The Classics - All American Men of War #105

   While comics were always around when I was a kid, one of the rarest kind in my house were War Comics. (Romance Comics were nonexistent - hey, I had three brothers and no sisters).

   I liked the ones I read, but I became a super-hero fan early on and, as a result, I missed out on lots of great comics.

   It's an oversight I hope to correct.

   These days, when I attend a comics convention, I always try to pick up some classic war comics - like this issue.

   One of DC's (many) reliable titles is All American Men of War. This issue from 1964 includes two stories, both fables about men trying to overcome an insurmountable challenge.

   The first story stars "Navaho Ace" pilot Johnny Cloud, who's trying to show his men that superstition has no place in aerial combat - so he pilots a "cursed" plane, even though it's tied to a white stallion that's linked to one of his greatest failures.

   The story's pretty straightforward, but it highlights the raw heroism of Cloud. It may be simplistic, but it's the purity of it that makes it entertaining (and perfect for the young readers it was aimed at). Sadly, it's the kind of story we see all too rarely today.

   The backup story goes back to World War I and a different dogfight, as two pilots wage a back-and-forth duel that ends in (of all places) a train tunnel.

   These comics are a nostalgic window into a time of simpler stories - but adventure and overcoming the odds, defeating evil - may those things never go out of style.

Grade: B

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