The Stop Button

Goodwin and company recover for the fourth–and tragically final–issue of Blazing Combat. The issue opens with Goodwin returning to, if not controversial, then uncomfortable topics–he and Gene Colan (Colan’s art this issue is far better than his already good art in the previous one) have a depressingly real story about American racism. It might be the most rah-rah story in the series, however (you have to read it).

Alex Toth’s story–about a flier in Korea–is superior to the previous issue’s problematic one. Here, with most scenes in daylight, Toth really looks good. There’s no murkiness, it’s cleanliness is all very visceral.

The Russ Heath might not be the most compelling story (it’s still superior to the Reed Crandall Ancient Greece story, which just bores), but the artwork’s just amazing.

Goodwin shows signs of expanding his scope, which makes the series’s failure even more unfortunate.