Combat Kelly (1st Series)

    (Marvel, 1951-1957)
©1953 Sphere Publications, Inc. (Marvel)

Debuting in November, 1951, Combat Kelly was an action-filled war comic set during the Korean War, which the U.S. was then fighting. The star of this series was a rough-and-tumble Irishman who took on the “Quilted Horde” (North Koreans) armed with his M-1 Garande rifle and unlimited courage. He was backed up by similarly fearless dogfaces, including “Cookie,” an unimpressive-looking lad who in one story is shown single-handedly wiping out an entire Communist platoon.

An atypical title, Combat Kelly was a brawling shoot-em-up at a time when many other comics were taking a sadder, more reflective look at warfare.
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