From the wreck of a crashed D.H. came those words spoken with mad laughter by a dying Yank. But, its head was a skull, its body a giant skeleton — this ghastly phantom that stalked night skies, crashing entire planes in its long bony fingers, driving men insane before death. No Yank had faced it — and lived. But G-8 and his battle buddies cut haunted skies to thrust their wings into its horror snare. G-8 did not fly the good fight alone in Pulp fiction. His Battle Aces consisted of small, but scrappy Nippy Weston and muscular Bull Martin. Both accomplished pilots, Bull and Nippy escaped from the clutches of Herr Doktor Krueger, G-8’s depraved arch enemy, with the Master Spy in the debut story, The Bat Staffel. Flying planes numbered 13 and 7 respectfully, Nippy and Bull were in fact inspired by two real life aviators.
G-8 author Robert J. Hogan based G-8’s companions on two pilots named Nippy Westover and Bull Nevin. Even though not Master Spies like their leader, Nippy and Bull stood on their own as well developed characters. Both Americans, each brought his own unique quirks to the Battle Aces. Although compared negatively by some to Doc Savage’s aides, the diminutive Nippy and the often superstitious Bull actually owed more of their origins to characters in a play turned movie popular at the time, What Price Glory? G-8 also had assistance on the ground in various ways from, of all things, a manservant.?The singularly named Battle provided help in whatever way he could when G-8 called him.
Nick Santa Maria brings G-8, Nippy and Bull to thrilling life in their desperate struggle to defeat a strange nemesis unlike anything they have ever before encountered in The Skeleton Patrol. Originally published in the March, 1934 issue of G-8 and His Battle Aces magazine.
