Mission Twelve: Silent Rider

During a patrol Johnny Cloud sees a vision of a boy he calls his Silent Rider. His face in the sky leads to a flashback.

In the flashback, Cloud is just a young brave. He was attempting to break a wild horse named Thunderbolt when he was thrown to the ground – his head hits a rock. Dazed by the fall, Cloud could not move as the stallion reared in anger to pummel him with his hoofs. 

Just then, a boy from a nearby ranch jumped into the fray and scared the angry horse off, but not before the beast kicked the boy and left an arched scar across his face. Cloud thanked the boy and vowed to repay the debt.

As the years passed, and the war began, Cloud often thought about his debt. But how could he repay it?

His rumination was interrupted when his patrol comes upon a damaged B-17 under attack by three bandits. Another four bandits are spotted coming out of the sun. Despite being out-numbered, Cloud attacks and kills two of the Me-109s as they fire on the fort, but the third bandit out-turns him and rakes his P-51 with lead. 

Cloud is done. With his plane trailing smoke, Cloud lands on a dirt road below.

Just as he brakes to a stop, a Tiger tank emerges from the woods and fires on Cloud’s plane, but a bazooka man charges out of the underbrush and faces the tank. But the man is blown back by a close cannon shot. 

He lies face down in the dirt. Cloud runs to his aid, when suddenly, the man rolls over and fires his bazooka at the tank. The Tiger explodes in a fireball. BLANNG!

When Cloud reaches the soldier, he recognizes him by the hoof-shaped scar on his face. He is the Silent Rider, the ranch hand that saved him from the angry stallion many years before.

But there is no time for talk, as the forest rumbles with Tiger tanks approaching!

Image Credit:
AAMOW#93 (October 1962): Splash Page Art: I.Novick; Writer: R.Kanigher
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Eleven: Battle Hawk -- The Debriefing

What a great story. A new dimension to Cloud’s Navajo identity – his adoption by hawks – is introduced in Battle Hawk. 

I find it curious that this adventure follows Two Missions of Doom wherein a superstitious Shamrock helps Cloud succeed – but of course, we know there is more to it. Here, we see that Cloud benefits from a unique communication with the hawk. The hawk helps Cloud and repays a debt with his talons.

But there is more to this story than a Just World in action. Cloud appeals to his Big Brother just before diving into the ragged gash. His appeal is answered. The hawk was sent to repay the debt! So subtle are the ways of the Great Warrior Spirit, that even Cloud is unaware of and surprised by the helping hand (or talons).

Plot twists like this resonate long after the comic is stashed away. Was it the same hawk – the one from his boyhood? No, of course not.

All hawks are available when needed.

And let’s not forget the existential question here: Is gratitude part of the natural order? Cloud thinks so. Perhaps this is how debts are paid out.

You may remember, this
was true for Two-Talons (no pun intended) in Cloud's 9th Mission (AAMOW#90). 

In the end, we see a Just World wherein good deeds are remembered. And, we see Robert Kanigher's character development at its best.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#92 (August 1962): Story Art: I.Novick; Writer: R.Kanigher

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Eleven: Battle Hawk -- Part Two

Last time, Johnny Cloud had ordered his Happy Braves pilots to not take animal mascots with them on combat missions. He worried that the stress of combat was responsible for his men engaging in superstitious behaviors. When Tex took his monkey, Top Banana, on the last mission, Cloud grounded him to send a firm message to all his pilots.

That night Cloud experienced a childhood flashback about befriending an injured hawk when he protected the cornered bird from a mountain lion. To his surprise, the hawk stayed by him until his wing was healed. 

The medicine man remarked that the hawk was grateful and would “tell others of his tribe.” He added that the hawk would repay the debt sometime in the future. Cloud dismissed the observations of the medicine man as mere superstition.

Back to present day, next morning, Cloud chooses to go solo on a reconnaissance mission to find the German rocket launchers. He dives into the ragged gash where the launchers have been placed. But like the day before, he has trouble seeing through the heavy smoke screen pumped out by the rocket crews. 

Just then, a hawk comes in through his open canopy and lands on his shoulder. Cloud is beyond surprised. Yet, the hawk guides Cloud, left then right, by digging his talons into his shoulder. 

Cloud maneuvers through the smoke by following the Hawk's directions. And, when he slips into a clearing, Cloud finds himself directly above the launchers, much to the shock of the enemy.

Cloud drops his bombs at close range and destroys the terror rockets. 

WHROOOOM! 

Cloud returns to base where he is chided for having a hawk perched on his shoulder. “Hawk-Eye? He just dropped by to repay a debt,” Cloud remarks. He does not share the amazing events that led to the destruction of the rocket launchers. 

Indeed, the Hawk, or a Hawk ... some Hawk has repaid the debt of many years ago.

Image Credit:
AAMOW#92 (August 1962): Story Art: I.Novick; Writer: R.Kanigher.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics.

Mission Eleven: Battle Hawk

Tasked to destroy terror rocket sites, Cloud laments that his pilots have superstitiously adopted animal friends as co-pilots. The missions have been difficult, and his Happy Braves flight is under extreme stress.

Although Cloud understands the press for superstitious behavior under these conditions of high stress, he worries that these animal co-pilots will interfere with the mission. Consequently, he orders that no pets are allowed on flights.

On the next mission, the Happy Braves encounter heavy flak with losses. The rocket launchers they seek are hidden in a ragged gash cut by a river within a rocky plateau. The Germans release a smoke screen to shroud the launchers. Consequently, the bombing run is unsuccessful.

As they circle back for a second sweep, Tex reports that his monkey, Top Banana, has spotted a gaggle of Me-109s on the ceiling preparing to dive. Cloud orders his crew to duck back into the gash, within the flak, so as to discourage the bandits from following them. The Happy Braves find cover, but the smoke screen prevents a second bombing run.

After climbing out of the gash, the waiting bandits press the attack. Cloud downs a Me-109, as do others. But overall, the mission was a failure -- the terror rocket sites are still operational.

Back at base, Cloud grounds Tex for allowing Top Banana to ride with him. Once again, Cloud laments that his men are developing superstitions to cope with combat stress. Is this a sign that his pilots are at their breaking point?

That evening, Cloud experiences a surprising flashback ... 

Image Credit:

AAMOW#92 (August 1962): Splash Page Art: I.Novick; Writer: R.Kanigher

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Ten: Two Missions to Doom -- The Debriefing

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.

Image Credit:
AAMOW #91 (June 1962): Story Art: Jerry Grandenetti; Writer: Robert Kanigher.
Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Ten: Two Missions to Doom -- Part 2

 

Last time, Johnny Cloud returned to base after his Flight failed to destroy a German radar station only to discover that the three tanks had attacked the airfield. Shamrock, Cloud's mechanic, was taken prisoner.

Cloud suits up for another attempt at the radar station, but this time he flies solo. Cloud asks his Big Brother for help finding the tanks, and he is led to them. With the tank column below, he circles to attack. As he dives, Cloud agonizes that Shamrock could be in one of them. Suddenly, the second tank fires on the leader. Then the third tank fires on the second tank. 

Unsure about what is happening, Cloud bombs the third one and circles the field to look for Shamrock. He sees him climbing from the wreckage of the second tank, so he lands and picks up his crew chief.

Shamrock explains that he was held captive in the second tank. He pretended to be in a state of panic until he grabbed a monkey wrench and beat the crew with it. He had fired on the first tank.

With Shamrock jammed in beside him, Cloud continues on his mission, flying low to sneak up on the radar station. The flak batteries hold off, as Cloud’s P-51 appears too low to drop his bombs, but Cloud releases his bombs anyway. 

Direct Hit! The explosion tosses his plane head over hoofs. BLAAAM!

Before he can regain control, several Fw-190s dive to finish him off, but Cloud out-maneuvers them and kills four. Cloud sees his Big Brother looking on, so he asks for cover and gets it.

        Cloud limps his smoking Mustang to base. He hits the tarmac. WHRRRRRREEEEEEEE! As they walk away from the wreck, Cloud says to Shamrock, “Now you know …” Shamrock shrugs; now he is at a loss for words.

Image Credit:

AAMOW#91 (June 1962): Story Art: J. Grandenetti; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics

Mission Ten: Two Mission to Doom

We meet Johnny Cloud’s freckle-faced crew chief, Shamrock, at the start. He’s earnest and takes pride in keeping Cloud’s Mustang in tip-top shape from tail to prop. But war is brutal, so he attaches a four-leafed clover badge on the cowling for good luck.

Shamrock confides that he worries about Cloud’s safety, and so he asks him: “What’s it really like up there?” Cloud pauses and says nothing. He cannot find the words to describe the horrors of combat, so he looks away. 

But the question lingers.

On the next mission, the Happy Braves intercept a wave of German bombers; the fighting is fierce and two P-51s are lost along with their pilots, Stevens and Phil. The bombers are turned back, but Cloud feels demoralized. 

When Cloud returns to base, Shamrock asks his question again. And, like before, Cloud is unable to answer.

When Cloud takes off the next day, Shamrock notices that the good luck emblem has fallen off. He waves his arms, but Cloud is gone. What little protection he could proffer is moot. 

Shamrock panics!

The Happy Braves Flight pass over a trio of German tanks, but they press on to their target: a radar station. As they approach the target, flak gunners open fire, and with hot metal exploding all around them, the P-51s fail to destroy the station. 

Before they can mount a second run at the radar station, a gaggle of Fw-190s emerge from the sun and force the Braves to retreat. 

When the flight returns to base, they discover that the three tanks had attacked the airfield. Shamrock was taken. Cloud worries. Is Shamrock still alive? 

Image Credit:

AAMOW#91 (June 1962): Splash Page Art: J. Grandenetti; Writer: R. Kanigher.

Johnny Cloud TM DC Comics