Two Missions of Doom is a solid Johnny Cloud adventure. The action is fast as the two missions intertwine. The subplot of luck and providence is framed against the losses of two named pilots, a failed mission, and an attack on the base, underscoring the inescapable theme that combat defies words.
There is an undercurrent of brotherhood when a boyish Shamrock is baptized in battle both on the ground and in the air. We can’t ignore his name, can we? He is luck. Consider that Cloud’s mission against the radar station is only successful with Shamrock in the cockpit.
But there is more complexity here. His Big Brother in the Sky leads Cloud to the tanks and provides cumulus cover when he needs it during the final dogfight. This is more than luck, as the scales are tipped in Cloud’s favor. Once again, we see that Cloud is guided by and protected by the Great Warrior Spirit that he knows as his Big Brother.
So, what can we make of Shamrock’s role in the final analysis? As stated above, Shamrock is just that -- he is luck. Perhaps, the undercurrent is that luck is needed in combat no matter how much skill or courage one has.
In an odd twist, a column of German tanks attacks the airbase. This can only happen if the field is located on the continent. This appears to be a misfire, as the Happy Braves have been based in England up to this point.
Perhaps Cloud’s squadron was transferred across the channel to assist the Ninth Air Force that supported infantry movements after D-Day – it’s a stretch, but that is the only way that tanks could overrun Cloud's airbase.
I have one complaint: The story art, particularly the P-51s, are crudely drawn and are quite cartoonish -- check out the picture on my previous blog posting (3/26/24) to see.
AAMOW #91 (June 1962): Story Art: Jerry Grandenetti; Writer: Robert Kanigher.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics