Earlier today we saw what Al Jaffee was doing in Military Comics back in the days before MAD Magazine. A few pages down the book, another major member of the Usual Gang Of Idiots was delivering deranged comedy with a group that echoed the most famous stars of the title - the Blackhawks.
This was another international squad of flyers, in a rather different vein, the Death Patrol...
BTW - They lived up to their name, despite the comedy stylings. This splash is from issue #10. Only one of the members depicted is a survivor since issue #1.
Obviously, from both the title of this post and the signature above, we're talking about Dave Berg as the current artist on the strip. It was originated by Jack Cole, who drew the first three episodes. Berg took over with the fourth issue and stuck around to both write and draw the stories until the series ended (the first time) in #12.
When Dave took over the book, he started killing off old characters and bringing in new members to diversify the team. He added the sovereign of an African nation invaded by the Nazis, a Native American, a Russian, a Woman, a Latino, and even a Frenchman.
Way ahead of the times in diversity.
Not so much in handling. We get a bone-in-the-nose cannibal chieftan, a headdress wearing Indian chief, a Bolshevik borscht-eater, et cetera...
As you might have noted, the tales are often narrated by someone who was there.
Or by something who was there...
Beyond both being done by famous MAD pre-alumni for the same comic book, Inferior Man and Death Patrol had something else in common.
So now we're all set up for next time...
This was another international squad of flyers, in a rather different vein, the Death Patrol...
BTW - They lived up to their name, despite the comedy stylings. This splash is from issue #10. Only one of the members depicted is a survivor since issue #1.
Obviously, from both the title of this post and the signature above, we're talking about Dave Berg as the current artist on the strip. It was originated by Jack Cole, who drew the first three episodes. Berg took over with the fourth issue and stuck around to both write and draw the stories until the series ended (the first time) in #12.
When Dave took over the book, he started killing off old characters and bringing in new members to diversify the team. He added the sovereign of an African nation invaded by the Nazis, a Native American, a Russian, a Woman, a Latino, and even a Frenchman.
Way ahead of the times in diversity.
Not so much in handling. We get a bone-in-the-nose cannibal chieftan, a headdress wearing Indian chief, a Bolshevik borscht-eater, et cetera...
As you might have noted, the tales are often narrated by someone who was there.
Or by something who was there...
Beyond both being done by famous MAD pre-alumni for the same comic book, Inferior Man and Death Patrol had something else in common.
So now we're all set up for next time...
page art by Dave Berg for Military Comics #s 9-12 (1942)
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