Number 1327: Instant boy to man

Our third day of Pappy's “War is hell on the homefront week” takes us from England to the United States. Young, weak, bullied Arthur Lake, son of an American aircraft manufacturer, is visiting that country with his dad, when he stumbles into a cave and discovers — ta da! — King Arthur’s sword embedded in stone. Arthur pulls it out and becomes the Sword. Not King Arthur. In 1942 in comics, superheroes, not a king, were the thing. As with our other stories this week, sabotage is what our hero is out to stop.

This is from the one-and-only issue of Ace Publications’ Captain Courageous, #6. The Sword went on in Super-Mystery Comics for a time. My observation on such characters who go instantly from boys to men is that they were to appeal to youngsters who with a bit of magic could become all those things they weren't, big and strong. That would include having maturity, also, I assume. It’s a great fantasy. I say maturity because at the end of the story Arthur decides he can’t be the Sword all the time. And why not? Well, he doesn't say it, but for one thing he’d have to get a job. That takes a certain amount of maturity to know that is a whole other thing from being a superhero. Had I those powers when I was young Arthur's age the temptation for me would be to stay that big man and tell my mom, “No, Ma, I won’t eat broccoli. What are you gonna do about it?” or, “Go to bed? How are you gonna make me?”