The Sensei Has Withdrawn!

Francis X. McLaughlin, better known in comics as Frank has passed away. The man who created Judomaster and Rip Jagger has folded his judogi for the final time. Of all the Charlton "Action Heroes" Judomaster was always my favorite. 

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Perhaps it was the World War II setting with Rip Jagger, a mere soldier becoming a fighting symbol. He was like Captain America in many ways, but he didn't have a super soldier serum and he didn't wear the colors of his homeland, rather he sported an outfit given him by the men who trained him in the martial arts and prepared him to battle the enemy in the Pacific for the good of all mankind. Or perhaps it was that despite the WWII setting Judomaster had the most modern look of any of the "Action Heroes" who flourished under editor Dick Giordano, McLaughlin's lontime associate.

McLaughlin was one of the most important inkers in the field of comics in the late Silver and early Bronze Ages. His work was instantly recognizable as his taught dark lines brought order from sometimes chaos on the comics page. His long run with Dick Dillin and others on the Justice League of America remains at the top of my list of mighty artistic accomplishments. But given that this very blog was inspired by his greatest creation, it will always be Judomaster who comes to mind first when the name Frank McLaughlin is mentioned. Rest in peace Sensei. 

Here are the covers of the original Judomaster run at Charlton Comics. 

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