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.

Mission One: The Flying Chief Part 2

We pick up our adventure ...

On his second mission to intercept a bombing raid, Cloud makes a radical move. Bandits are swarming. The P-51s are blocked. Cloud soars high above the action and then dives sharply into the melee. KREEEEEEEE!

Cloud sings the song of a warrior facing the spirit of death as he approaches terminal velocity.

He blasts a hapless Me-109 to bits and holds his dive through the debris until he reaches the bombers. His guns blazing, Cloud ignites one bomber so violently that it crashes into a second one. WHAMM! 

Cloud downs a third bomber before leveling off. He has saved the mission.

Suddenly two Me-109s latch on his tail and riddle his cockpit with lead. This is his first dogfight. Cloud begs his Big Brother for help, and suddenly, a dense cloud forms that hides his battered P-51.

Cloud loops and exits the fog directly behind the first bandit. He gets a kill shot, but the second one nips at his tail, ripping his rudder to shreds. Cloud loops again and nails him before he can respond.

Still they keep coming. A third bandit locks on his tail, and this time, Cloud can’t shake him. Mack dives to his rescue and crosses in front of the avenging bandit to force him to break off. It’s a rash move and Mack is sprayed with lead. Burning and losing hydraulics, Mack barely avoids crashing. He limps back to base and pancakes the runway.

Cloud rushes to help him, but Mack is fatally shot. In his dying breath, he asks Lt. Johnny Cloud to take his place as flight leader.

The others see Cloud tearing up and acknowledge Cloud’s humanity despite their initial prejudice against his Navajo background. They welcome him as their new leader. Mack’s word is good enough for us.

The final scene shows Cloud leading the next sortie, but now, he embraces his title as The Flying Chief. And, he renames the flight as the Happy Braves.

Image Credit:

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

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

 

Misson One: The Flying Chief

The Johnny Cloud series starts off with an origin story coupled with a show of courage under fire ...

Johnny Cloud is introduced by his father, a Navajo Chief, who waits atop a mesa for a sign from the spirits. A cloud shaped as a warrior on a winged horse appears, and despite gathering storm clouds, the Great Warrior Spirit outshines the thunderhead. Cloud’s father is amazed by this show of resilience, so he names his newborn son Flying Cloud. As fate would have it, Johnny Cloud gets his winged horse in the form of a P-51 Mustang after joining the US Army Air Force many years later.

During pilot training, and later when he is assigned to a fighter group stationed in England, Cloud laments that his fellow pilots joke about his Navajo heritage, calling him The Flying Chief and making crude references to Indian folkways. His flight leader, Mack, names his first sortie a War Party. 

These jabs prompt a flashback: A schoolyard bully taunts him with racial epithets. During fisticuffs, Johnny is knocked into the dirt, but he sees the Great Warrior Spirt overhead (whom he calls his Big Brother in the Sky), and the apparition propels him into action – he hardens his resolve and clobbers the bully.

During his first sortie, Cloud spots a swarm of bandits far in the distance. No one else sees them, and Cloud is lauded for his keen eye. It is the first sign that he is special. Cloud asks if he can engage the bandits, but Mack orders him to fall back and guard the rear while the more experienced pilots attack. Consequently, he misses the action. Cloud feels deflated. Back at base, he confronts Mack who tells him that he protects all his new pilots, adding: “I’ve never lost a man first time out.” 

The next day, the flight is sent to intercept bombers. They confront a gaggle of German fighters with high casualties. Amidst the chaos, Cloud makes a radical move: He soars above the action and then dives sharply into the melee. KREEEEEEEE!

Cloud sings the song of a warrior facing the spirit of death as he approaches terminal velocity ...

Image Credit:

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

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

Cloud's Catalog: 38 Adventures

So, Who is Johnny Cloud?

Let’s examine his combat record in excruciating detail. He had 38 adventures across four comic book titles. It was a relatively short run, one that has often been over-looked by war comic geeks.

Cloud was introduced in AAMOW #82 (December 1960), and he appeared in all subsequent issues through #117 (October 1966) except for four books. Cloud held the cover spot for six consecutive issues (#82 to #87), but #88 depicted another story. After that, Cloud shared the cover in a tripartite fashion – known as the Three-War covers – off and on for the next ten issues (#89 to #98). During this time, Cloud grabbed full cover spots for #94, #96, and #99. He shared half the cover for issue #100 and resumed the cover spot for the next ten issues (#101 to #110). After one more Three-War cover on #111, Cloud was completely replaced by the Balloon Buster series for #112 to #114, and #116 – for the first time, there were no Cloud stories in AAMOW. His last two cover stories appeared in #115 and #117. All told, Cloud appeared in AAMOW 32 times, with 21 full-cover shots, and 10 shared-cover shots.

Johnny Cloud made a few appearances outside of AAMOW. Most important was Cloud’s appearance in The Brave and The Bold (TBATB #52) in March 1964 when he joined up with Sgt. Rock, Jeb Stuart, and Mademoiselle Marie. This full-book adventure tells how Cloud was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain and inserts neatly between AAMOW #100 and #101.

Cloud also appeared in GIC (#115 and #116) in January and March 1966 – note that this was when the Balloon Buster was having a run in AAMOW. Finally, after AAMOW folded, Cloud appeared in GIC #120 in November 1966 and again in GIC #124 in July 1967. His last mission came eight months later in Our Army at War (OAAW) #191 in March 1968 wherein he fought alongside Sgt. Rock and Easy Company.

It is apparent that Cloud was slated to continue as a feature in GIC, playing runner-up to Jeb Stuart and the Haunted Tank. An announcement in GIC #124 urged readers: “Watch for Johnny Cloud, the Navajo Ace, in future issues of G.I. Combat magazine!” But alas, he never returned as flight leader.

Cloud had a few cameos near the end of his run that do not significantly add to his catalog. For example, he had one-panel cameos in GIC #105, #112, and #118. 

The final intermingling of Johnny Cloud with other war heroes occurred with the advent of The Losers series when Gunner and Sarge, Captain Storm, and Johnny Cloud formed a ragtag unit of underdogs. And yes, the foursome was popular enough to last a decade. But Cloud was maligned (along with the others) in this otherwise exciting series.

Image Credit:
A peek at AAMOW covers from 1960 to 1966.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

Blind Eagle -- Hungry Hawk Part 3

Well, if you liked the Blind Eagle -- Hungry Hawk segment, then you may be in the right place. 

But be prepared, we are going in deep ... wait for it ... this will be a long journey!

Only true Big Five geeks will appreciate what unfolds on this blog.

Johnny Cloud is certainly one of the most overlooked DC Comics war heroes. Yet, he is one of the most nuanced characters to flow from Kanigher's lobes. And, he is perhaps the most misunderstood.

Few readers have caught on that Johnny Cloud is an Avatar of the Great Warrior Spirit, also known has his Big Brother in the Sky. This blog examines each of his sagas and tabulates everything there is to know about him -- from his extraordinary powers to his tortured psyche to his combat record.

Cloud was invincible, yet he never quite appreciated his destiny -- that is to serve the Great Warrior Spirit. Even his creator, the prolific and irascible Robert Kanigher, did not fully appreciate the character he developed for his friend, and favored artist, Irv Novick.

Read on my friend ... and join Old Wood in Geektown!  

 

    

       

    Blind Eagle – Hungry Hawk!

    AAMOW #102 (April 1964)

    Story Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher

    Johnny Cloud TM © DC Comics

Blind Eagle -- Hungry Hawk Part 2

And now, for part 2 ...

Our hero has blacked-out. His P-51 Mustang is in a death dive with a bandit on his tail ... 

This is where we pick up the story.

How long have I been in a black out? How near is the ground?

 

Cloud yanked the stick into his gut. The Mustang nosed up as if nudged by an unseen hand. Now vertical, the bandit once again latched onto his tail. Lead zipped through the cockpit. BWEE! VIP! BEEOW! 

 

Cloud screamed. I’m a blind eagle being torn apart by a hungry hawk! The Smoke-maker had predicted as much when he was a young brave on the Navajo reservation. And now, the words echoed in his head: Beware of the hungry hawk who will strike at you with claws of death!

 

Cloud pulled back harder, inverting just enough to allow his body to drop from the cockpit. Now he was caught in a swirling wind. Free-falling. Blind. Helpless. 

 

I could be falling right into my burning ship – or into the blades of the enemy’s propeller!

 

He fell as long as he dared. Two hundred feet per second. Finally, Cloud pulled the ripcord. The chute popped with a loud CRAAACK! He stopped mid-air as if dangling from a hangman’s noose.

 

The bandit circled back and opened fire. Cloud swung to and fro, violently twisting to avoid the bullet streams. The propeller got louder – nearer, nearer, nearer! Cloud drew his Colt.

 

In desperation – I emptied all the slugs … straight into the heart of the raging fury in front of me!

 

A lucky shot hit a fuel line! The Fw-190 exploded. WHROOOM!

 

Cloud was kicked away from the inferno. He came down hard, crashing through tree limbs, his head hitting a stone outcrop. His vision flickered. Cloud rubbed his eyes, and slowly, he could see … as if I were awakening from a nightmare.

 

The French Resistance gathered around him. Then he saw her. 

 

Looks like I landed right in your lap!

 

Mademoiselle Marie held his head and smiled. Now you have given me the chance to repay you for saving my life!

 

The secret terror weapon was destroyed. Debts for lives saved were paid up. And, Captain Johnny Cloud survived the claws of death to fight again.