We're out to lick both crooks and spies!
We won't be stopped and we can't be stopped.
We are the Young Allies!
The Young Allies first appeared as a backup feature in Captain America #8 (1941), and soon spun off into their own 20-issue title (1941-1946). They were extraordinarily popular during World War II, also appearing in in Complete Comics #2 (1943), Kid Komics #2-#10 (1943-1944), Amazing Comics #1 (1944), and, after the War, in Marvel Mystery Comics #75-83 (1946-47).
The group consisted of Bucky and Toro, the teen sidekicks of Captain America and the Human Torch, plus four heavily stereotyped non-superheroic teenagers: the working-class stiff Knuckles (Percival Aloysius O'Toole), the swishy rich kid Jeff (Jefferson Worthing Sandervilt), the tubby Tubby (Henry Tinkle), and the minstrel-show reject Whitewash Jones.
Although they were out to "lick both crooks and spies," they mostly fought Nazi and Japanese super-villains. Almost every cover illustration depicted at least two of the four non-superheros tied up and awaiting a horrifying doom, while Bucky or Toro or both rushed in to save the day.
In their regular titles, Bucky and Toro were constantly being rescued by their adult chums, so I guess they wanted to be the heroes for a change.
Of course, any male-male rescue in a world of men rescuing women is going to have a gay subtext.
1, A tank of carbon monoxide. Wouldn't strangling them work just as well? Notice that Knuckles is helping, so there will be three heroes, and they can pair off nicely at the end of the story.
2. All four face a stabbing machine. Notice Adolph Hitler behind the Red Skull. The covers have no connection to the stories inside, so I have no idea why the four are drawn as middle-aged rather than young teens. Maybe some sort of aging gas?
3. Just Jeff and Tubby this time, getting racked on a "Stretcher" machine run by skeletons in green pants.
4. Here Knuckles is helping Toro and Bucky rescue the other three from guillotines, but it actually looks like the evil Nazi cultists are planning to stab them. Notice that Knuckles barely misses hitting Bucky in the butt.
5. Tubby and Jeff are facing death by giant octopus.
More after the break.
7. Knuckles, Bucky, and Toro get to rescue one Young Ally apiece from the quick drying cement.
8. Death by shark. Knuckles comes to the rescue firing a bazooka from a tank. Is he unaware that tanks have guns?
9-10. Knuckles and Whitewash are tied to a Nazi bomb (why is it bombing the Red Skull's headquarters)?
Meanwhile, Jeff and Tubby are in a "torture tank," facing death by drowning (unless the liquid pouring onto them isn't water).
I never heard of these comics but they look like fun-the Human Torch had a sidekick?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know it's not canon to the Marvel universe today, Marvel never had the equivalent of DC's Earth-Two, which would be required to make sense of the Young Allies featuring the Human Torch, who's most known for turning up the heat with his sister, brother-in-law, and some guy they know (or boyfriend when I'm making fun of that one Liefeld cover and Liefeld's own homophobia), and for his hint hint friendship with Peter Parker. Marvel does, however, have its own Crisis on Infinite Earths, having seen DC spend 30 years trying to make sense of the universe after the original. So if there was a universe where this happened, it's gone now.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the name Worthington, to be reused by X-Men.
These comics tended to be a product of their time. DC had Boy Commandos, which is similar, but only memorable for giving us Crazy Quilt, who is mostly known for his appearance a fairly infamous retcon to Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon's relationship. But I digress.
Why would the Nazis use guillotines? Especially the symbolism of the execution method of the French Left.
None of the cover illustrations has any connection to the stories inside. They were designed to draw reader interest on a crowded comic book rack at the drugstore.
DeleteI believe his sidekick was named Toro.
ReplyDeleteOn second look some of the imagery is racist- which is probably why Marvel doesn't mention these too much now- you know like some of those pre-code Disney cartoons. Now I'm curious and about the Human Torch- Peter Parker "friendship"
ReplyDeleteI'm more DC than Marvel, but here's a rundown:
Deletehttps://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/why-johnny-storm-and-peter-parker-make-the-perfect/1100-144657/
The character of Whitewash is blatantly racist, and the Japanese are portrayed as monsters. Both were commonplace during World War Ii and into the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't stop with the Comics Code, which doesn't mention race but does mention quote "sex perversion" (anything from full-on gay to Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Catwoman, and Black Canary leaving the kitchen, and yes, I know three of them are bi now). But they still kept black characters out of major roles because they wanted to sell at least a few books in the South, as Marv Wolfman described his efforts to introduce a black Teen Titan).
DeleteThis racism didn't end there either. So we have Kitty Pryde dropping an N-bomb after her boyfriend calls her a mutie. We have Janet van Dyne saying Magneto is worse than Hitler. We have Green Arrow doing the Scooby-Doo bit to scare some Indians into not selling their land. (And somewhere in Star City, Roy Harper feels a disturbance which compels him to shoot up. You feel no shame when you're high as a kite.) We have John Proudstar.
in the modern age, Grant Morrison continues to write. His Talia al-Ghul is the worst. And DC has some five Roma heroes, even if there are just from the illustrious Zatara family, but good luck finding it mentioned in a nonracist context.
Note that Toro's non-flaming appearance was just a pair of briefs and boots. Sidekicks occasionaly had more skin showing than their primary. Robin is the most famous example, but see The WIzard's pal Roy ('the Super-Boy', until DC lawyers explained things to them). Probably other examples. Anyway, see https://static2.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/toro-shorts.jpg for an example comparing Toro and the Torch (who was an android).
ReplyDeleteSidekicks actually often did, the exception being the Wonder Girls. The question is the extent.
DeleteDeathstroke swings from evil to somewhat good, but of his four sidekicks, two just wear a variant of his armor. Joey wears either this Ren Faire outfit (with a turtleneck to hide his scar) or more recently a mostly white bodysuit that covers everything but his hair and eyes.
Robins, Batgirls, and their Batmen is an interesting discussion. Bette Kane was the only Batgirl who really showed skin. In contrast, starting with Tim Drake, Robins have shown less skin. Damian even wears a hood, just a bit more of his face showing than his brothers' cowls and helmet, or his father's cowl, depending on continuity, i.e. who is Batman?
DeleteKid Flash (both of them) pretty much wear the same frictionless suit, but with a half-cowl instead of Barry's full cowl. (Of course, Barry's optimism is kinda jarring now.)
Speedy's just a pallet swap. Only later costumes which show his pecs and biceps more really change that.
Ms Martian and Martian Manhunter wear the same thing; M'gann has the added burden of the history of White Martians.
And Aqualad wears a Speedo.