Golden Age Moment of the Day (54)

I've mentioned the Flying Dutchman once or twice before in this feature. The particular story that this one is from (um... Air Fighters vol. 2 #9) features both a pretty entertaining story and a rather... unsettling racist display. (There's no other word for it. There just isn't.)

Anyway, a mysterious odd-looking plane has been pursuing and somehow downing Allied pilots in the Pacific theater. (Another thing about Air Fighters: Even though it made no sense, the characters would hop from the Pacific conflict to the European conflict and back again at the drop of a hat with no apparent causality, regardless of their allegiance and origin.) It usually scares the bejeebers out of its victims.

Why?

Well, I have to admit I'd probably freak out too if I saw this-

-coming straight at me.

So I've gone on a bit about how racist Flying Dutchman is, right? Wondering how that comes into play in this story?

It's simple: There was a prophecy that this flying machine thing (which flew out of a painting) would only be defeated by "a man without fear" of a "superior white enemy... who can defeat us [the Japanese]!!"

Yikes. And again, in case you need an extra one: YIKES.

-Signing off.