RED POPPY
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Normal human (Korean citizen) (1950s era)
Occupation: Opium grower and distributor
Group Membership: Leader of her group of
female poppy farmers
Affiliations: North Korean forces (loose)
Enemies: US forces, notably Henry "Combat"
Casey,
Penny Pennington
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Korea
First Appearance: Combat Casey#17/1 (August,
1954)
Powers/Abilities: Small and slim, the fearsome
Red Poppy has knowledge of opium cultivation and has very accurate aim
with a handgun. She is a devoted Communist follower.
Height: 4'11"
(by approximation)
Weight: 90 lbs. (by
approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Combat Casey#17/1 (fb) - BTS) - Red Poppy
established a massive farm using female labor, cultivating white
poppies for opium that she would smuggle to Communist guerrillas in
South Korea for distribution among locals to break the spirits of North
Korea's southern enemies by making them influenced and addicted to
drugs. However, some North Korean soldiers were also keen on her opium
and sometimes stole from her.
(Combat Casey#17/1) - Scouting north of the 38th
Parallel, US soldiers Combat Casey and Penny discovered Red Poppy's
white poppy fields and were puzzled, but were suddenly set upon by
knife-wielding females. Red Poppy had plans for the soldiers and
stopped the women from killing them, but the soldiers tried to escape.
She sent scores of women to overwhelm the men and ordered them to
follow her orders or die. She showed them her cultivation of poppies
into opium. Casey refused to transport her opium south but Penny saw
the opportunity to return with location information and agreed. With opium hidden
in a hay-laden cart, the soldiers and Red Poppy eliminated a troublesome
North Korean patrol and passed the checkpoint to the south. She
contacted Communist guerrillas, who instead double-crossed her and
refused to pay. Penny grabbed the horse reins and they fled but
Communist tracer bullets set fire to the hay cart. Penny steered the
flaming cart through the Communist base, burning huts and
soldiers before dumping in the river. Casey and Penny
intended to tell their commanding officer to destroy the poppy crops,
but Red Poppy wanted to be freed and told the soldiers to join her in
embracing Communism. The smiling soldiers pushed her head underwater.
Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Robert Q. Sale.
Her final fate is unrevealed. Casey and Penny were ruthless in killing Communist North Koreans but lenient toward women. So did they drown her or just shut her up before taking her for imprisonment?
It seems this story was set immediately after the uneasy truce ending the Korean War in 1953 with the 38th Parallel partition.
A curious tale for the era in that it shows on panel how poppies can be cultivated into opium.
This profile was completed 7/07/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Red Poppy has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Combat Casey#17/1, p2, pan2 (main image)
p3, pan7 (headshot)
Appearances:
Combat Casey#17/1 (August, 1954) - uncredited writer, Robert Q. Sale
(pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/13/2021
Last updated:
09/11/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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