THE IRON MAN WITH THE STEEL FIST! SECRET AGENT SARGE STEEL !!!

Secret Agent #9 was a continuation of the characters from Charlton Comics Sarge Steel title. Following issue #9, Sarge Steel also appeared as a back-up beginning in Judomaster #91-#98. Writers included Joe Gill, SteveSkeates & Dick Giordano with art by Bill Montes, Giordano & Frank McLaughln. The stories in Judomaster fit in between the agonizing year-long hiatus between Secret Agent #9 & #10.

The stories in Judomaster #91-#98 fit in the year-long hiatus between Secret Agent #9 & #10.

 

 

Secret Agent #1 written by marvelous Dick Wood (Jet Dream) with great art by Bill Lignante (The Phantom.)

Secret Agent #2 craftily written by Dick Wood with art by the talented team of Bob Jenney (Creepy) & Sal Trapani (Nukla, Superheroes.)

 

 

Splash page for Steve Englehart & Gil Kane's unpublished Marvel Comics The Prisoner comic book, which came after Jack Kirby's unpublished The Prisoner comic book. Both are fine adaptations of the first episode TV episode "The Arrival."

These final two issues of Charlton Comics Sarge Steel's comic book were titled Secret Agent, even though Gold Key Comics published a dynamic comic of the same title in 1967, based upon the hit television series Danger Man (of which there was previously a Dell Comic book based on the awesome adventures of Danger Man/Secret Agent John Drake.) Not to forget the controversy over Drake being the unnamed lead character in The Prisoner (but that's a another story there.)   

Secret Agent #9  She's Back!! The Lynx! Introducing..Mr. Ize! They're Back!! The Unholy Trio!
Cover by  Dick Giordano (Stephanie Starr.)
"File 109 The Warmaker"
Mr. Ize recruits Ivan Chung, Smiling Skull, Werner von Wess & The Lynx unto a deadly team with only Sarge Steel to face them. If he fails, all mankind is doomed.
Written by Joe Gill (Doomsday +1) with art by Bill Montes (Fightin' 5) & Ernie Bache (Fightin' 5.)  
"Part II The Looters"
Mr. Ize drops a 4000 lb. bomb on a huge oil refinery in the capital of Kuwania.
Written by Joe Gill with art by Bill Montes & Ernie Bache.
"Part III The Warmaker's Stronghold"
Trucks loaded with millions in gold, jewels & priceless paintings roll off a huge plane for Mr. Ize.
Written by Joe Gill with art by Bill Montes & Ernie Bache.
"Sarge Steel's Scrapbook of Judo"
One page intro of Sarge Steel's Judo favorites from his own files.
Script & art by Frank McLaughlin (Judomaster.)
"Sport of Judo"
Two three page features. 
Script & art by Frank McLaughlin.

The stories (Files 110-112 with two unnumbered files) were reprinted in the Modern Comics Judomaster series. It would be great to see all of these stories collected in a nice hardcover treatment, if nothing else, as a tribute to the fine talent of Dick Giordano. Frank McLaughlin's cover for Judomaster #98 (last one pictured above) is one of my all-time favorite Charlton comic book covers. How can you now resist dinosaurs?

I always enjoyed these instructional features!

In the early 1980s, DC comics got the rights of the Charlton material. Back then, the DCU was a multiverse comprising the original versions of Earth-1, Earth-2, Earth-S, etc. The Charlton material (the Question, Peacemaker, Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Judomaster, etc.) was declared to be Earth-4 in this multiverse. 

Two of my favorite illustrations of Sarge Steel from Dick Giordano. First one because he knew how to draw cars (nice Jag) and the other because it's black and white (great composition.)

Live Large My Friends!

Thank You!

Some more terrific secret agent comic books out around the same time!

The John Drake series was shown in the UK as Danger Man and aired in the US as Secret Agent.Art on Danger Man by Tony Tallarico (Werewolf.)

John Steele is a government agent, working as a spy/adventurer at large. Freedom Agent continued in John Steele, Secret Agent #1. written by the prolific Paul S. Newman with fantastic art by Giovanni Ticci & Alberto Giolitti (Turok, Star Trek.)

The Official Secret Agent reprints the King Features Secret Agent Corrigan daily comic strip from the late sixties. Written by the great Archie Goodwin (His Name is...Savage!, Manhunter) with superb art by Al Williamson (Flash Gordon, Star Wars) & Stanley Pitt (Dolphin.)