Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Ace Periodicals, golden age

The Flag Takes Star Spangled Flight in Our Flag Comics #2, at Auction

The Flag's abilities included trailing stars & stripes while using his power of flight & an American Flag birthmark that warned him of danger

The rare Ace Periodicals series Our Flag Comics started off with a character called the Unknown Soldier.  While he was certainly patriotic in concept and action, his plain blue costume and mask might have seemed rather ordinary to readers who had recently been introduced to the likes of Captain America and The Shield. While not one of the best-remembered patriotic heroes of the era, The Flag, who first appeared in Our Flag Comics #2 from Ace Periodicals about seven months after the debut of Captain America, is an interesting example of how patriotism could be represented in WWII era comic books.  In addition to the prerequisite red, white and blue costume and an origin embedded in American history, The Flag's abilities included trailing stars and stripes while he used his power of flight and an American Flag birthmark that warned him of dangers to democracy.  The Flag's early appearances in the short-lived Our Flag Comics title are all difficult to get, and there's an Our Flag Comics #2 (Ace, 1941) CGC Apparent VG+ 4.5 Slight (C-1) Off-white pages copy up for auction in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions.

The Flag was Jim Courtney, a boy born on Flag Day, June 14th, and left on the doorstep of an old flag maker who was nicknamed Old Glory.  The child was born with a birthmark on his chest in the shape of an American Flag.  Upon his 21st birthday in 1941, his dreams are visited by the Spirit of '76, a group of patriots from American history including figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who inform him that they are endowing him with "the strength of 100 men, the speed of the wind, and immunity from the weapons of man."

To activate these abilities, he had to touch the American flag birthmark on his chest.  As the stories progressed, it also became apparent that his flag birthmark would glow to warn him of dangers to the country.  Accidentally brushing the birthmark with his hand would deactivate his abilities and leave him vulnerable.  Despite his Superman-level power, that weakness makes the stories work pretty well.   In a second story about the Flag in his debut issue, the patriotic hero takes on a ring of gangsters that have taken over newspapers around the country to spread propaganda.

Our Flag Comics #3 has a group of Nazi agents taking over various buildings in Washington DC to seize the levers of government.  They even have a man impersonate the president to declare the the war is over, sowing confusion around the country, as armed enemy forces take advantage of the confusion before the Flag turns the tide.  In another story featuring the Flag in that issue, Nazi agents use various methods of election interference to attempt to install an authoritarian figure as governor of a state which contains a number of defense plants.  The Flag eventually reveals the scheme and encourages citizens to vote.

One of the dominant political issues of 1941 was the struggle between interventionists, who believed that aiding Great Britain and confronting Nazi Germany was essential to American security, and the powerful isolationist movement, led by the America First Committee. This organization, with prominent spokesmen like aviator Charles Lindbergh, argued that America had no business getting involved in a European conflict. By April 1941, however, public sentiment was shifting, with polls showing that 68% of Americans favored risking war to ensure an Axis defeat.

The second Flag story in this issue also contains a clear and direct criticism of the isolationist movement. The plot centers on a propaganda newspaper, "The Clarion," which prints headlines like "America too Weak to Fight" and "Must Stay Out of European Affairs to Be Safe!". The comic portrays this viewpoint not as a legitimate political stance but as a treacherous, foreign-funded conspiracy orchestrated by a Nazi sympathizer to destroy American morale from within. This narrative directly mirrors the accusations leveled by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other interventionists against the America First Committee, framing their message as defeatist and un-American.

The fear of a fifth column of spies and saboteurs depicted in this issue was also a very real part of the American consciousness in 1941. This anxiety was amplified by the FBI's highly publicized takedown of the Duquesne Spy Ring, the largest espionage case in U.S. history that ended in convictions. Nineteen spies pled guilty, and the trial for 14 members of the 33-person ring began in federal court on September 3, 1941, making front-page news across the country precisely when Our Flag Comics #2 was on newsstands.   The stories in this issue tap directly into this specific public fear. The Flag foils not only a propaganda ring but also an invasion disguised as a military drill. The Unknown Soldier stops a plot to bomb New York City during a blackout, a plan put in motion by Nazi agents in America. The Three Cheers thwart a sabotage attempt on the Holland Tunnel. The comic's entire narrative is built around the idea that the threat is not just across the ocean, but already on American soil.

It's historically fascinating and entertaining stuff from Lou Mougin and Harry Anderson among others, and the series itself lasted for five issues.  As of this writing, there are only 23 total copies on the census: 21 with a Universal (blue) label. This low number for a 1941 Golden Age comic book likely suggests a combination of a small initial print run and a very low survival rate.  The tiny handful of higher grade copies rarely hit the market, so a solidly presenting restored copy is going to be a good reasonable alternative for some collectors. An underappreciated patriotic WWII hero in a very rare series, the Flag's early appearances in the short-lived Our Flag Comics title are all difficult to get, there's an Our Flag Comics #2 (Ace, 1941) CGC Apparent VG+ 4.5 Slight (C-1) Off-white pages copy up for auction in the 2025 September 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase Auction II at Heritage Auctions.

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