Issue No. 243

Oct.-Nov. 1968

Mission Incredible: Recovering on Blackhawk Island from their battle with the Black Mask, the Black Knights get a message that leads them half way round the world to rescue a little girl from a cruel assassin called Strogoff. The little girl, Anya, is passed from one Blackhawk to another in a relay that allows each team member to shine in a different environment and showcase their particular aptitudes. The final leg has Blackhawk in a neat looking mini-sub. Strogoff, who has been in hot pursuit at each stage of the trip, depth bombs them from a Russian (?) warship. They use the old trick of putting debris, including Anya' beloved stuffed monkey, out the torpedo tube to convince the evil Stogoff that they are dead. Back in America, we learn that Anya has memorized a secret formula created by her scientist father, who had been killed by Stogoff.

This was a good story, harking back to the early strengths of the Blackhawks, while giving us more characterization than we had seen before. Each of the Blackhawks became real individuals and not just the stereotypes which had been their distinction for so long. Unfortunately, even though this issue and the one preceding it showed vast improvement over the last few years of Blackhawk, it was too late. This was the last issue of a continuous run that began in 1941. After twenty seven years, Blackhawk was canceled.

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