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The Peacemaker: Charlton Comics Compilation
Charlton Comics The Peacemaker
First Fightin' 5 #40 (November 1966)
Original Charlton Comics
Created by Joe Gill & Pat Boyette
The Peacemaker debuted as a back-up series in Fightin' 5 #40, a Charlton Comics espionage team title (November 1966). When that series was canceled with issue #41, Peacemaker got his own title, which ran for five issues from March to November 1967, with Fightin' 5 serving as a backup series and later a limited reprint run on the Modern Comics imprint. Later, some of penciler-inker Pat Boyette's artwork for a planned sixth issue surfaced on the internet. Following the demise of Charlton Comics in the mid-1980s, DC Comics picked up The Peacemaker and published a four-issue miniseries (January–April 1988). Christopher Smith is The Peacemaker, a pacifist diplomat who is so dedicated to peace that he is willing to use force as a superhero to achieve it. He creates the Pax Institute and employs a variety of non-lethal weapons. The majority of the villains he faces are dictators and warlords. Smith later discovers that his efforts to achieve peace through violence were the result of a serious mental illness brought on by the shame of having a Nazi death camp commandant as a father. Even as he tries to put his past behind him, he believes his father's spirit follows him around and criticizes everything he does.
ISSUES COMPILED
The Fightin 5 #40
The Fightin 5 #41
The Peacemaker#01
The Peacemaker#02
The Peacemaker#03
The Peacemaker#04
The Peacemaker#05
The Peacemaker The Golden Pharaoh (Unpublished)
First Fightin' 5 #40 (November 1966)
Original Charlton Comics
Created by Joe Gill & Pat Boyette
The Peacemaker debuted as a back-up series in Fightin' 5 #40, a Charlton Comics espionage team title (November 1966). When that series was canceled with issue #41, Peacemaker got his own title, which ran for five issues from March to November 1967, with Fightin' 5 serving as a backup series and later a limited reprint run on the Modern Comics imprint. Later, some of penciler-inker Pat Boyette's artwork for a planned sixth issue surfaced on the internet. Following the demise of Charlton Comics in the mid-1980s, DC Comics picked up The Peacemaker and published a four-issue miniseries (January–April 1988). Christopher Smith is The Peacemaker, a pacifist diplomat who is so dedicated to peace that he is willing to use force as a superhero to achieve it. He creates the Pax Institute and employs a variety of non-lethal weapons. The majority of the villains he faces are dictators and warlords. Smith later discovers that his efforts to achieve peace through violence were the result of a serious mental illness brought on by the shame of having a Nazi death camp commandant as a father. Even as he tries to put his past behind him, he believes his father's spirit follows him around and criticizes everything he does.
ISSUES COMPILED
The Fightin 5 #40
The Fightin 5 #41
The Peacemaker#01
The Peacemaker#02
The Peacemaker#03
The Peacemaker#04
The Peacemaker#05
The Peacemaker The Golden Pharaoh (Unpublished)
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2021
5 people want to read
About the author
Joe Gill
227 books5 followersJoseph P. Gill was an American magazine writer and highly prolific comic book scripter. Most of his work was for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the superheroes Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Judomaster, among others. Comics historians consider Gill a top contender as the comic-book field's most prolific writer. Per historian and columnist Mark Evanier, Gill "wrote a staggering number of comics. There are a half-dozen guys in his category. If someone came back and said he was the most prolific ever, no one would be surprised."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 5, 2025
I’m not entirely sure that the comic book I’m reading is the Peacemaker Companion. It’s a 236 page PDF of comic scans. The first page says it’s the Collectors Edition. It’ll have to do.
I remember the Charlton comics of my youth with great fondness. They always had both a cheap and underground kind of look, but reading them I found some wondering characters and stories, including some of my favorites of all time.
Peacemaker (PM) was never one of them but I thought It’d be fun to check out.
Since this is “Omnibus” sized, I’ll try to keep my review of each story short.
The Killer on the Reef has PM stop a Russian trawler from blowing up fishing nets because he claims everything under the sea is his.
My favorite part is a bomb placed on PM’s ship. It goes off in 50 seconds. PM takes 10 seconds to change into costume, dives underwater and fights a shark, beating it in 5 seconds and stops the bomb.
He then boards the evil doer’s submarine and when the villain threatens to stop him, PM surprises him with a HELMET LASER!
The villain dangles a clue that he was to join more baddie at the south pole.
An advertisement in this issue is an over 7 foot long Polaris Nuclear Sub for $6.98. Product placement?
The Hidden Power shows starts when Christopher gets slapped by a glove during a diplomatic ball.
SILENTLY, THE CAMOUFLAGED DOORS IN THE CLIFFS BELOW CHRISTOPHER SMITH'S VILLA OPEN .. AND THE DEADLY MACH 3 FIGHTER APPEARS LIKE A LIGHTNING FLASH AGAINST THE ALPS !
I LOCATED THE MISSILE COMPLEX...AND WITH INFRA-RED. FILTERS I SAW THẾ NEW BOMBER BASES! THAT'S WHY THEY’VE GOT THE NERVE TO INSULT MY COUNTRY!
IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, WE WILL HAVE A BOMB THAT WEIGHS LESS THAN A HUNDRED POUNDS BUT CAN WIPE OUT A CONTINENT!
The PM lands his jet and goes to investigate the buried atomic installation under the ice (that has a really cool isomorphic illustration).
PM is almost caught, but he carries a special gun.
NERVE GAS.QUICKER THAN BULLETS..AND NOT AS FATAL!
PM sneaks in through a ventilation shaft. But they are on to him and redirect the air currents to shoot him into the nuclear furnace. OSHA hasn’t come to Balkan Nations yet!
So PM responds by making his boot jets (?) go even faster.
I DON'T EVEN FEEL THE HEAT!
THE SHOCKWAVES WHICH BUILT UP AROUND ME CUSHIONED THE IMPACT, BUT I’D HATE TO HAVE TO SMASH WALLS WITH MY HEAD VERY OFTEN!
THERE IS SURPRISINGLY LITTLE LOSS OF LIFE, THANKS TO THE PEACEMAKER.
The “Fightin’ 5” are some kind of adventure team consisting of wearing blue uniforms with red berets. It’s members are Hank Hennessy (F4), Frenchy (F2), Irv the Nerve Haganah, Granite and Tom-Tom. They wear radio watches and carry gyro-jet rocket pistols.
Hank is shot by a Security Agent of Communism.
”YOU WONT DO IT. NO WOMAN AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU CAN...”
”MANY HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BY MY OUTWARD BEAUTY, FOOL.”
The 5 and Sonya decide to work together. They parachute behind the iron curtain.
“DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE DICTATOR, JROZVA, IS ABOUT TO DESTROY THE WORLD... AND FLAMES OF JOY FLICKER IN HIS EYES!”
Sonya triggers the mountains destruction (can Jrozva installed it to destroy the installation) and they try to cut the communication circuits so the missiles can’t be fired.
”IRV THE NERVE HAGANAH DIES INSTANTLY...THE ELECTRICAL IMPULSES WHICH MEANT DEATH TO BILLIONS MEANS DEATH INSTEAD TO THE ISRAELI FIGHTER!”
Now You Can Be TALLER Instantly!
AT GENEVA, WHERE ENDLESS ARMS CONFERENCES ARE HELD, CHRISTOPHER SMITH AND HIS SHAPELY SECRETARY ARE RETURNING TO THE CHALET
WHERE THE US. ENVOY HAS HIS PRIVATE OFFICES, AND OTHER FACILITIES!
The Golden Pharaoh is in black and white. Peacemaker has a new weird helmet. The toilet bowl thing is sideways.
THEY TOOK THE GOLD! ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL, SHINING, CAPITALISTIC GOLD!
YOU KNOW ME...I KNOW YOU. BUT UNLIKE OTHERS WHO JUDGE YOU, I AM
NOT WILLING TO CALL YOU MAD UNTIL I KNOW YOU BETTER!
Whew! Well, I can see why the character has some affection for it. It’s definitely different than other characters - maybe not in personality but in the kind of Bond-like villains he goes against.
I don’t really recommend anyone seeking this out unless they are curious about it. It’s amusing and the art is good, but he disappeared for a pretty good reason.
He could have been cool with a good reboot but I’m unaware of him ever having one.
I’m giving him 4 stars for imagination however.
Peacemaker Gadgets
• Small explosive jet in helmet
• Flight with powerful jets (also work underwater)
• Pistol that shoots Nerve gas
• Mach 4 Fighter Jet Aircraft (unique)
• Chalet/Villa cliff top with camouflaged doors under cliff for jet hangar
• Laser beam from helmet
• Independent Oxygen System in costume
Aircraft Gadgets
• Little anti-radar device
• Knockout gas from jet
• Infra-scanners
• Mach 3 (2000 mph)
• Electronic Scanners
• The most sophisticated weapons system in the world
• Foil used to confuse enemy radar
• Scanner that can photograph metallic mass
• Compressor
• Parachute for power-off landing
I remember the Charlton comics of my youth with great fondness. They always had both a cheap and underground kind of look, but reading them I found some wondering characters and stories, including some of my favorites of all time.
Peacemaker (PM) was never one of them but I thought It’d be fun to check out.
Since this is “Omnibus” sized, I’ll try to keep my review of each story short.
The Killer on the Reef has PM stop a Russian trawler from blowing up fishing nets because he claims everything under the sea is his.
My favorite part is a bomb placed on PM’s ship. It goes off in 50 seconds. PM takes 10 seconds to change into costume, dives underwater and fights a shark, beating it in 5 seconds and stops the bomb.
He then boards the evil doer’s submarine and when the villain threatens to stop him, PM surprises him with a HELMET LASER!
The villain dangles a clue that he was to join more baddie at the south pole.
An advertisement in this issue is an over 7 foot long Polaris Nuclear Sub for $6.98. Product placement?
The Hidden Power shows starts when Christopher gets slapped by a glove during a diplomatic ball.
SILENTLY, THE CAMOUFLAGED DOORS IN THE CLIFFS BELOW CHRISTOPHER SMITH'S VILLA OPEN .. AND THE DEADLY MACH 3 FIGHTER APPEARS LIKE A LIGHTNING FLASH AGAINST THE ALPS !
I LOCATED THE MISSILE COMPLEX...AND WITH INFRA-RED. FILTERS I SAW THẾ NEW BOMBER BASES! THAT'S WHY THEY’VE GOT THE NERVE TO INSULT MY COUNTRY!
IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, WE WILL HAVE A BOMB THAT WEIGHS LESS THAN A HUNDRED POUNDS BUT CAN WIPE OUT A CONTINENT!
The PM lands his jet and goes to investigate the buried atomic installation under the ice (that has a really cool isomorphic illustration).
PM is almost caught, but he carries a special gun.
NERVE GAS.QUICKER THAN BULLETS..AND NOT AS FATAL!
PM sneaks in through a ventilation shaft. But they are on to him and redirect the air currents to shoot him into the nuclear furnace. OSHA hasn’t come to Balkan Nations yet!
So PM responds by making his boot jets (?) go even faster.
I DON'T EVEN FEEL THE HEAT!
THE SHOCKWAVES WHICH BUILT UP AROUND ME CUSHIONED THE IMPACT, BUT I’D HATE TO HAVE TO SMASH WALLS WITH MY HEAD VERY OFTEN!
THERE IS SURPRISINGLY LITTLE LOSS OF LIFE, THANKS TO THE PEACEMAKER.
The “Fightin’ 5” are some kind of adventure team consisting of wearing blue uniforms with red berets. It’s members are Hank Hennessy (F4), Frenchy (F2), Irv the Nerve Haganah, Granite and Tom-Tom. They wear radio watches and carry gyro-jet rocket pistols.
Hank is shot by a Security Agent of Communism.
”YOU WONT DO IT. NO WOMAN AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU CAN...”
”MANY HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BY MY OUTWARD BEAUTY, FOOL.”
The 5 and Sonya decide to work together. They parachute behind the iron curtain.
“DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE DICTATOR, JROZVA, IS ABOUT TO DESTROY THE WORLD... AND FLAMES OF JOY FLICKER IN HIS EYES!”
Sonya triggers the mountains destruction (can Jrozva installed it to destroy the installation) and they try to cut the communication circuits so the missiles can’t be fired.
”IRV THE NERVE HAGANAH DIES INSTANTLY...THE ELECTRICAL IMPULSES WHICH MEANT DEATH TO BILLIONS MEANS DEATH INSTEAD TO THE ISRAELI FIGHTER!”
Now You Can Be TALLER Instantly!
AT GENEVA, WHERE ENDLESS ARMS CONFERENCES ARE HELD, CHRISTOPHER SMITH AND HIS SHAPELY SECRETARY ARE RETURNING TO THE CHALET
WHERE THE US. ENVOY HAS HIS PRIVATE OFFICES, AND OTHER FACILITIES!
The Golden Pharaoh is in black and white. Peacemaker has a new weird helmet. The toilet bowl thing is sideways.
THEY TOOK THE GOLD! ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL, SHINING, CAPITALISTIC GOLD!
YOU KNOW ME...I KNOW YOU. BUT UNLIKE OTHERS WHO JUDGE YOU, I AM
NOT WILLING TO CALL YOU MAD UNTIL I KNOW YOU BETTER!
Whew! Well, I can see why the character has some affection for it. It’s definitely different than other characters - maybe not in personality but in the kind of Bond-like villains he goes against.
I don’t really recommend anyone seeking this out unless they are curious about it. It’s amusing and the art is good, but he disappeared for a pretty good reason.
He could have been cool with a good reboot but I’m unaware of him ever having one.
I’m giving him 4 stars for imagination however.
Peacemaker Gadgets
• Small explosive jet in helmet
• Flight with powerful jets (also work underwater)
• Pistol that shoots Nerve gas
• Mach 4 Fighter Jet Aircraft (unique)
• Chalet/Villa cliff top with camouflaged doors under cliff for jet hangar
• Laser beam from helmet
• Independent Oxygen System in costume
Aircraft Gadgets
• Little anti-radar device
• Knockout gas from jet
• Infra-scanners
• Mach 3 (2000 mph)
• Electronic Scanners
• The most sophisticated weapons system in the world
• Foil used to confuse enemy radar
• Scanner that can photograph metallic mass
• Compressor
• Parachute for power-off landing
Displaying 1 of 1 review