Wednesday, August 20, 2014

TOUGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD, SARGE STEEL, GUMSHOE TURNED SECRET AGENT EXTRAORDINAIRE !!!


 I came in late to the game with Sarge Steel, around #8, but when I did, I was hooked on the big guy!. 







I loved Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin's main artwork on the series, Bill Montes & Ernie Bache also illustrated some of the issues. Joe Gill always spun a great story, as did Steve Skeats later on in the series. 



The stories always started out with file numbers ("File #101 The Case of the Pearls of Death" as in the first issue.) Also in that first issue, the splash page credits Pat Masulli with creating Sarge Steel (as well as Son of Vulcan.)

Sarge Steel started out as a hardboiled detective through the first eight issues, in the tough guy style of Mickey Spillane. 



Steel's high concept cases (#2) covered Werner Von Wess, using a nuclear submarine, attempt to blackmail the American government.  



Another adventure (#3) finds Steel's Luger turning out to be an exact duplicate of a silver Luger used by the Smiling Skull (a favorite reoccurring villain.) Steel is kidnapped in an attempt to implicate him in murders committed with the Luger, however, he manages to turn the tables on his captor with the aide of a beautiful accomplice.


Or Sarge Steel (#7) finds top agents, from around the world, being assassinated by P.O.W. (Prosecutors Of the World). Steel and a beautiful French agent fake their own deaths, gaining the upper hand and putting P.O.W. out of business.


Instructional back-up features Sarge Steel (& Judomaster) demonstrating martial arts moves. 



The last two issues changed to Secret Agent (#9 & #10), having Sarge retaining his charm in more spy oriented cases.  

It was high concept fun back then.

Still, a bit of old fashioned.

Live Large My Friends!

Thank You!



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