Weird Golden Age Patriotism - USA, The Spirit of Old Glory

[strannik01.insanejournal.com]

MLJ's the Shield was the first patriotic superhero in American comics, but it wasn't until Captain America came around that the trend really took off. Every publisher rushed to jump on the bandwagon and get their own patriotic hero (or several) out on the shelves. Some were fairly mundane, but others... Others were just plain weird.

In this series, I am taking a look at some of the odder, more unique examples of the trend. Members of the original scans_daily will probably remember some of them, but others will be brand new.

This post focus on one of the later. It was one of the many patriotic superheroes that appeared in Quality Comics over the years (the most famous and popular of which was, of course, the company's version of Uncle Sam). This particular character only lasted a few issues of Feature Comics. As far as I know, she was very revived by DC, or anyone else, for that matter, which I think is kind of a shame. The concept is just too odd not to be used somehow.

The following story was originally published in Feature Comics #42. Writer unknown, art by Maurice Gutwirth









Note: I apologize for the quality of the scans. The originals were rather poor, and while I tried to clean them up the best I could, there was only so much I could do with what little photo editing software I have.

Comments

[box_in_the_box.insanejournal.com]

ALSO, that's some poorly conceived character design right there, because you've basically ensured that USA (Or is that Usa?) can never have her fucking hands free, since she always has to hold her torch in one hand and Old Glory in the other. I suppose we see here that she can still carry things, after a crude fashion, but God help her if she ever has to WRITE anything ... which, now that I think about it, is actually an uncomfortable accurate metaphor for certain parts of self-described "real America."

[strannik01.insanejournal.com]

You'll notice that, when she walks up to the classroom, Usa has the Old Glory draped over her arm, so it's not as impossible as you make it sound. Also, nothing in this comic indicates that she has to hold the flag and the torch all the time.

[box_in_the_box.insanejournal.com]

Fair point, but if any character could benefit from having a utility belt (or a USAtility belt, maybe) ...

Hell, even Cap and Thor have places to put their shield and hammer, respectively.

[his_spiffyness.insanejournal.com]

She's supposed to be more of a mystical character anyway, she doesn't really need pockets. It's not like she needs them, she just stands around on tall buildings waiting for her flag to droop.

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

Nothing is stopping her from planting the flag or the torch in soil if she's outside, propping the torch up on a handy wall or shelf, or even just handing one of the objects to a helpful bystander.

Some great poses there, but her outfit is a bit drab. I would rather see her in a white robe like Columbia (a little leg could show to keep the readers' attention).