Monday, January 9, 2012

Reading Room: CAPTAIN AERO "Alien Invasion"

What do you do with a wartime character after the war?
In the case of fighting aviator Captain Aero, you make him into an extraterrestrial fighter!
Art by Rudy Palais, writer unknown.
Captain Aero was one of numerous costumed aviators who fought the Axis in comic books during World War II.
His distinctive traits included a mustache that came and went depending on the artist and an aircraft that could use its' propeller like a buzz-saw.
In his early days he was assisted by the Sky Scouts, a gang of kids who wanted to be aviators, and who were popular enough to have their own backup strip.
By the time of this never-reprinted story's publication in Captain Aero Comics #25 in 1946, WW II was over, and sales on military-themed comics were dropping.
A number of them, like Blackhawk, shifted to battling criminals and/or Communist spies.
But not Captain Aero!
He was destined for bigger things...like interplanetary conflict!
The series' change of concept was taken even further in the next issue...as you'll see in a week or so.

Support Small Business
featuring the cover art from this issue of Captain Aero Comics by LB Cole!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanx for posting!