Air Ace Picture Library 298 Superfort Strike

The retrospectoscope of political correctness is not kind to Superfort Strike. This is the type of pocket war comic that detractors love to cite and nostalgia romantics choose to ignore.
I know the Japanese are the bad guys in these things but when the 'narrator' of the story portrays the enemy in an outwardly racist manner it's time to take a time out. There's also a strange cultural cringe happening in this story as well. Even though this is clearly a story about Americans in American planes over the Pacific - the Fleetway editors no doubt felt the need to reassure their readers that Americans are really like the British and that the British also had a role to play in the Pacific.
Superfort Strike reads like a story that didn't have these elements to start off with and it feels like an over enthusiastic and clumsy editor got to the story and had to insert these facts just in case a story only about Americans would confuse a young reader.
There's some great detail in the drawings, however I can't help but feeling that the artist preferred drawing objects instead of people.
The story is quite good - even though our modern sensibilities are distracted by the talk of 'yellow hoards' and 'yeoman stock from Kentucky'. Lieutenant Slim Allister is pilot who doesn't understand the full gravity of the war and he is given a harsh reality check when he is forced to lie, on orders, to his crew about the true intent of their missions. He suffers unspeakable anguish as he watches the trust of his men melt away. Needles to say that of course everything works out in the end.
There's much good in Superfort Strike - it's just sad that the distractions have not stood the test of time. 

It's not good when the narration is hopelessly racist.

A floppy fringe means you're a good guy.

Americans are just really British with funny accents.

Better than the cover art.

Nice frame.

Oh dear - what a mess.

Kuh! Kuh? Almost sounds like an unfinished word.

Those Asian minds! What will they think of next?

What has he got to be upset over? He's getting what he wants, isn't he?

That's gotta hurt.

It's not good when the narration is racist.

The British did their part! And don't you forget it!

All sounds a bit familiar...

A bit uncalled for...

Love the detail in this frame.

Not the bloodiest - maybe perhaps the 4th or even the 5th bloodiest - but no sir-ree Bob was it the bloodiest.

Ha ha ha...Now we can all get some sleep.

War Picture Library 280 The Last Stand

What an ending! Finally a last page with an open and worthy ending.

Take one sleepy tropical island, a mysterious beachcomber, an unbending police chief, a bunch of happy natives and a number of harsh Japanese racial stereotypes and believe it or not you have the ingredients for a good story.

Fraser (the beachcomber) is the kind of guy who likes to get around with his shirt off and keep fit by swimming out to reefs and hiking through swamps. He makes friends with the natives and picks fights with plantation owners at the Hibiscus Bar.

There is an air of mystery about him and in a triumph of story telling his past is not fully revealed nor is it the reason (or justification) for his actions. This is a sophisticated bit of writing.

When war comes to the island Fraser pulls together a desperate defence using the natives, the police and a handful of Aussie stragglers. This adhoc force manages to fiercely and comprehensively destroy an unsuspecting Japanese landing force.

The Japanese realise they now have to fight for the island and set about it in the appropriate manner by using bombers to soften up the island's defenders in preparation for a full assault landing.

A British destroyer arrives with orders to evacuate all the white men from the island. Fraser argues in vain with the destroyer captain to evacuate the islanders as well - but the orders are "whites only". He then turns to the islanders to have their women and children evacuated - but the islanders flatly refuse him. The island is their home and they will stay and defend it, no matter what the odds or consequences.

The final panel of The Last Stand shows Fraser and the islanders waiting the onslaught of a fresh Japanese invasion.

 Why are there no women in the Hibiscus Club?









It's one thing for a character to be racist - but the narrator as well?

What's with the hat? Also what's the purpose of that control panel?

Nice panel. The guys getting slowly sucked to the bottom of the swamp look uncomfortable.











That's a bit harsh.

Yeah Aussie! We didn't start the fire...

Look at those shoulders!

This panel really makes the story.











Quick! Back to the Hibiscus Club!!














That got him! Good perspective.

What a final panel!

War Picture Library 309 - Phantom Flotilla

This is the kind of story that I remember. Boys own adventure, impossible odds, team tension giving way to mutual understanding and respect and of course a treacherous enemy.

Political correctness is out the door from the very start with the Japanese introduced from the opening narrative as the "yellow hoards". The portrayl of the brave native is even a little uncomfortable by modern standards. It goes almost without saying that the Australians are brave and tenacious.

Whenever the Australians are attacking they are doing their duty whereas if they were Japanese they would be mindless fanatics.

The Phantom Flotilla refers to a squadron of Australian torpedo boats that hide in a swamp and ambush passing Japanese convoys. It is a dangerous assignment with regular casualites. Additional tension is given to the story by the tension between the flotilla's leading officer, an Englishman, and his Australian 2IC.

 

Besides all the square jawed small headed posturing you couldn't get away with this sort of language now...

The lads even look foward to that kind of thing every once and a while.

 

Koto's mate should have known better...

Hey! If the other side were doing this wouldn't they be fanatics?