His Word!

Big Apple Comix #1 and only was the brainchild of Flo Steinberg, the longtime staffer at Marvel Comics in its heyday. It's a ground-level comic book sporting a dynamic Wally Wood cover, with work by a number of folks including Herb Trimpe, Mike Ploog, Neal Adams, Marie Severin, Alan Weiss, and others. Wood contributed greatly not least of which was his revisiting the EC classic story "My World" from Weird Science #22 (see yesterday's post) and offered up this raunchier updated sardonic variation dubbed merely "My Word".

It's a far different world envisioned here, the implacable optimism of mankind's eventual conquest of the universe replaced by the humbled desire to get through day-to-day modern life.  "My World" looked outward towards possibilities while "My Word" looks inward at limitations.

In addition to the cover and the three page reflection Wally Wood also inked a piece in the little comic anthology. "Lots Yox" was drawn by Herb Trimpe and featured some particularly crafted biplanes taking on a rather familiar  target. There's a second page to this story which reveals that all is not as it seems. It's a good reason to scout up a copy of Big Apple #1 if you can.

"My Word" has been reprinted a few times. Most recently I picked it up in The Erotic Art of Wally Wood.

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Marvel Super-Heroes - Phantom Eagle Flies!

The Phantom Eagle was an oddball addition to the Marvel canon in Marvel Super-Heroes #16, a singular World War I character in a distant setting of 1917, and not a character who was going to mingle with the rest of the Marvel Universe very much if at all. (Marvel solved this with some pretty clever gimmicks later.) It's the story of Karl Kaufmann, a young man of German heritage in America who loves flying, an avocation just coming into its own as he grew to manhood alongside his rival/friend Rex. Both love the same girl, but Rex got her. Both became pilots in the barnstorming entertainments of the day but Rex is injured and must give up sky. The war looms on America's shore, particuarly in the form of a massive dirigible which can launch biplanes. Karl becomes aware of this and warns Rex who commands a fledgling squad of flyers getting ready for the fighting. He's asked to lead, but because of fear of his relatives in Germany coming to harm says no and leaves Rex and the youngsters to fight. They are losing when the Phantom Eagle shows up and saves the day by dowing not only many enemy planes but the entire dirigible as well. Sadly though Rex is killed and Karl bearing that guild turns his focus to Germany and the war to come.

The Phantom Eagle by Gary Friedrich (Marvel's then go-to man for war stories) and Herb Trimpe (up and comer with a zeal and talent for biplanes) really works here, with handsome pages by Trimpe showcasing dogfights and dirigible explosions. The ending is a fraut with Karl being wracked with unfair guilt, but that de rigeur for Marvel at the time.

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