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PRELUDE: Captain America Comics #6, Story B

Meet the Fang, Arch-Fiend of the Orient

Featuring: Captain America
Release: June 25, 1941
Cover: September 1941
10 cents
9 pages

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Tales of Suspense #81Reading orderTales of Suspense #82

So long, Cap. I did my best. Long live liberty!

No credits are given in the issue. The opening page is by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. The rest of the art is by Al Avison, Syd Shores, and George Klein. Those are the credits given in the Golden Age Captain America Omnibus. The GCD credits the entire story to Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, but I believe they are incorrect.

We just read the beginning of Iron Man’s second battle with Titanium Man in Tales of Suspense #81. We had previously read the conclusion of that issue, which featured Captain America’s epic battle with Red Skull and his Cosmic Cube. Before we get to issue 82, I’d like to peek back at this old Captain America story, which introduces the villain Fang.

Fang is an Asian villain, and thus probably a racist stereotype of a character like most Asian villains in the 1940s. And the 1960s.

We learn Fang is based on San Francisco’s Chinatown. He meets with an agent of an “Asian aggressor nation”. I interpret that Asian aggressor nation to be Japan, particular given the agent’s surname of “Nushima”, though the comic prefers not to specify.

After all, America wasn’t at war with Japan in June 1941 when this comic was released.

Continue reading “PRELUDE: Captain America Comics #6, Story B”

PRELUDE: USA Comics #6

The Ghost’s Gaze of Death

Featuring: Captain America
Release: October 28, 1942
Cover: December 1942
10 cents
15 pages

I don’t see any credits. Except for the publisher and “editorial and art director”. The GCD credits the art to Al Avison and Syd Shores.

“Jap Buster Johnson”? Ouch.

We continue our survey of early Captain America comics in preparation for Avengers #4. We started out with some significant milestones and will mostly focus on significant milestones. But I wanted to get a sense of who Captain America was in a run-of-the-mill story, not in any way a milestone. This story fit the bill for its insignificance.

It was chosen specifically because there is a connection to Medusa, which will also tie into Avengers #4.

Continue reading “PRELUDE: USA Comics #6”