Today in Comics History, January 23: Happy birthday, Captain Storm!

No, no, not Johnny Storm's little-seen starship commander uncle...but Captain William Storm of WWII, PT boat captain and leader of The Losers, over in the DC Universe. An' today's his birthday!


from Super DC Calendar 1976 (DC, 1975), letters by Ben Oda




You Can't Tell the Players Without a Program Dept.: Read all about him from the yellow-dotted pages of the original Who's Who! The one that, thanks to being published simultaneously with Crisis on Infinite Earths, was outdated before it was published!


from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (1985 series) #4 (DC, June 1985); text by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, and Mike W. Barr; pencils by Irv Novick; inks by Romeo Tanghal; colors by Len Wein, Tom Ziuko, and Tatjana Wood
Capt. Storm was created by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick, and debuted in his own self-named title in 1964, pretty soon after another charismatic but real-life PT Boat Captain had been in the news for a few years. Yep: I'm talking about Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale.


cover of Capt. Storm #1 (DC, May 1964), pencils and inks by Irv Novick, letters and logo design by Ira Schnapp
Yes, Captain Storm! Hard-hitting, tough-fisted, tree-legged commander of the amber blue waves of grain sea.


from Capt. Storm #1; script by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick
Sadly, Capt. Storm and his Losers died in 1944 during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. They were killed in Markovia, of all places. And I think we all know what an uncomfortable place that is to get killed in.



from Crisis on Infinite Earths #3 (DC, June 1985), script by Marv Wolfman, pencils by George Pérez, inks by Dick Giordano and Mike DeCarlo, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by John Costanza
Killed in Markovia in 1944. I'd say blame Geo-Force. Baut in another comicbook only a few months later, Storm and the Losers actually die again, in a much less science-fictiony way, in 1945. What? I mean, WHAT?



from The Losers Special #1 one-shot (DC, September 1985), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Judith Hunt and Sam Glanzman, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Surely this cannot be the last mission of the Losers!


Oh. Ah, well. Shed a tear then, for the double death of Captain Storm and the Losers, who didn't survive World War II and



from "Snapshot: Remembrance!" in DC Universe: Legacies #4 (DC, October 2010); script by Len Wein; pencils, inks, and colors by Joe Kubert; addtional colors and letters by Pete Carlsson
OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD DC

Anyway, happy birthday, Capt. Storm! Say, is there any special thing we can do for you on your birthday?


house subscription ad from Capt. Storm #1