title: "Knight After Knight!"
writer: Joe Samachson
art: Howard Chaykin
editor: Joe Orlando
cover: Jim Aparo (signed)
Synopsis:
Shining Knight and his loyal steed, Winged Victory, arrive in the Land of Magic, landing close to the castle of the wizard, Surlin. Shining Knight overhears passersby talking about how the wizard has taken the Princess of the Twin Oaks prisoner. He flies off to rescue the damsel in distress.
Once at the castle, the Shining Knight stops the wizard's henchmen. As he moves to finish them off, he inadvertently passes a magic mirror, which instantly projects a reflection of him into reality. The two Shining Knights battle, but because they are absolute equals, neither can claim victory.
As the real Shining Knight tires, the wizard's henchmen grab him. Thinking fast, he claims that he is the reflection! Unable to prove or disprove either way, the wizard has them both tied up and leaves them in the hall.
The Shining Knight is unable to break his bonds until he moves back up to the mirror, where he takes advantage of magical logic and uses the reflection's blade to cut *his* ropes. As he does so, the mirror Shining Knight is also freed. However, the real Knight is one second ahead of his reflection, and manages to disarm him. He then fights his way to Surlin, only to learn that the "princess" is really a pig!
Free to go, the mirror reflection of the Shining Knight tells him that he can use the mirror to travel back to Earth, so the Knight jumps onto Winged Victory and flies into the mirror.
Commentary:
Once at the castle, the Shining Knight stops the wizard's henchmen. As he moves to finish them off, he inadvertently passes a magic mirror, which instantly projects a reflection of him into reality. The two Shining Knights battle, but because they are absolute equals, neither can claim victory.
Commentary:
As explained in the earlier posts about this story, "The Land of Magic" was written in 1945 but was not published until 30 years later!
This story was illustrated by Howard Chaykin, who did a fancy rendition of the Shining Knight in the style of Frank Frazetta. Frazetta illustrated several adventures of the Shining Knight in the early 1950s, *after* the Seven Soldier feature had been cancelled. Although the final appearance of the Seven Soldiers in Leading Comics #14 was the group's last appearance, it was NOT the end for the Shining Knight. He continued in his own solo back-up series in Adventure Comics until 1951.
As a story, this one is fun in a goofy sort of way. It follows its own magical logic, in that the Knight is able to use the mirror reflection of his blade to cut his own ropes. I think this is very clever! What I didn't like was the sudden re-imaging of the Knight in his later Frazetta-era togs, instead of in his "classic" yellow and red armor (that he had just been shown wearing one page before!) I guess that's the problem with having several artists drawing different chapters of the same story.
Just as a reminder, besides the Shining Knight the other Seven Soldiers of Victory were the Crimson Avenger, Green Arrow and Speedy, the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, and the Vigilante. Considered an unofficial (honorary?) Soldier was the Crimson Avenger's partner, Wing.
This story has not yet been reprinted. Therefore, I gladly reproduce the six page story here it its entirety, exactly as it appeared in its comic-book form.
This story was illustrated by Howard Chaykin, who did a fancy rendition of the Shining Knight in the style of Frank Frazetta. Frazetta illustrated several adventures of the Shining Knight in the early 1950s, *after* the Seven Soldier feature had been cancelled. Although the final appearance of the Seven Soldiers in Leading Comics #14 was the group's last appearance, it was NOT the end for the Shining Knight. He continued in his own solo back-up series in Adventure Comics until 1951.
As a story, this one is fun in a goofy sort of way. It follows its own magical logic, in that the Knight is able to use the mirror reflection of his blade to cut his own ropes. I think this is very clever! What I didn't like was the sudden re-imaging of the Knight in his later Frazetta-era togs, instead of in his "classic" yellow and red armor (that he had just been shown wearing one page before!) I guess that's the problem with having several artists drawing different chapters of the same story.
Just as a reminder, besides the Shining Knight the other Seven Soldiers of Victory were the Crimson Avenger, Green Arrow and Speedy, the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, and the Vigilante. Considered an unofficial (honorary?) Soldier was the Crimson Avenger's partner, Wing.
Be back tomorrow for Chapter 3 starring Green Arrow and Speedy!
No comments:
Post a Comment