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The Enemy Ace Archives
The Enemy Ace Archives, Vol. 2
Death stalks the skies above Europe once more in this second volume of THE ENEMY ACE ARCHIVES, reprinting the classic adventures of World War I German fighter ace Hans von Hammer from the pages of STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES from 1969 through 1976!
193 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2006
47 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kanigher
584 books8 followersSee also as Bob Kanigher
One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.
One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 24, 2021
The Enemy Ace Archives, Vol. 2 collects the Enemy Ace stories from Star Spangled War Stories 143-145, 147-150, 152, 158, 181-183, and 200.
The first Enemy Ace Archives was great so I grabbed this one once it fell onto my cheapness radar.
The stories are pretty much par for the course for Enemy Ace. Hans Von Hammer battles pilots of other nations but his biggest enemy is the futility of war. And he briefly adopts a puppy. The final story was a perfect way to cap off the collection, with Enemy Ace seeing his way of life go the way of the dodo. I don't recommend reading the stories all in one go as they can blend together due to the World War I setting.
The real star of the show is the artwork. Joe Kubert knows his way around a tri-plane. The panel arrangements give the flying sequences life. Much like Enemy Ace himself, Kubert didn't fuck around where aerial combat is concerned. For my money, Kubert's work from this time period has more life to it than Neal Adams'. No offense to the Russ Heath and Frank Thorne issues but Enemy Ace doesn't feel right unless it's a Joe Kubert production.
Was Enemy Ace one of the best books DC put out during the 1970s? Yes. Was it chronically overlooked due to not being a super hero book? Also yes.
As good as the first Enemy Ace Archives was, the second one is even better. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The first Enemy Ace Archives was great so I grabbed this one once it fell onto my cheapness radar.
The stories are pretty much par for the course for Enemy Ace. Hans Von Hammer battles pilots of other nations but his biggest enemy is the futility of war. And he briefly adopts a puppy. The final story was a perfect way to cap off the collection, with Enemy Ace seeing his way of life go the way of the dodo. I don't recommend reading the stories all in one go as they can blend together due to the World War I setting.
The real star of the show is the artwork. Joe Kubert knows his way around a tri-plane. The panel arrangements give the flying sequences life. Much like Enemy Ace himself, Kubert didn't fuck around where aerial combat is concerned. For my money, Kubert's work from this time period has more life to it than Neal Adams'. No offense to the Russ Heath and Frank Thorne issues but Enemy Ace doesn't feel right unless it's a Joe Kubert production.
Was Enemy Ace one of the best books DC put out during the 1970s? Yes. Was it chronically overlooked due to not being a super hero book? Also yes.
As good as the first Enemy Ace Archives was, the second one is even better. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
May 26, 2019
Much like Wolverine, The Enemy Ace is the best at what he does, and what he does isn't very nice. The Ace, however, also hates what he does, which puts an interesting spin on the whole series.
A fine collection of pulpy WWI fighter plane action.
A fine collection of pulpy WWI fighter plane action.
March 7, 2016
This very fine second volume of Enemy Ace Archives is almost as great as the first volume. All stories written by creator Robert Kanigher, but this time artist Joe Kubert is joined by Neal Adams (Kubert inking Adams is something to see(, and other comics legends Russ Heath and Frank Thorne. Their art styles are very complimentary to Kubert's and fit right in with the overall look of this volume.
Although Enemy Ace never had his own self-titled magazine, he was the headliner for Star-Spangled War stories during this time, but by the early 1970s, his popularity must have been on the wane, as he was featured less often, even going three years without a tale of his own. This archive ends with Enemy Ace as just a backup strip of seven pages. Although the stories are still good, the shorter page count means the art is less expansive and things move along a bit too rapidly, perhaps, not allowing Kanigher as much time to explore the musings of the Hammer of Hell.
One of the more interesting stories collected takes place when Enemy Ace is shot down over France, and finds himself having to take the aid of ordinary Frenchmen. Along the way, he finds out that he has encountered in battle someone known to all of them: a son, a brother, a lover. Although a little incredulous that every person he met was somehow related to his aerial kills, it shows the human side to war, in that even your enemy has loved ones at home waiting for him to return.
Another story involves the rescuing of a puppy who becomes Enemy Ace's good luck charm in battle. But even the poor pup becomes a casualty, another victim of the killing skies. Then there is the story of the return of The Hangman, a French fighter pilot from the first archives, who was thought to be dead but had escaped a fiery death when his plane fell into a river. Kanigher probes the mind of the Enemy Ace, and drags him through a psychological hell until he is forced to deal with his foe.
The last three stories, the back ups, feature American WW1 ace pilot Lt Steve Savage, aka The Balloon Buster. Fighting for the French before the USA entered the way, Savage was known for downing observation balloons, which were used frequently to spy on enemy lines from the air, etc. In this story, Savage is forced to land his injured plane at the Germany air base with the Enemy Ace, and although the aristocratic Ace is somewhat disdainful of his white Texas trash prisoner, the Ace is always a gentleman and treats Savage to dinner with the officers before being sent to a POW camp the next day. Savage betrays the code of ethics and honor and escapes, killing a German or two in the process. Kanigher often focuses on this code, and the Enemy Ace observes it to a fault. No enemy plane is shot at if they run out of ammunition, or if they're on a training mission. He salutes the fighters he kills and praises their courage. The contrast with the American pilot is stark, and although I doubt Kanigher held favorable views of Imperial Germany, I wonder what he was getting at here. The American was boorish and unethical, the German sophisticated and honorable.
Since the DC Archives line appears to be kaput, we won't be getting any more Enemy Ace archives. DC's Showcase Presents line, the black-and-white collections of 500 pages or more on cheap print, does have an Enemy Ace volume, which collects the contents of the Enemy Ace archives, plus another 150 pages of stories not collected, that include his appearances up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Next on my reading list.
Although Enemy Ace never had his own self-titled magazine, he was the headliner for Star-Spangled War stories during this time, but by the early 1970s, his popularity must have been on the wane, as he was featured less often, even going three years without a tale of his own. This archive ends with Enemy Ace as just a backup strip of seven pages. Although the stories are still good, the shorter page count means the art is less expansive and things move along a bit too rapidly, perhaps, not allowing Kanigher as much time to explore the musings of the Hammer of Hell.
One of the more interesting stories collected takes place when Enemy Ace is shot down over France, and finds himself having to take the aid of ordinary Frenchmen. Along the way, he finds out that he has encountered in battle someone known to all of them: a son, a brother, a lover. Although a little incredulous that every person he met was somehow related to his aerial kills, it shows the human side to war, in that even your enemy has loved ones at home waiting for him to return.
Another story involves the rescuing of a puppy who becomes Enemy Ace's good luck charm in battle. But even the poor pup becomes a casualty, another victim of the killing skies. Then there is the story of the return of The Hangman, a French fighter pilot from the first archives, who was thought to be dead but had escaped a fiery death when his plane fell into a river. Kanigher probes the mind of the Enemy Ace, and drags him through a psychological hell until he is forced to deal with his foe.
The last three stories, the back ups, feature American WW1 ace pilot Lt Steve Savage, aka The Balloon Buster. Fighting for the French before the USA entered the way, Savage was known for downing observation balloons, which were used frequently to spy on enemy lines from the air, etc. In this story, Savage is forced to land his injured plane at the Germany air base with the Enemy Ace, and although the aristocratic Ace is somewhat disdainful of his white Texas trash prisoner, the Ace is always a gentleman and treats Savage to dinner with the officers before being sent to a POW camp the next day. Savage betrays the code of ethics and honor and escapes, killing a German or two in the process. Kanigher often focuses on this code, and the Enemy Ace observes it to a fault. No enemy plane is shot at if they run out of ammunition, or if they're on a training mission. He salutes the fighters he kills and praises their courage. The contrast with the American pilot is stark, and although I doubt Kanigher held favorable views of Imperial Germany, I wonder what he was getting at here. The American was boorish and unethical, the German sophisticated and honorable.
Since the DC Archives line appears to be kaput, we won't be getting any more Enemy Ace archives. DC's Showcase Presents line, the black-and-white collections of 500 pages or more on cheap print, does have an Enemy Ace volume, which collects the contents of the Enemy Ace archives, plus another 150 pages of stories not collected, that include his appearances up to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Next on my reading list.
January 26, 2016
One of the more insightful of the DC war heroes, Enemy Ace is an excellent read for both the art and writing. Joe Kubert is at his finest for the well researched and detailed visuals and the writing goes beyond the typical war story plots. The stories revolve around Rittmeister Hans Von Hammer, called the Hammer of Hell by the other pilots, and his struggle with the horrors of war. Excellent comic reads. Very recommended
October 23, 2016
A arte é notável e faz de Enemy Ace um clássico absoluto. Mas em basta porção deste segundo volume há não apenas o saltar do tubarão mas simplesmente um capeonato de salto ao eixo sobre um cardume(1) deles.
(1)Se há vocábulo que por estes tempos me faz falta, é o colectivo específico de «tubarão».
(1)Se há vocábulo que por estes tempos me faz falta, é o colectivo específico de «tubarão».
July 26, 2021
More GOAT material that will forever set the standard for my expectations from a comic.
November 2, 2023
The tone of this series changes drastically in these issues. While the heroic portrayal of the “Hammer of Hell”, Baron Hans Von Hammer, was always interesting because he was the enemy of our country, it is even more interesting that the hippie anti-war sentiments crept into a series set during World War I. While those sentiments were very much of the time they don't age well 40 years later in a series set 100 years in the past.
Fortunately those shortcomings are more than made up for with the top shelf artists who grace these pages. The late, legendary Joe Kubert; god among men Neal Adams; the brilliant photo realistic artwork of Russ Heath; and Frank Thorne's cinematic, widescreen “camera angles”. While these guys are all great, there is an overall sense of DC not knowing what to do with the character, hence the on again, off again publication, with the character ultimately becoming relegated to a back up strip.
The Hangman returns in #145. Rather than make this some story about his sister wearing his guise in order to get revenge on Von Hammer we get a return of the man himself. This seems like a missed opportunity to keep the realistic, grounded feel of the series. Also, his black wolf hunting companion in the forest gets less “screen time” this time out. I enjoyed that in the issues collected in Volume 1.
Star Spangled War Stories #148 is a steaming pile of crap. The Hammer of Hell gets a dog. A dog which he takes in his red tri-wing Fokker in dogfights in the air. A dog who falls out of the plane and dies. A dog who a man who has killed dozens of enemies mourns like none other. Just terrible.
There are more than enough stories for a Volume 3, but I seriously doubt that it will ever happen. Maybe I should pick up Showcase Presents Enemy Ace Vol. 1 for further reading.
Fortunately those shortcomings are more than made up for with the top shelf artists who grace these pages. The late, legendary Joe Kubert; god among men Neal Adams; the brilliant photo realistic artwork of Russ Heath; and Frank Thorne's cinematic, widescreen “camera angles”. While these guys are all great, there is an overall sense of DC not knowing what to do with the character, hence the on again, off again publication, with the character ultimately becoming relegated to a back up strip.
The Hangman returns in #145. Rather than make this some story about his sister wearing his guise in order to get revenge on Von Hammer we get a return of the man himself. This seems like a missed opportunity to keep the realistic, grounded feel of the series. Also, his black wolf hunting companion in the forest gets less “screen time” this time out. I enjoyed that in the issues collected in Volume 1.
Star Spangled War Stories #148 is a steaming pile of crap. The Hammer of Hell gets a dog. A dog which he takes in his red tri-wing Fokker in dogfights in the air. A dog who falls out of the plane and dies. A dog who a man who has killed dozens of enemies mourns like none other. Just terrible.
There are more than enough stories for a Volume 3, but I seriously doubt that it will ever happen. Maybe I should pick up Showcase Presents Enemy Ace Vol. 1 for further reading.
April 3, 2022
Enemy Ace is one of the coolest comics characters EVER. When I finished the two ARCHIVES volumes, I immediately wanted Enemy Ace t-shirts, action figures, mini-statues, refrigerator magnets, pint glasses...
Okay, okay. I'll back up...
Enemy Ace debuted in 1965, the creation of Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. While other war comics featured American heroes, Hans Von Hammer, the Enemy Ace, was a German fighter pilot.
The series is actually much less radical than Kanigher, Kubert and DC Comics would have had us believe. First, the setting is World War I, rather than World War II. That places Von Hammer in the more distant past and effectively removes him from any Nazi affiliation whatsoever - something that would certainly have made him less sympathetic. Secondly, the stories don't show Von Hammer actually battling Americans until 1974. Until then, his opponents are always French or British.
Ultimately, that matters little, as Von Hammer remains a compelling character. War - and killing - is his business, and he's good at it, but has no stomach for it. His peers deem him a cold killing machine, but inside, he's a lonely, tormented soul. You really do find yourself rooting for him against allied pilots, and his nationality becomes unimportant. This accentuates a main point of the tales - that there are, in fact, no real victors in war.
The earliest stories, published in 1965, are the best. Their success must have been somewhat mixed, however, as no Enemy Ace tales appeared between 1965 and 1968. When the series resumed in the late 1960s, it became more of a serial, and Von Hammer encountered a string of costumed antagonists with code names. This latter development - an obvious ploy to lure super hero fans - is unfortunate, but Kanigher and Kubert were good, and Von Hammer remained his compelling self.
I'd love to see an ENEMY ACE ARCHIVES, vol. 3, but...alas, it's been seven years since the last volume, with no word on future installments. The book SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ENEMY ACE does include all the stories in these two volumes and several more, but 1) They're in black and white, and 2) I don't want to pay for this, when I already have most of the same stories in a better format. I guess I'll just have to keep hoping, then.
Okay, okay. I'll back up...
Enemy Ace debuted in 1965, the creation of Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. While other war comics featured American heroes, Hans Von Hammer, the Enemy Ace, was a German fighter pilot.
The series is actually much less radical than Kanigher, Kubert and DC Comics would have had us believe. First, the setting is World War I, rather than World War II. That places Von Hammer in the more distant past and effectively removes him from any Nazi affiliation whatsoever - something that would certainly have made him less sympathetic. Secondly, the stories don't show Von Hammer actually battling Americans until 1974. Until then, his opponents are always French or British.
Ultimately, that matters little, as Von Hammer remains a compelling character. War - and killing - is his business, and he's good at it, but has no stomach for it. His peers deem him a cold killing machine, but inside, he's a lonely, tormented soul. You really do find yourself rooting for him against allied pilots, and his nationality becomes unimportant. This accentuates a main point of the tales - that there are, in fact, no real victors in war.
The earliest stories, published in 1965, are the best. Their success must have been somewhat mixed, however, as no Enemy Ace tales appeared between 1965 and 1968. When the series resumed in the late 1960s, it became more of a serial, and Von Hammer encountered a string of costumed antagonists with code names. This latter development - an obvious ploy to lure super hero fans - is unfortunate, but Kanigher and Kubert were good, and Von Hammer remained his compelling self.
I'd love to see an ENEMY ACE ARCHIVES, vol. 3, but...alas, it's been seven years since the last volume, with no word on future installments. The book SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ENEMY ACE does include all the stories in these two volumes and several more, but 1) They're in black and white, and 2) I don't want to pay for this, when I already have most of the same stories in a better format. I guess I'll just have to keep hoping, then.
May 28, 2010
It is hard to find some nice comic, which is not all about victorious USA army or generally about winning side. I stepped on "Enemy Ace" and was quite surprised, that something like that was published back then in 70´ Hans von Hammer is German flying ace in 1st World War, who flew even better then famous Red Baron. The authors confessed that they took an inspiration from many real life figures of that period. Well, hard to tell except for those who are familiar with the aviation of that period.
Hans von Hammer, nicknamed Hammer of Hell, was considered as cold natural born killer, who had no second thought and killed when opportunity appeared. That was his public picture, which was fed upon is lack of or rather lack of taste in social relationship with everyone. A man with tender soul needed somebody who would understood him, well no human but wolf could do that. The wolf who he was regularly meeting him in the forest and patiently listened to his speeches. It is not clear if the wolf was real animal or the animal projection of Hammer himself. In the later comic set during 2nd WW it was definitely some supernatural projection. But back to the real thing. The comic was filled with dogfights and pathetic gestures and speeches, but strangely they were enjoyable. Various enemies appeared only to be shot down buy von Hammer after a bit of fighting.
It was chilling to watch pilot who simply jumped from his burning plane saluting while falling to the ground.
There was also the famous puppy story. Hans found puppy and to the shock of his wing he was carring and protecting furry bag of fleas to the bitter end.
Hans von Hammer, nicknamed Hammer of Hell, was considered as cold natural born killer, who had no second thought and killed when opportunity appeared. That was his public picture, which was fed upon is lack of or rather lack of taste in social relationship with everyone. A man with tender soul needed somebody who would understood him, well no human but wolf could do that. The wolf who he was regularly meeting him in the forest and patiently listened to his speeches. It is not clear if the wolf was real animal or the animal projection of Hammer himself. In the later comic set during 2nd WW it was definitely some supernatural projection. But back to the real thing. The comic was filled with dogfights and pathetic gestures and speeches, but strangely they were enjoyable. Various enemies appeared only to be shot down buy von Hammer after a bit of fighting.
It was chilling to watch pilot who simply jumped from his burning plane saluting while falling to the ground.
There was also the famous puppy story. Hans found puppy and to the shock of his wing he was carring and protecting furry bag of fleas to the bitter end.
November 10, 2014
Another top-notch comics take on death in the skies--and angst on the ground--during World War I. Writer Robert Kanigher has a memorable character in his titular "enemy ace," a noble German pilot named, Hans von Hammer, aka "the Hammer of Hell." He's one of the top aces on any airfield, but his skill in the skies only wreathes him in death, both of the men he's shot down and the green pilots who fail to come back from the missions he leads.
Von Hammer sees his dogfights through a gentlemanly lens, allowing duels to proceed without intervention and letting his foes escape when their guns run out of ammo. At the same ties, he knows the skies are fickle and is sure that it's only a matter of time before death claims him as well.
Artist Joe Kubert (along with some fill ins) does an excellent job of capturing the planes in flight as well as in their final, flaming moments. The action is clear and exciting, and von Hammer's anguished facial expressions are captured well without veering into parody.
In many ways, "Enemy Ace" is one heck of a anti-war comic, portraying both the futility of all these deaths and von Hammer's pretensions about honor in combat. The stories here are ambitious, capturing everything from a wounded escape across enemy lines to an amoral commanding officer who could have come straight from "Paths of Glory."
To be clear, this is still the Silver Age, so we have enemy pilots dressed as hangmen and skeletons and even, improbably, St. George. But even puppies aren't safe in this installment, as one famous cover shows, and the creators have much more to share than just the thrills of weird combat.
Von Hammer sees his dogfights through a gentlemanly lens, allowing duels to proceed without intervention and letting his foes escape when their guns run out of ammo. At the same ties, he knows the skies are fickle and is sure that it's only a matter of time before death claims him as well.
Artist Joe Kubert (along with some fill ins) does an excellent job of capturing the planes in flight as well as in their final, flaming moments. The action is clear and exciting, and von Hammer's anguished facial expressions are captured well without veering into parody.
In many ways, "Enemy Ace" is one heck of a anti-war comic, portraying both the futility of all these deaths and von Hammer's pretensions about honor in combat. The stories here are ambitious, capturing everything from a wounded escape across enemy lines to an amoral commanding officer who could have come straight from "Paths of Glory."
To be clear, this is still the Silver Age, so we have enemy pilots dressed as hangmen and skeletons and even, improbably, St. George. But even puppies aren't safe in this installment, as one famous cover shows, and the creators have much more to share than just the thrills of weird combat.
December 12, 2011
The continuing adventures of WWI German ace Hans Von Hammer, the comic book I was never able to collect as a kid. Great stuff!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews