Synopsis
Young Allies 70th Anniversary Special #1 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
This is set during the period when Captain America (Steve Rogers) was thought dead, and Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) had become his replacement.
Bucky visits the grave of Sgt Duffy in snow-covered Arlington National Cemetery in Late December. Duffy was in charge of the recruits at Camp Lehigh, including Pvt Steve Rogers in most issues of Timely's Captain America Comics.
Bucky remembers living at Lehigh with his father, who was killed at this time of year on a training exercise in 1937. (I think this is the first time a date has been given for his father's death.) Bucky spent 3 years toughening up after that, until the government made him the original Captain America's partner for 4 years of war.
Bucky's early memories tie in with those established for the Winter Soldier version of Bucky in Ed Brubaker's run of Captain America. They present a harder Bucky than in 1940's Captain America Comics, whom the government presented already trained to Cap as a partner. This is also why Bucky is shown toting a machine gun, something which happened rarely in earlier tellings. The previous idea of Bucky becoming Cap's sidekick by accidentally discovering his identity was declared a PR gimmick by Brubaker in The Marvels Project. Much as most of the Timely Young Allies history is treated here.
He also remembers lecturing to the Sentinels of Liberty youth group, where he met the future Young Allies:- Pat 'Knuckles' O'Toole, Washington 'Wash' Carver Jones (probably named after African-American polymath George Washington Carver), Geoffrey Worthington Vandergill and Henry Yosef Tinkelbaum. A month later they tailed him to a fight with Nazi saboteurs at a Naval yard led by the Red Skull. They joined Bucky in the fight, soon followed by Toro, and then Captain America and the Human Torch. This was Bucky and Toro's first meeting, and they started squabling over leadership of the other boys.
The government saw PR value in naming the 6 boys the Young Allies, and giving them their own comic. The comic exaggerated their exploits, and made up most of them, especially the later ones after the real 4 Sentinels of Liberty joined the army.
Bucky then seeks out a special memorial grave for the Young Allies, and sees only Hank and Geoff's names on it. Knuckles and Wash must still be alive! He tracks down Knuckles in hospital, and finds Wash visiting him. He convinces them of who he is, and tells them of his life as Winter Soldier.
They recall the last time the 6 Young Allies all had a reunion, in liberated Paris at the end of August 1944. Hank had been in the Marines, but now he and Geoff were working for the O.S.S., Knuckles was a Private in the army and Wash was a pilot in the Tuskegee Airmen, the African-American 332nd Fighter Group. They complained about their portrayal in the comics, especially the stereotypical comedy negro 'Whitewash'.
Knuckles offered to split a bottle of brandy he was given by a grateful French farmer. But their celebration was aborted when Geoff spotted a known German agent Kleinschmidt. They followed him and disrupted his cell's plan to burn down Paris with incendiary bombs. (Kleinschmidt mentions that they are doing what von Choltitz wouldn't. Gen'l Dietrich von Choltitz was governor of Paris. Hitler ordered him to destroy Paris rather than let the Allies have it, but he refused.) Geoff and Hank probed the nazi forces pretending to be SS officers, before calling the others in. Torch absorbed the flames when the warehouse full of incediaries ignited during the battle. Kleinschmidt tried to escape but Bucky and Wash caught him on Wash's motorbike. Modern Bucky reveals that Red Skull was behind the incediary plan.
After the war Wash flew in Korea and was promoted to Colonel. Knuckles became a drill Sergeant until he retired to run a tavern. Geoff transferred to Naval Intelligence and the fledgling CIA and died in Indochina/Vietnam. Hank was a successful business man until he died in an accident.
Bucky tells them what he knows about Toro's death in Sub-Mariner #14. He doesn't know about Toro's resurrection happening in Avengers/Invaders #12 in the same month as this issue. More significantly he doesn't remember that he himself, as young Bucky from 1943, used the Cosmic Cube to cause that resurrection. But then I believe his life as Winter Soldier has left him with holes in his memory.
In the present day, Wash and Knuckles show Bucky the still-unopened bottle of brandy. They have kept it in a tontine, i.e. it goes to the last surviving member of the team. But they drink much of it that night, before Knuckles passes away.
Wash marches in the President's inaugural ceremony, and then dies a few months later. This issue ends with Bucky emptying the rest of the brandy bottle in front of the now-completed gravestone, with the names of all 4 Sentinels and pictures of all 6 Young Allies.
Roger Stern wrote another story featuring present-day Bucky and the wartime Young Allies, in the Captain America: Forever Allies limited series which Peter has documented on this site. The present-day portions of the 2 stories overlap slightly, as Forever Allies opens with Wash's funeral, which occurs before the final scene of this issue
Story #2The Young Allies Deal a Blow for Justice
Writer:
Stan Lee. Penciler/Inker:
Synopsis
This is the text story from Captain America Comics #8. Sentinel of Liberty Percy 'Knuckles' Bartwell sees Betty Ross a prisoner of a gang who want information about the government's new super-torpedo. He rounds up other Sentinels Jefferson Van Smythe, Whitewash and Tubby Tinkle and their President Bucky Barnes, who phones Steve Rogers at Camp Lehigh. Betty is threatened with torture, so the boys burst in and attack the gang. The crooks overpower them, but they have delayed things enough for Captain America to arrive and save the day.
Story #3The kidnapping of Diana Dunn
Writer:
Ray Gill. Penciler/Inker:
Bob OksnerSynopsis
This is the Terry Vance story from Marvel Mystery Comics #14. Terry Vance schoolboy sleuth and his pet monkey Dr Watson accompany their friend cub reporter Deadline Dawson to interview teen actress Diana Dunn. Unfortunately they interrupt filming when they try to stop what they think is a kidnapping. Later they see Diana really kidnapped, disguised as more filming. But they follow the kidnappers and see it is for real. Dawson goes to fetch the police while Terry and Dr Watson sneak into the kidnappers' basement. Dr Watson causes a diversion while Terry rescues Diana. And Dawson arrives with the police to arrest the gang. This story isn't directly relevant to the Young Allies, except to show that other teen characters were featured in Timely comics. Terry ran in Marvel Mystery Comics from #10 to #57 and then transferred to Mystic Comics v2#1-2. He was accompanied by Dr Watson from the start, and Deadline Dawson joined the regular cast from the 2nd appearance in MMC#11.
Story #4Captain America and the Bomb Sight Thieves
Writer:
Stan Lee. Penciler/Inker:
Synopsis
This is the text story from Captain America Comics #4. Bucky Barnes is President of the Sentinels of Liberty youth club in his civilian identity. They meet in a room next to one where professor Colby has invented a new bomb sight. (This club has members named Pete Keller, Joey and Larry.) One day crooks Monk and One-Eye interrupt a club meeting and break into Colby's room, intending to steal a bomb sight and sell it to a foreign dictator. Unfortunately for them Steve Rogers is there to give a patrotic talk to the club. Steve knocks One-Eye out of the clubroom, while the boys pile on Monk. Steve takes the opportunity to change to Captain America and returns to deal with Monk.