Yankee Eagle

The Yankee Eagle was a minor hero whose outfit changed occasionally, from a green and/or plaid jacket, to a red-shirt-plus-scarf ensemble. On the day Jerry Noble went to see his father, Senator Walter Q. Noble, he brought along his pet eagle, Sam. Jerry had a knack with animals, and could even coax natural enemies to get along. Sometimes he spoke to them by imitating their sounds. The Senator poo-pooed Jerry’s skills, so he set out to prove that it was more than just kid stuff. When the U.S.S. America was overrun by spies in Annapolis, Jerry dubbed himself the Yankee Eagle and launched an attack on the Germans, using Sam and a flock of seagulls to drive the spies out. Afterwards, he asked the Captain not to mention his involvement. (Military Comics #1)

While visiting a nearby zoo, he quieted a fight between two large cats. He bought the puma from the zoo and dubbed it Queen. Now with two pets to aid him, he found himself well equipped to save his father from kidnappers. (#2)

Noble got around. On the West Coast, he saved another American ship using Sam, and calling in help from seals and monkeys, too. Together they found the freighter, and destroyed the pirates’ base. (#3) The Yankee Eagle even had an arch foe: the violinist named Rapp. His evil equal controlled a large chimpanzee, whom Jerry could not. (#4)

Jerry was a Nazi magnet. He was onboard a cruise liner struck by a Nazi mine, and over a dozen people died. (#5) One of his foes described him as the “animal man.” (#6)

Yankee Eagle II

When the “Yankee Eagle” feature returned in the pages of Crack Comics later that year, the hero’s name changed to Larry Noble, and he was now an ex-stuntman. Gone was any talk of lovable pets or the strange powers to speak to them. Larry’s adventures centered on using his considerable athletic skills to foil second-rate crooks. (Smash #38) One nemesis, the Crow, was similar to the Batman’s foe, the Penguin. (#40) The feature ran in Smash Comics #38–47 (Dec. 1942–Oct. 1943).

Notes

In an online interview, Phil Martin identified himself as the creator of the “Swing Sisson” feature in Feature Comics. The art in that feature is very much the same as that in “Yankee Eagle,” which was signed “John Stewart.”