Mission Nine: Wingmate of Doom

On patrol, Johnny Cloud spots a lone P-51 being attacked by a Me-109. Cloud breaks from his Happy Braves flight and dives down to help, but before he gets there, the lone P-51 pivots and destroys the bandit.

The quick move was impressive. Who is he?

Cloud climbs back towards his flight, when suddenly, his group is encircled by bandits from Von Krieg’s squadron. Cloud joins the fight, destroys two Me-109s while his flight scatters the rest. The ensuing combat is fierce and quick. The bandits retreat and Cloud’s flight returns to base.

On the tarmac, Cloud meets the impressive pilot of the lone Mustang. He recognizes him immediately. He is a Navajo named Two-Talons – they have bad blood between them.

A flashback fills in the details. Cloud and two boys play a game of chase, but the youngest boy slips on a cliff edge. Cloud tries to save him, but the pull of gravity is too much, and the boy falls. The boy is the brother of Two-Talons who thereafter reminds Cloud that he “owes him a life.”

Now a member of the Happy Braves, he reminds Cloud of the debt. 

On the next mission Cloud assigns Two-Talons as his wingman so as to check his devotion to the mission. Will he fulfill his duty as a wingman, or will he shirk his duty and leave Cloud open to attack?

Johnny Cloud has put his own safety in the hands of Two-Talons ... 

Image Credit:

AAMOW#90 (April 1962): Splash Page Art: J. Grandenetti; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Johnny Cloud's Star Jockey: The Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein Connection

Johnny Cloud's eighth Mission entitled Star Jockey in AAMOW#89 has gained added attention from comic book collectors due to one of the stories images being appropriated with modifications by Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein. The painting (acrylic and oil on canvas) is known as WHAAM! -- named after the boldly-lettered sound of Cloud's missile striking a MiG-15 on page eleven of the story.

See my last Blog Post for the original WHAAM! image.

The painting, measuring 68x160 inches was first exhibited in 1963. The subjects were "recomposed" with borrowed elements from other Johnny Cloud panels (in the same and other AAMOW issues, melding art from several comic book artists). The work was purchased by the Tate Modern Museum in London for about $94,000 (in 2023 dollars). WHAAM! is quite popular with museum goers. 

Consequently, this AAMOW#89 issue has been in demand enough to land on The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide ratings of the top 50 War Comics (in the War Report section). This ranking has ranged in the upper to middle 40s. 

Comic book sellers have listed AAMOW#89 at significantly higher prices despite Overstreet lumping this one with subsequent twelve-cent AAMOW issues with valuations of eight to twenty-four dollars for Good to Fine condition books.

As of the date of this blog post, Lone Star Comics (a big seller) offers two AAMOW#89 issues for $190 and $275 (Good/VG 3.0 and Fine 5.5 respectively). E-Bay shows no less that thirteen books ranging from $160 to $450, plus one badly damaged at $70. This is crazy money in my opinion, unless you are a serial collector of AAMOW, or Top-50 hound, or just like the association with Roy Lichtenstein.

Of note, Roy Lichtenstein's work has been controversial since it appropriates the artwork of Irv Novick, Russ Heath, and others without permission, recognition, or compensation. Is this legitimate? That is the question. Not just in this case, but in many instances when artists take inspiration from popular culture -- do soup cans come to mind? Sure. 

All this has made AAMOW#89 a Top-50 war comic.

As a fanatical fan of Johnny Cloud, I felt compelled to find and buy AAMOW#89 (at a price between what Lone Star Comics have in stock -- see above). And yes, I grumbled about it. 

Some other details: This is the first twelve-cent AAMOW comic; it is the first Three-War cover in the Johnny Cloud series; it is the first one wherein "Johnny Cloud" does not appear in a subtitle (however, his warrior-on-flying-horse emblem is shown on his P-51 and his name in tiny print is shown on a shoulder patch when depicted in the cockpit of the F-86 Sabre. The cover is bold and colorful by Jerry Grandenetti -- he did most of the Three-War covers.

For Johnny Cloud fans, here is the important stuff. The origin story details make AAMOW#89 an essential read. Eleven (out of sixty-five) panels are devoted to Johnny Cloud's born-with fascination with flying, plus his glimpse into the future (provided by the Smoke-maker) that shows his fighter-pilot destiny. As I mentioned last week, this is great stuff and sets
Cloud apart from most other War Comic heroes. The rest of the story is solid, but it is not one of Cloud's best adventures.

One more note: The only other Johnny Cloud story to hit the Top 50 War Comic rankings is his inaugural issue AAMOW#82, and this one barely makes the cut in the upper 40s.

Image Credit:
AAMOW#89 (February 1962): Cover: J. Grandenetti; Writer: R. Kanigher.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Eight: Star Jockey - The Debriefing

Star Jockey is somewhat disappointing: The storyline is tangential and hard to follow at times. The Smoke-maker’s prophecy does not align logically with the jump into the future during the dogfight – both involve smoke or clouds and that’s it. 

Consequently, there is no theme that is developed here, just a fantastical story that leaves you stranded.

Still, to be fair, the magic that resides in the fog does prompt the reader to ponder if Cloud actually traveled ahead in time, or if he just saw it that way. But again, why is this happening? Why now? 

That is what is missing here.

To be fair, it could be a sign that Cloud will go on to fight in the Korean War. However, on a more mundane level we know that time travel is a trope that Kanigher uses to juice the plot lines.

 

Overall, the action is solid, and I particularly like the overshoot when Cloud nails the second MiG-15 for his exuberance – a deadly mistake that was common in dogfights. This is one of more realistic combat moves that Cloud makes when an E/A is on his tail. 

Again, I presume that the MiG-15 was actually a Me-109. Or was it? Well, I suppose these questions make the story memorable if only for a day or two.

 

And here’s a misfire. The title, Star Jockey, suggests that Cloud is flying an F-104 Star Fighter, but he’s not. He flies a swept-wing Sabre.

More important, with respect to development of Johnny Cloud's character, we get to see a snippet of his early childhood that reveals his fascination with flying – an essential piece of his origin story. So yeah, this is an essential detail! So too, we see that Cloud is different from the other boys in his tribe, as he has a mission – he has a war to fight. 

This origin storyline is one of Kanigher's crowning achievements. Brilliant! Well Done!

Mission Eight: Star Jockey - Part 2

Last week, Johnny Cloud and Tex are on a search and destroy mission. Tex's P-51 is damaged by flak. Suddenly, three Me-109s appear. Cloud orders Tex to hit the deck and get to base. Cloud tries to fend off the bandits, but he is hit.

With his Mustang smoking, Cloud climbs to escape the bandits on his tail. His oxygen is hit, but he continues to go higher and higher. He ducks into a cloud, but when he comes out, he is flying an F-86 Sabre jet. Cloud is surprised and dumbfounded. But there is no time to contemplate what just happened, as rockets streak by his cockpit in a loud VROOOSH! 

Cloud looks back to see three MiG-15s closing fast on his tail. 

He whips his Sabre around and nails one. Then he plunges back into the cumulus – the second MiG-15 follows him but Cloud outmaneuvers him by barrel-rolling and pulling back on his throttle. The MiG overshoots his mark and soars ahead of Cloud.

Now Cloud has the kill shot. He blasts him. But there’s one more bandit. The lone MiG-15 latches on his tail as he exits the fog. The battle is all but lost when suddenly the MiG-15 explodes behind him. WHAAAM!

The R/T crackles: Tex had circled back and reports destroying the last Me-109. Cloud looks around and sees that he is back in WW2! 

On the return flight, Cloud wonders if he once again glimpsed the future just as he did when the Smoke-maker revealed his destiny in the smoke when Cloud was a young brave. 

Or did he? Maybe he really did travel into the future, but for a moment.

Back at base, Cloud’s men jostle him to tell another story about seeing the future in a wisp of smoke. Cloud just smiles and quips that he didn’t see a thing: “What can you see when smoke gets in your eyes? – Not a thing.”

But even Johnny Cloud is not so sure.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#89 (February 1962): Story Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Eight: Star Jockey -- Johnny Cloud's first experience with Time Travel

What starts out as relatively routine couple of days in the combat zone takes a wild turn, one that highlights the magic that surrounds Johnny Cloud.

While on patrol, the Happy Braves are attacked by a gaggle of Me-109s, but the bandits are summarily beaten. Spirits are high and the men gather in the officer’s hut to carouse.

Johnny Cloud entertains them by telling stories about his boyhood. Even as a papoose, Cloud described being fascinated with flying. Growing up, his gaze was fixed upon the skies, mesmerized by birds soaring above. And while other boys learned to hunt with bow and arrow, Cloud played with a toy airplane.

Cloud tells his crew that the Smoke-maker once cast a glimpse of his future wherein he piloted a strange bird with silver wings. Indeed, he saw his Mustang when he was just a boy. The men are astounded by the story and joke that this is impossible. No one can see the future.

Not only that, but Cloud sees all this before WW2 had started, before the P-51 was even on the drawing board -- this is beyond incredible!

Cloud and Tex are sent on a mission the next day to destroy terror rocket launchers hidden underwater in a lake. While bombing their target, Tex’s ship is damaged by flak. Just then, three bandits arrive, hoping to pick him off. Cloud orders Tex to fly low and return to base while he distracts the enemy.

The bandits zero in quickly and catch Cloud in a barrage of lead. Cloud’s Mustang is hit and begins to smoke – a bullet rips his air hose. He climbs despite his lack of oxygen so as to lead the bandits away from Tex. They follow, angling for the kill.

Cloud ducks into a cloud, but when he comes out, he is flying an F-86 Sabre jet! Rockets streak by his cockpit in a loud VROOOSH! Cloud looks back to see three MiG-15s closing fast on his tail.

There is no time to contemplate what just happened! No! The MiGs are bearing down on Cloud's jet, and he must act or be destroyed ... 

Image Credit:

AAMOW#89 (February 1962): Story Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

BEEOW! BWEE! and BEEANG! ... Bullet sounds in Johnny Cloud Adventures

Let's go off on a tangent here ... and see how many sounds can a bullet make when it hits Johnny Cloud's P-51.

The first two B-sounds in the title of this post are the most common. I guess most 20-30mm guns make B-sounds. I guess you never knew that. Neither did I.

After tabulating every incoming bullet sound in the original Johnny Cloud adventures from AAMOW#82 to AAMOW#117, I have to admit that I wore headphones to protect myself, and occasionally had to duck lead coming off the pages!

Johnny Cloud was quite colorful with his descriptions of the lead pounding him. He called them "raging steel mosquitoes" in AAMOW#83, and "angry steel hornets" in AAMOW#93 -- so what are they: Mosquitoes or Hornets? In AAMOW#102 he likened the barrage of bullets as "enemy lead licking at my cockpit." And, he calls them "blazing firecrackers" in AAMOW#105. Oh, and here comes another pesky insect, as he put it in AAMOW#106: "...snarling fireflies seemed to swarm into my own cockpit."

Quite the poet he is.

So back to the incoming bullet sounds (not to be confused with explosions or the beat of his own machine guns -- we will explore those on a future tangent) ... all told, I tabulated 19 different sounds.

BEEANG! BEEOW! BWEE! BWEEE! BWEEOW! PING! RRRIIP! SPANG! SPLANG! SPLANGG! TZING! TZINNG! VIP! VIIIP! ZING! ZIING! ZUNG! ZUNNG! ZZING! 

Now try and say them all in one or two breaths.

My favorite is SPLANG! But I have to say that TZINNG! is a close second. Now let me ask: How to you sound-out the double Ns in that last one? 

What fun it must have been for the Letterer to create these sounds. And did Robert Kanigher help?

Image Credit:

AAMOW#96 (April 1963): Story Art: I. Novick; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

 

Mission Seven: Ace of Vengeance - The Debriefing

Every comic book hero needs a rogue’s gallery, and the Hawk of Death is the first for Johnny Cloud. This adventure shows that villains are timeless, and vengeance stretches across generations such that a son can restore honor to the father. 

Not only did Cloud vanquish the evil Hawk, but also, he got an opportunity that his father did not – namely, he was able to save his junior pilots by sending them away while he engaged the enemy. He reversed the narrative.

And what a great nail-biter ending it was: Cloud was cornered. He had no weapon. But a quick flick of this wings insignia saved the day -- quite a shot!

But of course, nothing is certain: Is the Hawk of Death the villainous presence that shamed Cloud’s father? 

Or ...

Did Cloud see what he wanted to see – that is, a black bandit with white stripes became the Hawk! 

Either way, a new Johnny Cloud emerges – he is decisive and bold. He saves his young pilots. And, he wins a challenge that stretches across generations. 

This one is a harbinger, as we shall see, the rogues are lining-up to challenge Cloud.

Despite his shine, Cloud loses the cover shot on this issue for the first time, and he does not regain it completely until six issues later. An outrage! 

Of note, Ace of Vengeance was the only Cloud story written by Bob Haney. Maybe this is why the cover shot shows another story (a story that Kanigher wrote). He is the boss, so he gets to choose. Nonetheless, Haney does a great job! 

We will review Bob Haney's work in more detail later, but for now, well done!

Image Credit:

AAMOW#88 (December 1961): Art: I. Novick; Writer: Robert "Bob" Haney.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics