Tell It to the Marines #1
"Operation Petticoat" kicks off in 1952 with a wartime odd couple: the boisterous, brash Marines Spike and Bat, drawn with bold energy by Jack Sparling, whose playful rivalry and sharp-eyed charm bring the Korean front to life. Sent behind enemy lines on a mission with a twist, they’re tasked with retrieving intel hidden in the hem of a dress—left by a dying agent—and find themselves escorting his spirited granddaughter, Lotus Blossom, through perilous terrain. With plenty of banter, mischievous antics, and a dash of wartime romance, the story unfolds with a mix of grit and humor, all rendered in Sparling’s distinctive, dynamic style. The cover by Jack Sparling captures the duo’s swagger and the girl’s grace in one bold, memorable image.
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Spike and Bat, two brawny, lusty, best-buddy Marines on the Korean front, are sent behind enemy lines to retrieve valuable information from an elderly, wounded Korean acting as an agent for the United States. Before dying, the agent tells the boys the information is sewn into the dress hem of his lovely granddaughter, Lotus Blossom. Spike and Bat head back to camp with Lotus Blossom in tow and have several close calls with Korean soldiers before recrossing enemy lines. The story is punctuated with the two Marines playing pranks on one another and lusting after "dames".
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).