Junior Juniper
Encyclopedia
Jonathan "Junior" Juniper is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
Universe
. Created by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
, his first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos vol. 1 #1. He is known to be the first major character to find death in a Marvel comic and the only Howling Commando ever to die in battle.
s in "The origin of the Howlers!" issue #34 (September 1966) and in "The Howlers' first mission!" issue #44 (July 1967).
In What If?
#14 (April 1979), an alternate version of the character appears in What If... Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos Had Fought World War II In Outer Space?.
The character has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960's Handbook (2006) and one in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC vol. 6 (2008).
A second alternate version of the character appears in X-Men Forever
vol. 2 #7 (November 2009).
and fought alongside the team during World War II
. He was the youngest on the team as he was still attending an unnamed Ivy League
college before he enlisted in the Air Force
. Juniper was later transferred from the Air Force to the Commandos because he had flown B-17 Flying Fortress in bombing raids as a tail gunner.
Juniper saves the group on its first mission. The group was surrounded by Nazis. As they were waiting in the snow, Juniper read the Biblical story of Gideon
frightening his ennemy with raucous noise. The commando stole a sound trunk and used its loudspeackers to frighten the Nazis with their cries. With this mission, the group earns the nickname "Howling Commandos"
With the Howling Commandos, Juniper participated at a rescue mission of the leader of the French Resistance
who knows when D-Day
is scheduled. In another mission, the Howling Commandos invaded a French coast town to create a diversion while the Allied navy destroyed the German U-boat pens. After, they are reassigned on a mission to destroy a German atomic energy research facility. In the process, they also end up liberating a concentration camp.
Nick Fury
had a relation with Pamela Hawley, a British countess. During a rescue mission to bring back Percy Hawley known as Lord Ha-Ha, her brother and Nazi sympathizer, Junior was killed. Fury put the blame for Juniper's death on himself, thinking he did not push the Commandos enough. Fury decided to deepen their training until they become the toughest, most dangerous squad in the war. A few missions later, the British soldier, Percival Pinkerton, replaced Juniper in the team. Jonathan Juniper was the grand-uncle of S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent Roger Juniper.
and an ace tailgunner on a B-17. He is proficient with knife
, grenade
, dynamite
, and Thompson Submachine gun
M1.
This question is clearly written in the comic book when the Howling Commandos react to the death of their youngest member. The character Dino Manelli
said "Which of us will be next?" and his team-mate Izzy Cohen
answered "What's the diff? We're all expendable." Paul Brian McCoy reviewed this issue for Comics Bulletin
and considers it as the "best thing Marvel's publishing in 1963." The story "Lord Ha-Ha's Last Laugh!" mixes emotional complexity, action and adventure. This is the first time a main character has actually died in a Marvel Comic. As the comic writer and editor Tom Defalco
told it in an interview, some of the early Marvel fans were startled by the death of "Junior" Juniper.
#14 (April 1979). In this reality, the space is divided into the alpha and the beta sectors as the earth was divided into eastern and western fronts during the World War II. Junior Juniper is a member of the Howling Commandos of this reality. They are soldiers of the alpha sector and they received orders from a command computer. Their first mission is to protect the earth station midway against the betans. At the beginning of the attack, their objective was changed, they had to capture a traitor, the Baron Strucker
. The villain died into space and the mission was a success.
vol. 2 #7 (November 2009). During a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation in South America
, the agent Tommy Juniper is killed. Learning this, the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury thought "Not another Juniper. Not again!". Kitty Pryde
, Jean Grey
, Rogue
, Beast
and Nightcrawler
join Nick Fury on a second investigation in the South American jungle. The events remembered him another mission with Jonathan Juniper who is the grand-uncle of Tommy, the rest of the Howling Commandos and a Canadian soldier named Logan
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, his first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos vol. 1 #1. He is known to be the first major character to find death in a Marvel comic and the only Howling Commando ever to die in battle.
Publication history
Jonathan "Junior" Juniper appears in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos vol. 1 #1-4. In the fourth issue, he was killed. The death of Junior Juniper has haunted Nick Fury all the way up to modern day stories. In the same series, the character appears also in two flashbackFlashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s in "The origin of the Howlers!" issue #34 (September 1966) and in "The Howlers' first mission!" issue #44 (July 1967).
In What If?
What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#14 (April 1979), an alternate version of the character appears in What If... Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos Had Fought World War II In Outer Space?.
The character has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960's Handbook (2006) and one in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC vol. 6 (2008).
A second alternate version of the character appears in X-Men Forever
X-Men Forever
X-Men Forever is the name of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics based on the mutant superhero group The X-Men. The first is a 2001 miniseries, unrelated to the others. The second and third are the work of writer Chris Claremont....
vol. 2 #7 (November 2009).
Fictional character biography
Jonathan "Junior" Juniper was a founding member of the original Howling CommandosHowling Commandos
The Howling Commandos is the name of several fictional groups led by Nick Fury in the Marvel Comics Universe.-World War II:The first group of Howling Commandos was an elite special unit formed in World War II...
and fought alongside the team during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was the youngest on the team as he was still attending an unnamed Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
college before he enlisted in the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. Juniper was later transferred from the Air Force to the Commandos because he had flown B-17 Flying Fortress in bombing raids as a tail gunner.
Juniper saves the group on its first mission. The group was surrounded by Nazis. As they were waiting in the snow, Juniper read the Biblical story of Gideon
Gideon
Gideon was an Israelite judge who appears in the Book of JudgesGideon may also refer to:- Religion :* Gideon , a figure in the Book of Mormon* Gideons International, distributor of copies of the Bible- Media :...
frightening his ennemy with raucous noise. The commando stole a sound trunk and used its loudspeackers to frighten the Nazis with their cries. With this mission, the group earns the nickname "Howling Commandos"
With the Howling Commandos, Juniper participated at a rescue mission of the leader of the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
who knows when D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
is scheduled. In another mission, the Howling Commandos invaded a French coast town to create a diversion while the Allied navy destroyed the German U-boat pens. After, they are reassigned on a mission to destroy a German atomic energy research facility. In the process, they also end up liberating a concentration camp.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
had a relation with Pamela Hawley, a British countess. During a rescue mission to bring back Percy Hawley known as Lord Ha-Ha, her brother and Nazi sympathizer, Junior was killed. Fury put the blame for Juniper's death on himself, thinking he did not push the Commandos enough. Fury decided to deepen their training until they become the toughest, most dangerous squad in the war. A few missions later, the British soldier, Percival Pinkerton, replaced Juniper in the team. Jonathan Juniper was the grand-uncle of S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
agent Roger Juniper.
Abilities and accessories
Junior Juniper was a trained commandoCommando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
and an ace tailgunner on a B-17. He is proficient with knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
, grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
, dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
, and Thompson Submachine gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
M1.
Death impact
Jonathan "Junior" Juniper was killed in action after a few issues of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. As the magazine Jack Kirby Collector wrote in 1999, "Today that's no big deal but in 1963, comics heroes simply didn't die; not permanently, anyway. Suddenly, with the death of 'Junior' Juniper, the series acquired some real cachet. It now played like a true-life war drama where people got killed and never came back. You wondered who would be next."This question is clearly written in the comic book when the Howling Commandos react to the death of their youngest member. The character Dino Manelli
Dino Manelli
Dino Manelli is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos vol. 1 #1.-Fictional character biography:...
said "Which of us will be next?" and his team-mate Izzy Cohen
Izzy Cohen
Isadore "Izzy" Cohen is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos vol. 1 #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
answered "What's the diff? We're all expendable." Paul Brian McCoy reviewed this issue for Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
and considers it as the "best thing Marvel's publishing in 1963." The story "Lord Ha-Ha's Last Laugh!" mixes emotional complexity, action and adventure. This is the first time a main character has actually died in a Marvel Comic. As the comic writer and editor Tom Defalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
told it in an interview, some of the early Marvel fans were startled by the death of "Junior" Juniper.
What if?
An alternate version of the character appears in "What If... Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos Had Fought World War II In Outer Space?", What If?What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#14 (April 1979). In this reality, the space is divided into the alpha and the beta sectors as the earth was divided into eastern and western fronts during the World War II. Junior Juniper is a member of the Howling Commandos of this reality. They are soldiers of the alpha sector and they received orders from a command computer. Their first mission is to protect the earth station midway against the betans. At the beginning of the attack, their objective was changed, they had to capture a traitor, the Baron Strucker
Baron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a fictional character created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5...
. The villain died into space and the mission was a success.
X-Men Forever
A second alternate version of the character appears in "The Fury of the Howling Commandos", X-Men ForeverX-Men Forever
X-Men Forever is the name of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics based on the mutant superhero group The X-Men. The first is a 2001 miniseries, unrelated to the others. The second and third are the work of writer Chris Claremont....
vol. 2 #7 (November 2009). During a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, the agent Tommy Juniper is killed. Learning this, the S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury thought "Not another Juniper. Not again!". Kitty Pryde
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
, Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
, Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
and Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
join Nick Fury on a second investigation in the South American jungle. The events remembered him another mission with Jonathan Juniper who is the grand-uncle of Tommy, the rest of the Howling Commandos and a Canadian soldier named Logan
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
.