World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
unit appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by
Gary Friedrich
Gary Friedrich (; August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018) was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' and in the following era, the series '' The Monster of Fr ...
and
Dick Ayers
Richard Bache Ayers (; April 28, 1924 – May 4, 2014) was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on s ...
, they were a specially trained tactical commando squad. "
Leatherneck
Leatherneck is a military slang term in the U.S. for a member of the United States Marine Corps. It is generally believed to originate in the wearing of a "leather stock" that went around the neck. Its original purpose was to protect the neck fr ...
" is a military slang term for a member of the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
, the
Marine Raiders
The Marine Raiders are special operations forces originally established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry warfare.
Despite the original intent for Raiders to serve ...
were a special World War II unit. The character
Captain Savage
''Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders'' is a World War II comic book published by Marvel Comics. The series lasted for nineteen issues, from January 1968 to March 1970. By issue #9 the name was switched to ''Captain Savage and his Battlefie ...
is unrelated to the 1939
Fox Feature Syndicate
Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...
character of that name.
Publication history
Captain Savage's first appearance in Marvel Comics was in ''Sgt. Fury'' #10 "On to Okinawa" as the submarine captain that aids Fury and his team. The Leatherneck Raiders starred in their own Marvel Comics series, ''
Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders
''Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders'' is a World War II comic book published by Marvel Comics. The series lasted for nineteen issues, from January 1968 to March 1970. By issue #9 the name was switched to ''Captain Savage and his Battlefie ...
'', which ran 19 issues from Jan. 1968 – Mar. 1970. The title of the comic changed to ''Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders'' with issue #9 with Savage shaving off his beard.
Savage regrew his beard in the last issue, #19. A proposal to have a ''Captain Savage of the Silent Service'' with Savage as a submarine commander was not taken up.
Fictional team history
The Leathernecks were commanded by
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
submarine Captain Simon Savage, who modeled his squad after his one-time associate
Nick Fury
Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
's
Howling Commandos
The Howling Commandos is the name of several fictional groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team also appears in the franchises developed for other media.
Fictional team history
Original Incarnation (1963)
T ...
. Savage had appeared in several of the Howling Commando issues as the commander of the USS Sea Wolf, a submarine taking them on missions.
Although the Leatherneck Raiders (also known as the "Leathernecks" and the "Battlefield Raiders") were an effective fighting force in World War II, they never achieved the recognition that the Howling Commandos received.
In the premiere issue, the Raiders fought on
Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati ''
Baron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization, and the archenemy of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. H ...
and HYDRA on a Pacific Island.
Savage, now shown in a Marine Corps uniform bearing both Captain's bars and what appear to be First Sergeant stripes, appeared in ''Fall of the Hulks: Gamma'' at the funeral of General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. He mentions that he was once a "lowly 'captain'", even though that Naval rank is much higher than either of the contradictory ranks shown on his uniform.
Team members
Aside from Captain Savage, the team consisted of:
* Private Lee Baker (who was killed in action)
* Corporal Jacques Larocque
* Private Jay Little Bear
* Seaman Roy "Blarney" Stone
* Sgt. Sam "Yakkety" Yates
Australian character Rolfe Harrison appeared in a couple issues with the Raiders but never joined their ranks.
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...