Yes, "mud"...

Gabby, the talking monkey sidekick of Jack Cole's Spirit clone Midnight, takes on the Nazis with whatever weapon is on hand in the story "War Over Iceland!" from 1942's Smash Comics #32.

Here's a panel from the very same story: You know, I'm a fairly well-read guy. I graduated from a private, college prep high school, and went on to minor in history at a good college. I also have two rather loquacious grandfathers who served on the frontlines of the European theater during World War II.

And yet, if it weren't for comic books, I would never have had any idea how deeply weird World War II actually was...

Today is Jack Cole's birthday

In a perfect world, he'd be 94 today.

The Brutal Violence of Plastic Man

Considering how long DC has been portraying Plastic Man as the Justice League's court jester now, it can be somewhat surprising to revisit his original Golden Age adventures and see just how incredibly violent they were.

For example:




Child abuse!




Child abuser abuse!




Bad guys dying in creatively savage ways!




More bad guys dying in creatively savage ways!





Children seemingly drowning!



Murder!





More child abuse!




More child abuser abuse!


Even more surprising? All of those panels are from the same 15-page story (In 1943'sPolice Comics #22, by Jack Cole). Man, Geoff Johns only wishes he could figure out a way to have one man's neck get snapped in a bear trap and another man's jugular vein ripped open by a dying man's bare teeth in a single superhero story!

But don't worry, after all this brutal violence and dark subject matter, the story manages to end happily:

Dear Darwyn Cooke,

Please make this happen:








Thanks!

Sincerely,
Caleb

P.S. A scene featuring a bucking bronco formed from the word "crime" wouldn't be mandatory, although it would be appreciated.