Who Wrote the Boy Commandos?

Of course, that is a loaded question. Myriad writers did over the years the series was published, beginning with creators Jack Kirby and Joe Simon in Detective Comics #64 (June 1942). It was the second of several kid gangs the team would produce, following on the heels of their Sentinels of Liberty, later Young Allies, for Timely/Marvel. A group of orphans led by Captain Rip Carter, the Commandos fought for the USA in Europe during World War II, fighting Nazis. The gang appeared in National/DC Comics’ World’s Finest Comics and Detective Comics, as well as their own comic, which ran for 36 issues. Their final feature was in Boy Commandos #36 (November-December 1949).

Paul Greene, son of comic and science fiction writer Joseph Greene, informed me he had unearthed full comic story manuscripts penned by his father, including a dozen Boy Commando scripts, produced between 1943 and 1945. Of particular interest were the stories that Kirby and Simon illustrated. Conventional wisdom is that the team, either solo or in tangent, wrote their own stories, and rejected scripts by others. According to former Kirby assistants Mark Evanier and the late Steve Sherman, “The DC editors kept the team busy and their rate of work, very swift at Timely, was now more rapid. They often turned out six pages a day and, when necessary, more than that. This involved doing penciling, lettering and inking - plus scripting; the DC editors were buying scripts from their regular stable of writers for the two, and Simon and Kirby were making gliders out of the scripts and writing their own. More than once, a DC editor would deliver a script to the team and then see its pages drifting out the window as he left.”¹

Counter to this legend, Greene’s scripts have detailed art descriptions that are followed closely throughout the stories, and the text is also closely adhered to, with a phrase here and there changed, and some copy and pages edited out. Overall, the stories are written and illustrated almost verbatim as scripted by Greene.

Of the twelve scripts, three already have been accredited to Greene as writer, and four are credited as being drawn by Kirby, according to the Grand Comics Database. One, according to the GCD, was written by Simon, “Message to Murmansk” from World's Finest Comics #10 (Summer 1943), although clearly that is not correct. The rest were drawn by Louis Cazeneuve, and credited to various writers, including Greene.

So, do we throw S&K’s flying script contention out the window? Not necessarily. Prior to the United States’ entry to the war, DC publisher Jack Liebowitz ordered S&K to begin stockpiling stories to be published while the creators were away in the service. I should note that during this prewar period, according to Jerry Robinson, Kirby worked in the DC offices without Simon, who entered the Coast Guard early in 1943. And then Kirby was drafted on June 7, 1943. This date coincides with the stories Greene produced. So perhaps this period is an anomaly for Kirby, following someone else’s detailed script due to necessity? And can we assume it was Kirby doing the rewrites of Greene’s scripts?

What follows is a side-by-side comparison of the manuscript and completed stories. The GCD lists this first story as penciled by Simon and inked by Kirby, but I believe the opposite to be true.

Message to Murmansk, World's Finest Comics #10 (Summer 1943):
Full script by Joseph Greene with panel-by-panel breakdowns, including descriptions for art. Edits throughout. Location changed from North Finland to Norway.

Greene's splash page art instruction:

“A huge torpedo is hurling straight at the reader. In the boat's path lies a submarine, horizontally across and from its deck seamen are diving into the water in panic. The captain of the sub is standing on the conning tower, leaning fearfully away from the onrushing boat. Rip is at the wheel. Andre and Jan are leaning over the side. Brooklyn is standing at the forepeak of the boat, holding a cluster of grenades in the act of throwing them at the sub. He is cocky. His derby is flying off. Behind Brooklyn, Alfy is beaming triumphantly.”

And his text:

“Order of the day: Attack secret Nazi submarine base on the north coast of Finland…passage for mercy convoy must be cleared!...U-boats at base must be destroyed!”

Legend: “Scorched, desolate earth meets the invaders as Russian soldiers by the tens of thousands give their lives to stop Hitler’s blood-thirsty killers! And a terrible shortage grips the land! Hospitals are full with the wounded—and medical supplies are exhausted! But the heroic sailors of the Merchant Marines deliver a welcome message from distant America—as Rip Carter and his Boy Commandos roar into the fight in the gripping story of “MESSAGE TO MURMANSKI!”

Page 2:
1: Caption: In the office of the superintendent of a Russian base hospital.
(An elderly man is seated at a desk, tired, worried looking. Before him stands a doctor in a white smock, a serious expression on his face.)
Doctor: But what shall we do?
Super.: A special convoy from America is bringing more supplies! We’ve got to do the best we can until it gets here!

2. Caption: Meanwhile, in another part of the hospital, a young, wounded soldier lies on the
operating table…
(A young soldier lies on the operating table and looks up at the two doctors standing near him. They are dressed in white smocks. In the background, a nurse is peering into a sterilizer.)
Doctor: We have no more anasthetics [sic], Comrade Ostrov! Can you stand the pain?
Ostrov: Yes! Yes! Operate without anasthetics! [sic] I must get back to the front!

3. (Close up of pain-contorted face of Ostrov, his lips are slightly pressed, his hand is clutching
awkwardly at the side of the table. The nurse is leaning close over him sympathetically.)
Nurse: A little more, comrade! A little more and it’s over! (bubble) He hasn’t cried out once!

4. Caption: And Soldier Ostrov’s courage inspired his wounded comrades!
(Ostrov is being wheeled unto the large ward by the nurse. Other wounded are looking at him, some have raised themselves from their pillows and one or two greet him with half-upraised hands.)
Soldier 1: If one can stand the pain, we all can!
Soldier 2: We must! The whole world is depending on us!
Soldier 3: I’m ready to do what Ostrov did, nurse!

Interestingly, the next page of Greene’s script doesn’t appear. In it he describes a meeting at Madison Square Garden in support of the wounded. The script goes on to describe meetings “…from towns and hamlets across the land…”

And then, “A pretty girl stands at a busy street holding a collection plate can into which people are putting coins, a band is fastened diagonally across her chest reading “Medical Aid For Russia.”

He goes on to describe girls collecting bottles that are then loaded into cartons and placed on large crates, labeled “Rush to Russia.”

Instead, panels 5 and 6 of page 2 summarize the intent of Greene’s script with completely new content.

Greene’s instructions and copy resume with page 3, top panel:

Caption: Time is precious! Work is rushed without let-up! The girls in the factory…the men in
the shipping room…longshoremen at the docks…and the heroic sailors of the Merchant Marines…form the unbeatable team!
(Two longshoremen are standing at the end of an open pier, watching several freight ships goind [sic] down lower New York bay. The Statue of Liberty towers over ships in the distance.)
Man: There goes our message. It must get through.
Other: It'll get through, all right! My boy is aboard that ship!

Greene’s script called for a 13-page story, with detailed breakdowns, and the published story is 8 pages, so much has been omitted.

For the sake of brevity, let’s skip to the final page (Green’s panel numbers no longer apply, so I have not included them):

Caption: And the signal to fire the torpedoes is flashed….
(There is a terrific explosion particularly the forward part of the sub splinters and is covered by flames. The rear part of the sub, from which two figures are diving into the water does not explode. Jan is pointing)
Rip: Holy mackerel! The torpedos [sic] exploded inside!
Jan: Somebodys difing off!
Mate: Lower number two lifeboat! We’ll pick any survivors.

Caption: The life-boat reaches the oil covered waters.
(Rip, Andre, Jan in the bow of the life-boat. In the water, Alfy is floating like a barrel, his hands folded under his head, Brooklyn is swimming around without his derby. Both are beaming.)
Bkyln: Boy! Diz is just like swimmin’ in the East River—wid all dis grease!
Andre: They are safe! Merci! Merc! Our friends, they are safe!

(Aboard the ship, the boys are wrapped in blankets, Brooklyn makes a mock-angry face.)
Rip: Those torpedos have blown up inside the sub! That was luck--
Bklyn: Where d’ya get that stuff! After all de woik we does—he calls it luck!
(Alfy holding up the screw-driver, his fat face smiling!)

For the last two panels the dialogue and sign-off are completely rewritten, although Green’s intent remains intact.

Sand Dunes of Death! World's Finest Comics #11 (Fall 1943)
On the GCD the script is already accredited to Joseph Greene with pencils and inks listed as: Jack Kirby; Joe Simon ?

Greene’s script: The order of the day is verbatim, while the legend is partially rewritten:

“Order of the Day: Remnants of Rommel’s troops holding out in the hills! Join caravan on special assignment in Tunis. Rip Carter, captain”

Legend: Deep in the mystery-shrouded hills of Tunis, bandit Nazi soldiers lurk ready to spring
upon their victims! Arrogant behind their power fortifications….they get a real surprise as Rip Carter and his BOY COMMANDOS swing into action—defying death to come to grips with the treacherous enemies of all mankind—in the spine-tingling story of: “The Sand Dunes of Death!”

In this instance, Greene’s art description for the splash is largely ignored:

Splash panel: A large mob of ragged and disheveled Nazis are fleeing across desert sands. They
are panicky and many are glancing back; their faces are contorted with fear. Behind them, springing out of a beautiful mirage of a garden with beautiful things to eat, and drink hanging from trees, come the boy commandos. Led by Rip and Bklyn they are crashing though the mirage and ripping it apart. They are mounted on camels and are sharply outlined against the hazy, disolving [sic] mirage.

Yet, the very first panel is once again almost exact:

Caption: At a temporary Commando base on the North coast of Africa…
(The boys are sitting in a tent, hot and sweltering. They are wearing shorts. Alf has a fan in his hands while Brooklyn is using his derby to fan himself. Rip has just come in with a bundle in his hands and they turn towards him.

Bklyn: De heat’s on, boys! Right now I wish I was in Coney Island!
Alf: Blimey! But H’it’s ‘ot!
Rip: We’re moving, boys! Here’s something for you…

And so it goes. The remainder of this story, and the other two that feature Kirby and Simon art, "The Duce Gets a Hotfoot" from Detective Comics #79 (September 1943) and "A Town to Remember" from Boy Commandos #5 (Winter 1943) remain faithful overall to Greene’s scripts. For what it’s worth, "A Town to Remember" is credited as Kirby art on both the GCD and in the Boy Commandos by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby Vol. 2 reprint collection from 2015, but only some of the artwork looks like Kirby.

Kirby would return to DC following the war again without Simon, who was still in the Coast Guard, and wrote, penciled and inked the Boy Commandos solo during this later period.

Joseph Greene has preserved dozens of his scripts for myriad comic publishers.

* * *

Special thanks: Paul Greene and Patrick Ford

* * *

The post Who Wrote the Boy Commandos? appeared first on The Comics Journal.