Number 2387: Uncle Sam is just Fine!

This exquisite collection of original art is all one story of Uncle Sam, from National Comics #13 (1941). I have used the scans from Heritage Auctions. They did a beautiful job showing near-pristine artwork by Lou Fine; very few globs of white paint, no pasteovers — or at least none that I can readily see — and what blue pencil marks I see are very light.

Lou Fine is credited with the artwork for this story, and Will Eisner with the writing. Seeing the original art is depriving you of seeing it in full eye-blasting color, but here is an example from the printed comic book of the phantasmic look it gives to the story.

Blue boulders? Egad. Other pages have bright red skies, and other color anomalies. Like most comic book publishers of the time, Quality Comics’ “quality” in printing left much to be desired, even with the oddball coloring. The colors cover up the delicate line and feathered brush work that Fine was known for, which is why I am showing the original art and not the comic book version.

Heritage Auctions sold the artwork in 2013 for $53,755.00. Thanks to them for providing the art on their website.

Here is the origin story from National Comics #1. Just click on the thumbnail.

Number 1708: Origin(s) of Uncle Sam

In retrospect it seems only a natural. It appears Will Eisner stole a march on his fellow comic book creators by grabbing an American icon, Uncle Sam, to be the star of a new comic book. War was going on in Europe, and the threat of involvement was reaching across the Atlantic to America. National Comics #1 (1940) presented Eisner’s version of an origin. Uncle Sam is a symbol so Eisner chose to make Uncle Sam a supernatural being, paired up with a human youngster. They fight enemies of America, internal and external. It is a tall order. This Uncle Sam did not even last out the end of World War II. My feeling is Eisner should have put him in cape and domino mask, which would have made him look more like a comic book hero. But, no. That would be blasphemy to some, wouldn’t it?

Life had a 2 1/2 page article, shown below, in its July 2, 1956 issue that shows us a different origin of Sam. According to Life, Sam had once been a “country bumpkin,” Brother Jonathan. Not a bad secret identity! Maybe Eisner could have used it.

Life, July 2, 1956:

Number 765


King of Crime


Happy Independence Day, mah fellow Americans...

Will Eisner's Uncle Sam character seemed like a natural for a nation anxious about going to war, as America was before Pearl Harbor. Uncle Sam, a symbol of patriotism, was in Eisner's hands a mystical character, a soldier from America's Revolutionary War who, quoting Don Markstein's Toonopedia, "...envisioned American freedom so strongly, his soul, instead of moving on, merged with the Spirit of Liberty, and remained on Earth to fight for that cause. As history sped by, Uncle Sam manifest himself repeatedly, lending his strength whenever his country needed him."

As a character Uncle Sam comics didn't last through World War II. Maybe it had something to do with the stories which, even for comic books, seem over the top. In Uncle Sam #1, where this story originated, the first story, shown in Pappy's #625, there's a plot to replace government officials, including the president, with doubles...that's after selling America's children into slavery. In this story the King of Crime founds the "State of Rex", where all the crooks go to hide.

In my opinion, crooks don't really need to hide; they just need effective camouflage. Put on a tie, look like regular guys, go to work in a bank or on Wall Street!

Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
--Woody Guthrie, "The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd"

According to the Grand Comics Database Will Eisner did the splash page and Lou Fine inked it; the GCD doesn't know who did pages 2-14.

Number 625


The comic book civics lesson


If a United States senator is having a tough time getting his bill passed through the regular American lawmaking process he can always resort to what the villains in "Forged Faces" did in Uncle Sam Quarterly #1, Autumn 1941. Just replace the senators and congressmen--even the President--with lookalikes.

In this comic book civics lesson from the Will Eisner crew the Bill of Rights can be changed by mere votes, instead of a Constitutional amendment. Tsk tsk. It's a good thing it's not that easy to change the Constitution or those rights would've been gone years ago.

Despite its silliness I like this story. I'm not sure that Uncle Sam, an enduring American symbol, was a good comic book character. Maybe it's because he was already a symbol before Eisner and Co. got ahold of him. He's still a symbol, and although he was revived by DC with a bunch of other Quality Comics heroes in the 1970s he didn't last past the end of the war in his own title (which became Blackhawk), or his lead spot in National Comics.

According to the Grand Comics Database Eisner did the splash page and may have written the story, and Dan Zolnerowich pencilled pages 2-16. The inker is unknown.