There are some things that even I, with my Olympic level of suspension of disbelief, had trouble excepting, like the idea kids love jeeps. I had fully intended to place that in the past tense, as in “kids used to love jeeps” but while researching this piece online I typed the phrase “kids love jeeps” into a search engine and damned if didn’t spit out a site with that exact name. They definitely have some sort of mystique I appear to be immune to, but if I do stretch my imagination to it’s breaking point I can kind of see it, they were after all the original off-road, all terrain, sport utility vehicle. Loud, weird looking and dangerous, they represent a particularly brand of freedom Americans can’t get enough of that’s best expressed via pointless power and obnoxious noise. The kind of things that kids of any era instantly recognize as “fun”. And they definitely continue to have a strange sort of mystique decades after their introduction. Timely even had a humor character named Jeep Jones who appeared in USA Comics…

And in a story in Marvel Mystery Comics #22 Namor the Sub-Mariner bought some parts from a junkyard and built his own jeep, one equipped with machine guns, then decides to take it on a road trip across America. Which of course is silly and completely out of character with the both the Golden Age and modern versions of the characters which is probably why I love it so much.

And I recently came across this ad for this Charles Atlas knockoff fitness program…actually, I’m more than a little surprised there wasn’t Golden Age superhero named The Human Jeep.

.

Then there was Jeep Comics which ran three issues, all of which cover featured yet another strong contender for the title of “strangest crime fighters of the Golden Age”, Jeep and Peep. As you know I try hard not to make fun of Golden Age comics, even when they so rightly have it coming, because I frankly consider myself above that kind of thing. But I’m not made of stone, people. In Jeep Comics #1 during their first demented adventure (which was actually called, I really wish I was kidding, “The Case of the Rioting Trees”) we don’t get an origin for either Jeep or Peep, but we do get one for their flying jeep.

Jeep was just…Jeep, a genius ex-serviceman who loved his old jeep so much he somehow “convinced” the Army into giving him his old jeep instead of silly old money, souped it up and, for no apparent reason and without the benefit of superpowers, wrapped a red cloth* around his neck and decided to fight crime. Aiding him was Peep who was just…Peep; no hint is ever given as to what Peep was to Jeep; younger brother, cousin, runaway orphan or just some irritating neighborhood kid who knew a good thing when he saw it. I mean, imagine being able to ditch your parents, blow off school and beat the crap out of adults while tooling around in a flying jeep. Clearly Peep, like all kid sidekicks, was supposed to be a stand-in for the predominately male readership, but unlike your Bucky’s, Dusty’s and Roy’s, Peep was much more of a real kid. Daring daredevil detective wonder boys like him were always stuffing their faces with whatever was on hand when given the chance, especially chocolate cake; 40′s kid sidekicks couldn’t get enough chocolate cake, to them it was akin to crack. Which is is kind of understandable given that they lived in those dark days when 24 hour on demand access to sugary snacks wasn’t considered the birthright of every American child. But in spite of the demonstrations of a “healthy” appitite, these amazing lowercase superboys always managed to keep in fighting trim thanks to their vigorous crime fighting lifestyle. But Peep? Peep got fat.

.

Whoa, so much to write about. Like the asshole behavior of Peep’s trusted older brother/father figure Jeep…

. ..and Peep’s heart wrenching reaction to it…

Then there’s the scene of poor Peep, desperate to keep to his diet, wandering the streets, tempted by a hamburger stand…I’m just saying as an adult fat kid I can really relate. Then there’s the panel where Jeep talks (to himself) about how Peep couldn’t be on a case because he’s not “wearing his Peep outfit”…when of course his “Peep outfit” is just street clothes, plus the only thing he ever seems to wear.

This is the cover to Jeep Comics #2; as you might expect no such scene appears in the story inside. Not only that but I can’t figure out what the hell that thing hovering over them is supposed to be or what it’s supposed to be doing. The best I can come up with is it’s a runaway Macy’s Day Paradeballoon from back in the day when they didn’t by law all have to be characters from current animated feature films.

Likewise nowhere inside Jeep Comics #3 do Jeep and Peep square off against a dinosaur, which is sad, really.

*also please to note on the back of Jeep’s cape, if you want to call it for that, is a bullseye! Seems to me that Jeep is just asking for trouble, but if he likes it. .