Hoo is this ba-ad stuff! Cheap art and sappoid stories...I coulda seen a whole slew of page-boy'd bell bottom and kerchief'd teenagers who made up the bulk of early-seventies comic fandom gag at the antics of these guys before returning to the safety of GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW, BLESS THE BEASTS AND CHILDREN and of course the soothing strains of Carole King.
And that's not the only reason I like it!
The slapdash delineation found in this early-forties back-page feature from CRASH COMICS actually does appeal to me a whole lot more'n today's fine-penned and unintentionally TRITE style. A style which I get the idea is done up by young upstart primadonnas who think they're creating something unique and cutting edge as far as industry standards go yet its so cloyingly "same old" and wooden. In other words, the art probably fits the story to a "T". But, as we all know, all that'll get said doodler a cover story in COMIC ARTIST a good three years from now and maybe that's all that really matters!
Well, at least I get that impression just like I do the one where I imagine some "comics as aht" type right, at this very moment, polishing up on his acceptance speech for the next Eisner Awards get together!
As for me well...I don't care if whoever it was that drew FLYING TRIO did it with his feet, because the cheap crank out look does more for me in my own counter-slob way than the whole of that abysmal style that makes up the creme of the last four decades of comic art. And it is way more pleasing on the eyes as well.
The simplified broken down stories with loose ends and unanswered all over the place questions also prove that FLYING TRIO had a whole lot more going for it than all of those graphic novels from the seventies on...after all, this series was nothing but filler and like it wasn't anything that was gonna actually sell a mag the way a costumed hero or skinny teenager with red hair onna cover would. But for the same kids Bill Shute always seems to mention who were out for a cheap entertainment thrill and had that now-long lost sense of adventurism and what it means to be an adolescent stay at home schlub on God's Great Earth, this sure meant more than the latest slobberin' picture as Beaver would have said. Straight ahead fun that was to the point, concentrating on what needs to be concentrated on and nothing more.
Kinda like a stripped-down BLACKHAWK, THE FLYING TRIO featured the antics of three Soldiers of Fortune stuck in the mythical Eastern Euro nation of Sylvania during those pre-WW II days when everybody knew something big was gonna happen but the big question was when. Two of the guys seem to be yer standard gosh all golly hero types with nothing special to separate 'em from the reams of similar types in the comics, radio and film realm. The third, surprisingly enough, is a Chinese who, as you would expect, spurts out more pearls of Oriental* wisdom than Joe Jitsu himself! Oddly enough this particular character named "Low" seems to be the real wild card (and most interesting character) of the bunch---not necessarily some Cholly-esque Chinese comedy relief but a guy who takes the big risks and gets away with it each and every time...sorta! As far as personality and general like-atude go Low is the one who stands out far more than his compats, and it's easy to see that he certainly ain't no "Chop Chop" from BLACKHAWK who was such a stooped cretin that I'm sure many readers had a hard time believing he was human!
Well anyway, take that you hidebound moral guardians who think that everything from the wicked "past" is evil, racist, sexist and the rest of those naughty "-ists" which should be shielded from modern day sensibilities!
There's a lot that's packed into these four page stories even if plenty had to be left out for "practical purposes" (well, could you think of a better excuse?). But sheesh, why do I find these adventures so much more entertaining and "satisfying" than I do just about every shard of comic book entertainment that's been shoved at me since the days I turned away from the medium with a vengeance? Answer ain't hard to figger...give this 'un a read and find out for yourself!
*Yeah, I know that the term "Oriental" is verboten in certain quarters for reasons I still cannot fathom, but it sure is grand to watch the easily offended types squirm with moral indignation every time I sneak something that could be considered offensive into my writings, and usually on purpose! And, as we all should know, in these Old Biddy days just about EVERYTHING can be twisted and shaped into someone's idea of "racism" if they put their all-knowing minds to it, just like any simple phrase or saying can be construed as being "dirty" as the little boy said to the little girl on the way to the picnic.
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