Aces High #4

(September-October 1955)

The Green Kids (Table of Contents: 1)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Oleck ?

Pencils

George Evans (signed)

Inks

George Evans (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

aviation; war

Characters

Major Joseph Caswell (pilot); Lieutenant Colonel Jack Ross (squadron commander); Lieutenant Bryant (pilot); Lieutenant Goodson (pilot); Lieutenant DeVito (pilot, death); Colonel Winters (Replacement Center commanding officer); McCall (pilot, cameo, death); Banton (pilot, cameo, death); Captain Vicks (pilot); the Germans (villains, some doe)

Synopsis

Major Caswell continues to lose green pilots and believes that his commander doesn't care at all about their deaths. He discovers differently when Colonel Ross is relieved of command and he takes over.

Reprints

• in Aces High (Russ Cochran, 1988 series) (1988) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Aces High Annual (Gemstone, 1999 series) #1 (1999)
• in Aces High (Gemstone, 1999 series) #4 (July 1999)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #11 - Aces High (December 2014) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

Fokker; Spad; World War I

Indexer Notes

Colorist credit by Craig Delich.

The Good Luck Piece (Table of Contents: 2)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Wessler

Pencils

Bernie Krigstein (signed as B. Krigstein)

Inks

Bernie Krigstein (signed as B. Krigstein)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

aviation; war

Characters

Lt. Buddy Wilson (pilot); Wilson's mother (cameo); Pete Richards (pilot, death); unnamed Red Cross volunteer; Happy (Wilson's good luck charm teddy bear); Germans (villains, some die)

Synopsis

Buddy doesn't believe in good luck charms, but has one anyway: a teddy bear named Happy. Unfortunately, the bear's stuffing is coming out, so he gives the bear to a female Red Cross volunteer to repair. When he suddenly is called back to the air, the bear is not fixed but his pal Pete sends his good luck charm up with Buddy without him knowing it. As a result, Pete dies and Buddy survives.

Reprints

• in Aces High (Russ Cochran, 1988 series) (1988) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Aces High Annual (Gemstone, 1999 series) #1 (1999)
• in Aces High (Gemstone, 1999 series) #4 (July 1999)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #21 - Master Race and Other Stories (March 2018) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

D-XIII Fokker; S-VIII Spad

Indexer Notes

WWI story.

Story influenced by Milton Caniff's syndicated strip, Steve Canyon.

The Novice and the Ace (Table of Contents: 3)

comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Wessler

Pencils

Wally Wood (signed as Wood)

Inks

Wally Wood (signed as Wood)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

aviation; war

Characters

Thorton (pilot); Dawes (pilot); Higgins (Squadron 9 leader); Ernie Munson (pilot); Pat Pierce (pilot); Willis; Art Milburn; Chuck Snyder; the Germans (villains, some die)

Synopsis

A group of American aces is scared to take on a German pilot with 30+ kills, but a newcomer to their ranks brings back that German plane and its pilot to the field. Then all discover the pilot actually is very young and has painted the "kills" on the side of his plane to intimidate enemy pilots. Dumbfounded, the pilots of Squadron 9 have one more shock: their so-called green pilot is actually a real ace with more kills than the so-called Boche pilot!

Reprints

• in Aces High (Russ Cochran, 1988 series) (1988) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Aces High Annual (Gemstone, 1999 series) #1 (1999)
• in Aces High (Gemstone, 1999 series) #4 (July 1999)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #26 - Atom Bomb and Other Stories (2019) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Keywords

Albatross D.V; D III Pfalz; Lafayette (airplane); Nieuport; Squadron 9; World War I

The Last Laugh (Table of Contents: 4)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Reprints

• in Aces High (Russ Cochran, 1988 series) (1988)
• in Aces High Annual (Gemstone, 1999 series) #1 (1999)
• in Aces High (Gemstone, 1999 series) #4 (July 1999)

Home Again (Table of Contents: 5)

comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Carl Wessler

Pencils

Jack Davis (signed)

Inks

Jack Davis (signed)

Colors

Marie Severin

Letters

Jim Wroten

Genre

aviation; war

Characters

Colonel Dumond; Sergeant Ryan; Gaston

Synopsis

Sergeant Ryan wants nothing more than to fly. When he gets his chance, he makes the most of it.

Reprints

• in Aces High (Russ Cochran, 1988 series) (1988) [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Aces High Annual (Gemstone, 1999 series) #1 (1999)
• in Aces High (Gemstone, 1999 series) #4 (July 1999)

Indexer Notes

WW1 story.