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#4: Swastika Girls!   Writer: Alan Moore Pencils: Chris Sprouse, Arthur Adams Inks: Al Gordon Colors: Tad Ehrlich Lettering: Todd Klein Cover date: October 1999

Plot Summary:
Tom's homebase in Millenium City, the Stronghold, is unexpectedly attacked by old-fashioned airplanes covered with swastikas. All the pilots are young blond women with a German accent. While defending the Stronghold, Tom remembers an adventure back in 1945:

Soon after WW II has ended, Tom is searching for Ingrid Weiss in the debris of Berlin. Ingrid is the result of the Nazis' breeding experiments: the perfect Aryan. When he finds her, she knocks him unconscious. Waking up later, he finds himself tied-up.

At present, the airwomen lure Tom to an aircraft carrier where he meets his old foe Ingrid Weiss again. Similarly to Tom, she hasn't aged much. She puts him into a time machine and sends him to the continent of Pangaea where he is meant to meet an old 'friend'.

Comments:
After three self-contained issues, this is the first one ending with a cliffhanger. It contains a flashback sequence ('An Untold Tale') by a guest artist (this time Arthur Adams). These 'Untold Tales' will appear in each of the next few issues.

Of course, this story pays tribute to the Golden Age, when comic book heroes often fought Nazi enemies. This is particularly interesting for me as a German reader: it's a bit disturbing to see all the swastikas used as funny accessories while German law prohibits the use of this symbol in almost any publication. On the other hand, I had some good laughs reading all the (pseudo-) German words and sentences in this comic.

© 2003 LeGuy.
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