The Peacemaker #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Peacemaker #1 (March 1967, Charlton) marks the first solo-series outing for Christopher Smith, a Silver Age original whose central tension — a diplomat so devoted to peace he will use lethal force to achieve it — planted a moral paradox rare for the era. When DC acquired Charlton's heroes in the early 1980s, Alan Moore originally titled his pitch to use those characters 'Who Killed the Peacemaker?'; DC's refusal led Moore and Dave Gibbons to create original analogues, with Peacemaker becoming the direct template for the Comedian in Watchmen, giving this obscure Charlton title an indirect but traceable line to one of the medium's most influential works. The issue also marks the first time Peacemaker appeared on a comic book cover — Pat Boyette's action-packed image establishing the character's visual identity — and it signaled Charlton's editorial ambition under Dick Giordano to build a coherent Silver Age 'Action Hero' universe capable of competing with Marvel and DC.
In "The Killer on the Reef!", the Peacemaker races to stop a secret nuclear threat hidden in Antarctica, where a small Balkan nation has built facilities capable of global devastation. Written by Joe Gill and brought to life with bold, dynamic art by Pat Boyette—whose work defines the cover and interior—this 1967 Charlton comic delivers a high-stakes Cold War thriller with a unique global twist.
In "The Killer on the Reef!", Peacemaker faces a deadly mix of underwater threats—ravenous sharks and stealthy frogmen—before confronting the Commodore, a deranged sea guardian who sees himself as the ocean’s protector by any means necessary.
In "The Hidden Power," the Peacemaker races to stop a small Balkan nation from unleashing global catastrophe, uncovering their secret nuclear facilities hidden in Antarctica. With the world at risk, the Peacemaker must act fast to prevent a threat that’s as remote as it is deadly.
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Christopher Smith debuted as a backup strip in Fightin' 5 #40 (November 1966), created by writer Joe Gill and artist-inker-letterer Pat Boyette, before earning his own title after Fightin' 5 was canceled with issue #41. The new series was edited by Dick Giordano, who had been assembling Charlton's 'Action Hero' line alongside Captain Atom (Joe Gill/Steve Ditko), Blue Beetle, and The Question; Peacemaker #1 itself contains a 'Peacemaker Patter' editorial page in which Giordano openly acknowledges the cancellation of Fightin' 5 and invites reader mail. In a structural reversal, the Fightin' 5 — who had hosted Peacemaker as their backup — now became the backup feature in his solo book, continuing directly from Fightin' 5 #41. The series ran only five issues before Charlton's entire Action Hero line fizzled out by the end of 1967, though Pat Boyette reportedly completed art for a projected sixth issue that was never published.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First issue of Peacemaker's solo series; cover-dated March 1967, published by Charlton Comics; on-sale date November 24, 1966 per GCD (corroborated by Judomaster #94 indicia).
- Cover price: 12 cents; 36 pages; bi-monthly frequency; approved by the Comics Code Authority.
- Written by Joe Gill; all Peacemaker story art, cover art, and lettering by Pat Boyette; Fightin' Five backup penciled by Bill Montes, inked by Ernie Bache, scripted by Joe Gill — continued directly from Fightin' 5 #41.
- Edited by Dick Giordano, architect of Charlton's 'Action Hero' line and later a senior DC editor who would spearhead the acquisition of the Charlton characters by DC in 1983.
- First cover appearance of Christopher Smith as the Peacemaker; the issue also includes a biographical feature on artist Pat Boyette with a photograph — the editorial page 'Peacemaker Patter' is authored by Dick Giordano.
- Backup story 'Ruler of Darkness' features the death of Fightin' 5 member Irv 'The Nerve' Haganah and the introduction of Russian agent Sonya, who would eventually join the team.
- Christopher Smith (Peacemaker) served as the direct creative template for the Comedian in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen (1986–87); Moore's original pitch to DC was titled 'Who Killed the Peacemaker?'
- The stories from this issue were reprinted in The Peacemaker (Modern Comics, 1978) #1 and again — alongside the character's never-before-reprinted debut — in DC Finest: Peacemaker: Kill for Peace (DC, June 2025), a 640-page collected edition.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Escaravelho Azul #1 (1969), Escaravelho Azul #2 (1969), The Peacemaker #1 (1978), Gwandanaland Comics #408 (2017), Gwandanaland Comics #2297 (2019), Gwandanaland Comics #2881 (2020), DC Finest: Peacemaker: Kill for Peace #[nn] (2025), Gwandanaland Comics #408-A
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