USA Comics Primer
Series Overview
USA Comics was another anthology series put out by Timely Comics in the 1940s. The series started off trying to introduce more costumed superheroes. The first issue introduced the Defender (a Captain America clone created by Jack Kirby), Major Liberty, Rockman, the Young Avenger, and Jack Frost. In the second issue the Young Avenger was retired out and three more characters were introduced: Captain Terror, the super-speedster known as the Whizzer, and the FBI agent turned fighting-hobo called the Vagabond. In issue #4 the series retired out most characters leaving only the Vagabond and the Whizzer. The Vagabond was moved to an issue of the Young Allies before he was cut, while the Whizzer remained a recurring feature throughout the rest of the run. Issue #4 also introduced Corporal Dix and started a series of on-off war stories since World War II was in full swing by this point. Issue #5 tried to introduce a whole new cast of characters including the Victory Boys, the Fighting Hobo, the Blue Blade, Roko the Amazing, and El Gaucho. It also featured an Black Widow back-up story.
However, none of these characters would endure as by issue #6 there was a massive content shift on the title. The title became a regular home for some of Timely’s better established heroes, namely Captain America, the Destroyer, and the Whizzer. The title also continued to try and feature recurring stories about soldiers and other war themed stories. Corporal Dix was promoted to Sargent. The only other enduring military character was the offensively named Jap Buster Johnson, who was a reflection of American anger over the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during the war. The Secret Stamp also started making regular appearances from issue #7 to 9. By the time the series ended in 1945 the only regular features were Captain America, the Whizzer, and the Destroyer.
Soft Retcons
Like many of the Timely era series, the characters that appeared in USA Comics have seen revivals and some soft retcons over the years.
Captain America - Per Avengers #4 and What If? #4, Steve Rogers and James Barnes, the original Captain America and Bucky went missing in action in 1945. This affects who appears as Captain America and Bucky in this series. All appearances of Captain America and Bucky in this series can be attributed to Steve Rogers and James Barnes except for the final issue, which are attributed to William Nasland and Fred Davis.
Slow Motion Jones - The Whizzer’s sidekick became a major character in All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes limited series. That series revealed that Jones was not the powerless minstrel show caricature that was depicted in this series. Instead he was a super-speedster himself. The explanation for this was that, in that series, it was revealed that the US military commissioned Timely Comics to produce comic books based on superheroes that were enlisted in the military in a propaganda tool to promote the war effort. These stories were based on real events with some changes to appeal to readers of the era, hence the racist depictions of Slow Motion Jones in these USA Comics stories.
Jap Buster Johnson - Was also affected by this soft retcon. In All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes, Johnson wasn’t a member of the Navy, but part of the army. He was still incredibly racist though.
Rockman - Rockman became on the of the main character in The Twelve. That series threw his origins into question suggesting that his underground kingdom was only a paranoid delusion. It suggested that in reality Rockman was the lone survivor when the mining town he lived was utterly annihilated in an accident. However the climax to that series added an air of ambiguity to the truth.
Destroyer - When the Destroyer character was revived in Invaders (Vol. 1), it was stated that Kevin Marlow was not a real person and that the real Destroyer was Brian Falsworth who later passed on the identity to Roger Aubrey. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3 states that Kevin Marlow was a real man. All appearances of the Destroyer in USA Comics can be attributed to Kevin Marlow.
Series Legacy
In addition to the characters referenced above, many of the others who appeared in USA Comics were revived over the years. The Whizzer, and Jack Frost were the first to return, during the Roy Thomas’ revival of wartime heroes in the 1970s. The Black Widow and Blue Blade joined Rockman as main characters in The Twelve. While the Young Avenger, Vagabond, the Victory Boys, and the Secret Stamp joined Jap Buster Johnson and Slow Motion Jones in All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes. Meanwhile, the Defender, Major Liberty, and Captain Terror would make minor cameo appearances in those series as well as Avengers/Invaders. Those three characters met their demises in Daredevil (Vol. 2) #67, All-New Invaders #1, and Avengers (Vol 5) #5 respectively.
Index Scope
As with other Timely series I have omitted most text stories and funny pages that are featured in this story. Also omitted are some of the fourth-wall breaking text stories featuring the cast of USA Comics meeting each other to talk about how great their comic book is.
