Previous | Next

Tomahawk first appeared in DC's STAR SPANGLED COMICS No. 69 (June, 1947), written by Joe Samachson and drawn by Edmond Good, eventually gaining his own series, TOMAHAWK, with its first issue dated September - October, 1950. ("Tomahawk" also appeared as a back-up feature in many issues of WORLD'S FINEST COMICS during the 1950s.) Tom "Tomahawk" Hawk, raised by Indians, was a buckskin-wearing frontier scout and hero of the Revolutionary War. His young sidekick, Dan Hunter, was in the tradition of Robin, The Boy Wonder and other Golden Age kid characters. The art chores on the strip were later taken on by Fred Ray, a cartoonist with a rustic style and a genuine fascination with the Revolutionary War. Despite Ray's attempts at authenticity, TOMAHAWK series eventually fell under the editorial scrutiny of DC's Jack Schiff, Murray Boltinoff and George Kashdan (although the title of "editor" was credited to Whitney Ellsworth). Like many other DC comics of the time, TOMAHAWK gradually began cover-featuring stories that starred dinosaurs, cave men, gorillas, aliens, monsters and all sorts of goofy gimmicks, even including the occasional superhero (Miss Liberty, for example) or supervillain (King Cobweb and his giant spiders)! How my high school history textbooks managed to miss all of this is beyond me (but if they had included these more of elements, it's certain that I'd have received an "A" in my history class!) Years later, changing its title to SON OF TOMAHAWK toward the end of its run, (and moving its timeframe and locale from the Revolutionary War to the old West) the series ultimately lasted an impressive140 issues!

This issue's 17-page "Tomahawk" cover-story is "The Caveman Ranger", written by Bill Finger and drawn by Fred Ray. Its wild splash page is accompanied by this rousing introduction:

INTRODUCTORY NARRATIVE CAPTION: You've got to be a special breed to be a RANGER - part fox, part wildcat - and ALL MAN! RANGERS come from all places - from big towns and small - from a blacksmith forge in Maine to a sea-going schooner in Boston - but strangest of all was the one who came from the PREHISTORIC PAST! So get set! Here come flying bullets and flying dinosaurs! Here comes touch-and-go trouble with…THE CAVEMAN RANGER!

Tomahawk and his Rangers arrive at a remote, small village located nearby a river. Its folks are excellent boat-builders, and the rangers are there to secure their promise to build warships to be used against the British "redcoats". But the tiny town looks like it was hit by a tornado. They encounter a few of the ragged residents, who claim that the damage was indeed done by a storm -- but their nervous demeanor indicates that the men harbor some sort of "inner terror":

VILLAGER #1: We know you came here to persuade us to fight the British - but you're wasting your time!

VILLAGER #2: Now go - please! I insist - I DEMAND that you leave us alone! Go away from here at once!

But before the Rangers can depart, their presence is noted by a Redcoat sentry, hiding in a bell tower. Ringing the bell as a signal, the British soldier summons a flock of airborne creatures, the likes of which the Revolutionary War era has never seen:

TOMAHAWK: Something's flyin' this way - from across the river!

BIG ANVIL: They sure are comin' fast! Looks like a covey o' big birds!

TOMAHAWK: Birds? They ain't just birds! Look at the size of 'em! They're some sort of flyin' monsters! Hey, Stovepipe - you're the one with book learnin'! What ARE they?

STOVEPIPE: It - it isn't possible, but I see them with my own eyes! They're giant prehistoric DINOSAURS - alive in our time!

TOMAHAWK: And will you look at what's ridin' one o them? It's - a CAVEMAN! And he's leadin' the flock!

Following the orders of the high-flying Neanderthal, the purple Pteranodons attack the Rangers, who quickly realize that the village was damaged by the destructive wind currents stirred up by the critters' leathery wings. When smallish Brass Buttons finds himself about to become dinosaur chow, he's rescued by Big Anvil; the brave and brawny blacksmith is willing to sacrifice his own life for that of the diminutive Ranger. But Big Anvil's too slow; Brass Buttons soon finds himself carried aloft in the beak of the trained Pteranodon. Fortunately, nearby Tomahawk hurls one of the Native American weapons he's named after, forcing the critter to drop his young comrade. While Big Anvil catches the plummeting Brass Buttons, Tomahawk races for the village's nearby bell tower. After dispatching its Redcoat operator, Tomahawk rings the brass bell, signaling the marauding creatures to return from whence they came - then leaps aboard the back of one of them!

WILDCAT: Look at TOMMYHAWK! He must've gone out of his mind! Cannonball - he's gonna ride right into their lair!

CANNONBALL: Take it easy, Wildcat! TOMAHAWK never makes a move without knowin' exactly what he's doin'! He'll get in touch with us - if he lives through it!

TOMAHAWK (thinking): They're headin' for that cavern dead ahead - just like homin' pigeons - an' I'm the CLAY pigeon who's goin' right into their coop! This is where I get off! Got to find a hidin' place - that old pile of bones looks like a likely spot!

But when the weight of his foot snaps a fossil bone that's underfoot, the caveman leader of the pack takes unwanted notice of Tomahawk. The buckskin-wearing bravo takes on his prehistoric opponent bare-handed, but even so, the caveman knocks out Tomahawk without even breathing hard:

GOG: You very brave - but you foolish…to fight me! You should not have followed me here…now you lie still!

SFX: CRASH!

As Tomahawk recovers, he finds himself the captive guest of the brawny caveman, who explains - in English:

TOMAHAWK: Before I blacked out, did you say something in English…or did I imagine it? Who are you?

GOG: I am GOG - the last of my tribe! Once we were many - and lived in a valley with the winged ones and only scaly beasts! But all died - only I and a few winged ones are left now!

While building a fire, Gog explains how he left his hidden valley (and its delicious salad dressing) and found the cave, where he and his winged "pets" could live in seclusion, "alone and free". But soon after the female Pteranodons laid their eggs (incubating in a shaft of warm light from a vent in the cave's ceiling), the prehistoric survivors were accidentally discovered by the British redcoats:

GOG: They somehow find this place - surprise me - I fight, but I cannot beat so many men - so they capture me! They ask me to help them, to be on their side, but I refuse - until they see the eggs of my winged friends…

To force Gog to cooperate, the redcoats took and hid the eggs, withholding their location until the caveman leads his flock of Pteranodons to intimidate the boat-building villagers. Meanwhile, while he listens to Gog's tale, Tomahawk pretends to stoke the fire, sending smoke signals upward through the cave's open vent and into the sky. Nearby, the Rangers notice the distinctive puffs of smoke, which soon leads them to Tomahawk and Gog. Big Anvil immediately wants to settle his score with the caveman. After the Rangers' buckskin-wearing leader relates Gog's back-story, Tomahawk has an inspiration regarding the newfound Neanderthal:

TOMAHAWK: The way I see it, the only way we'll gain his respect is for one of us to beat him in a single-handed fight!

BIG ANVIL: I'm electin' myself for the job, and anyone who objects is gonna have his head hammered down to his toes!

TOMAHAWK: Gog, my man challenges you to fight him! If he wins, will you join us? We promise to rescue the eggs if you do! Agreed?

GOG: I fight, but he not beat me!

BIG ANVIL: Says who, yuh hairy galoot! Yuh're big an' tough -but I'll give yuh a fight yuh'll never forget!

NARRATIVE CAPTION: Then, with the incredible power and savagery of two behemoths, the giant combatants rush at each other…Even as Gog's great arms grip Big Anvil in a rib-cracking bear-hug, the ex-blacksmith breaks it with a sudden surge of strength…Following up his advantage, Big Anvil lashes out with a granite-like fist…

Gog and Big Anvil continue their furious battle, until finally, the bearded Ranger emerges victorious. After Gog recovers from his beating, he makes friends with the burly ex-blacksmith:

BIG ANVIL: I must be getting' rusty, fellers! This little set-to took me a mite longer than I thought it would!

GOG: You very strong! You beat me good! Now Gog keep promise and join you!

TOMAHAWK: Good! We haven't got any time to waste! So let's get crackin'! You'll be a great help, Gog, bein' a temporary RANGER!

BIG ANVIL: Just don't forget one thing! I'M still the big man in this here outfit!

GOG: Gog's jaw still aches! He won't forget!

Good to his word, Gog leads Tomahawk and his Rangers, scaling a sheer cliff-face to ambush an unsuspecting group of enemy redcoats guarding the hostage Pteranodon eggs. But the captain of the captive British soldiers makes a startling revelation:

TOMAHAWK: It's all over, Cap'n! You can't scare the villagers into buildin' warships for you now!

REDCOAT CAPTAIN: Think so? You're too late, TOMAHAWK! They've ALREAY built us one!

TOMAHAWK: One warship! That isn't much!

REDCOAT CAPTAIN: But it IS! It holds a secret weapon that'll smash your rebel defenses!

Convinced that the enemy soldier is telling the truth, Tomahawk concocts a daring scheme to destroy the recently-launched warship. Later, its crew spots the startling sight of the approaching flock of purple Pteranodons, each one ridden by a rebel Ranger! The leathery skin of the bat-like reptiles is resistant to the redcoats' gunfire -- but is all-too-vulnerable to British cannon-fire! A barrage of grapeshot blasts the Pteranodons to shreds, knocking them out of the sky! Fortunately, the Rangers avoid the fate of their prehistoric mounts, safely landing in the river beneath them. Desperate, Tomahawk formulates a plan:

GOG: My friend - the RANGERS - live! But my friends - the winged ones - die!

TOMAHAWK: Gog! They're knocking us out of the sky! We can't survive much long! Three's only one thing left for us to do - rip the sails and ripple the ship, even if we have to sacrifice ourselves!

GOG: I will tell the winged ones to do as you ask!

NARRATIVE CAPTION: Like suicidal Japanese kamikaze of World War II, the lizard-squadron dives - into the barrier-barrage of bursting shot and shell…But somehow, two get through the terrible, deadly missiles to rake beak and claw through the warship's canvas…But as the vessel washes onto shore, the stunning secret weapon is revealed!

TOMAHAWK: It's got - GEARS AND WHEELS! IT CAN MOVE ON LAND! That thing can not only smash our river forts - but our inland defenses, too! Gog! Only one thing to do! I have to blow 'er up! I gotta get to the deck…try to touch off the store of gunpowder with a rifle shot - WHA-A-A? MY LIZARD'S BEEN BLASTED!

(Hey, how many other comics are you gonna read in your lifetime with a line like "My lizard's been blasted!", anyway?) As he watches Tomahawk and his mortally wounded mount plummet into the river's water, the "caveman Ranger" makes a fateful decision:

GOG (thinking): Brave TOMAHAWK and RANGERS willing to give up lives to stop enemy! But they have failed! Now, only I and my last winged one remain! Even when eggs hatch, the young will perish because there are no mother-lizards to feed them! >Sigh!< I have lived too long - now I die - but to do a good thing for my friends!

Although his Pteranodon becomes mortally wounded in the process, Gog dive-bombs the amphibious warship as it rolls across the terrain. After crash-landing on its deck, the valiant cave-dweller wades into the ship's red-coated crew while his battered "pet" expires. Grabbing a rifle, Gog struggles forward, ignoring the projectiles that riddle his muscular body, finally unloading his firearm into the ship's open hold:

REDCOAT SOLDIER: THE GUNPOWDER! HE'S HIT THE STORS OF POWDER! ABANDON SHIP!

But before that can happen, the land-traveling warship explodes, taking the caveman Ranger with it. As they approach the burning hulk, the buckskin-wearing leader of the Rangers makes a final observation:

TOMAHAWK: Gog's old world was dead - he died so our new world could live an' be free Let's go, RANGERS! We gotta round up those survivors!

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

• "Novelty Parade", a black-and-white, inside-front-cover ad for a variety of practical jokes, gadgets, gizmos and gimcracks, all available through mail-order from "Novelty House". (Intriguingly, this advertisement is labeled "© National Periodical Publications, Inc., 1966." Did DC own this mail-order company?)

• "Capture Hill 79 - WIN! A Mountain Of Prizes Over…6,000", an ad for the national "Capture Hill 79" contest (playable with a free "magic map"), sponsored by Hasbro's line of "GI Joe" action figures.

• A half-page DC house-ad for DOOM PATROL No. 110 and PLASTIC MAN No. 3.

• A half-page DC house-ad for HOUSE OF MYSTERY No.165's "Dial H For Hero" story titled "The Freak Super-Heroes!"

• "Strange Coins And Valuable Coin Catalog - All Yours For Only 10ç", a half-page ad for foreign coins and currency available to collectors through mail-order from the "Littleton Coin Co."

• "Free! For A Limited Time Only! Captain Action's Super Hero Parachute", an ad - with artwork by Kurt Schaffenberger, Milton Caniff, Murphy Anderson, Jack Kirby and Chic Stone -- for an accessory to Ideal Toys' "Captain Action" figure.

• A half-page DC house-ad for THE INFERIOR FIVE No. 1.

• "Build This Really Far Out Aurora Hobby Kit", an ad for the "official kit" of the LOST IN SPACE TV series, from "Aurora Plastics".

• "Let's Talk With Tomahawk", a one-page letter-column.

• "The Toy Tiger", an "Origin Of The Rangers" back-up story drawn by Fred Ray. - Narrated by Tomahawk himself, this extended flashback reveals details of the first mission of former army private Jud Fuller, the diminutive Ranger who'd go on to become known as "Brass Buttons". No sooner does young Jud show up to volunteer his services as a Ranger, than Tomahawk and his comrades find themselves under attack by the combined forces of British "redcoats" and Native American Indians. While the Rangers escape their foes by secretly hanging out of sight beneath an outcropping cliff, feisty Jud receives the nickname of "Tiger" from his new teammates, due to his unabated aggressiveness toward the enemy. While Tomahawk and the others wonder how their scrappy new member became so ready-to-fight. Then, in a flashback-within-a-flashback, we see how young Jud spent his childhood protecting his family farm from a wolf-pack and hostile Indian warriors, then defended himself against the village bullies who mocked his fancy "Sunday" clothing. Tracking the enemy forces they just hid from, Tomahawk, "Tiger" and their comrades arrive at a demolished, "empty" town. Checking it out, Jud spots a sniper, forcing the enemy to reveal themselves. During a furious fight, "Tiger" reveals himself to be nearly as dangerous as his nick-namesake. But when he slams a foe through a shop's window, his clothes are shredded by sharp shards of glass. "Tiger" eagerly replaces his ruined outfit with a beautiful new coat, complete with ten shiny brass buttons, claiming it makes him "feel like a knight in shining armor". Suddenly, "Tiger" and the other Rangers are surprised by a new ambush. Dodging bullets and arrows, the Rangers dive for cover, but their latest member has other ideas. Shedding his new coat, "Tiger" uses its brass buttons to reflect the rays of the sun into the eyes of their attackers, momentarily blinding them. Taking advantage of this new development, Tomahawk and the others blast their now-helpless enemies into oblivion. After the smoke clears, the grateful Rangers bestow a new (and much more appropriate) nickname upon Jud - "Brass Buttons"!

• "Direct Currents", a half-page of hype for upcoming DC titles.

• "Cap's Hobby Hints", a half-page instructional "how to do it better" strip written and drawn by cartoonist Henry Boltinoff.

• "Countdown On Excellence", a public service page written by Jack Schiff and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff.

• A 1/3-page "Statement Of Ownership, Management And Circulation" that lists TOMAHAWK's total print-run at 365,000 copies.

• A half-page DC house-ad for ACTION COMICS No. 347/#G-33, an "80 Pg. Giant" with the theme of "Supergirl's Super-Friends And Super-Foes!"

• "Free! Kingdom Of Bhutan Stamps", a half-page ad for foreign stamps available to collectors via mail-order from the "Garcelon Stamp Co."

• "American Basic Science Club's Master Lab…A Home Science Lab And Course", an ad for mail-order instructional courses available from the "American Basic Science Club, Inc."

• "Famous Name Prizes Or Cash…The Easy Olympic Way", a black-and-white, inside-back-cover ad soliciting for young salespeople for boxes of greeting cards from the "Olympic Sales Club, Inc."

• "Make Money - Get Prizes With Fast Selling American Seeds", a back-cover ad soliciting for young salespeople for packets of flower and vegetable seeds from the "American Seed Co."

ODDBALL Factoid - Cartoonist Jerry Robinson recently announced that a new comic book industry award has been created named after writer Bill Finger, the "Finger Award" -- for "lifetime contribution to the art of comics writing"!

Bonus ODDBALL Factoid - Fred Ray was not only a cartoonist, he was also an expert on the costumes, weapons and equipment of the Revolutionary War era!

For more from Scott Shaw!, visit his Web site at http://www.shawcartoons.com/.

Just how odd is today's Oddball Comic?
Cast your vote right now -- from one to five oddballs --
in the poll on the left. Then come talk about it
on the Oddball Comics' discussion board!