Number 2489: Pardon me, Mr President

“Court Martial” is a romanticized version of a real-life pardon issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. A soldier is caught sleeping while on guard duty, and is sentenced to be shot. President Lincoln steps in and pardons him once he learns of extenuating circumstances. William Scott was the real-life soldier pardoned, and altogether Lincoln issued 343 pardons during his time in office. Scott was later killed in battle, shot by the enemy.

(A century later the punishment of death was long off the table for sleeping on sentry duty; while a soldier in the U.S. Army I fell asleep more than once while on guard. Luckily, I was never caught. I just hope after admitting it that the statute of limitation applies.)

The story is from Battle Action #17, an early Comics Code approved Atlas comic from 1955.

Art for the story is credited to Bob McCarty. 

Number 2232: Revenge of murdered men

When Fawcett quit the comic book business in 1953 the Captain Marvel universe disappeared for two decades until DC picked it up, and some of their non-Captain Marvel comic book line went to Charlton. That includes a horror title, This Magazine is Haunted. Before the Comics Code was implemented Charlton was able to use unpublished inventory from Fawcett, and also material which had been published, but could be reprinted. Two horror stories today have similar themes. Both of them are about guys who commit murder, and the dead come back to wreak revenge. That is Horror Comics 101; one of the most basic plots of all.

I am not sure if they were written to appear in the same issue, but they both appear in This Magazine is Haunted #15 (1954, Charlton). They are drawn by the same artist, Bob McCarty. (McCarty’s name is sometimes written as McCarthy.) McCarty’s artwork is usually identified by the eyes he drew, which are sometimes confused with distinctive eyes that George Evans drew; but where Evans’s style is slick and unique to him, McCarty’s can sometimes (as in these stories) look cobbled together from different artists’ styles. McCarty worked for the Simon and Kirby studio, and drew various features for comics until at least the mid-fifties. He looks to me to be another comic book journeyman whose work in those days was mostly anonymous.