Just call me "Sugar"! You know --- "Hard to get!" 
Military Comics #20 is an issue of the series Military Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1943.
Synopsis for Blackhawk: "The Blonde Bomber"
To avenge her brother, a female pilot joins the Blackhawks. She helps them rescue a French Resistance fighter from the Nazis, then flies him to England.
Appearing in Blackhawk: "The Blonde Bomber"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- The Blonde Bomber (Sugar) (Single appearance)
- General Dugere
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Blackhawk Grumman XF5F Skyrockets
- Sugar's Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
Synopsis for Sniper: "The Conquerors Are Toppling"
Appearing in Sniper: "The Conquerors Are Toppling"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Herr Krotz
- his troops (all die)
- Herr Blomber (wears a monocle) (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Hosvik, Guerrilla Chief
- his guerrillas
- Doriza Hosvik, his daughter
Locations:
Synopsis for Death Patrol: "The Return of the Death Patrol"
- Del van Dyne breaks the Fourth Wall to explain to the readers why the Death Patrol has been absent since issue #12: It was government censorship, imposed because their adventures had become TOO Top Secret.
The Death Patrol has a new volunteer, Yogi, who has turned himself into a painting of himself, and mailed himself to their base, then walked out of his own portrait and joined them. Yogi has telepathic and telekinetic powers, and he warns them about an imminent Japanese attack. They fly to Japan in their four stubby little racing planes.
A Japanese scientist has developed "the deadliest gas in the world." It turns an American person into a Japanese person. The Death Patrol raids this scientist's laboratory, which seems to have no guards, and Del gets a dose of the gas, and turns Japanese. Gramps catches a dropped glass container of the gas, and gets cut in the process, and the gas escapes into the room. This time it has the effect of turning the Japanese scientist and his assistant into white Americans, and restores Del to normal, while affecting nobody else. Gramps has an explanation for this, based on Gramps being a direct lineal descendant of George Washington.
Appearing in Death Patrol: "The Return of the Death Patrol"
Featured Characters
- Death Patrol (formerly mostly dead)
- Del Van Dyne (Narrator)
- Boris
- Gramps (formerly thought dead)
- King Hotintot (formerly thought dead)
- Yogi (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Japanese Scientist
- Jitsu, laboratory assistant
Locations:
Items:
- "deadliest gas in the world"
- It turns an American person into a Japanese person.
Vehicles:
- Four "queer but deadly little planes"
Synopsis for Private Dogtag: "The Shooting Gallery Ace"
Appearing in Private Dogtag: "The Shooting Gallery Ace"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for PT Boat: "The Snob and the Sub"
Appearing in PT Boat: "The Snob and the Sub"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- MTB Squadron Six (named for 1st time)
- PT Squadron Commander (not yet named)
- PT Boat Crews (some die)
Antagonists:
- Japanese Navy
- Submarine Crew (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Ensign Wiley Hawkins III
- Mrs Van Der Grooten, society dame
- society reporter
- sports reporter
- Bulkely (Mentioned only)
- Lieutenant Green (Mentioned only)
- Sam, janitor
Locations:
- Lund River
- South Pacific Ocean
- MTB-6 Base
- Jabuta Bay ("The Sargasso of the South Seas")
- Navy Hospital
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Sailor Danny: "The Saboteurs' Competition"
Appearing in Sailor Danny: "The Saboteurs' Competition"
Featured Characters:
- Sailor Danny
Synopsis for Atlantic Patrol: "Destroyer Sinks Sub In Almost Hand-to-Hand Action"
Appearing in Atlantic Patrol: "Destroyer Sinks Sub In Almost Hand-to-Hand Action"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- German Navy
- submarine crew (captured)
Locations:
- North Atlantic Ocean
Vehicles:
- HMCS Assiniboine, Canadian Destroyer
- German Submarine (damaged)
Synopsis for Secret War News: "U.S. Marines Raid Jap Held Island"
{Nonfiction account of the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo, May 1942}
Appearing in Secret War News: "U.S. Marines Raid Jap Held Island"
Characters:
- Sergeant Harry Tully, sniper
- Major Williams (Dies)
- Captain Stallings
- Captain Torgerson
- Corporal Brady
- Sergeant Frank Few, Sioux
Supporting Characters:
- U.S.Marines (many die)
Antagonists:
- Japanese Military
- 2000 Soldiers (Dies)
Locations:
- South Pacific Ocean
- Gavatu, Japanese Seaplane Base (Destroyed)
Vehicles:
- U.S. Battleships
- U.S. Dive-bombers
- U.S. Troopships and Landing Craft
Notes
- Published by Comic Magazines.
- All Quality Comics characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof were originally Trademarked & Copyright © 1951 Quality Comics. The characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof were acquired by DC Comics in 1956. While some of the properties acquired did not have copyright and trademarks renewed, some of those depicted here are Trademarks & Copyright © 1973-2008 DC Comics, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- Atlantic Patrol by Fred Guardineer is back down to one page.
- Blackhawk: "The Blonde Bomber" introduces a prototype version of Lady Blackhawk. This is the character's first and only appearance to date.
- The actual Lady Blackhawk, Zinda Blake, debuts in Blackhawk #133.
- "Sugar" says she has been ferrying planes to England. In Real World history, the WAFS did not fly overseas, so this would place her in the British ATA. Quality Universe history might not match this, given that Sugar flew to Blackhawk Island from the States, in a Curtiss P-40 with American markings.
- In the 4th panel of the 12th page, "Sugar" breaks the Fourth Wall, and "breaks character," in mid-story, once, for comic effect.
- First issue for Gill Fox (replacing Dave Berg) on Death Patrol, which was last seen in Military Comics #12.
- The art style and comedy style have drastically changed.
- The cast has changed.
- Goucho, Frere Jacques, Mademoiselle from Armentieres, and Prince Totinhot have dropped out, without explanation. Frere Jacques will return in Military Comics #23.
- Gramps, and King Hotintot, both formerly visibly dead, have returned.
- Hank remains dead, and is not mentioned, but will return in Military Comics #22.
- Del and Boris continue normally from where they left off in issue #12.
- Yogi is new.
- The "deadliest gas in the world"
- Scientist: "... fumes take on a human form and grab the nearest American. The effect of the gas on the Yankee changes his mental and physical characteristics ..."
- Trans: It turns an American person into a Japanese person.
- Comic book stories from 1942 may depict some ethnic and racial prejudices that were once commonplace in American society. Such depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While not representing the DC Comics view of today's society, these stories are being indexed and summarized as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.
- PT Boat:
- Paul and Perry's torpedo boat now has a hull number, it's PT-7. In the splash panel we are shown PT-1, but in the story, Harvey and Tobias are working in PT-7.
- Their unit now has a name. It's MTB Squadron Six. Their boss still has no name.
- Japanese sailors look like regular humans and talk like regular guys, with no comical accents, unlike most other stories of this period, including one in this very issue.
- Former snob Wiley Hawkins III's new friend Sam the janitor is Black, and looks like a regular guy and talks in regular slang.
- Secret War News
- "This is an actual story based upon inside facts gathered from U.S.N. Information Bureaus."
- Gavatu is in the Solomon Islands. Many battles, starting with this one, were fought there.
- Japanese troops look like regular humans and talk like regular soldiers, with no comical accents, in this story also. Not one of them surrenders.
- Also featured in this issue of Military Comics were:
- Blackhawk: "The Way of Blackhawk" (text story)
- Johnny Doughboy by Bernard Dibble
Trivia
- Harry Ramsey signed his art on The Sniper as "Ray Ramsey."
See Also
Links and References
