GEORGE BRINNER

Real Name: George Brinner

Identity/Class: Human (World War II era)

Occupation: Land developer; masqueraded as a military policeman

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Four hired gangsters

Enemies: Bucky (James Barnes), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Forrest Coger, Private Lee Coger, Colonel Rand, Druscilla Rand, Private Jonce Rand

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Near Raccoon Gulch, Tennessee, USA; Camp Lehigh, Virginia, USA

First Appearance: Captain America Comics I#11 (February, 1942)

Powers/Abilities: George was an expert knife thrower who could hurl a knife through the air from about a yard away with deadly accuracy. He also carried an automatic pistol.

Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: (Captain America Comics I#11/2 (fb) - BTS) - Brinner purchased land in Tennessee near the lands of the Coger and Rand families, warring clans who had been fighting and killing each other for many years. When Brinner discovered the two families had valuable deposits of bauxite on their properties, he hatched a complex plan to wipe them out. He posed as a friend to the Rands and seemed to take a romantic interest in Druscilla Rand. Adopting the guise of a military policeman, he snuck into Camp Lehigh, where Lee Coger and Jonce Rand were both newly-arrived privates in the US Army. Brinner awaited an opportunity to kill Jonce, hoping his family would retaliate and thereby, the two clans would wipe each other out. To frame Lee for Jonce's death, Brinner stole a knife from Lee's bunk. Unknown to Brinner, the knife he stole was actually the property of camp mascot Bucky Barnes, who had loaned it to Lee. To help stir the two men up, Brinner forged a letter in Jonce's name and sent it to Lee, claiming Jonce had joined the army just to play a "no good trick" on him.

(Captain America Comics I#11/2) - As Brinner had hoped, when Jonce and Lee finally met face-to-face at Camp Lehigh, they burst into an argument then a fistfight. However, Private Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes intruded and separated the two men, ending the fight. Jonce tried to continue a fight with Bucky but as Bucky landed a punch on Jonce, Brinner threw the stolen knife into Jonce's back, killing him instantly. Brinner then stepped out of hiding in his military policeman garb to investigate the body. Brinner showed the knife to Lee and, accusingly, asked if he recognized it. Lee replied that it was Bucky's knife. Bucky and Rogers explained Bucky had loaned it to Lee but Brinner prepared to arrest both of them. However, Lee noticed that the pistol in Brinner's gun belt was not Army issue. Lee punched Brinner, giving Rogers an opportunity to escape. Brinner caught Bucky and placed him in the guard house but Lee and Rogers each fled. Lee then went home to Tennessee to warn his family about what was going on while Rogers donned his Captain America costume and chased after Lee.

However, Brinner was also on Lee's trail. Just as Lee reached the Coger family property and was about to explain what was happening to his uncle Forrest, Brinner, hidden within a thicket, threw a knife at Lee's back, killing him. This helped to further rile up the Cogers against the Rands. Because Captain America had been following Lee, the Cogers blamed him. Captain America fled to the Rands' property but Brinner, still hidden from sight, fired a gunshot through Colonel Rand's hat. This made Colonel Rand assume Captain America was setting him for an assassination and he placed Captain America under the care of his granddaughter Druscilla while he and the other Rand men investigated who fired the shot. Brinner then simply strolled on to the Rand land and started flirting with Druscilla. Captain America used this distraction to escape Druscilla and while getting away, tripped and hit his head on a bauxite rock. From this, Captain America began to discern Brinner's plan.

Brinner brought in a team of gangsters he had hired to help him pit the Rands and Cogers against each other then got on a telephone to contact the state police but Captain America cut the telephone wire before the call could be completed. Captain America confronted Brinner, having recognized him as the fake military policeman and likely killer of both Jonce and Lee. Brinner pulled out his pistol and fired at the Captain but couldn't get past his bulletproof shield. Brinner then threw Captain America over a cliff but the hero landed safely and soon reunited with his sidekick Bucky, who had slipped out of the guard house. Captain America and Bucky captured Brinner's gangsters and got them to confess Brinner's plot to the Cogers. By then, Brinner had gone to the Rands and told them the gangsters were working with Captain America but the Captain and Cogers brought the gangsters as their prisoners to the Rands. The gangsters repeated their story to the Rands, revealing Brinner's treachery. Brinner pulled out a knife and attempted to throw it at Captain America but the hero blocked it with his shield then knocked Brinner out. The Rands and Cogers, now allies, agreed they would send Brinner to Canyon City to be tried for murder. With Brinner's plot exposed, Bucky was cleared of his murder charges.

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer (possibly Manly Wade Wellman, see below), Al Avison, George Klein and Al Gabriele.

The Grand Comics Database believes "The Feud Murders" (Captain America Comics I#11/2) could have been written by Manly Wade Wellman but they aren't certain. Wellman's only confirmed Marvel Comics credit is found in Captain America Comics I#16 (see The Hooded Horror) but that credit certainly indicates Wellman did work for Marvel at that time. The "Southern feud" element of the story also suggests Wellman's involvement as he wrote extensively about the American south in fiction and non-fiction; although born in Kamundongo, Angola (of all places!), Manly was named after the Confederate general Wade Hampton, spent part of his formative years in Kansas and eventually became a leading citizen in North Carolina. Elements of southern culture and folklore are infused throughout Manly's comic books and pulp stories, so it's conceivable he could have written this story.

Then again, the infamous Hatfield-McCoy Feud made "Southern feud" tropes popular in every corner of the USA and it pops up in plenty of other pulp authors' works, so for now there's not much more than speculation behind this credit.

Most of Brinner's background and motivation is simply assumed by Captain America but he's the hero so I guess all of it was correct.

Leave us not forget that Brinner's entire scheme came to light basically because Captain America tripped and hit his head on a rock then realized it was bauxite. Brinner didn't realize Cap has peak human levels of clumsiness!

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
George Brinner should not be confused with:

Forrest Coger

Forrest Coger (bearded man, seen here with other members of the Coger family) was the uncle of Lee Coger and patriarch of the Coger clan. When Forrest heard of Jonce Rand's death at Camp Lehigh, he began to ready his family for an all-out clash with the Rand family. Forrest witnessed the murder of his nephew Lee but did not glimpse the murderer. Because Captain America followed close behind Lee, Forrest assumed the Captain had murdered his nephew and sicced his family against the hero.

However, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky eventually returned to the Coger property with the gangsters whom George Brinner had hired to help pit the Rands and Cogers against each other so he could obtain the valuable bauxite on their land. Forrest led the Cogers alongside the two super heroes to confront the Rands and expose Brinner's scheme. With Brinner's exposure, the Rands and Cogers agreed to send Brinner to Canyon City to be tried. Forrest and Colonel Rand agreed to end their family feud and become friends (and likely share in the profits from the bauxite).





--Captain America Comics I#11/2

Private Lee Coger

Lee Coger was a member of the Coger clan who enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to Camp Lehigh. To stoke up the Coger-Rand feud, George Brinner sent a letter to Lee in Jonce Rand's name, claiming Jonce had joined the army just to "pull some no good trick" on him. When the two men met at Camp Lehigh, they started to fight but Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes broke up the clash. However, Brinner struck at that moment by throwing a knife into Jonce's back, killing him. Brinner meant to frame Lee for the murder, having stolen the knife from Lee's bunk but the knife had been loaned to Lee by Bucky Barnes.

Because Bucky had been fighting with Jonce when he was killed, Bucky was arrested for the murder and Brinner attempted to arrest Rogers as well. As Brinner examined Jonce's body, disguised as a military policeman, Lee noticed Brinner was equipped with a non-Army issue automatic pistol. Realizing Brinner was an impostor, Lee socked him and fled Camp Lehigh, returning home to warn his family that Brinner was scheming against him. However, Brinner pursued Lee and just as Lee was almost back home, Brinner, hidden within a thicket, threw a knife into Lee's back which killed him instantly.




--Captain America Comics I#11/2d

Colonel Rand

Colonel Rand was the patriarch of the Rand clan and long-time feuder against the Coger clan. An aging, white-haired man, he seemed to always wear a straw hat and corncob pipe. The Colonel's granddaughter was Druscilla. Jonce was also related to him but the relationship was not specified (likely Jonce was his grandson). George Brinner befriended the Colonel and his family but was secretly stoking up the Rands' feud against the Cogers.

After Jonce Rand was murdered, the Colonel and his family began arming for a fight against the Cogers. When Captain America appeared on their property, the Colonel assumed the Captain was on their side but a hidden George Brinner took a shot at the Colonel's straw hat. After this, the Colonel believed Captain America had come to set him up for murder and ordered Druscilla to guard him. Captain America escaped and discovered Brinner's plot, so Brinner went to the Colonel and claimed Captain America had hired a team of gangsters to wipe him out. The Colonel led his family to find Captain America and the gangsters but when they did in the company of the Cogers -- with the gangsters as their mutual prisoners. The gangsters informed on Brinner's plot to pit the Cogers and Rands against each other so he could obtain their bauxite. Forrest Coger and Colonel Rand agreed to end their feud and send Brinner to Canyon City to be tried for murder.


--Captain America Comics I#11/2

Considering his age and rank it seems likely he's meant to be a veteran of the US Civil War.

Druscilla Rand

Druscilla Rand was the granddaughter of Colonel Rand (possibly the sister or cousin of Jonce Rand). George Brinner seemed to be romantically inclined towards her. After the Colonel took a shot through his straw hat, he ordered Druscilla to guard Captain America while he and the other men investigated. Although Captain America tried to explain his reason for being on the Rand property, Druscilla warned him she would "plug" him with her shotgun if he kept talking. However, when Brinner dropped by and started to flirt with Druscilla, she let her guard down and Captain America snuck away.






--Captain America Comics I#11/2

I'm surprised Druscilla wasn't drawn to resemble Li'l Abner's Daisy Mae.

Private Jonce Rand

Jonce Rand was a member of the Rand clan who enlisted in the US Army and wound up at Camp Lehigh. Much to his chagrin, he found himself sharing the camp with Lee Coger, one of the Cogers whom he family had sworn a feud against. When Jonce discovered Lee in the camp, he started a fight with him but Private Steve Rogers and camp mascot Bucky Barnes broke them up. Angry at Bucky for tripping him, Jonce chased after Bucky to hit him but Bucky punched Jonce in the face. At the same time Bucky hit Jonce, George Brinner threw a knife into Jonce's back, killing him. Brinner then entered the scene garbed as a military policeman. He had thought Lee Coger would be blamed for the murder but instead Bucky was placed in the guard house. Captain America and Bucky would later expose Brinner's plot and save Jonce's family.






--Captain America Comics I#11/2d

images: (without ads, as reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Captain America Vol. 3, 2009)
Captain America Comics I#11, p8, pan3 (George Brinner, main)
Captain America Comics I#11, p3, pan3 (Brinner in MP outfit)
Captain America Comics I#11, p5, pan3 (Forrest)
Captain America Comics I#11, p6, pan2 (Lee)
Captain America Comics I#11, p7, pan7 (The Colonel)
Captain America Comics I#11, p8, pan2 (Druscilla)
Captain America Comics I#11, p2, pan7 (Jonce)

Appearances:
Captain America Comics I#11/2 (February, 1942) - Unidentified writer, Al Avison (pencils), George Klein and Al Gabriele (inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 05/23/2020
Last updated: 05/23/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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