Number 1950: Talking flag

In answer to a reader’s request for more from DC’s short-lived, early-fifties anthology comic, Danger Trail, here is a story by Alex Toth. Not only did Toth draw it, he did the lettering. Characteristic of Toth’s lettering is the use of underlining for emphasis, rather than the usual bold-faced italic used by other letterers.

This story also depends on a literary device I don’t much care for, told from the point of view of an inanimate object, in this case a battle flag. It is a tricky way to tell a story, and in this case unnecessary except to give the main character someone (or some thing) to talk to.

Grand Comics Database gives credit to Robert Kanigher for the script. “Battle Flag of the Foreign Legion” is from Danger Trail #3 (1950):

Number 1726: Pyramid scheme

We have our final posting for this theme week, Deceased Comics, presenting stories from comic books DC cancelled many years ago. Our story today is from Danger Trail #5 (1951), the final issue of that title.

Alex Toth and Bernard Sachs did the effective work on this Egyptian adventure amongst the pyramids, when our hero (not named until the last panel, when his new girlfriend tells him her name), falls in with some crooks involved with stolen antiquities. The writer is listed by the Grand Comics Database as David Vern.

As to why Danger Trail was cancelled I don’t know. I have speculated before that editor Julius Schwartz might have been too busy. (See the link below the story.) What throws my spec off is that with issue #5 the title of the comic appeared ready to change, dropping Trail. This half page house ad from the issue, with all of DC’s titles listed, shows just Danger. Also, the title between the DC colophons at the tops of each page is blank.

Maybe for a time someone at DC thought the book was worth saving, and that could be done by changing the title. Maybe, as I have also speculated in the past, sales were just bad for a book of stories featuring exotic locales and adventurous characters. It is a bit late for us to know for sure.

As promised, the link to another Danger Trail adventure. Just click on the thumbnail.

Number 1503: Hiking the Danger Trail

The King Faraday lead story from DC’s Danger Trail #1 (1950) begins with a reference to a popular 1948 movie, Sorry, Wrong Number. Here’s an ad for the movie, taken from Life magazine:

The story that follows is as unlikely as the plot of the movie that King complains about, but is entertaining in its pulpish way. When you get through the overcooked first person narrative and snappy dialogue there is even a bit of space left for the artist to work in! The type of smartass, two-fisted character represented here by King Faraday was familiar to pulp magazine and paperback book readers, as well as radio listeners of the forties. In contrast to that other media, a comic book should let the pictures, not hefty captions, tell most of the story.

Story by Robert Kanigher, edited by Julius Schwartz, art by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.

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Here’s another King Faraday story. Just click on the thumbnail:

Number 1213: The short Danger Trail

DC's Danger Trail lasted five issues, from #1, dated Jul-Aug 1950 to #5, Mar-Apr 1951. I have no idea why it had such a short life. It had good covers and interior art, and interesting characters in action-filled stories of intrigue. The artists, among them Carmine Infantino and Alex Toth, were some of DC's best. I don't know if sales were bad, or because editor Julius Schwartz was debuting a new title, Strange Adventures, with a first issue dated Aug-Sep 1950. In the wings was a sister publication, Mystery In Space, the first issue dated Apr-May 1951, which coincided with the last issue of Danger Trail. Science fiction was Schwartz's entry into magazine editing, after all. Read more about editor Julius Schwartz.

King Faraday, starring in this Robert Kanigher-scripted story from Danger Trail #2 (1950), had an even shorter career than the comic book. He appeared in the first four issues. He was brought back years later by DC in one of their revisionist versions of old and obscure characters, but that’s outside the scope of this blog. The story I'm showing here is a little caption heavy, but well drawn by Infantino and Frank Giacoia.

Number 398

King Faraday's suicide bombers


Suicide bombers...a terrorist religious leader. Hmmm. Sounds contemporary, but in fact this King Faraday story is from DC's Danger Trail #4, 1951. The closest reference at the time to terrorist martyrs was the Japanese kamikazi pilots of WWII, so that similarity is invoked in the story. There's no clue in the story as to whether the martyrs were promised virgins in heaven after they had blown themselves to atoms.

Our friends at Grand Comics Database tell us the story is written by Robert Kanigher, and drawn by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.