G-Man Extraordinary
In It's earliest Incarnation Archie comics was also known as MLJ and it featured many of the earliest Super-Hero characters. Sadly, over time the publisher would change it's focus and Archie Andrews and his gang would run the superheroes out of the book.
Welcome to the first exciting issue of PEP Comics, with lead feature and granddaddy of the Comic Book patriotic heroes The Shield, Joe Higgins is assigned and dispatched by what seems to be J. Edgar Hoover himself. In his fist mission he hunts down an enemy spy who doesn't know when to quit.
Also featured was Jack Cole's very underrated The Comet. This character and his"brother" The Hangman meted out some rough justice back in the Golden Age.
There are some other features of note such as Press Guardian, Kayo Ward, Sergeant Boyle, the Midshipman, and the Queen of Diamonds as well as Bentley of Scotland Yard..
The Good:
Just about everything is good here. A lot of neat art and characters throughout. A very fun read. The Shield and Comet are cool and I wish the original versions got more exposure.
The Bad:
My only real complaint was the racism in the Fu Chang strip. "College educated" Oriental? Really?
The Verdict: 4/5:
This is a really fantastic Golden Age classic and the only reason I give it a four is the aforementioned racism be it intentional or otherwise and also the fact these nifty heroes are eventually replaced by the Riverdale gang. All in all worth reading if you get the chance.
