U.S. Air Force Comics #13

Four decorated P-38 pilots—Captains Pops Abbot, Corny Swingler, Blackie Olivera, and Lieutenant Ski Suwinski—return stateside in 1943 as living legends, only to be assigned an inexperienced young pilot, Lieutenant Douglas J. Bristol, as their guide on a bond-selling tour. When Bristol is reassigned to fly combat missions with them in the South Pacific, the aces continue to dismiss him as green and untested, setting the stage for a tense struggle for acceptance in the skies over enemy territory.

Major James L. Colby has survived 75 combat missions flying escort for B-17s over Germany, but when his plane is shot down on what should be his final flight, he finds himself back in England facing an unexpected choice: take a safe stateside assignment, or stay to protect his inexperienced squadron from a veteran Nazi ace. As Colby flies mission after mission, his personal vendetta against the German pilot competes with his duty to bring his "kids" home alive.

Moe Gallagher serves as the tail-gunner—the "Canary"—aboard a B-24 bomber, enduring relentless combat missions over enemy territory where his position makes him a prime target for enemy fighters. Wracked with fear and airsickness, Gallagher nevertheless proves himself a skilled and fearless gunner, racking up kill after kill despite being wounded during a particularly brutal run. His bravery earns him respect from his crew and a reputation that speaks volumes about his true character.

Major Ed Conlon is torn between leaving the Air Force for a cushy civilian job and his loyalty to his country, but when unidentified enemy aircraft breach the DEW-Line, he's thrust into combat where he must make a choice that will define not just his career, but his conscience. With eight hostile jets closing in and only his wits and his Starfighter's experimental defenses between them and American airspace, Conlon faces a mission where there's seemingly no way out—and no time to reconsider what matters most.