World Famous Comics: Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives, Vol. 2 (DC Archive Editions)
Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives, Vol. 2 (DC Archive Editions)
By: Various Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 228 Publication Date: July 25, 2007 Release Date: July 25, 2007
Product Description: In the early 1940s, after introducing the world's first super-team with The Justice Society of America, DC Comics created a second super-team: The Seven Soldiers of Victory. Featuring Green Arrow and his sidekick, Speedy, as well as the modern Western hero called The Vigilante, The Crimson Avenger, The Shining Knight, The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, The Seven Soldiers battled injustice and villainy at the height of World War II in these colorful, fast-paced tales.
These vintage stories served as the inspiration for writer Grant Morrison's modern-day SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY tales.
Reminds me of those great Saturday morning Serials! I've always liked the Seven Soldiers of Victory. They were more my style than the JSA. Sure I enjoyed the JSA, they had cool powers, everyone looked up to them and they saved the world once a month. But the 7SoV saved the world too. What I think I liked about them was the way they saved us. They didn't do it with super-speed,magic rings,Amazonian powers or a miracle pill. The 7SoV didn't really have any super-powers to speak of. Granted the Shining Knight had a flying steed named Winged Victory, a sword from Merlin that could slice through almost anything and a suit of armor proof against at least small arms fire. But that was it, that's all they had in the way of powers to give them an advantage over the bad guys. Unless you count the power of keen wits, iron fists and steely nerve. And heart, this team had an abundance of heart. They routinely went head-to-head with villains who, on paper, should have crushed them.
In this volume for example, they fight the Skull, a Fu- Manchu type mastermind, the wealthiest man in the world, who is "driven by a diabolically cunning, scheming brain that scoffs at justice and toys with murder, moving with a mastery over men and money unmatched by any other mortal!", the Triple Wizards of Wisstark, who throw giants, winged apes,invisible phantoms and blackest sorcery against the 7SoV and the Dummy, known as the Diminutive Desperado, Murderous Mannikin and Servitor of Evil who presides over a vast, world-wide criminal empire. Our heroes know they're up against it, and that makes them fight all the harder. They know they're the underdogs but they prevail in the end because they have heart. That's why I like them so much, they are the Rocky Balboas of super-teams. There are actually 8 of them and they are in brief:
The Crimson Avenger and Wing- Crimson Avenger is also known as Lee Travis, editor and publisher of the newspaper, The Global Leader. He's a two-fisted hyper athletic scrapper aided in his fight against evil by sleep gas capsules and his Chinese sidekick, Wing
The Green Arrow and Speedy- The famous battling bowmen used their mad archery skills to skewer crime. They seldom used trick arrows in these stories, except for their faithful arrow lines.
The Vigilante- A mysterious, kerchiefed, six-gun packing Cowboy hero who spoke in the most wonderfully cliched Western dialogue. He had a vey solid following among fans.
The Shining Knight- A guy named Justin, assistant curator at The Museum, who jousts crime with the strength and nobility of Camelot.
Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy- Tropical fish enthusiast and rich boy Sylvester Pemberton and his much older sidekick/chauffer Pat Dugan tackle crime by calling out numbered combat maneuvers(Let's use k59, kid!) like they were football plays.
They appeared in Leading Comics and in volume 2 of their Archives they engage in 4 specific missions.
Leading Comics #5-The team wallops the Skull, world's wealthiest and most evil man. The Skull recruits some of the planet's finest criminal minds to steal various objects of wealth and power from around the globe!Should the Skull obtain these objects, it means "an evil destiny for law-abiding mankind." The 7SoV vow to give him what's comiing to him!
Leading Comics #6-A renowned archeologist enlists the 7SoV to recover the lost gold of the Incas so he can use it to help smash the Axis! This is quite an old fashioned adventure story wherein the intrepid band must unravel the meaning behind a cryptic poem to uncover the treasure. They run afoul of volcanoes, hidden caves,savage giant apes, ancient warriors and are manipulated into fighting each other by an "ingenious and diabolical villain who seeks to sow unsuspected death and destruction with a lavish hand."
Leading Comics #7-"Charity begins at home but it doesn't end there! From the star-studded stage of a great auditorium, a generous impulse lures the Seven Soldiers of Victory to an unknown lotus land beyond ice-capped peaks, where strange magic awaits them. And though a myriad of more menacing miracles lies ahead, the daredevil legionnaires, fearing neither man nor magician, plunge boldly forward, as with ever ready wits and matchless courage they answer the summons to mystery and danger from the Wizards of Wisstark!"
Leading Comics #8-The Murderous Mannikin known as The Dummy condemns the Seven Soldiers of victory to be Exiles in Time! He splits the brave crew up into smaller teams and scatters them throughout history. The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy are transported to the Northlands where they must contend with horned Vikings, Crimson Avenger and Wing are sent back to ancient China, the Vigilante does as the ancient Romans did, Shining Knight is the portrait of a hero when he meets Leonardo DaVinci and the Green Arrow and Speedy duel with the Three Musketeers! The cool cover features the 7SoV trapped in a cramped giant hourglass with The Dummy dressed in evening clothes leering menacingly over them.
Invest in the adventures of these rolicking, stout hearted cavaliers. They're full of action, imagination and Golden Age thrills.
Look out All-Star Comics This collection is not nearly as sweet as volume one. I was hoping for more of the great Mort Meskin, but it wasn't there. This volume showed why the Seven Soldiers of Victory were destined to be second bananas to the Justice Society of America.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Not Available Comics
Trevor
