Now, I love my hero teams, especially from the Big Two, but sometimes I want something a little different. While different is subjective, I think most fans often look for something different. Well, look no further than Archie Comics’ Mighty Crusaders.
Granted, Archie doesn’t often spotlight their heroes, but there are always new stories popping up in one of the Archie Digests. The original lineup featured heroes such as The Shield, The Comet, Fly-Man, Fly Girl, and Black Hood—many of whom traced their roots back to Archie’s earlier incarnation, MLJ Comics, from the Golden Age. And Archie has been archiving the Golden Age Pep Comics, where many of the heroes first appeared.
Archie’s Mighty Crusaders made their debut in Fly-Man #31 in May 1965. Conceived by Jerry Siegel (the co-creator of Superman) and Paul Reinman, the team was Archie Comics’ bold response to the surging popularity of superhero ensembles like the Justice League and the Avengers. The group launched their title, The Mighty Crusaders, which premiered in November 1965.
While not widely available, there are several Crusader trades out there, and if you go digging around at your comic shop, I’m sure you’ll find more Archie hero comics. Yes, they are different because, for me, the tales aren’t mucked in sometimes convoluted continuities. Or with a lot of dread and doom.
More importantly, they are all-ages fun, regardless of the age the comic is aimed at. No, a Golden Age issue of Pep Comics isn’t going to read like today’s comics. However, at the same time, it doesn’t make it a bad comic if read within the context of its time. Like most Archie comics—not only the heroes—the tales remain timeless. I enjoy the Archie Digests because they feature stories that are decades old. But still makes for an enjoyable read. Something I can’t say for a lot of the comics I’ve read over the years.
Now, not everyone knows a whole lot about the Crusaders, but there’s a free and easy way to catch up on the Crusaders. Rik Offenberger, perhaps the world’s biggest Crusader fan, has released several issues of the Shield G-Man Club Fanzine for free over on Indy Planet. Get him alone, and he’ll never run out of things to say about the Mighty Crusaders. I should know because I had him on the podcast to talk about everything, Mighty Crusaders!
If you want to know even more about the Archie line of heroes, check out The MLJ Companion from TwoMorrows Publishing, which offers an in-depth exploration of the influential yet frequently underappreciated superhero tradition of Archie Comics, which began as MLJ Magazines. Written by Rik Offenberger, Paul Castiglia, and Jon B. Cooke, this 288-page, full-color trade paperback traces the development of the Mighty Crusaders—a team featuring iconic heroes such as The Shield, Black Hood, Steel Sterling, Hangman, Mr. Justice, and The Fly.
The book examines each significant period in the heroes’ history, beginning with the Golden Age, when The Shield became the first patriotic superhero, appearing before Captain America. It continues through the Silver Age, showcasing the unique, campy style of the Mighty Comics, and into the Bronze Age, marked by the introduction of the Red Circle imprint and DC’s brief Impact line. The narrative extends into the Modern Age, highlighting the Dark Circle imprint and acclaimed contemporary revivals, such as Mark Waid and Dean Haspiel’s The Fox.
Look, for years, I wasn’t “into” Archie Comics—on any level. Now, they are among the first comics I read each week. There’s never a time I haven’t read an Archie that I haven’t had a fantastic, enjoyable read. When was the last time you read anything, Archie? No time like now to begin a reading crusade with the Mighty Crusaders.
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