American Ace (Timely Comics)
| American Ace | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (1939) |
| Created by | Paul Lauretta |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Perry Webb |
American Ace (Perry Webb) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in the uncirculated Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 in 1939. The character would make his first public appearance when his Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly strip was published in Marvel Mystery Comics #2 and #3.
Despite an intelligent and adult story line, American Ace was abruptly cancelled just as soon as the second story, defining the hero's purpose, saw print. The reason was possibly because the strip seemed too politically intense for the mostly adolescent audience, or because artist Paul Lauretta, an inker on backgrounds and designer of thugs seen in Superman's early stories, had a style, which at the time, seemed crude even by Golden Age standards. However, the latter was later discredited as the artwork was drawn in a humorous style reminiscent of E.C. Segar's Popeye. The artwork highly contrasted with the politically jarring story and sentimental romance.
However, several months later the strip turned up in the pages of Centaur Publications's The Arrow #2, under the name "Lieutenant Lank." Perry's last name was changed from "Wade" to "Webb", and the story had him shoot it out in the skies against Ursula's men with the announcement that he would raise a team of pilots next issue of all fallen nations.
Centaur Publications then published a 6-page story Lieutenant Lank in Amazing Mystery Funnies 24. When his plane is destroyed, and he is captured by Queen Ursula, Lank escapes in one of the Queen's tanks and makes it back to his lines, but not before Lank spanks Queen Ursula after Queen Ursula steals a kiss. This issue also had Basil Wolverton's Space Patrol.
But with the demise of Centaur Publications, the strip was once again cancelled.
American Ace has not been seen in modern Marvel continuity, but Webb was mentioned briefly in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age, showing that Marvel still owns the rights to American Ace.
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