Even given the quirky history of comic books, The Double Life of Private Strong was an odd title.
For one thing, what other superhero comic was named after the protagonist’s secret identity? For another, why would a title launched at the perfect time to become popular be killed off after a mere two issues?
Created for Archie Comics by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in June 1959, just ahead of the 1960s’ boom market for superheroes, the title took the route that had proven successful with DC’s the Flash (and would work well for Green Lantern the next month). In each case, a popular 1940s superhero was rebooted, updated and streamlined for the jet age.
Simon and Kirby’s most successful creation had been 1941’s Captain America, a Marvel character they essentially parodied for Prize Comics with 1954’s Fighting American.
But the first flag-costumed patriotic superhero had been the Shield, published in January 1940 by MLJ, which would become Archie. Joe Higgins, an FBI agent who possessed superhuman strength and durability, fought criminals and spies as the Shield until 1948 (although his super powers had faded by then).
In retooling the Shield, Simon and Kirby amped-up the superman factor, granting him flight, super-strength, invulnerability, super-vision and the ability to project lightning. The orphaned son of a scientist who’d given him his expanded-mind powers, Lancelot Strong was adopted and raised by a kindly farm couple.
All that was a bit too similar to Superman for DC, which promptly threatened legal action and ended the title after its second issue. However, this Shield would reappear once or twice more — with his super powers muted — as a guest star in The Adventures of the Fly.
They made the Shield’s secret identity that of an Army private, perhaps because most young men were drafted in those days, and perhaps because their most successful character had also hidden his red, white and blue costume under the tan of an U.S. Army uniform.
Michael Uslan wrote: I think back in 1979/1980 when I spent a lot of time with John Goldwater, Senior and also interviewed him. I wish I had asked him if there was a corporate strategic reason that they titled the comic book “The Double Life of Private Strong“ instead of “The Shield.“ What if… This was not a Simon and Kirby creative decision, but was a corporate decision? MLJ had never published a comic book solely under the title of “The Shield,” only “Shield-Wizard.” So my point is that perhaps there was a legal reason that they felt it was too risky to put out a comic book simply called “The Shield.“ If someone is a lawyer out there and can research trademarks OUTSIDE the comic book industry covering the 1940s and 50s, we may stumble across the actual rationale for the use of this bizarre title.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Williams wrote: This was one of my favorite comic books, and I liked that title. It was one of the prizes of my collection as a boy. I was almost obsessed with this version of The Shield, and found the later version so diluted and lukewarm compared to this vibrant Simon and Kirby creation as to almost be unreadable.
ReplyDeleteI think that his origin was different enough from Superman's so that DC's case seems to me to have been pretty mean spirited.
As I have said before, Simon and Kirby's early Adventures of The Fly, and The Secret Life of Private Strong both had profound impacts upon the very young, comic book loving me.
Bob Doncaster said: With those similar powers I'm not surprised DC legal eagles were screeching, but at 4 or 5 at the time I wouldn't have made the conection.
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