Flying Blind underscores Cloud’s struggle to uphold the demands of leadership passed to him by his former flight leader Mack – namely to never lose a man on his first sortie. He nearly fails, but Cloud appeals to his Big Brother who grants him a second chance at redemption.
Still, it is Cloud alone that has to be resourceful. And he is just that. He takes the solo mission, and this allows him to rescue Tex.
The parallel between Tex and Cloud is hard to miss. Both of them struggle to fit in. Tex uses arrogance to shine whereas Cloud is dutiful. Yet, both are willing to risk it all to prevail. There is a lesson here, and the story could have ended with that.
But the lesson is not over, and neither is the action. Cloud saves Tex and completes his bombing run. And then, a theatrical twist binds them.
Cloud is blinded by the bomb blast when he destroys the depot. His loss pulls them together as one (whole) pilot, forged in combat. The fight is not done. A marauding bandit presses them to fight as one. Nothing less could have solidified their alliance.
The symbolism is hard to miss. Tex is short for Texas, a coarse reference to the Wild West and schoolyard bullies everywhere. Yet, his challenge to Cloud’s authority was met by an uncanny series of events that led them to join together against a common enemy. And, in the end, Tex becomes Cloud’s most devoted wingman. The lesson: We must fight together to defeat evil.
All told, Cloud’s fateful world unfolds in spectacular fashion. His is a world that is filled with magical interventions and second chances. When he looks to his Big Brother in the final panel, Cloud appears to have an inkling that he does not fight alone.
AAMOW#83 (February 1961); Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.
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