It may very well be the first comic book company founded solely on spite.
In 1972, original Marvel Comics publisher Martin Goodman left the company. He had sold it in 1968, but stayed on, intending for his job to be taken over by his son, Chip. When it became obvious that the new owners wanted to make Stan Lee publisher, Martin walked out of the Fifth Avenue offices of Marvel, walked up a few blocks and rented office space for a new comic publishing house. In 1974, he hired Stan's brother Larry Leiber and Jeff Rovin to head up the new line.
It should be mentioned that some people don't think Martin did this over Chip's not being installed...but the combination of the trade dress, the hiring decisions and the choice of material for the titles make me think this is the truth...
Except for our first title, because everything about the one and only issue of Blazing Battle Tales screams DC's then thriving war line. The cover is a very conscious take on a classic Joe Kubert Sgt. Rock cover by Frank Thorne (a veritable legend, which we'll discuss more fully two articles from now), including the dialogue. And even though Marvel had its own Sargent in Nick Fury, the opening story (all three stories were written by John Albano) is obviously aping Rock with hero 'Sgt. Hawk' being aided by an native American and a jewish soldier to free a hot blonde French underground leader from the titular Nazi toturer, 'The One Armed Monster.'
The problem with this story, as well as the one that follows (the third tale is a recounting of a story about a Bronze Star soldier, so it's more akin to the single page 'Did You Know' pages included between stories in Golden Age comic) is simply that there's no character to these characters. If it wasn't for the fact that some of these characters are named and some wear different uniforms, I'd have no idea who was doing what to whom. The first story is mainly narration, and Albano doesn't give us anything--not even vocal ticks--to tell the main heroes apart. Since our heroes rescue the woman very quickly then go on a personal mission to avenge some dead American soldiers they happen upon, the woman...seems sort of inconsequential to the plot. At least the following story, 'The Sky Demon,' has actual dialogue but the plot--a navy pilot is told to stop doing solo missions, the pilot stops, but is told to continue doing solo missions once they learn a train he wanted to attack had Hitler on board...well, it's not...much, is it? Albano's style is dry and without much personality, and the entire experience of reading this book is the epitome of flat.
If there is a highlight, it is the artwork. Pat Broderick, very early in his career, pencils the Sgt. Hawk strip and, even though it seems like he was told to consciously ape Joe Kubert, his storytelling comes through. 'The Sky Demon' is drawn by Al McWilliams, and the two page back-up is by John Severin, both of whom are legendary war comics artists. They all needed much better stories to illustrate.
Now, to be fair, there is the possibility that Albano was intending to actually introduce some character to Sgt. Hawk, The Sky Demon, et al...but this was the only issue of Blazing Battle Tales, and we will never know if that was the case. I cannot recommend this title.
Next time, we'll be looking in on one of the few Atlas heroes who survived beyond Martin Goodman's folly...in this case, a horror-themed hero who got on an airplane at the end of his first and only issue and got off that airplane in the middle of an issue of Marvel Spotlight under another name to fight Deathlok...and also showed up in an issue of Galaxina under yet another name! Join us for the one and only issue of Rich Buckler and David Anthony Kraft's Demon Hunter!
Until then, remember...Revenge is a Dish Best Served In Four Colors
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