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splash-page

bronze colossus

gigantic robot

this cutaway-view diagram

riding a buck deer -- bareback!

educational page

public service page

THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF TOMAHAWK!

educational page

Cartoonist Frederic “Fred” E. Ray was born on February 4, 1920, in Harrisburg/ Pennsylvania. Fred began training himself in high school by copying illustrations by Howard Pyle, W. H. D. Koerner, Frederick Gruger and N. C. Wyeth; other influences included Hal (PRINCE VALIANT) Foster and Noel (SCORCHY SMITH) Sickles. Later, he studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy Of Fine Arts. Beginning in 1940, Fred drew many classic covers for Golden Age issues of SUPERMAN, ACTION COMICS and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS, but his only “Superman” interior story was “I Sustain The Wings” -- written by Mort Weisinger -- that appeared in SUPERMAN No. 25 (December, 1943). Fred also re-designed the original “S” insignia on Superman’s chest. He also worked on “Batman And Robin, The Boy Wonder” in DETECTIVE COMICS (1942 - 1944, 1950), BRAVE AND THE BOLD (1968), the “Congo Bill” feature (appearing in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS) from 1941 - 1947, and drew many issues of TOMAHAWK (from the days it was a mere back-up feature in 1947) until the early 1970s. Fred also drew -- and sometimes wrote -- “filler” stories for DC’s GI COMBAT, MORE FUN COMICS, OUR ARMY AT WAR, OUR FIGHTING FORCES, RADIO SQUAD, REAL FACT COMICS and STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES. He also briefly worked on the Sunday edition of the syndicated newspaper comic strip, BATMAN, for the McClure Syndicate in 1946. Fred Ray also authored several books on American history such as OH, SAY, CAN YOU SEE (1970) and ALFRED R. WAUD. CIVIL WAR ARTIST (1974). He published, edited, wrote and illustrated such booklets as FT. HENRY, STAR SPANGLED BANNER, LAKE GEORGE, OLD FT. NIAGARA, STORY OF THE ALAMO, FT. TICONDEROGA, GETTYSBURG SKETCHES, VALLEY FORGE, ANTIETAM, DRUMS OF YORKTOWN, FORTS AND BATTLEFIELDS and FRONTIER. Fred also illustrated books such as BOB LANE, NEWS CAMERAMAN (1947); illustrated covers and articles for such magazines as HISTORICAL TIMES, TRUE FRONTIER, THE WEST and YANK; was an acknowledged authority on military uniforms of the Revolutionary War (doing work for the Smithsonian Institute); and even designed historical medals and figurines for the Danbury Mint.

This issue’s 8 and 2/3-page “Tomahawk” cover-story is “The Secret Of The Iron Chief”, which was drawn by cartoonist Fred Ray and edited by Jack Schiff, with associate editors Murray Boltinoff and George Kashdan. It begins with this splash-page introduction:

INTRODUCTORY CAPTION:
The defenders of the fort stared incredulously at the thing leading the Indian attack! Never before had they seen a sight like it -- and if the perilous plan of TOMAHAWK and Dan Hunter didn’t succeed, nobody would ever solve…THE SECRET OF THE IRON CHIEF

At Fort War Drum, Tomahawk and Dan Hunter greet a wagon train that’s in the process of arriving, one led by an old scout named Pete, who hopes to rest overnight, then continue on their way, but Tomahawk warns against this. He’s heard word that some of Chief Blue Eagle’s young chieftains have plans to attack the fort. In fact, that night, Tomahawk and Dan eavesdrop on the tribe’s powwow, at which they overhear some “real warpath talk” about some sort of “secret weapon”. But they’re not caught by surprise as a pair of tribesmen sneak up behind them; “with the suddenness of birds taking to flight”, Tomahawk and Dan evade their tomahawks and quickly ride back to Fort War Drum, where they’re met by Pete the scout. Expecting an attack by the Native Americans, Tomahawk and Dan organize a party of men who stand lookout along the top of the wooden walls of the fort -- and they’re not disappointed:

DAN HUNTER:
Great guns, TOMAHAWK! LOOK!

FRONTIERSMAN NO. 1:
What on Earth --?

FRONTIERSMAN NO. 2:
That thing’s not only incredible -- but IMPOSSIBLE!

NARRATIVE CAPTION:
Up the sloping stretch of clearing, leading a host of mounted warriors, strides a gigantic metallic figure…

FRONTIERSMAN NO. 3:
TOMAHAWK! They’re being led by an IRON CHIEF!

FRONTIERSMAN NO. 4:
What’ll we do? We can’t fight THAT thing!

TOMAHAWK:
Who says we can’t! OPEN FIRE! And keep ON firing!

While the others fire their rifles at the oncoming bronze colossus, Tomahawk acts on a plan, going to Pete for kegs of whale oil, which he sets afire and rolls down the slope. The flaming cylinders force the advancing tribesmen to flee, but the Iron Chief keeps advancing, reaching into the fort with its “great metallic hands” to grab up one of the Conestoga wagons parked inside. Unseen, Tomahawk and Dan leap upwards and hide inside the wagon, which the gigantic robot carries away into the woods. Before it sets down the wagon in a clearing, the buckskin-clad “frontier friends” jump out, once again without being seen. Watching from within some bushes, Tomahawk and Dan see the Iron Chief’s chest-plate open to reveal a pair of “palefaces” inside! While the duo watch from their hiding place, the white men reveal plans of their own:

CHIEFTAIN NO. 1:
Why didn’t we continue our attack on the fort? With your aid, we could’ve beaten them!

WHITE MAN NO. 1:
We had to make sure the stuff we want is in this wagon! Let’s take a look!

As they remove kegs from the wagon and split them open to reveal hidden stashes of gold inside, the robot-master continues:

WHITE MAN NO. 1:
We robbed a gold shipment back in Newport City but couldn’t leave town with it! So we hid it inside these kegs, and let that wagon take it out for us!

CHIEFTAIN NO. 1:
You said if I helped you get your gold back, you would help ME take the fort -- and become chief!

WHITE MAN NO. 2:
Don’t worry -- we’ll still help you!

WHITE MAN NO. 1:
That’s why we stole the big robot from that inventor in Boston-town! He built it as a curiosity. But WE saw a chance to use it! Now let’s take the fort and replace BLUE EAGLE as chief!

(It’s interesting to note that the word “robot” hadn’t even been invented yet, having first been coined by Czech writer Karel Capek in his 1920 play R.U.R. It’s even more interesting that the creator of the Iron Chief also built it with a gigantic metal-feathered headdress!) Suddenly, they’re interrupted as the Iron Chief begins to move, apparently on its own volition! But as we see in this cutaway-view diagram, Tomahawk and Dan Hunter are now operating the giant robot, using it to capture the scheming collaborators in its huge metal hands. Later, in Chief Blue Eagle’s village, with the now-immobile form of the Iron Chief looming in the background:

CHIEF BLUE EAGLE:
They even had my tribe and me convinced the Iron Chief was alive! I am glad you found them out, TOMAHAWK! Now we can have peace with the fort!

TOMAHAWK:
Dan and I will return the robot to its inventor! We could walk it back to Boston-town, but I’m afraid of the fuss it might kick up!

DAN HUNTER:
We’ll dismantle it and load the parts on several wagons! The inventor will have to rebuild it, but I reckon he won’t mind!

Also included in this issue of TOMAHAWK are the following stories, features and advertisements:

• “Don’t Be Held Back By A Half-A-Man Body”, a black-and-white, inside-front-cover ad for bodybuilding courses available via mail-order from “Charles Atlas”.

• “Tomahawk” in “Three Tasks For Tomahawk”, drawn by Fred Ray. -- “Why did the stream at the Indian village suddenly -- and mysteriously -- run dry, and why was there no game to be found in the woods and hills? These become life-and-death questions for the famed frontiersman who is challenged to seek a solution by performing…THREE TASKS FOR TOMAHAWK”. On “special assignment” from American headquarters, Tomahawk and Dan Hunter investigate Chief Terre Haute, who’s considered to be neutral, but often is seen in the company of British “Redcoats” and their Mohawk allies. “The frontier friends” are ambushed and captured, but before they’re taken to British headquarters, they learn that Chief Terre Haute is considering siding with the British. This potential policy change is due to the facts that the tribe’s flowing river has mysteriously dried up and their supply of wild game has somehow vanished -- so the British are offering them new land with plenty of both. Desperate, Tomahawk makes a deal; if he can restore the tribe’s stream and wildlife, they’ll let him and Dan go! Despite the Redcoats’ protests, Chief Terre Haute orders his tribesmen to let Tomahawk go free, but to hold onto Dan as their hostage. While our buckskin-wearing hero investigates the water situation, Dan overhears the head Redcoat telling his Mohawk allies to stop Tomahawk at all costs, so he manages to sever his rope bonds with a piece of shattered pottery. Meanwhile, Tomahawk discovers that the river has been dammed, but before he can blast the dam apart with gunpowder from his powder horn, he’s jumped by two Mohawk braves. Fortunately, they flee as the gunpowder explodes, setting free the dammed-up water to flow toward the village once again. Then, following deer and buffalo tracks, Tomahawk notices moccasin prints, indicating that the game animals have been driven away from their normally-inhabited grounds. Again, he discovers the critters fenced in a box canyon, but spots smoke signals sent by the Mohawk guards at the dam. Preparing for visitors, Tomahawk rigs up a dummy of himself as a decoy for the arriving Redcoats and Mohawks, then triggers the animals into stampeding by riding a buck deer -- bareback! As the escaping beasts scatter into the wilderness, Tomahawk is joined by Dan Hunter, who warns his friend of the enemy’s plot against him, a situation that the canny frontiersman has already figured out. Tomahawk sends Dan to deliver a message to a nearby settlement while he returns to the Native American village. As he arrives, Chief Terre Haute and his tribesmen are simultaneously notified of the restored water and game animals, spurring the Redcoats and Mohawks to try to escape, so Tomahawk delays them, physically. Then Dan arrives, accompanied by a spokesman from the nearby settlement, to accept restitution for previous raids by Chief Terre Haute’s men. It seems as if Tomahawk has achieved three impossible tasks, the third one being bringing peace between the Native American tribe and the settlers! After Tomahawk explains to the chief how the Redcoats manipulated the river and the game animals, a final mystery is solved -- they wanted to gain Chief Terre Haute’s trust so they could take over his tribe’s land, which was needed for military strategy; from the heights their village occupies, the British cannons could have commanded the entire area!

• “Our First Flags”, a 1/3-page educational feature.

• “Indian Album -- The Iroquois Nation”, an educational page.

• “Bike Safety = Bike Fun! Can You Pass This Bike Safety Test?”, a public service page, written by Jack Schiff and drawn by Bernard Baily.

• A page featuring two advertisements: “Be My Guest At Palisades Amusement Park, New Jersey”, an ad that features coupons for free admission and free rides on “The Caterpillar” and the “Tilt-A-Whirl”; and “Frontier Cabin -- Big Enough For 2-3 Kids”, an ad for a “huge, western-style cabin” available through mail-order from “Frontier Cabin”.

• “Tomahawk’ in “The Midnight Ride Of Tomahawk!”, penciled by Fred Ray and inked by Ray Burnley. -- “Those were truly ‘times that try men’s souls’ when, in the early days of the American Revolution, the colonists were disheartened, discouraged and on the verge of defeat! But then TOMAHAWK and DAN HUNTER, frontiersmen of a budding nation, joined hands with one of history’s great names, pamphleteer Tom Paine, to help save a new world! And for many years afterward, victorious Americans recalled with awe -- ‘THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF TOMAHAWK!’” When drooping morale and disillusionment spreads throughout the Colonies during the early days of the Revolutionary War, resulting in a string of victories for the British, the situation doesn’t go unnoticed at an American Army field headquarters. There, Thomas Paine, aide-de-camp to General Nathaniel Greene, decides to write a piece titled “The Crisis” intended to inspire his fellow Americans, both soldiers and civilians in their fight against the Redcoats. But there’s a problem; once the thousands of pamphlets bearing Paine’s words are printed, how will they be distributed, especially through enemy lines? Fortunately, General Greene has a solution in the form of Tomahawk and Dan Hunter, who arrive in response to the general’s summons. They readily accept the mission, and within a few nights, the “frontier friends” are posing as junk peddlers, penetrating enemy lines with a horse-drawn cart full of Paine’s inspiring pamphlets hidden under the junk. Then, with the cooperation of Native Americans friendly to the revolutionaries’ cause, more pamphlets are carried by their canoes to distant towns in enemy-held territory. Next, Tomahawk, Dan and other brave colonists take the direct approach, riding horseback to remote outposts and coastal towns to deliver the pamphlets, sometimes racing past “the very rifles of British sentries”. Of course, this doesn’t go unnoticed by the British, the soldiers of which are ordered to halt the distribution of Paine’s pamphlets -- or else. With the Redcoats on watch for Tomahawk and his comrades, the revolutionaries resort to even more creative methods of distribution. When British soldiers spot Tomahawk and Dan riding through their line, they open fire, apparently bringing down both riders but not their horses. But after the Redcoats follow their mounts, they discover that their saddlebags are filled with twigs! Meanwhile, Tomahawk and Dan -- having faked being wounded -- move on with bundles of pamphlets -- steal a canoe belonging to a tribe of Native Americans sympathetic to the British, while sinking all of the others. Then they make their deliveries to remote towns “where severe punishment awaits anyone caught with the pamphlets”. Their townspeople are so inspired by them that they take to arms, forming a ragtag civilian army that marches to the words of Thomas Paine: “These are the times that try men’s souls…” Tomahawk and Dan also manage to deliver Paine’s pamphlets to the men on the battlefields, giving them the encouragement necessary to keep on fighting. As Paine’s inspiring words are “read and re-read, passed along to others -- and read again”, they produce an effect that reinvigorates the entire American Army, spurring them on to meeting the “British onslaught” with a renewed fervor. A few days later, at a field headquarters, Tomahawk and Dan Hunter receive the personal thanks of Thomas Paine himself, “To men like you, Tomahawk, goes the credit for victory -- for a new attitude taken by the colonies!” Tomahawk responds accordingly, “No, Tom Paine…your PEN spelled the difference! It was always in the vanguard, proving again to be mightier than any sword -- or gun!”

• “Our Indian Heritage”, an educational text-page.

• “Pioneer Trails”, an educational page.

• “Camping -- Types Of Outdoor Fires”, a 1/3-page educational feature.

• “Do You Want Spending Money? Sell These Popular Patriotic And Religious Mottoes”, an ad looking for people to solicit “beautiful glittering mottoes” from door-to-door, representing “Stephens Credit Sales”.

• “What’s Wrong Here?”, an ad looking for people to solicit “beautiful new Artistic Christmas and All-Occasion Greeting Cards” from door-to-door, representing the “Artistic Card Co.”

• “Boys! Girls! Ladies! Men! Win A Beautiful Signet Ring Engraved With Your Own Initial -- It’s Fun! It’s Easy! All You Do Is…Name These Famous U.S. Presidents”, a black-and-white, inside-back-cover ad looking for people to solicit “White Cloverine Brand Salve” from door-to-door, representing the “Wilson Chemical Co.”

• “150 Civil War Soldiers!”, a back-cover ad for “two complete armies -- the blues and the greys”, available via mail-order from the “Josely Co.” (Considering the time period this comic book series is set in, wouldn’t it have made much more sense to run an ad for a set of Revolutionary War toy soldiers?)

ODDBALL FACTOID – Tomahawk’s co-creator, writer Joe Samachson, was also the co-creator of “J’onn J’onzz, The Martian Manhunter”, plotting the character’s first story, “The Strange Experiment Of Dr. Erdel“, which appeared in DETECTIVE COMICS No. 225 (November, 1955)!

New Next Week: ODDBALL COMIC #1,190: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2007 – Let’s raise the ODDBALL COMICS glass and toast IF YOUR PARENTS DRINK TOO MUCH…, a modern-day “giveaway” comic aimed at today’s teenage children of alcoholics, such as Hispanic Maria, African-American Tyrone and spoiled white rich kid Jason! But while the intentions of the “Alateen” organization are certainly well-meaning -- considering that this little funnybook was originally written in 1974 -- how are present-day teenagers expected to react to such dated material? Oh, well, perhaps they’ll pay more attention to this publication’s expose of the deadly perils of driving while trying to eat pizza!

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