Ideas, Seeds, Prototypes ... of Johnny Cloud

Last time out, I posed the question: How our illustrious writer, Robert Kanigher, created Johnny Cloud? What influences shaped his character? Did Kanigher intend to fashion a superhero in the form of an Avatar of the Great Warrior Spirit? 

We start our inquiry with a direct question: Did Johnny Cloud appear (in another guise perhaps) in previous Big Five war stories? In geek parlance: Is there a Johnny Cloud prototype? You know, an Indian warrior with a guardian spirit, or one with a communion with hawks, or bears or whatever?

The short answer: No. There are no other Navajo pilots in the Big Five. In fact, fighter pilot stories are relatively few as compared to ground-pounders and frogmen. In fact, I count less than a dozen AAMOW cover stories about fighter pilots. Are any of these flyboys related to Johnny Cloud? They deserve a look, but first, there are two ground-pounders that share kinship with Cloud.

In the December 1954 issue of AAMOW, the lead story is about a Sioux infantry sergeant named Storm Cloud who relies on his native ingenuity to destroy a German depot in North Africa. And yes, you guessed it: He fashions a bow and arrow from parts taken off his stranded jeep, dips the arrow tip in gas, and ignites a store of ammo. When a tank corners him, he shoots a flaming arrow into a narrow gun slit and the tank explodes. Like our ace, Storm Cloud begins his adventure with a flashback when his father – a chief in full regalia – reminds his son: “Your forest lore will protect you … since childhood you have known every trick to enable a brave to survive as long as there is a single blade of grass to conceal [you].”

It is not a stretch to view Storm Cloud as a seedling for what’s to come. His resourcefulness stems from his Indian ways to fight against overwhelming odds by creatively using what few resources are available to him. This story had to catch Robert Kanigher’s eye, even though he did not write it. Keep in mind that he was the editor, so he certainly had input. And consider this: Kanigher wrote dozens of westerns before AAMOW hit the stands in the Fall of 1952; there is no doubt that these Cowboys and Indians sagas shaped some of his Big Five plot lines.

Another Indian warrior gets us closer to Cloud, and that is Johnny Deerfoot in The Eagle of Easy Co. who appeared in the November 1958 issue of GIC. Deerfoot was drafted before he had a chance to earn the esteemed title of Brave within his tribe. But once he was in combat, Deerfoot realized that he could earn his Warrior’s Emblem in the fields of Europe. He destroyed a machine gun nest; he stopped a Tiger tank in its tracks; he downed a marauding Fw-190 – in short, he met the criteria set forth by his tribe. That is to say, he killed a rattler, stopped a panther, and downed an eagle respectively.

Although Kanigher did not write this one either, it has his editorial fingerprints all over it. Like Cloud, Deerfoot was concerned about measuring up, doing his part, and becoming recognized as a true warrior. Plus, the parallels between the challenges in Europe and those on the reservation are poignant and clever – I especially like the association between the rattle of the snake and the rhythm of the machine gun. Of note, Deerfoot is considered by some to be a precursor to Little Big Shot, one of the enduring members of Sgt. Rock’s Easy Co.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#8 (December-January 1953-54): Cover Art: I.Novick (P), J.Giella (I), Writer: D.Kahn, Editor: R.Kanigher.

Storm Cloud TM DC Comics