Mission Two: Fighting Blind Part 2

Cloud has returned from a disappointing mission. He has lost his newest pilot Tex. 

That night, alone on the tarmac, Cloud looks to his Big Brother for redemption. His shame is heavy. He needs more than just cumulus cover this time. 

Will his Big Brother help? And how?

Just then, his CO asks to see him, and Cloud fears that he will be demoted. Instead, the commander orders him to choose a volunteer for a secret bombing mission scheduled at daybreak. Cloud takes the assignment, as he sees an opportunity for redemption.

 

In a twist of fate, the target is the same windmill that was damaged when Tex crashed – The tower hides a fuel depot for V-2 rockets. As Cloud approaches the target, he sees that Tex has spelled out a warning using crash debris. Cloud lands in the adjoining field to rescue an incredulous Tex.

With both of them jammed into the cockpit, Cloud zeros in on the windmill. Just as he is starting his bombing run, three bandits dive in behind him. Cloud hits his target and breaks left just as the explosion reaches into the air. The bandits are all swept up in the fireball. WHROOOM!

Cloud is blinded by the blast. Tex tries to work the controls, but his injuries prevent him from taking the stick. And so, he guides Cloud verbally – two injured pilots make one.

They limp towards base when a lone Fw-190, seeing an easy kill, attacks head-on. Cloud and Tex hold steady and suffer the barrage of bullets. Just as the bandit pulls up to avoid collision, Tex shouts for Cloud to fire into the belly of the enemy – the Fw-190 detonates. WHRAAM!

At base, Tex raves about Cloud: “No one but the Chief could have done it!”

Later that evening, during a quiet moment on the runway, Cloud looks to his Big Brother and expresses relief that he was able to uphold his pledge of not losing a new man on his first flight.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#83 (February 1961); Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

Mission Two: Fighting Blind

Mission Two is filled with tense moments, plus a clever twist ... Let's get to it.

At the outset, Johnny Cloud vows to adopt Mack’s ethic to never lose a new man, even if he has to put his own life on the line. Cloud looks to his Big Brother to give him strength, and it is this resolve that sets the stage for the arrival of Lt. Tex Brown.

Tex is arrogant; he openly doubts Cloud’s fitness with snide remarks about bows and arrows. Cloud bears the scorn and gives Tex space to adjust to his new assignment.

The Happy Braves cross the channel to destroy a railroad line in Holland. Cloud urges his pilots to focus on the mission and not engage with enemy fighters unless necessary. They spot a puffing locomotive below, so Cloud orders his flight to file in behind his attack. As the Mustangs swoop low, guns blazing, the boxcars fold open, revealing anti-aircraft guns.

Through a hail of flak, the Happy Braves make their pass. The train is destroyed, but the fireball from Cloud’s bomb tosses his P-51 like tumbleweed in the wind. BLAM! He struggles to regain control when a Me-109 pins his tail. Tex angles in behind the bandit and gets his first kill.

Cloud worries that Tex discounted the bandit’s wingman. His suspicion was correct, as a second Me-109 sweeps in behind Tex and opens fire. His P-51 is mauled, and Tex smashes into the blades of a windmill in the field below.

Cloud downs the bandit, but it is too late to rescue Tex as his fuel is low. Cloud returns to base with his flight, but he is anguished for having lost a new man on his first time out.

That night, alone on the tarmac, Cloud looks to his Big Brother for redemption. His shame is heavy. He needs more than just cumulus cover this time.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#83 (February 1961); Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

Mission One: The Flying Chief -- The Debriefing

Cloud is introduced as an untested warrior desperate to prove his worth. But he must first convince his wing-mates who are wary of his Navajo heritage. And so, he risks his life to prove his mettle – his death dive marks the turning point in the story. Cloud earns six kills, and he scatters the bomber formation so that his flight can pick them off. Consequently, he becomes flight leader.

The story also reveals how his father names

 his son after he sees the Great Warrior Spirit in the sky. He is impressed that the apparition shines bright amongst the stormy clouds. This is no minor detail; yet it is easy to miss since we do not know the whole story. Come to find out, this apparition is a prophecy – one of many to come. Put simply: A great warrior in the sky will be challenged by a dark threat (and win).

And so, the Chief names his son Flying White Cloud. The name presages his role as fighter pilot giving us our first hint that Cloud is indeed destined to fight in the skies against a dark threat. And that threat is Nazism.

Cloud’s flashbacks tell us more. We meet his Big Brother – the same apparition first seen by his father. His Big Brother empowers him early on to stand up for himself when bullied at school. Again, this episode reflects what is to come. Soon enough, Cloud’s mission will be to protect others like him – not Navajos specifically, but the vulnerable.

We also see Cloud’s angst in a schoolyard flashback when he is bullied. He is different. He knows what it is like to be called out, teased, and attacked. And on a personal level, he must prove himself over and over. Together, these elements shape his character, casting Cloud as a restive soul who yearns to act gallantly and earn the respect of his crew while he also struggles to appreciate his untapped power.

His power? We catch a glimpse in his first dogfight. He needs cumulus cover to dodge a bandit, and he gets it. Yes, the heavens move for him, but he has to take the initiative and press it to his limits. This is a theme that we shall see over and over again.

It is a marvelous start, but still, I have questions. It seems premature to elect Cloud to lead the flight. He is green and his angst is raw. It is all the more surprising that he adopts such a childish name for his flight. What happened to his disdain at being called a Chief? Perhaps his naming of the Happy Braves highlights Cloud’s ambivalence about who he is, who he wants to be, and how he can be it. Perhaps also that Kanigher (our writer) is not fully aware of the powerful character he just developed.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#82 (December 1960); Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.