Young Allies: Against the Axis
Writer Roger Stern lets loose with answers about the action and adventure of the all-new YOUNG ALLIES COMICS SPECIAL
Posted May 20, 2009 12:00 am
Updated May 22, 2009 9:18 am
By Jim Beard
Age places no limits on heroism, as evidenced by Marvel's original "kid gang," the Young Allies! Not yet adults, these youthful adventurers scorched the Axis powers during World War II and left an indelible impression on friends and foes alike.
Little wonder that the House of Idea includes the famed teen team in this year's celebration of Marvel's seven decades of success, issuing orders for the June 17 deployment of the YOUNG ALLIES COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL. And of course, such a bold strike on the hearts and minds of adventure lovers everywhere deserves a writer the caliber of the legendary Roger Stern.
"It's a story about the power of friendship and of a man trying to come to terms with his past," says Stern of the one-shot. "Jim
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Barnes—formerly Bucky and now Captain America—discovers that two old friends from the war are still alive. And as he's tracking them down, we discover the truth about the 'Young Allies.'
"What was the truth about the Young Allies? Well, you have to read the issue to find out, but let's just say that it wasn't the job of the Young Allies to get captured so that Bucky and Toro could rescue them, despite what the covers of the [1940's] comics would have you believe. And as they used to say on 'Dragnet,' 'names were changed to protect the innocent.'"
Until now the public dossier on the Young Allies revealed only a membership of Bucky, the
Human Torch's sidekick Toro and four rough-and-tumble "civilian" kids. Beyond that, their origins as wartime's most exuberant operatives have remained shrouded in the mists of time—until now.
"What's most interesting about the Young Allies is that they were the prototype for all of the kid gangs that followed in the comics of the1940's and 50's, most often under the guiding hands of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby," Stern explains. "In my story, I've tried to flesh the gang out a little, to give them some substance and show that there was more to them than just caricatures.
"Fortunately, I have been lucky to have Paolo Rivera drawing my story. His art has perfectly captured the eras—both of them—in which the story takes place."
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Preview art by
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Debuting in 1941 and subsequently starring in YOUNG ALLIES COMICS, the Allies trotted the globe looking for trouble, and in most cases ended up with far more than they bargained for. Of course, when you pull pranks on the likes of Hitler and Hirohito you're bound to wind up in a few sticky situations. Fortunately, the Allies had each other to avoid the worst scrapes and continue their patriotic mischief.
"First and foremost, we've worked to show the camaraderie of the Allies," Stern says. "These were six young men all within a few years of each other in age. Sure, one could burst into flame and fly and another wore a mask and was arguably the most talented hand-to-hand combatant of his generation, but they were all caught up in the biggest global war of the Twentieth Century. And all of them turned out to be heroes."
Despite the "Young" in their name, the Allies managed missions that would have crushed the constitutions of lesser heroes, leading Stern to warn readers not to be fooled by their youthful appearance and antics—there's little to no kidding around in the YOUNG ALLIES COMICS 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL.
"Once you read the story, I don't know if you'll want to call any of them 'kids,'" he points out. "They were really young men, not boys. Back in the 1940's, they were drawn to look as though they were about twelve, but
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that's also the way Bucky was drawn in the Captain America comics of the time, and we know that he was about 16 when he first met Steve Rogers.
"All of the Young Allies were teenagers. The times forced them to grow up quickly and take on adult responsibilities. Remember, they'd been living through the Great Depression and were facing a world at war. They
had to grow up fast."
You can pick up the YOUNG ALLIES COMICS 70TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL for yourself on June 17. Until then, check out these Golden Age classics on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited!
Check out the official Marvel Shop for your favorite Marvel Heroes!
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The word WHITEWASH applies to both WHITEWASH JONES and the YOUNG ALLIES. WHITEWASH:verb 3.In baseball and other games,to BEAT( the opponents ) so that they FAIL TO SCORE.Also loosely,TO BEAT BY A LARGE MARGIN.[ The Oxford English Dictionary--second edition--Clarendon Press--Oxford(2001)]. I think it's safe to say that in all the TIMELY COMICS Young Allies adventures that they BEAT their ...
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The word WHITEWASH applies to both WHITEWASH JONES and the YOUNG ALLIES. WHITEWASH:verb 3.In baseball and other games,to BEAT( the opponents ) so that they FAIL TO SCORE.Also loosely,TO BEAT BY A LARGE MARGIN.[ The Oxford English Dictionary--second edition--Clarendon Press--Oxford(2001)]. I think it's safe to say that in all the TIMELY COMICS Young Allies adventures that they BEAT their OPPONENTS so that THEY FAIL TO SCORE. Plus I think it's obvious that WHITEWASH is a SPORTS NICKNAME for DOUGLAS "WHITEWASH" JONES.
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CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS#10(1/1942) The Phantom Hound Of Cardiff Moor---page 3 panel 1 his name THADDEUS DUFFY is given.Tales Of Suspense#63(3/1965) he is renamed MIKE DUFFY.
If Roger Stern or the a sleep at the switch editor had bothered to READ the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z vol.5 Premiere Hard Cover or MARVEL YOUR UNIVERSE SAGA(2008)--free Promo under CAPTAIN AMERICA( Bucky ) they would have know that WHITEWASH JONES was given a FIRST NAME in this profile---DOUGLAS "WHITEWASH" JONES. Next what in the hell is wrong with JEFFERSON "JEFF" ...
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If Roger Stern or the a sleep at the switch editor had bothered to READ the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z vol.5 Premiere Hard Cover or MARVEL YOUR UNIVERSE SAGA(2008)--free Promo under CAPTAIN AMERICA( Bucky ) they would have know that WHITEWASH JONES was given a FIRST NAME in this profile---DOUGLAS "WHITEWASH" JONES. Next what in the hell is wrong with JEFFERSON "JEFF" SANDERVILT,HENRY "TUBBY" TINKLE and PERCIVAL "KNUCKLES" O'TOOLE ?HENRY TINKLE could be from the UNITED KINGDOM and the same town as Actor/Comedian JOHN CLEESE( whose real family name was CHEESE---changed by his father ).Plus you have FICTIONAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES in TIMELY COMICS and MARVEL COMICS that JEFF SANDERVILT or others could have come from.Not to mention Family names could have been changed when they entered the U.S.
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This story should have been put in CAPTAIN AMERICA#600 and not wasted on a 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL.What I didn't like about it was the CHANGING OF THE NAMES and this,"The comics exaggerated the story,INVENTING WILD ABOUT US"( page 8 panel 1 ).I hate it when MARVEL let's "writers"( I do like you Mr.Stern,but it doesn't mean that writers I like don't frustrate me now and then ) rob us of ...
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This story should have been put in CAPTAIN AMERICA#600 and not wasted on a 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL.What I didn't like about it was the CHANGING OF THE NAMES and this,"The comics exaggerated the story,INVENTING WILD ABOUT US"( page 8 panel 1 ).I hate it when MARVEL let's "writers"( I do like you Mr.Stern,but it doesn't mean that writers I like don't frustrate me now and then ) rob us of MARVEL's TIMELY COMICS heritage by claiming this or that never happened( show me a story that you think doesn't work and I show you how it can work ) or CHANGING CHARACTERS NAMES.
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They could also TEAM-UP with LITTLE HERCULES[ http://www.geocities.com/jjnevins/lhercules.html ].KNOBBY THE MARIONETTE[Marvel Mystery Comics#38(12/1942),39(1/1943),40(2/1943),41(3/1943)Jimmy Jupiter story].Plus the other members of the SENTINELS OF LIBERTY(counting BUCKY,JEFF,TUBBY & KNUCKLES of the YOUNG ALLIES there are 8 in total seen on page 15 panel 3 of Captain America ...
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They could also TEAM-UP with LITTLE HERCULES[ http://www.geocities.com/jjnevins/lhercules.html ].KNOBBY THE MARIONETTE[Marvel Mystery Comics#38(12/1942),39(1/1943),40(2/1943),41(3/1943)Jimmy Jupiter story].Plus the other members of the SENTINELS OF LIBERTY(counting BUCKY,JEFF,TUBBY & KNUCKLES of the YOUNG ALLIES there are 8 in total seen on page 15 panel 3 of Captain America Comics#6(9/1941)Captain America vs. the CAMERA FIEND )[Captain America Comics#4(6/1941),5(8/1941),6(9/1941)Captain America stories---appearances of the Sentinels Of Liberty ]."CANADIAN YOUTHS"[Marvel Mystery Comics#34(8/1942)aided the SUB-MARINER]---You could give them the name of the fake JUNIOR IDEAL CLUB( a Nazi cover organization )[Human Torch#3(win/1940-1941)Human Torch story ]. Is TRIXY TROUBLE[Kid Komics#1(2/1943)] a kid or an ?
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