Combat Kelly #10 — Nick Peron

Aug 31

Aug 31 Combat Kelly #10

Combat Kelly

In the thick of battle with Chinese forces, Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak run out of ammo and are forced to fight with their bare hands. Their fighting abilities impress the commanding officer orders that Combat and Cookie be taken alive. Soon the two soldiers are overpowered by superior numbers. Still impressed with Combat's skills, the commanding officer takes him back to their base and puts Combat up to a challenge: He must fight their sumo wrestler Yamakayaka, if Combat wins he and Cookie will be set free, if he loses they both die.

Combat agrees and he enters a ring with Yamakayaka and has to fight by the rules of the Sumo wrestling style. Combat mocks the ceremony that Yamakayaka undertakes before the fight. But his humor is quickly quashed when the sumo wrestler runs into him, almost knocking Combat out of the ring. However, Combat manages to spring back on the ropes and bowl into Yamakayaka, knocking him down and winning the match. The commanding officer is furious and attempts to execute Yamakayaka, but Combat comes to his aid, knocking the gun out of his hand. When the Chinese soldiers attempt to fight back Yamakayaka piles into them and easily over powers the army, beating them all into unconsciousness.

In the aftermath of the battle Yamakayaka tells Combat and Cookie that he is Japanese and has been the prisoner of the Chinese since 1945 and the forced him to fight in sumo matches for their own amusement. For being freed by Combat and Cookie, Yamakayaka pledges his servitude to them. He is surprised when Combat and Cookie consider him an equal and invite him to return to base as their equal.

Recurring Characters

Combat Kelly
Cookie Novak
Yamakayaka

Combat Kelly

Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak are among American troops trying to take hold of a Korean village currently occupied by Chinese forces. Armed with a flame thrower, Combat is able to roast a number of enemy troops holed up in a hut. After emptying out a few houses, Combat tries a third and is surprised when his flame thrower shoots only fuel, realizing that he has used up all the ignition cylinders. When Cookie asks Combat to reload them, Combat tells him that if he uses the flame thrower they'll light themselves up after being doused with the fuel. Soon they find that the house they were going to search is empty and flag it.

After American troops secure the village they press on to a nearby hill where Chinese forces are holed up on the ridge. Combat and Cookie are sent up to force them out with their flame thrower. When they get into position, Cookie gives covering fire while Combat prepares to fire his flame thrower. However, Combat forgot to reload the ignition cylinders and only succeeds in dousing the enemy soldiers with fuel instead of fire. With the enemy charging, Cookie is shocked when Combat suggests that they surrender.

When they surrender, Combat turns over his flame thrower to the Chinese soldiers. He then shows them how to use it. When one of the soldiers gives off a test burst it lights the soldiers on fire. The blast knocks Combat and Cookie to safety and they are thanked by their fellow soldiers for wiping out the enemy.

Recurring Characters

Combat Kelly
Cookie Novak
Major Thorn

A Pass for Cookie

Cookie is ambushed by an enemy soldier but easily knocks him out. When he brings the downed enemy soldier back to base as a prisoner he once more pressures his commanding officer Captain O'Hooligan if he can go on the 24 hour leave that he has been promised. Tired of Cookie's constant hounding for leave, O'Hooligan arranges for Cookie's leave to get him out of his hair.

On the evening of his 24 hour leave, Cookie goes to the small Korean town of Chonkum with excitement. However, he soon finds trouble when he sees what appears to be two men trying to rob a woman and comes to her aid. He throws one man, and when the other throws a knife, he easily dodges it and throw his own, striking the man. When he goes to check on the woman she suddenly knocks him out when his guard is down.

Cookie comes to in a M.P. medical tent and finds that there are two soldiers waiting to take him back to his base. It turns out he was knocked out for his entire 24 hour leave. Worse, even though they have heard reports of a communist agent who has been pulling this scam to rob American troops, they refuse to believe him. Instead they think that he passed out drunk in an alleyway out of uniform, a major infraction. When he is brought back to base Captain O'Hooligan is not impressed and also does not believe Cookie's story and puts him in the stockaide for 30 days, much to his chagrin.

Recurring Characters

Cookie Novak
Sargent O’Hooligan

Combat Kelly

Combat Kelly and Cookie Novak are put on sentry duty. The two remark on how quiet things have been since they captured Yalu River Rosie, and are shocked when they see the subject of their conversation strolling out of camp. Combat and Cookie rush after her and easily subdue her. But before they can drag her back to the company jail, Major Thorn stop them and informs them that they are letting Rosie go as part of a prisoner exchange to get one of their captured generals back. Combat is even more upset when Thorn tells them that they have been assigned to escort Rosie back to the enemy camp to facilitate the exchange, Thorn sternly warns them not to pull a double-cross as that is not how they operate.

Combat and Cookie grudgingly return Rosie to her superiors, but when they exchange is made, the Chinese soldiers suddenly turn on them to take all three soldiers prisoner. Rosie then orders Combat to drive their jeep to the location she instructs them. However, Combat has other ideas and runs down the Chinese soldiers surrounding them and heads back to base at top speed. When Rosie threatens to shoot Combat and the other passengers, Combat warns her that doing so at the speed they are going will lead to a fatal wreck that will take her life as well. To punctuate this possibility, Combat begins driving recklessly across the rugged terrain along the way to base.

The wild ride ends when they arrive at base and Combat loses control of the jeep, sending it crashing into a nearby tree. Miraculously they all survive the crash, but Rosie is knocked out in the process. When Major Thorn comes to chew out Combat for what appears to be disobeyed orders, the general informs Thorn what happened and goes over his rank by telling Thorn that Combat and Cookie are being commended and being allowed a 30 day leave in Tokyo.