - Interesting, but the focus on the methods of investigation left it cold on personality. Was Vic Hardy named after The Hardy Boys?

Jack Armstrong vs. the Man of a Million Faces - "Central America's rich vital hemp industry" [Insert marijuana joke here] ;-) Not bad.

Change of Pace - Eh, told okay, but didn't really grab me.

Famous Split-Seconds in Sports! - Doesn't really capture the excitement you might get if you were actually watching the play.

Simba Bwana - Lion Master! - Eh, okay, although isn't it usually the female lion that hunts?

Angel of Mercy With Water-Wings - Okay.

Billy Rings The Bell! - Okay.

[narfstar]

I really liked the art in Arctic Mystery. The story was OK also. Very succinct no wasted time on this one. The only thing I did not like was Jack being so cocky as to put down his gun to fight with fists.

[Morgus]

I've heard of Jack Armstrong and the franchise, but never saw a comic until now. Nice art work that reminds me for some reason of TERRY AND THE PIRATES. The stories were interesting, and you could tell they were aiming at a young adult crowd without dumbing it down too much for them. I wonder if any of the All American awards survived...

[Mazzucchelli]

The art in the first story really impresses, it

[crashryan]

When you see a comic is published by Parents Magazine Press you know it's going to be safe and wholesome. But this isn't a bad thing. These stories are varied and adventurous and don't preach. The Jack Armstrong tales move at a good clip, though the surprise villains aren't very surprising.

"The Arctic Mystery" is a satisfyingly rousing story. The problem is the art (see below).

"This is What Happened:" Yawn. Reminds me of Heroic Comics. I never warmed to these 3-page true-life adventures. None of the sports fillers excite me either.

"Vic Hardy:" Surprisingly interesting. The scientific detection tricks are new to me. I'm not sure what's happening in the last panel of page 17. Vic's recovering the ashes of the bonds but there seems to be a rag or a crumpled piece of paper in the stovepipe. Funny to see the hero of the story drawn like a standard comic book villain.

"Man of a Million Faces:" Another action-packed story with a telegraphed ending. When the story's titled "Jack vs. the Man of a Million Faces," once you figure out Sam is the culprit (in panel 2 of the second page) you know he's the MOAMF. I like that the shifty half-breed turns out to be a good guy. However the subplot about liquored-up "bad Indians" is incongruous. The story would have worked fine if they were ordinary henchmen. Panel 4 of the last page baffles me. We just saw MOAMF's ugly puss in panel 3; why this huge wordless portrait? I swear it looks like the panel is a last-minute pasteover covering something the editor didn't like.

The art in the Jack Armstrong stories is capable and easy to look at. The notes say it's Howard Larsen. I'll accept that. I'm no Larsen expert; the only thing I know him from are his T&A westerns. Neither T nor A are present here. The problem isn't with Larsen's drawing, it's his layouts. As Mazz noted, Larsen uses some unique angles in the first story. But some of his choices are crazy. It reminds me of the old days when you were carrying the camcorder at your side and didn't realize it was running. Larsen's camera always seems to point at the wrong thing. Examples: Arm covering the speaker's face (Pg. 5 Pn. 3). The speaker and the gas cans, the subject of the panel, barely discernible (5:5) Jack, though mentioned in the caption, is barely visible and his husky is nowhere to be found (7:4). My favorite is 6:6, where we have a nicely-drawn upshot of a boardwalk with a teensy glimpse of the speaker and a great view of a dog's butt.

Equally maddening is the way Larsen refuses to draw Jack! After the shot in panel 2 of the first story page we don't see Jack clearly for two pages. In much of the story his back is to the camera, or he stands a mile away, or appears in silhouette, or lies halfway out of the panel. Larsen is not as eccentric in the second story, but he continues to push important figures far into the background. Very, very odd.

"Change of Pace:" Didn't read it. Nice drawing by Edd Ashe.

"Simba Bwana:" A decent story with refreshingly un-stereotyped "natives." True, the people speak that overly-formal English that comic book natives speak when they're not speaking Tontoese, but it isn't oppressive. A Jack Sparling art job; nice lions.

"Angel of Mercy:" Another pretty good story. It smacks a bit of True Comics but it holds interest. The problem is that Betty Fairfield, the alleged heroine, barely has anything to do. The plucky "District Nurse" is the star of the show. Though Jack Sparling cops out with silhouettes early on, he delivers a sound art job. His nurse is rather pretty. As I grow older my appreciation for Sparling's art grows. As a kid I detested him.

The survey is so intrusive you'd think it's an Internet form. I note that Jack's radio show played on KJR, which during my youth was the big Rock  'N' Roll station in Seattle.

"Billy Rings the Bell:" The gimmick is given away in the opening caption with the word "mussel," but I can't see any way out of it. The newspaper ad has to spell the word properly, so we know Billy will make a fool of himself. The ending makes up for it. Billy derives some benefit from his new muscles in an amusing way.

Bottom line: not a bad little comic.

[bowers]

 Definitely an interesting first issue. I liked the IFC introduction to the characters, although the Prof. Proteus intro and title of the second Jack Armstrong story pretty much gave away the surprise ending.
The first story was pretty good. The art did, indeed, have some quirky perspectives but was lively and full of motion. Great action scenes. I wonder why nearly all French-Canadians are named Pierre in the comics?
The "All-American Award" feature was ok, an appropriate filler for a Jack Armstrong book.
I really enjoyed the Vic Hardy story, an interesting look into the pre-computer forensics of the time.
As I mentioned before, the second Armstrong story was no big surprise. I do wonder why Proteus, an "evil genius" who has baffled the police of six continents is wasting his time sabotaging a penny-ante hemp plantation. And who was paying him to do it? This story takes place two years after the war, so the hemp wouldn't have been vital to the national defense and artificial fibers were certainly cutting down the market for it. If it was of the illegal variety, maybe Proteus should have received a commendation from law-enforcement instead of being arrested.
I liked both the "Seconds in Sports" and "Simba Bwana" features much more than either of the Fairfield tales.
The survey didn't bother me much. As a kid, I would have been flattered that someone wanted my opinion. Since name was optional, and this was pre-internet, the worst that could happen was maybe a slight increase in junk mail.
Not bad for a first issue, an enjoyable read. Cheers, Bowers

[MarkWarner]

Jack Armstrong's All-American Motto is "To keep myself straight and strong and clean - in mind as well as body!". With all the clean-cut wholesomeness around I somehow get the feeling that this comic will actually turn me towards the darkside, as Professor Proteus looks a tad cooler.

Just read "Jack Armstrong Solves the Arctic Mystery" and Oh my I didn't quite see that twist coming. It was actually quite a good story. Just to let you know, a bowl of Wheaties is the "Breakfast of Champions" and Edgar Little Jr. wins the first Jack Armstrong All American Award.

I am not quite sure why the forger in "The Case of the Forgetful Forger" was forgetful. But it looks like Vic Hardy is a bit of a smartass!

I think Jack has just used his All-American cussing language: Leapin'  Lhamas! These shells are blanks!

Again, I did not see who the villain really was, unfortunately the language and tone of a lot of the story has dated ie: "savages". Also, blimey Jonathan Stone must be very grateful to buy Jack and the gang a new plane! This is followed by a two page sentimental text story, and then a real life story, both about baseball. I was not at all keen on "Simba Bwana - Lion Master", it was a rather silly story about "non-savage savages" and lions.

I really hope that a "new" Betty Fairfield adventure "Angel of Mercy with Water-Wings" will turn things around again! Oh dear "Saint Betty" with a massively big S is even more wholesome than Jack and the gang combined. Professor Proteus where are you when we need you most? The last story Billy Rings the Bell was the best of the bunch, which frankly is not saying much!

Verdict: A miss. Way too wholesome and preachy for me, much more than the radio shows. Professor Proteus had potential though!

[paw broon]

As Mark wrote, "way too wholesome for me".  I really can't take that all American boy stuff.  Must be a cultural thing.  In the hemp story, I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised that the foreman was the bad guy as I had him pegged from his first panel.  I note how easy it was to pick the local native as the bad guy and clap him in irons right away. 
The Arctic story didn't entertain me much.  In both of his stories, Jack is acting like a superhero out of costume, imo.
Betty Fairfield, how bad and sugary sweet was that? 
What I did enjoy in this comic were the 2 baseball factuals, and I'm taking my tablet along with me on Saturday when I'm meeting a friend, who's originally from Detroit and is sports daft.  He'll enjoy the Detroit entry.
Also the Vic Hardy wasn't a bad wee short and I'm sure the early forensic stuff would have intrigued young readers.
Simba thingy was awful - couldn't finish it!
Prof.  Proteus is somewhat similar to the much later Creeper villain, isn't he? Or am I hallucinating?