Combat Kelly
Combat Kelly is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American 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.
Hank Kelly[edit]
| Combat Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Combat Kelly #1 (November, 1951) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Hank Kelly |
| Species | Human |
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.[1] 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]
Michael Kelly[edit]
| Combat Kelly | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen #1 (June, 1972) |
| Created by | Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Michael Kelly |
| Species | Human |
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).[7] The series name and premise are similar to those of the 1960s film The Dirty Dozen.[8] With issue #5 (Feb. 1973), the cover title changed slightly to Combat Kelly and his Deadly Dozen. In issue #3, Kelly is described as a U.S. Army boxer who in 1940 killed a man in the ring. He was convicted and sentenced for manslaughter, and was later paroled. In the final issue, almost the entire cast is murdered by Nazis.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ^ Conroy, Mike. 500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes (Collins and Brown, 2002), p. 313
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Combat Kelly (Marvel, Atlas [Sphere Publications] imprint, 1951 Series) at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Field, Tom, & Gene Colan. Secrets in the Shadows: The Life and Art of Gene Colan (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2005), p .43
- ^ Grand Comics Database: Combat Kelly #31 (June 1955)
- ^ a b Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 978-1605490564.
- ^ Booker, M. Keith (2014). Comics through Time : A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [4 volume set]. Greenwood Publishing. p. 704. ISBN 978-0313397509 – via Google Books.
Sources[edit]
- Christiansen, Jeff. The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe: "Deadly Dozen"
- Characters created by Dick Ayers
- Characters created by Gary Friedrich
- Comics characters introduced in 1951
- Comics characters introduced in 1972
- Fictional boxers
- Fictional characters from New York City
- Fictional Korean War veterans
- Fictional World War II veterans
- Fictional corporals
- War comics published by Marvel Comics
- Atlas Comics characters
- Atlas Comics titles
- Marvel Comics male characters
- Marvel Comics military personnel