Combat Kelly

Combat Kelly is the name of two fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Both appear in war comics titles: Combat Kelly, published by Marvel's 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics, and set during the Korean War; and the 1970s series Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen, set earlier during World War II. It is uncertain whether they are the same character.[1]

Publication history

1950s series

Combat Kelly starred in the 44-issue, Korean War-set Combat Kelly (Nov. 1951 to Aug. 1957), published by Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics. The character also made two appearances in the Atlas war comics series Battle comics.[2] Kelly is accompanied by his sidekick Cookie Novak; Kelly is of Irish heritage,[3] while Novak is a Polish immigrant. Combat Kelly stories were drawn by artists including Dave Berg,[4] Joe Maneely,[4] and Gene Colan,[5] with at least one cover drawn by Russ Heath.[6]

1970s series

Corporal Michael Lee Kelly starred as the leader of group of military convicts paroled for special missions in a nine-issue series cover-billed as Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen (June 1972 - Oct. 1973), though as simply Combat Kelly in the postal indicia.[7] With issue #5 (Feb. 1973), the cover title changed slightly to Combat Kelly and his Deadly Dozen. The series name and premise are similar to those of the 1960s movie The Dirty Dozen.

The 1970s series was set during World War II, earlier than the 1950s series' timeframe. In issue #3, Kelly is described as an U.S. Army boxer who in 1940 killed a man in the ring. He was convicted and sentenced for manslaughter, and was later paroled. The series was created by writer Gary Friedrich and penciler Dick Ayers, the creative team of Marvel's long-running World War II title Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos; the premiere issue continued a story begun in Sgt. Fury #98 (May 1972), and occasional crossovers continued between these two series.

Notes

  1. ↑ Christiansen, Jeff, The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe: "Combat Kelly" states that the letters page of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #104 (Nov. 1972) specifies they are not the same character, yet examination of that letters page finds no specification either way.
  2. ↑ Conroy, Mike. 500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes (Collins and Brown, 2002), p. 313
  3. ↑ Rashap, Amy. "You've Come a Long Way, Baby: Ethnic Superheroes in Comic Books," in Ethnic Images in the Comics, edited by Charles Hardy and Gail F. Stern (The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies,1986) p. 34.
  4. 1 2 Combat Kelly (Marvel, Atlas [Sphere Publications] imprint, 1951 Series) at the Grand Comics Database
  5. ↑ Field, Tom, & Gene Colan. Secrets in the Shadows: The Life and Art of Gene Colan (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005), p .43
  6. ↑ Grand Comics Database: Combat Kelly #31 (June 1955)
  7. ↑ Combat Kelly (Marvel, 1972 Series) at the Grand Comics Database

References

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