Mission Three: Death Dive - The Debriefing

Death Dive is a strong story with an important detail.

Once again, Johnny Cloud rushes to aid his comrades, and despite being unable to save Jolly Roger, he fights alongside him, and learns a valuable lesson.

Jolly Roger’s bombing experience comes to the fore when he tells him: “Wait for the right moment.” Keep in mind that bomber pilots had to hold the course despite the onslaught of flak and bandits -- the bombs had to be released at precisely the right time.

This advice was critical here too and likely saved the day. It is the wise path to respect one’s elders, and Jolly Roger was just that, a sage B-17 pilot who had completed all of his missions and was about to ring the bell.

Cloud’s Big Brother also supports Jolly Roger’s message of restraint – there is no need for the Great Warrior Spirit to intervene in this instance.

As before, the specter of discrimination is in his face, this time from a sociopathic commandant who berates his captors as feebleminded savages. But it was the commandant that was duped in the end. Irony never fails to entertain.

And now the important detail. Cloud reveals his mission statement in the next to the last panel as he drowns the sociopathic commandant. "I fought not for myself alone ... but for all men who never had the American chance of battling tyrants who called themselves the 'Master Race' -- face to face -- man to man."

This mission statement defines Cloud's purpose ... and as we shall see, the mission is similar to those made by other superheroes endowed with great powers and skills. So too, the message of restraint is an essential part of the mission.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#84 (April 1961); Art: I.Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Three: Death Dive Part Two

As you recall, Johnny Cloud is at the controls of a captured B-17, flying the fort with a pistol aimed at his head. Jolly Roger, the critically injured B-17 pilot, is slumped next to him. He coaches Cloud to "Wait for the right moment." So too, Cloud's Big Brother appears as if to underscore the message.

Cloud wants to act, but he holds back. For now ...

Cloud reluctantly heads for the battleship. The commandant gloats about his plan to use the fort to destroy the unsuspecting Allied ship. Just as they angle towards the target, Jolly Roger leans over and whispers with his last breath: “Finish the mission.”

The right moment is here.

Cloud starts to descend towards the battleship, but then whips the fort to the right and puts it into a steep dive aimed at the blocked German warship. The commandant waves his Luger and roars: “Fool … Madman … Savage!” He reminds Cloud that he has no parachute – he will die. 

The fort is hit with cannon fire from the ship, and Cloud grabs the commandant as they are blasted out of the cockpit. They struggle beneath a single parachute, as the burning fort crashes and sinks the ship. WHAAM!

Mission Complete!

Cloud drowns his captor. And in a moment of clarity, Cloud acknowledges that he fights, not just for Jolly Roger, but also against all men who claim to be of a master race. 

He looks to the sky and sees his Big Brother alongside the face of Jolly Roger smiling at him – Cloud had waited for right moment.

Mission Three: Death Dive

Johnny Cloud and his Happy Braves are ordered to escort B-17 forts across the channel. At the rendezvous, Cloud greets Jolly Roger, the bomber group commander, who tells him that this is his last mission. He cajoles Cloud to ring the bell at his farewell party. They had developed camaraderie over a dozen or so escorts; yet, Cloud had never met Jolly Roger.

Crisscrossing high above the bombers, Cloud sees his Big Brother hiding his face in a dark cloud – a sign that danger is near. Sure enough, a swarm of bandits rage against the forts. Cloud downs a Me-109, as do others, including Tex, his wingman. Despite the onslaught, the forts hold steady in tight formation, as flak peppers the sky with hot shards of iron.

The forts hit their targets and turn away only to be attacked again by the Huns. The Happy Braves climb to meet the threat, clashing head-on in a test of nerves. Cloud cooks several Me-109s, but Jolly Roger is hit. With his engines sputtering, the group commander makes an emergency landing in a field below. Just then, Cloud is hit by flak – BLANG! His Mustang ignites; Cloud parachutes.

Landing near the damaged fort, Cloud races to find Jolly Roger. He’s alive, but gravely wounded. He is startled to discover that Jolly Roger is an Apache – no wonder they bonded.

Moments later, a German search party captures them, and the haughty commandant insults Cloud and Jolly Roger, calling them feeble-minded savages. Cloud seethes, and for a moment he looks to retaliate, but Jolly Roger whispers: “Wait for the right moment.”

The commandant presses his Luger to Cloud’s head and ushers both pilots into the damaged fort, now repaired by a team of mechanics. The fort lifts off with Cloud on the stick and Jolly Roger slumped beside him. The commandant crouches behind them with his finger hard on the trigger. He orders Cloud to fly over the channel.

Below, they spot an Allied battleship blocking a nearby German warship from heading out to sea. Cloud itches to make a defiant move, but Jolly Roger glances towards him with wise eyes that say: Wait for the right moment. His Big Brother redoubles the message.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#84 (April 1961); Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Two: Fighting Blind - The Debriefing

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.

Image Credit: 
AAMOW#83 (February 1961); Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

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.