Bungleton Green and The Mystic Commandos

Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos by Jay Jackson was a comic strip started in late 1942. Published in The Chicago Defender, a Black-run news publication, Jackson’s strip was designed for Black readers. Many of the comics featured in major newspapers of the day were used to inform and recruit America’s youth in the war efforts at home. Fans of Little Orphan Annie and The Boy Commandos followed the characters as they aided the Allied Forces in their fight against the fascists. Jackson’s work took this idea a step further. Defeating fascism is only meaningful if racism is erased. Jackson’s strip was a mix of science-fiction ideas. He used time travel, space flight, “the Green Men,” and a Black superhero to help relay his message.

Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commando is regaining life in a new book published by New York Review Comics. Jackson’s weekly strips from November 1942 to the end of January 1945 are all featured in this collection. “Jackson’s Passwords,” short biography of Black historical figures used as the final panel, is included in the publication. Jeet Heer writes the forward to this collection of Jackson’s comics, explaining the artist’s life, struggles, and motivations. This is a great addition to collectors of historic comics and anyone fighting racism.