mitchmen at war No 20 - Hung Out To Dry (Bizarre Brutality 6)

This image shows the dramatic rescue of a soldier who has been tied up, hung up and tormented by his captors. The noose-like suspension rope and the wildly swung machete conjure up all sorts of unpleasant outcomes, but these men are on the same side despite my different colouring of their kit. The original image shows the suspension rope having already been severed but I restored it in this 'take', otherwise the swinging machete looks oddly out of sync. 

 

It's common in these comics to obscure any body details which might be construed as suggestive using speech bubbles or objects, but this image is uncensored and provides a nice glimpse of pec cleavage and crotch creasing. The lower half of the Sergeant's body has a bulkiness which looks not quite right, but is curiously attractive!

This picture shows the moment earlier, when the searching patrol first catch sight of their missing Sergeant (see in the distant middle background). This simple suspension arrangement is unexpectedly menacing. The mocking deprivation of water underlines the captive's helpless plight while the simmering threat of the other captors is conveyed by their casual, half-disinterested activity, as though waiting their turn. 

 

For gay detectives, the bantering friends at the far side of the group are interesting and I couldn't help noticing that the pouring water also seems to spring suggestively from a secondary source at the bespectacled tormentor's groin. The pair squatting by the fire are not without erotic interest either although the only backside view is screened by a branch (an element which is not just gratuitous blocking, but helps to link the the two groups together visually).

 

For a cheap comic the drawing of this image is remarkably careful and interesting and the miniature figure studies within it are realistic and characterful. The drawing style is not exactly simple but has a sketchy and strikingly angular feel (in the clothing creases, for example). The original images were published as roughly 4"x3" size (11x7.5 cm) and the line thicknesses here suggest they were actually drawn that size too, which makes the effectiveness of the face detailing all the more remarkable, notably the squatting man to the left of the fire whose features are rendered almost entirely by shadowing.

 

 

The patrol close in stealthily. Another 'nice' picture with the dangling captive still looking interesting even at this tiny scale - a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked - as are the campers round the fire in a different sense! I suspect a military man would haul this lot over those coals. No sentries posted and a roaring fire in 'bandit' country, not only advertising their presence but hindering their ability to sight attackers in the shadows. Silly boys!

From a gay point of view the highlight of this image is none of the above, but rather the two majestic bottoms in the foreground. I have slightly enhanced  the cheek shaping and clefts here, but not the poses which, like the first picture, relatively uninhibited for this genre. The machete resting on the right hand soldier's buttock, obscures his valley of lust, but in it's own way stirs thoughts of vulnerability, penetration and even spanking! 

More deviously, the Officer poised (suggestively) just behind his men and pointing his weapon in exactly the right direction seems like another example of ''the artist didn't have to draw it like that, did he?" Admittedly that alignment, like the branch in the previous picture contributes to the cohesion of the composition, which in this case has every person in the picture facing or looking at the fire. My colouring accentuates that (compare the original).

Having been freed by his colleague, the Sergeant scampers into the cover of the jungle, a bit like a school kid running off after being caught scrumping apples or some such mischief. The drawing itself has a more comic style to match. I have slightly smoothed and clarified the Sergeant's bottom contours here (compare original). No wonder they wanted him back! In that original comparison image, notice also how neatly the two frames fit together, conveying the flow of the action - freeing, turning and running. Clever stuff.

I haven't changed at all the deliciously woof-able forearm in the foreground of this picture which maintains a proper balance of serious manliness. This element of the picture also illustrates the fragmentation and incomplete contours which are a rather classy characteristic of this artist's style.  

We are not given any clues about the Sergeant's treatment whilst in captivity, he's not obviously injured, but there is circumstantial evidence further on when a comrade strips off his shirt to reveal the scars of his own period of captivity.  

The enigmatic dialogue here reflects a complex plot in which this man offers to sacrifice himself and save the patrol by impersonating an enemy officer. He feels he can't go back to base with them because he disgraced himself by revealing secrets under torture, which led to many deaths.

 This example of Bizarre Brutality is similar to BB No 5, but featuring a slightly different (more humane) form of suspension. In both examples evidence is produced of beating having occurred but it's not explicitly shown because of the nature of the audience. This form of punishment is documented elsewhere in the drawings of Okawa showing suspended captives being beaten with bamboo sticks like those used in the Martial Art of 'Kendo' 

Okawa - Captive Suspended and Beaten (in loin cloth)

Our captured Sergeant seems to have escaped a naked beating like this.

Okawa - Captive Suspended and Beaten (with CBT)

 See my A-Z article on Okawa for more images implying punishments of this sort. They suggest that treating captured soldiers in this way was an extension of an existing cultural practice.

Wading in the Jungle

The comic images in this post are based on selections from
Commando War Stories, No 987 "The Silent Enemy"  

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For other articles in this series, click on the 'War Comics' label below

Previous 'Bizarre Brutality' posts:

 Bizarre Brutality No 1 (staked out) and it's mitchmen sequel 'Devil's work'

Bizarre Brutality No2 and it's mitchmen sequel 'Loco Peril' ,

 Bizarre Brutality No 3  Darkie's crucifixion

Bizarre Brutality No 4 Buried up to the neck

Bizarre Brutality No 5 Suspended and beaten (incl mitchmen sequels)