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COMICS
AIRBOY
Airboy debuted in the second issue of Air Fighters Comics. The first issue of the title, cover-dated November 1941, had been a collection of aviation adventures featuring different characters. After that first issue sold poorly, the comic was retooled, and a year later vol. 1, #2 (Nov. 1942) introduced an entirely new set of heroes, including the cover-featured Airboy.
Airboy made Air Fighters Comics (renamed Airboy Comics with vol. 2, #11, Dec. 1945) a top seller through the 1940s. In the early issues, Biro wrote the scripts with Dave Wood and drew the covers, while Dan Barry and Fred Kida worked as main illustrators. The book contained backup stories about other aviators, including Skywolf, Iron Ace, the Black Angel, the Bald Eagle, the Flying Dutchman, the Flying Fool, and the prototypical comic book swamp monster, The Heap. Airboy's most frequently recurring supporting character was the German aviatrix Valkyrie, who fought on the side of the Axis but then defected to the Allies.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airboy
Airboy was David Nelson, son of an expert aviator, and an expert aviator himself despite his tender years. Another expert aviator was Br. Francis Martier, a Franciscan monk and friend of Davy, who invented a radically new type of aircraft that flapped its wings like a bird. Martier was killed testing his invention, which then passed into Davy's hands. Davy also inherited a colorful outfit to go adventuring in, which had allegedly been in Martier's family since the French Revolution. Amazingly enough, it fit him perfectly and showed no signs of wear in the century and a half since its first use. Thus equipped, Davy adopted the "Airboy" monicker and flew off in "Birdie" (as he called the plane) to fight Nazis and Japs.
Airboy was perfectly suited to his time and venue. With the bright costume and catchy nickname, he fit right in with the superheroes that dominated comic books; and his direct participation in World War II (tho as an independent operator) didn't hurt his popularity either. Plus, the aviation theme was a crowd pleaser throughout the first half of the 20th century. With Airboy as its cover feature, Air Fighters Comics was a steady seller through the end of the war, and beyond — changing its title to Airboy Comics with its 23rd issue, it continued into the 1950s.
MORE: http://www.toonopedia.com/airboy.htm
MORE: http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/airboy-comics
The popularity of Blackhawk characters during World War II prompted other publishers to attempt to capitalize on that series’ success. Comics starring aviators became so numerous, that they could be considered a separate genre. One of the most notable was Airboy which featured Davy Nelson, an orphaned teenager (though later that was revised) who took to the skies in his own plane to oppose the Axis powers. However, the real star of the book was the plane itself, nicknamed “Birdie” because it flew by flapping its wings like a bird. Airboy could call Birdie, much like a faithful pet, through a short-wave radio device.
MORE: http://www.atomicavenue.com/Atomic/TitleDetail.aspx?TitleID=16254
MORE: http://www.comicvine.com/airboy-comics-/37-471/
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