Here’s a great example of the fact that you never know what’s going to become a successful property over time. This issue of Charlton’s FIGHTIN’ 5 comic–a series that featured the adventures of a group of Blackhawk-like non-powered adventurers–also showcased, unheralded, the first appearance of a character who remained a footnote in comic book history for decades, but one who is now poised to become well-known on the international stage through the twin mediums of film and television. I’m speaking of the Peacemaker.
The Peacemaker was another attempt during editor Dick Giordano’s tenure running Charlton’s editorial department to come up with a super hero concept (or “Action Hero”, the term they would use) with some legs to it. And The Peacemaker was at least successful enough to knock the Fightin’ 5 out of their own series. Just a few issues later, the 5 would be relegated to being the back-up strip in PEACEMAKER #1. Sadly, though, PEACEMAKER would only last for five issues as a series itself.
The Peacemaker was a weird concept for a series, especially in the mid-1960s. it was the brainchild of prolific Charlton writer Joe Gill and artist Pat Boyette. The Peacemaker was an American envoy, a man who loved and cherished peace and non-violence, and strove in his day job to make it a reality. But when war or violence broke out, he would gear up in a high-tech suit brimming with futuristic weapons and give it back to the aggressors. There wasn’t any Jekyll/Hyde thing going on here–Christopher Smith wasn’t crazy (although later DC revivals from the 1980s would choose to play him that way.) He was quite simply a hypocrite for peace. As the tag line said: “A Man Who Loves Peace Enough To Fight For It!”
So the Peacemaker was, in effect, Hawk and Dove in one man–and while he made that dove his personal insignia, he definitely wasn’t above unleashing with all of the force of his military arsenal that the hawks loved.
Over the course of his long career, Joe Gill wrote a mountain of colorless and virtually indistinguishable stories in a myriad of genres. This is due at least in part to the fact that he was getting paid only $2.00 a page for his efforts. So there wasn’t any question of inspiration striking, he needed to pound the keys and put out a mountain of pages of something, anything, in order to afford to live. But somehow, the Peacemaker feels like something that Gill is a bit more invested in than his usual fare. There’s a feeling that there’s something in the duality of this character that truly interests him, and he’s being a bit more considered than he might ordinarily have been in his script.
Some of this too is down to the artwork of Pat Boyette. He was another journeyman artist who produced a fair amount of work, most of which flew under the radar of at least the fan community. But fans did pay attention to super heroes, and so the Peacemaker got Boyette a bit more attention. He’s got a very nice style, a bit reserved perhaps, but with a certain ambiance and mood to it. His work here is very nice and different from most other series around it.
With John Cena set to star as the Peacemaker in the upcoming James Gunn THE SUICIDE SQUAD film as well as lending voice to an animated series on cable television, the Peacemaker’s profile has never been higher. So despite his obscure roots, Christopher Smith may have his day after all.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
Very cool article. I wonder what was up with Peacemaker’s unique mask. Does anyone have any insight on why it looked the way it did?
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The “toilet seat” helmet (I read that crack about Peacemaker’s head gear somewhere, a long time ago) may have been inspired by a design from ancient Greece. The “mohawk” look (not Greek, I know), a line going down the center of a helmet, often with plumes of animal hair or feathers is more recognizable to modern eyes. The Greek hoplite soldiers. Leonidas in “300”. But there are countless sculptures, paintings, and actual ancient helmets left that show the “sideways” fin. Even some Roman adopted in, later in history. And it probably pre-dated Greece, in the “Near-East”. That design my have influenced Peacemaker’s.
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Yet, not to bring politics into it, even though Peacemaker is per se political, but US foreign policy suffers from the same hypocrisy of which Christopher Smith is accused. Maybe the most famous example is preaching democracy while subverting and overthrowing foreign democracies (and now our own). Let’s just call it ironic and leave it at that.
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I was thinking the same thing, reading Smith’s conflicting feelings. I think a similar contradiction was placed on Wonder Woman in the 90’s and 00’s. How do you reconcile “violent pacifists” (emphasis on “fists” Lol)? Truth is, it’s been American foreign policy ever since WW2. But it also makes Peacemaker suitable for a small “wonder squad” if Wonder Woman needed one. For specific, specialty missions, not a regularly meeting team.
I remember Peacemaker teaming up with Deathstroke, Katana, and maybe Nemesis and /or Deadshot against Kobra’s “kult” in a 90’s “Showcase” series. Peacemaker seems a good fit for the Suicide Squad. Unless he’s played too over the top, then he’s a 2-dimentional joke that isn’t funny. Like Guy Gardner. The short sleeves and white pants seem misguided. I realize production limitations probably factored in back then. Changing his shirt from brown to orange looks like a mistake.
Also remember that Peacemaker got a quick bump of fleeting footnote recognition from the higher visibility of the Zack Snyder “Watchmen” movie. At least the comic book audience has known that Peacemaker was the starting point from which Alan Moore came up with the Comedian.
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I never realized that Peacemaker had its headquarters in Switzerland! And in Geneva, where I live! It’s always fascinating to see how foreign comics pencillers imagine Switzerland 😄! Anyway thanks to Tom for this fantastic blog. hours of exciting reading.
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The guy getting shot on the cover of this comic appears in the crowd on Frank Zappa’s “Sergeant Pepper” parody album cover for “We’re Only In It For The Money.” So movies apart, it’s got a place in rock and roll history.
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I always looked at peacemaker as Charlton’s version of Iron man in reverse
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