Buck Danny. Cartoon hero!

JerryTumbler · December 17, 2020, 7:14am

Scene: Burma, 1942. USO-artist Jinx Falkenbug in front of pilots from the Burma Banshees and 14th Air Force aka “Flying Tigers” (from Angel Wings #2 "Black Widow’).

During WW-II the 14th Air Force pilots Captain Buck Danny and his 2 devoted pals Captain Jerry Tumbler and Lieutenant Sonny Tuckson were in Burma too. (see Buck Danny volumes 3 - 6 from the late 40s and early 50s).
Aviation graphic novel series Angel Wings is inspired by the Buck Danny aviation series, and the first Angel Wings cycle (volumes 1 - 3) is about the Burma Banshees.
In Angel Wings volume 2 “Black Widow” the Burma Banshees were visited by USO-artist Jinx Falkenburg. The Banshees also invited The Flying Tigers Buck Danny and his 2 pals. A closer look:

Behind the cameraman, from left to right: Jerry Tumbler, Buck Danny and the Texan Sonny Tuckson.

Very rare in grahic novel/comic albums from the late 40s were independent women. In aviation series Buck Danny we met in volume 2 (from 1948) Army-nurse Lt. Susan Holmes. An independent young woman. She stayed 5 volumes. In Buck Danny volume 5 Susan is in Burma fighting against a local tribe, who appeared to be henchmen from the Japs. As aviation series Angel Wings is inspired by series Buck Danny, WASP pilot Lt. Angela McCloud is an independent woman too, like Lt. Susan Holmes. Angela is also in Burma, and like Susan Holmes, she’s fighting against the enemy: this time the Japs themselves.
Below, both gals in action (and both with a Thompson M1A1), respectively Army-nurse Lt. Susan Holmes and Fifinella Lt. Angela McCloud:

© Victor Hubinon, 1950 ; © Romain Hugault, 2015

JerryTumbler · December 17, 2020, 5:44pm

It’s official: the cover art of Buck Danny #58 “The Pact!” (March 19, 2021): *)

*) Cinebook #13

jenrick · December 17, 2020, 10:45pm

I hate to nit pick, but sometimes the eye catches things. In the last picture unless Lt. McCloud is very petitie, her Thompson is super sized, or her wrist is incredibly flexible in a direction we can’t normally bend there’s no way her pose shooting the Thompson is correct.

Here you can see how compact the Thompson actually is. Secondly the pronated wrist with the thumb almost over bore is definitely not a WW2 technique. Note how the soliders off hand in the linked video uses a conventional rifle shooting grip, versus the much more modern thumb over/inline with the bore technique Lt. McCloud is shown with.

Please do keep sharing though, the art is amazing. Since teaching how to run a rifle and SMG’s has taken up a large portion of my professional life, it just caught my eye.

Hangar200 · December 22, 2020, 11:00am

“Where do we get such men?…”

jenrick · December 28, 2020, 6:04pm

I like the realism of the F-35’s cannon not being able to hit anything, and only having 2 panels worth of ammunition

For reference I am totally throwing shade that the F-35, not the artist, again well done

Troll · January 2, 2021, 1:04pm

I wish that collection was available in english…

JerryTumbler · January 15, 2021, 4:42pm

© Jean-Michel Arroyo (Buck Danny Classic)

As written bevor, the comic book artists like to draw the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. (because of the very beautiful design?!)

© Victor Hubinon: Buck Danny #16, pages 20 and 21

Again a comic book with this warbird (from the S.- F. dyptich The Power of Atlantis, volume 2):

Scenario (brief): With the world reeling from the hijackings of military planes, symbols of the power of an unknown organization, Jonas Montfort searches for a way to thwart Professor Steiner’s aims. But how to block the man who holds the power to control the wills…

(Artist: Bruno Marchand: MARCHAND Bruno | Paquet (editionspaquet.com))

More F9F-2 Panther art:

© Thomas du Caju, 2x

Bonus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s8QjxAt3NU

Troll · January 16, 2021, 12:33pm

There’s something about those early jet fighters with straight wings… New meets old, in a way. I think the Panther is a beautiful aircraft. Perhaps influenced by ”The Bridges at Toko-Ri”

JerryTumbler · January 16, 2021, 6:49pm

© Victor Hubinon

Many aviation comicbook artists prefer to draw the Grumman F9F-2 Panther (probably because of the very beautiful design). Also in “Buck Danny”, with artists like Victor Hubinon, Francis Bergèse and Jean-Michel Arroyo.

A F9F-2 Panther collage from several Buck Danny (main series) and Buck Danny Classic (spin-off) albums; artists Vic Hubinon en J.-M. Arroyo.

Both the Grumman F9F-2 Panther as well as the Grumman F9F-6 Cougar had their debut in “Buck Danny” Volume 13 “An airplane is missing” from 1954. The cover-art of Buck Danny #13 by the late Victor Hubinon shows the Panther and the Cougar:

Below a collection of F9F-2 Panther drawings from a lot of Buck Danny albums (main series) by Victor Hubinon (the colourist by the way coloured the fuel tanks always red, but I never could find images of a F9F-2 Panther with red tanks; only a F9F-2P has fuel tanks in the same colour as the jet, in album #13):

Above: a small curiosity: a drawing on page 27 from album #18 (1956) was in 1961 re-used in mirror on the back cover of volume 24 from 1961. The Italians liked this drawing and used it in 1978 for an album cover; a publisher used this drawing in a promo, and finally in 2020 volume 2 of the 2-part spin-off Buck Danny ~ Short Stories has also this drawing by Victor Hubinon, this time coloured by Ketty Formaggio, who als colours the Buck Danny Classic spin-off albums.

This time F2F-2 Panthers with no red fuel tanks. Probably another colourist. In the album the Panthers have red fuel tanks though.

F9F-2 Panther from Buck Danny Classic #2 (artist Jean-Michel Arroyo):

© Francis Bergèse (concept)

© Victor Hubinon

The Grumman F9F-2P photo-reconnaissance version (from Buck Danny #13, page 01A, 1954):

The Grumman F9F-8P photo-reconnaissance version (from Buck Danny #21 (“A prototype has disappeared” from 1960):

Grumman F9F-6 Cougar:

During many decades this design with F9F-6 Cougars was the standard back-cover of the French and Dutch language Buck Danny albums:

For the first time at volume 20 from 1959. However, the list with albums was never complete, and not a single album had a number. In the late 70s there came a new design and the albums are numbered since.

From Buck Danny #17 (1958)

Part 2: : Buck Danny. Cartoon hero! - #41 by JerryTumbler

jross · January 16, 2021, 8:33pm

Just found this thread. Neat stuff.

This guy…I’m kinda worried about

JerryTumbler · January 16, 2021, 9:05pm

@jross. Why? He is enjoying U.S.O.-artist Jinx Falkenburg at the Burma Banshees in Burma…

(from Angel Wings #2, page 37; © R. Hugault, 20215)

A closer look:

(Behind the man with the camera: Captain Jerry Tumbler, Captain Buck Danny and Lt. Sonny Tuckson; 3 pilots from the 14th Air Force (aka Flying Tigers)

Jinx Falkenburg; © Romain Hugault, 2015

Not long after this show with Jinx Falkenburg: Flying Tiger Capt. Buck Danny with Army-nurse Lt. Susan Holmes in a Burmese swamp:

(Buck Danny #4 “Flying Tigers” from 1951)

JerryTumbler · January 17, 2021, 2:03pm

The bundled Buck Danny albums, aka The Complete Collection (“Integrale”).

Besides always 4 stories: a lot of additional pages of extra material: biographies, essays, interviews, illustrations. Very trendy on the Continent.
Released in the French, Dutch and German language. Every bundle contains 4 albums an a lot of info.
In Italy and Spain not all of the 14 volumes from this 2nd generation of bundled Buck Danny albums are published.

Example of Buck Danny bundles:

France, volume 7 (from 14):

Spain, volume ?:

France, volume 3 (from 14):

Below: Buck Danny main series: volumes 1 - 40 (softcovers, reprints) from the last century. Together with volumes 41 - 52 they are today bundled in 14 volumes of Buck Danny - Integrale (= The Compleet Collection of Buck Danny):

Buck Danny, volumes 1 - 20 (between 1948 - 1960; artist: Vic Hubinon):

edit
52 volumes between 1948 and 2008 (artist V. Hubinon 1 - 40, artist F. Bergèse 41 - 52):

JerryTumbler · January 17, 2021, 2:25pm

“Buck Danny goes Chuck Yaeger”…

© Francis Bergèse

“Buck Danny goes Blake & Mortimer”…

E.P. Jacobs; © Francis Bergèse

Gil Formosa aviation art:

Buck Danny art: USS John F Kennedy, CV-67…

© Francis Bergèse, 80s

JerryTumbler · January 17, 2021, 2:41pm

Part 2 about the popularity of the Grumman F9F-2 Panter and the F9F-6 Cougar in aviation series 'Buck Danny".

Both Grumman jets appeared regularly in the Buck Danny albums #13 from 1954 until #24 from 1961.

The re-prints had during many decades on the back-cover a scene with F9F Cougars showing also an incomplete list of previous released Buck Danny albums. This scene for the first time appeared in 1959, on the back cover of the first edition of Volume 20:

The scene then lasted until Volume 24, and had a comeback with Volume 27.

Page 1 of Buck Danny #21 (“A prototype has disappeared”) from 1960 shows only a Grumman F9F-8P photo-reconnaissance jet (the story begins on page 3):

From Buck Danny #18 (released in 1957), page 27: Buck Danny in a F9F-2 Panther:

With Buck’s left hand on the throttle, that’s correct. Below:
apparantly the artist Victor Hubinon liked this scene, and he re-drew it in mirror, and it became the back cover art of volume #24 from 1961. (Probably this mirrored scene than works better as an album cover.). Back covers of a first edition having an unique drawing was during many years common (examples ASAP); re-prints had always the above mensioned scene with Cougars.

This mirrored drawing was often re-used for other occasions. See also my other post about the F9F Panther in aviation series 'Buck Danny".

A test print from the cover of Buck Danny - Short Stories volume 2/2 (June 2020):

At the edges is more visable from the drawings than on the final issue…

Painter and Buck Danny fan Gerard Weygand drew this painting, with Sonny Tuckson, Jerry Tumbler and Buck Danny next to a F9F-2 Panther:

Another Buck Danny fan made diorama with a scene from Buck Danny #18:

In the 80s for the first time the the Buck Danny albums were bundled, usually 4 albums per bundle.

Before artist Francis Bèrgese could start with the Buck Danny albums ( Victor Hubinon died after finishing Volume 40), he at first drew the 16 covers of the 16 bundles. Below bundle 7 from 1986, with F9F-6 Cougars:

Grumman F9F-6 Cougars on the back cover of the first edition of Buck Danny #18 (1958):

© Victor Hubinon

Cover-art Buck Danny #22 (from 1960) with Cougars too:

Ditto, page 1:

Page 1 from Buck Danny #19, with a F9F-2 Panther:

F9F-2 Panther in Buck Danny #16:

© Jean-Michel Arroyo (Buck Danny Classic, cycle 1)

(from Buck Danny #15; © Victor Hubinon, 50s)

From Buck Danny Classic #2; © J.-M. Arroyo

© Victor Hubinon, 50s

August 2020: promo publisher Hachette, France:

(scene from buck Danny #18, page 25)

And this year the beginning of Angel Wings #7 (from 8): “In Korea”:

Preview from Angel Wings #7 (Oct. 2021), with F9F-2 Panther too:

© R. Hugault, Jan. 18, 2021

Secret- in Lace poster with F9F-2 Panther too:

© R. Hugault, Febr. 2021

PS
Part 1: Buck Danny. Cartoon hero! - #36 by JerryTumbler

jenrick · January 17, 2021, 5:36pm

Did the US Navy ever use blue uniform caps?

JerryTumbler · January 17, 2021, 7:27pm

@jenrick. Yep! Our 3 protagonist from the USAF are loaned to the US-Navy (explained in Buck Danny volume 13, page 1; this aviation series is fiction).

© J.-M. Arroyo

And to stay on the subject Grumman F9F-2 Panther. Did the US Navy ever use F9F-2 Panthers with red wingtip fuel tanks? When artist Victor Hubinon was “au plume”, in all his Buck Danny albums with the F9F-2 Panther, the fuel tanks are red. Only on the cover -art of Volume 19 they are blue too (but in the album they are red again).
In short (from several Buck Danny albums):

etc.

JerryTumbler · January 17, 2021, 7:33pm

@jenrick. I like to add. At the end of the Korean War the USAF pilots Col. Buck Danny and his 2 pals were loaned to the US Navy. That was a practical move by scenarist Jean-Michel Charlier to continue his successful aviation comicbook series. Being US Navy pilots too, the 3 pilots can travel around the globe and having adventures in exotic regions. In those days USAF pilots rarily were active outside the US, and being a scenarist, he would have run out of subjects/adventures. Our 3 protagonists had already been testpilots for instance.

Nowadays the Buck Danny series includes more than 65 volumes/different stories (since 1948), and still going strong, with since 2012 even a spin-off “Buck Danny Classic” (period: mid 40s - early 60s, as the Buck Danny albums from that period still belong to the best-sellers, and are regulary re-printed).

Below: Europe’s #1 comic book/graphic novel scenarist Jean-Michel Charlier (1924 - 1989) between his bulky ouevre (Buck Danny, Lt. Blueberry, Tiger Joe, Red Beard, Tanguy & Laverdure, etc., etc.) :

Charlier’s successor Frederic Zumbiehl (left) with artist Fred. Winis (Buck Danny #53):

2016: a Dutch bookstore with a Buck Danny corner (all volumes are on stock and in a chronological order):

Nowadays Buck Danny in hardcover, size: 21.8 x 0.9 x 30.0 cm. (weight: 400 grams):

PS
From Buck Danny #11 “In Korea”, first edition (1954), page 1:

Ditto, one of the many re-prints, and re-coloured:

During the Korean War, Buck Danny and his 2 pals were still USAF pilots.

Another reprint and recolouring from this album:

“Tech-talk” is common in the Buck Danny series:

(from Buck Danny #11 “In Korea”, 1953)

(from Buck Danny #4, 1951)

JerryTumbler · January 22, 2021, 3:16pm

A Buck Danny concept page by artist Gil Formosa for Volume #55 “Defcon One”, scene with Jane “Lady-X” Hamilton and Sonny Tuckson

Artist Gil Formosa in action (short vids):

Buck Danny:

Buck Danny & Lady-X, part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXh_lLjfhU

Natalya Semyova, Buck Danny’s blond love interest:

Buck Danny & Lady-X, part 2:

More Buck Danny art by Gil Formosa: http://buck.danny.originaux.free.fr/

“Buck Danny” facts worth knowing, part 1:

In January 1947 the comic magazine Spirou (from Publisher Dupuis, Brussels) began with the pre-publication of the Buck Danny aviation series, and in 1948 the first (64 page) story was published in an album. Since every pre-published Buck Danny story was issued as an album too. Sometimes there was also a re-print. It lasted however until 1966, when every Buck Danny album was regularly re-printed and on stock. Since 1966 every Buck Danny album cover got also a black series bar with “Buck Danny” in red on the right and a portrait of Buck Danny on the left (in the 90s the album-number was added on the far left):

This bar was continued untill volume 53. Then the Begian publisher copied the “German approach”, with only “Buck Danny” on the cover and the volume (also copied by publisher Cinebook-UK).

Volume 11 from 1953 had for the first time this black bar with the name of the series, but looked rather simple and wasn’t standardized.

Summer 2020: Publisher Hachette starts with Buck Danny re-prints, and every volume comes with additional background info:

Source: Buck Danny : une collection de prestige inédite ! (hachette-collections.com)

Yellow skies: rather common in the early Buck Danny stories, some examples:

Since the 2nd edition (from 1966), the cover-art of volume 10 (from 1953) was recoloured.

(But the yellow sky stayed…):

Ad regarding Buck Danny #10 “Testpilots” (from 1953); of course with a yellow background:

(artist: Eddy Paape, instead of Vic Hubinon)

(from Buck Danny #11 “In Korea”, 1953)

Buck Danny volume 10 “Testpilots” (from 1952) with the F-94C Shooting Star:

JerryTumbler · January 24, 2021, 6:15am

“A picture paints a thousand words”

Since 2009 Cinebook -UK has translated 13 Buck Danny albums (from 67 volumes). In the past 2 other Buck Danny albums were translated into English:

In 1988: Buck Danny volume 41 “Mission Apocalypse” (part 1 of a trilogy) by Amusement Int. Ltd, USA:

(rare, but still availabe: Set of 2 Books from The Adventures of Buck Danny - MISSION APOCALYPSE and MYSTERY IN THE ANTARCTIC (both in English) by Charlier, Bergese: As New Soft cover (1988) 1st Edition | CKR Inc.

…and in 2004: Buck Danny volume 51 “Mystery in Antarctica” by Air Comics, Canada:

(= Cinebook # 6)

“Mystery in Antarctica” is a stand-alone story (aka oneshot), however “Mission Apocalyse” is part 1 of trilogy “Nuclear Alert”. The missing 2 other albums would have completed the story though, but so far have never been translated!

Trilogy “Nuclear Alert” was in 1983 the smashing debute of artist Francis Bergèse, the successor of the late Victor Hubinon (54). And a trilogy with an outstanding scenario by Jean-Michel Charlier.
The 3 volumes of trilogy “Nuclear Alert”:

(Mission Apocalypse, The Pilots from Hell, Fire in the Sky)

In 2015 these 3 albums were bundled in an omnibus, with additional background info, re-coloured and released in a king-size format. Artist Francis Bergèse showing this omnibus:

Available in black&white also:

re-coloured (by Bergèse’s son)

Pages 1 – 4:

The drawing-style by artist Francis Bergèse was in many ways an improvement compared with his predecessor Victor “Vic” Hubinon. Hubinon was very often accurate regarding airplanes, however not always regarding the outfit of the pilots and the weaponry. For instance: in Buck Danny volume 3 from 1950, Jerry Tumbler uses a M1MA Thomson, but in volume 40 from 1979 he still uses a Thompson. We may assume that in the late 70s the US Navy had other weapens:

Hubinon’s art was inspired by the American artist Milton Caniff and he experimented like Caniff with black & white too, however not with Bergèse, his focus was on detailed drawings.

“Milton Caniff goes Buck Danny”:

By the way, Francis Bergèse discontinued drawing 'Buck Danny" in 2008. Aftter the death of scenarist Jean-Michel Charlier he regularly asked for a new scenarist because the political world became to complex. He wanted to focus on drawing again. However publisher Dupuis refused that. Finally he discontinued.

Page 13 from volume 41:

Trilogy (Volumes 41 - 43) “Nuclear Alert” has also a comeback of the immortal Jane Hamilton, aka Lady-X. In this series it was the first time that she appeared in 2 consecutive stories. The previous trilogy (Volumes 38 - 40) had also a story with Lady-X. This time she looks very different as during artist Vic Hubinon. However, since her “deadly” plane-crash in Volume 17, the artist has a lot of freedom regarding her looks, as she has plastic surgery since. (That’s also part of her criminal activities: operating in secret. Although it looks like the today artist Gil Formosa has other plans with her…)

The “deadly” plane-crash of Lady-X in the Atlantic Ocean (source: Volume 17 from 1958):

Regarding the scenario’s, visit: US Military Aviation - Buck Danny (salimbeti.com)
The scenario of “Mystery in Antarctica” is very much inspired by Volume 13 Dawn Patrol from this aviation series.

JerryTumbler · February 15, 2021, 2:16pm

Source: Buck Danny, volumes 26 - 28 (a trilogy with the comeback of the Flying Tigers, from 1960 -1962), part 1 (part 2 with the Fiat G-91R “Gina” ASAP).

Some impressions from Volume 28 “Flying Tigers agains pirates” (scenario: Jean-Michel Charlier, drawings: Victor Hubinon);

Buck Danny, volumes 26 - 28: a trilogy with the comeback of the Flying Tigers (from 1960 -1962), part 2. Scenario by Jean-Michel Charlier, drawings by Victor Hubinon.
This time featuring the Fiat G-91R “Gina”.

"The Good"are flying with the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, and “The bad” with the Fiat G-91R “Gina”:

PS
More Buck Danny scale models: US Military Aviation - Buck Danny (salimbeti.com)