The Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives, Vol. 2

The Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives #2

by Mort Weisinger, Ed Dobrotka (Illustrator), Maurice Del Bourgo (Illustrator)

In the early 1940s, after introducing the world's first super-team with The Justice Society of America, DC Comics created a second super-team: The Seven Soldiers of Victory. Featuring Green Arrow and his sidekick, Speedy, as well as the modern Western hero called The Vigilante, The Crimson Avenger, The Shining Knight, The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, The Seven Soldiers battled injustice and villainy at the height of World War II in these colorful, fast-paced tales.

These vintage stories served as the inspiration for writer Grant Morrison's modern-day SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY tales.

Collects Leading Comics #5-8

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book

228 pages, Hardcover

First published July 25, 2007

About the author

Mortimer Weisinger was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' Superman during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features as Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Johnny Quick, served as story editor for the Adventures of Superman television series, and compiled the often-revised paperback 1001 Valuable Things You Can Get Free.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across the SEVEN SOLDIERS of VICTORY (SSofV) in the pages of the JUSTICE LEAUGE OF AMERICA and I became an instant fan~!
Thanks to the DC Archive Editions I've been able to read their original stories... AND. I'M. LOVING. IT.
The covers alone are worth the price. Vivid colors. Outstanding layout. ACTION~!
So it was natural for me to pick up this 2nd volume of their Golden Age Adventures. And, don't worry if you missed out on their earlier adventures... you'll pick up what you need to know quickly....
None of these characters could (or should) have their own book, but, putting them on a team, then giving each one 8 pages of story...well, you got something there~!
Vigilante! Green Arrow (& Speedy)! Shinning Knight! Crimson Avengers (& Wing, who doesn't get billing... it's the sign of the times)! Star-Spangled Kid (& Stripesy)!
This a great way to see what the world looked like in 1943, thru the eyes of some outstanding Writers and Artist...
I would so Love to see a Big Epic Movie featuring these Characters...
Such a Fun Read

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects Issues 5-8 of Leading Comics, featuring the Golden Age mostly non-superpowered Seven Soldiers of Victory with Green Arrow and Speedy, Crimson Avenger and Wing, Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy, Vigilante, and Shining Knight. Like the JSA, they came together to fight whatever problem of the quarter had come up.

Issue 5: A wealthy man known as the Skull rescues convicted murderers from prison and asks in return that they track down gifts that money can't buy. The team splits up and fights the murderers, many of whom die in ironic ways. The story is about average for a typical JSA/Seven Soldiers crossover of the era. Grade: B-

Issue 6: "The Treasure that Time Forgot." This is a bit different as the Seven Soldiers go after some lost treasure to get it to the government. However, this is really different from any big team up like this I've read as bad guys try to turn them against each other through impersonation, we have misunderstandings, hero battles and hero team-ups. Usually these stories read like five adventures with a framing device. This reads as one whole story and does a lot with its concept. Really fun. Grade: A

Issue 7: "The Wizards of Wisstark:" The Seven Soldiers are whisked off to a fantasy land where the rightful wizards are being overwhelmed by false wizards. Once again, you have a more continuous story and a break from the traditional format with heroes working together. Grade: A-

Issue 8: "Exiles in Time": A tiny mob boss known as the dummy disperses the Seven Soldiers throughout time to rid himself of them and they have to get back. This is a more traditional format. Still, it's a lot of fun as we see our heroes in different historic eras. One of my favorite parts is the team up between Green Arrow and Speedy and the Three Musketeers. Overall, a lot of fun. Grade: B+

Overall, while the first story is kind of bog standard, none of the stories of the bad and the middle two present a more interesting approach to storytelling than most team up books of the era. Well worth reading

[Mark Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the stories are about what you’d expect from comics of the era, especially from National/All-American Publications of the time.

Only three characters really stick out, and that’s due to speech patterns; The Shining Knight, The Vigilante, and the Crimson Avenger’s sidekick, Wing. Unfortunately, not only is Wing not an official member of the Seven, but is depicted in the racist way imaginable.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always liked the Seven Soldiers of Victory.What I think I liked about them was the way they saved us.. The 7SoV didn't really have any super-powers to speak of. Granted the Shining Knight had a flying steed named Winged Victory, a sword from Merlin that could slice through almost anything and a suit of armor proof against at least small arms fire. But that was it, that's all they had in the way of powers to give them an advantage over the bad guys. Unless you count the power of keen wits, iron fists and steely nerve. And heart, this team had an abundance of heart. They routinely went head-to-head with villains who, on paper, should have crushed them.

In this volume for example, they fight the Skull, a Fu- Manchu type mastermind, the wealthiest man in the world, who is "driven by a diabolically cunning, scheming brain that scoffs at justice and toys with murder, moving with a mastery over men and money unmatched by any other mortal!", the Triple Wizards of Wisstark, who throw giants, winged apes,invisible phantoms and blackest sorcery against the 7SoV and the Dummy, known as the Diminutive Desperado, Murderous Mannikin and Servitor of Evil who presides over a vast, world-wide criminal empire. Our heroes know they're up against it, and that makes them fight all the harder. They know they're the underdogs but they prevail in the end because they have heart. That's why I like them so much, they are the Rocky Balboas of super-teams. There are actually 8 of them and they are in brief:

The Crimson Avenger and Wing- Crimson Avenger is also known as Lee Travis, editor and publisher of the newspaper, The Global Leader. He's a two-fisted hyper athletic scrapper aided in his fight against evil by sleep gas capsules and his Chinese sidekick, Wing

The Green Arrow and Speedy- The famous battling bowmen used their mad archery skills to skewer crime. They seldom used trick arrows in these stories, except for their faithful arrow lines.

The Vigilante- A mysterious, kerchiefed, six-gun packing Cowboy hero who spoke in the most wonderfully cliched Western dialogue. He had a vey solid following among fans.

The Shining Knight- A guy named Justin, assistant curator at The Museum, who jousts crime with the strength and nobility of Camelot.

Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy- Tropical fish enthusiast and rich boy Sylvester Pemberton and his much older sidekick/chauffer Pat Dugan tackle crime by calling out numbered combat maneuvers(Let's use k59, kid!) like they were football plays.

They appeared in Leading Comics and in volume 2 of their Archives they engage in 4 specific missions.

Leading Comics #5-The team wallops the Skull, world's wealthiest and most evil man. The Skull recruits some of the planet's finest criminal minds to steal various objects of wealth and power from around the globe!Should the Skull obtain these objects, it means "an evil destiny for law-abiding mankind." The 7SoV vow to give him what's comiing to him!

Leading Comics #6-A renowned archeologist enlists the 7SoV to recover the lost gold of the Incas so he can use it to help smash the Axis! This is quite an old fashioned adventure story wherein the intrepid band must unravel the meaning behind a cryptic poem to uncover the treasure. They run afoul of volcanoes, hidden caves,savage giant apes, ancient warriors and are manipulated into fighting each other by an "ingenious and diabolical villain who seeks to sow unsuspected death and destruction with a lavish hand."

Leading Comics #7-"Charity begins at home but it doesn't end there! From the star-studded stage of a great auditorium, a generous impulse lures the Seven Soldiers of Victory to an unknown lotus land beyond ice-capped peaks, where strange magic awaits them. And though a myriad of more menacing miracles lies ahead, the daredevil legionnaires, fearing neither man nor magician, plunge boldly forward, as with ever ready wits and matchless courage they answer the summons to mystery and danger from the Wizards of Wisstark!"

Leading Comics #8-The Murderous Mannikin known as The Dummy condemns the Seven Soldiers of victory to be Exiles in Time! He splits the brave crew up into smaller teams and scatters them throughout history. The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy are transported to the Northlands where they must contend with horned Vikings, Crimson Avenger and Wing are sent back to ancient China, the Vigilante does as the ancient Romans did, Shining Knight is the portrait of a hero when he meets Leonardo DaVinci and the Green Arrow and Speedy duel with the Three Musketeers! The cool cover features the 7SoV trapped in a cramped giant hourglass with The Dummy dressed in evening clothes leering menacingly over them.

Invest in the adventures of these rollicking, stout hearted cavaliers. They're full of action, imagination and Golden Age thrills.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

More goofy Golden age comic fun and adventure as the SSoV play 'Magnificent Seven' to save a lost city, travel through time, fight each over and search for Mayan gold.
Great characters( each with his own cool, unique mode of transportation), goofy humor and a lot of action.

Very formulaic and non-PC, but a lot of fun.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really like crimson and wing. and will never like star spangled kid/stripsey, even w/starman's gravity rod just seems like a third rate chacter.

[Andrew Kunka · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are often a struggle to read, even by Golden Age standards. But there's also an undeniable charm here in the imaginative and often ridiculous adventures.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second SSOV archive isn't quite as good as the first, but there are still some fun stories here. The tales get a bit formulaic, but are still quite readable even today.

[Steven Heywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all that these aren't the big fan-favourites and the characterisation's as thin as with most Golden Age comics, these are well-crafted, nicely-paced stories.