Introduction: The Rugged He-Men of Years Past

Hey Folks! DJ Sloofus here. I've been asked by the braintrust over at CBH headquarters to start my very own blog. Since I really don't have too much to say, I've decided to create a ridiculous concept, and loosely thread it together over the course of the next few weeks. It's basically a contest between comic strip characters, all of whom are forced to compete against one another. Can you believe it? This is a truly unique, original idea which I got while watching American Idol. Isn't it great?

For the first series in this new, official Comic Book Haters' spin-off blog, we begin with a contest torn from the pages of yesteryear. Quite literally, as we present a series of pairings between the toughest ironjaws to grace the pages of American newspapers during the World War II era. Though they've been grouped randomly, the pairings are ultimately leading towards one inevitable 'winner' of sorts. The true winners, of course, are those who are able to click away from this nonsense right now.

Any true discussion of the rugged ‘He-Men’ of the comics page, circa 1935-1950, will undoubtedly center on five men: Captain Easy, Smilin’ Jack, Pat Ryan, Steve Roper, and Steve Canyon. On a slow day, you could throw Popeye into the mix, but his cartoony style pretty much excludes him from the others' more‘serious’ overtones (on the surface, at least). Dick Tracy’s employment by the department of law enforcement prohibits him from being part of this speculation. He would most definitely disapprove of every aspect.
Toon in next time, dear reader, as we present the first of our fictional faceoffs. In the meantime, why not check out one of our many sponsors?