Canteen Kate - The Collected Edition

Matt Baker, who is probably most well-known for his work on the character Phantom Lady for Fox publications back in the day, also drew a lesser known strip for some of St. John Publishing Company's war comics - Canteen Kate. Running from late 1951 to the beginning of 1953, Canteen Kate appeared in a total of 13 comics: eight issues of Fightin' Marines, three issues of her own comic book, and her last appearance in the first issue of Anchors Andrews, cover dated January 1953. The stories were fun, showcasing the crazy antics of Canteen Kate and her boyfriend, Marine Private Al Brown.

I honestly had never heard of this character, and likely never would have had a friend not turned me on to some of the war-themed mystery books published by Whitman books back in the '40s. While doing some searching online to find those books, I stumbled across this little gem and figured it was worth a try.  And without a doubt, it was WELL worth the try!  The art of Matt Baker is exceptional, and while not the flashy T&A art that was so prevalent in the Phantom Lady comics, it definitely displays his talent as an artist for drawing people and faces so well.

The stories in Fightin' Marines were all six pages, except the last one, which was only five pages. But those pages were jam-packed with story and zaniness, as Kate inevitably involved Al in some lame-brained scheme of hers, which invariably would up with Al in the brig! Such simple things as "borrowing" an air conditioning unit from the major's barrack to sewing better-fitting fatigues for her boyfriend turn into major catastrophes for Canteen Kate, as she always bungles things up. Quite frankly, these short little stories read very much like an episode from a '60s television show, where the best of intentions usually lead to a world of trouble, but things work out in the end. In fact, now that I think about it, Kate and Al read very much like Lucy and Ethel!

The three issues of Canteen Kate comic ran simultaneously with her last three appearances in issues 7, 8, and 9 of Fightin' Marines.  Canteen Kate featured four or more short stories, ranging from single page quickies to nine-page romps. Her first issue even featured a two page prose tale that was apparently printed on the inside front and back covers.  The stories are most definitely a product of their time, as some of the characters, particularly the children depicted, would be deemed racist by today's standards - however, reading them in the context of the time, they create humorous situations for poor Kate and Al to find themselves in time and time again.

One thing I did notice while reading these stories is that despite Kate's nutty nature, she is definitely, by far, a strong female lead. She knows what she wants and goes for it (although usually not in the best of ways!), and she is never afraid to express her opinion, nor does she back down from a man, even one in authority (which, in the 1950s when these stories were written, was not acceptable behavior of a lady). As such, it made reading the stories that much better, particularly in light of my love of female comic book characters.

All in all, this is a winning book and a definite must read for comic fans who enjoy a bit of humor in the comics!

RATING:  10 mysteriously missing bugles out of 10 for good, clean fun in comic form!