Star Spangled DC War Stories Issue 120: October/November 1971

The DC War Comics
1959-1976
by Corporals Enfantino and Seabrook

Kubert

Weird War Tales 1

"Fort Which Did Not Return!"
(Reprinted from G.I. Combat #86, March 1961)

"The End of the Sea Wolf!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Joe Kubert
(Reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #71, July 1958)

"Baker's Dozen!"
(Reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #116, September 1964)

Peter: Wounded by a tank shell, a G.I. wanders through a forest until he comes upon a mysterious house. Waiting for him on the porch is a bearded old man who beckons him and tends to the soldier's wounds. The G.I. insists he must leave to inform his guys that the Nazis are out there, waiting, but the old man tells him to lay back and listen to his stories. And that's the prologue Joe whips up for this, the first new DC war anthology title introduced since G.I. Combat was acquired from Quality in 1957. So, does the new title get a big push? Not quite since, except for the intro and linking material (including a silly "Story Behind the Cover" that features some striking Joe K. visuals), #1 is made up of nothing but reprints. And those reprints are the proverbial mixed bag: "Fort Which Did Not Return!" (but did manage to return sans part of its original title of "The Secret of the Fort Which Did Not Return!") landed at #3 on my list of the Ten Best Stories of 1961, while "Baker's Dozen!" was one of the dumbest strips of that year. The lone story new to us, "The End of the Sea Wolf!," is a fabulous adventure story about a U-Boat commander salvaging Allied boats he'd sunk during the war. Haney wisely avoids using the Spoiler-Filled title of the story until its final panel. Had we covered the titles pre-1959, this would surely have been high on my year-end list. It's an interesting gamble, introducing what is essentially a DC mystery title stocked with quasi-supernatural war reprints, but let's hope the title doesn't rely on reprints for long.

Jack: Kubert's new work was the highlight of this 25-center for me, from the striking cover to the nine new pages scattered throughout the interior. The old man has tiny skulls in his eyes and insists that the best thing for the wounded soldier is to spend the night having story time. This conceit pops up time and time again in the DC anthologies and often seems like an awkward way to set up a series of short tales. Here, the old man pops up at the start of the subsequent stories as a small, talking head to provide quick introductions, but the end of the comic makes me wonder if he'll be back to host the series or if this was just a one-time thing.

Kubert

Our Army at War 237

"Nobody Cares!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Russ Heath

"Assault on the Hermit Kingdom"
Story Uncredited
Art by Norman Maurer

"Battle Sun!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath
(Reprinted from Our Army at War #61, August 1957)

"The Wall Around the War!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Joe Kubert
(Reprinted from Our Fighting Forces #24, August 1957)

"The Bloody Star!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Fred Ray

Jack: The men of Easy Co. are hauling a stretcher with a wounded soldier through the snow when Nazi soldiers in white camouflage open fire, killing the medic who was helping carry the stretcher. The man on the stretcher is one of two new replacements who had joined Easy Co. just as winter fighting broke out. When one of the new men was killed almost immediately, the other had reason to lament that "Nobody Cares!" because they had not even told Rock their names yet. More fighting ensued and the second new man was injured; Rock and his men quickly proved just how much they cared by wiping out the enemy troops and marching on with determination to get the wounded new recruit to safety.

"Nobody Cares!"

After a stunning Kubert cover that makes great use of white space, Heath takes over for the 12-page interior story starring Sgt. Rock and does sharp work with snow and dialogue-free panels. This is a violent, action-packed story with minimal plot where the art shines brightly even though nothing much new happens and it seems to come to an end quickly.

In 1866, a ship called the U.S.S. General Sherman is destroyed and its crew massacred when Korean natives unexpectedly react violently to a peaceful trade mission. An "Assault on the Hermit Kingdom" follows and ship's carpenter Cyrus Hayden finally sees battle action, fighting like a tiger and planting the U.S. flag atop the enemy citadel, an act for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

"Assault on the Hermit Kingdom"

In four thrilling pages, Norman Maurer provides a lesson about a forgotten battle from U.S. history and links it to a similar conflict in the Korean War. I love surprises like this story, where I learn a little something new!

"Battle Sun!"

The "Battle Sun!" rises on fighting in WWI and plays a key role in skirmishes in a dense jungle, a baking desert, a snowy mountain, and a patch of sky. Each time, the sun glints on something or blinds someone and allows an American soldier to win out. Russ Heath's art is above average and helps make this series of brief vignettes add up to six breezy pages.

In preparation for the D-Day assault on Normandy Beach, a soldier is told he will have to get over "The Wall Around the War!" Thinking it is a real wall, he fights his way past obstacle after obstacle until he finally discovers that the wall was a metaphor and not a real structure. Kubert's superb art blends reality with imagination and makes this rather obvious story enjoyable.

"The Wall Around the War!"

During the Civil War, U.S. Grant was known as "the Butcher" because so many of his men were killed in action. Yet in the privacy of his tent, he allowed a tear to fall in memory of the dead. Fred Ray's unpleasant art mars "The Bloody Star!" and does not sit well after the fine new and reprint work in this issue by Heath and Kubert.

By the way, does anyone know why DC started running little strips of art along the top of the page in the reprint stories in these 25-cent books? An example is below. Were the reprint pages smaller than the new pages all of a sudden?

Peter: "Nobody Cares." Nobody cares. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it . . . nobody cares until . . . someone cares! Thank goodness we've got Heath to get us through the recycled plots. "Assault on the Hermit Kingdom" did nothing for me in the script department and even less so art-wise. I had a similar problem with "The Bloody Star!," the art of which is so amateurish it's tough to slog your way through. "Battle Sun!" looks fresh enough to be a new story, an interesting set of vignettes with more dynamite art from Master Heath, but "The Wall Around the War!" wears you down with its over-reliance on its catch-phrase.

Kubert

G.I. Combat 150

"The Death of the Haunted Tank!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Russ Heath

"The Two-Legged Mine!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath
(Reprinted from All-American Men of War #66, February 1959)

"Hip Shot"
Story and Art by Sam Glanzman

"Ice Cream Soldier!"
(Reprinted from Our Army at War #85, August 1959)

Peter: General Jeb Stuart informs his descendant, the amazing tank commander Jeb Stuart, that he'll no longer be riding shotgun in the Haunted Tank. From now on, the earth-bound Stuart is on his own. Jeb nervously mutters that the tank can't go on without the spook but, through a series of adventures, the boys manage to find their way to victory. During one vicious battle, the tank is pretty much destroyed and the crew has to build it back up from salvaged parts. Once the enemy has been defeated, the General appears, insisting to Jeb that it's not the ghost's body guarding that gets the job done but the "fighting hearts" of the men who pilot the Haunted Tank. "The Death of the Haunted Tank!" really isn't a misleading title since the original Jeb Stuart is now pretty much reduced to ashes and a new cyborg-like model has taken its place. This latest entry is one of the best in years, filled with snappy dialogue and well-visualized action (though it sure looks like Russ had a helping hand again . . . JK?). At what point was "The Haunted Tank" stenciled on the Jeb and doesn't that mean Jeb Stuart (the commander) must have had a sit-down with his crew to discuss Jeb Stuart (the ghost)? Actually, it seems as though the entire army knows about the ghost since several G.I.s poke fun at Jeb as he passes through a salvage yard. Where was I when World War II was alerted to the presence of the spectre? And how do you explain to your CO the new moniker?

Is that John Wayne guest-starring in this month's Haunted Tank?

"The Two-Legged Mine!" is an exciting but totally outlandish adventure about a frogman who must attach a mine to the hull of a Nazi battleship equipped with an anti-magnetic device that repels any sort of explosive. Our hero must guide the mine to the ship and then get away before the explosion blasts him to bits. That last part is the whopper . . . how this fish-man gets away with his fins attached is anyone's guess. Nice retro Heath art. "Hip Shot" is the latest in the USS Stevens saga, one that reads like one-half Wikipedia entry and one-half exciting drama (which is par for the series). The description of the death of the "bossman" (the guy in the ship's "house" who sighted for enemy ships and spun the torpedoes around) is particularly well-written: A shell exploded on the Stevens' port 40 mm . . . flinging the 40's splinter shield through the air! Like a huge knife, it lopped off the top of the "house" . . . Ralph Woods would envision no more glorious victories!

Jack: We know all along that ghostly Jeb won't abandon his namesake and the crew, so there's no real suspense in the Haunted Tank story. I think the tank has been replaced at least once before, no? The frogman story is short but enjoyable, while the U.S.S. Stevens four-pager seemed like a weak entry in the series to me, since I found the progression of events confusing.

Kubert

Our Fighting Forces 133

"Heads or Tails"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by John Severin

"The Anthill!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mort Drucker
(Reprinted from Our Army at War #76, November 1958)

"No Place for a PT Boat!"
(Reprinted from Our Fighting Forces #76, May 1963)

"The Firing Squad Can Wait!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ric Estrada

Jack: Three Japanese generals plan to cut off access to the Far East by destroying the integrity of the Burma Road. The last men who tried to stop them had their heads sent home in baskets. Now the Losers are sent into the jungle with Amsara, a Sikh boy, as their guide; locating the enemy headquarters, they breach the surrounding stone wall with the help of an elephant that also manages to trample the Japanese trio of generals. Amsara guides the elephant and is injured, leading the Losers to a surprising discovery--Amsara is a girl who was determined to follow in the footsteps of other warriors in her family. The Losers honor her with medals as she recuperates in bed.

"Heads or Tails"

As we read through the EC Comics line of the 1950s and the DC War Comics line of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, we rarely see the same artists, but John Severin is an exception. A little Severin seems to go a long way at EC, but after the weak art and poor storytelling that marked the first batch of entries in the Losers series, "Heads or Tails" is a breath of fresh air and Severin's art is a pleasure to look at. The Losers themselves are interchangeable in this story, but hopefully good writing and strong art will take the place of the contrived characterization we've seen to date.

"The Anthill!"

How will two American G.I.s take "The Anthill!"? Planes, artillery, and tanks have little effect, so foot soldiers must mount a brave frontal attack on the hilltop fortress before becoming kings of the hill themselves. Mort Drucker's gritty art is always welcome, since he succeeds in conveying the look and feel of what it was like to be on the ground in WWII.

When a German pilot is about to be executed for abandoning his fellow pilots in battle, American pilot Lt. Steve Savage flies in and explains what really happened in the air. The count is freed but refuses to be gracious to Savage, instead challenging him to a fight to the death in the skies. Savage wins the battle and the count ends up dying, just not by firing squad.

"The Firing Squad Can Wait!" marks the unfortunate return of the Balloon Buster, who should've stayed forgotten. Ric Estrada's pop art style is not welcome in the DC War Comics and pages are wasted retelling Savage's origin story.

"The Firing Squad Can Wait!"

Peter: Either I'm going soft in the brain on really bad Losers strips or John Severin is actually making a difference in quality here. Wisely, Big Bob seems to be shifting the Losers from just another dopey, third-tier DC war series to something akin to espionage. Severin's art is effective and, I believe, this is the first time I made it through a Losers strip without snorting or rolling my eyes. Let's hope this trend continues. The long-awaited return of Steve Savage, Balloon Buster, is mediocre at best thanks to Estrada's amateurish art but mention must be made of Big Bob's laborious script as well. I seem to recall Steve Savage's adventures as pretty exciting but not this time out. Talky, too talky. "The Anthill!" would be much more effective if we knew exactly why the Allies needed to grab hold of such a tiny hill (and are you going to tell me that anything could be left alive on top of that mole hill after the barrage of ammunition leveled at it?), but Mort Drucker's visuals are always a positive. A few interesting tidbits are dropped on the "Mail Call" page this time out: Joe lets loose an editorial tall tale (at least so far) when he says that "(T)he increase in pages of our magazines will afford the opportunity for longer strips. As you'll note on the cover, these publications will be 'Bigger and Better!' And that's the truth!" Well, not so far. In fact, in some of the titles, the main feature has seen a decrease in page count. Being an optimist, I'll keep an open mind. Joe also addresses the new button that runs in all the DC war titles: "The idea of ending our stories with 'Make War No More' was mine. Since the War Mags clearly show the futility and utter waste of lives and property caused by war, this "tag" sums up the opinions of those who produce these magazines."

Kubert

Star Spangled War Stories 159

"Man of War"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Joe Kubert

"The Hunters--and the Hunted!"
(Reprinted from Showcase #58, October 1965)

Peter: The Unknown Soldier is given orders to infiltrate a tank outfit belonging to "Bloody" Barton, a respected Colonel who's losing the respect of his men. What the US finds is a tyrant lording over a band of exhausted G.I.s who need a break. Disobeying a direct order, the Unknown Soldier provides that break in the form of a night out with some nearby Arabian girls. Barton gets wind but doesn't have time to unleash his fire upon the men when they are called into battle. Barton's true stripes (and war savvy) show during a fierce tank battle that leaves the "Man of War" dead and his men mourning their loss.

The series is young but the Unknown Soldier is shaping up to be the rightful heir to the "Best Series" throne vacated recently by Enemy Ace. "Man of War" reads like an intricate espionage novel; Bob Haney lays down track that seems to be leading to double-agent territory but then veers off in another direction, one more satisfying. "Bloody" Barton may be a real son-of-a-bitch but he's also a good soldier and knows (for the most part) how to groom his men for the task at hand. I am really enjoying this series. There's some real dynamite monkeying with panels here by Joe; very nice presentation.

Jack: I agree that Kubert's art is good, though not his best work; I like the cover better than the interior art. The first page features a drawing of the Unknown Soldier over black and white war photos, which results in an impressive collage effect. But the issue is a real stretch for a quarter book, with the new story only 11 pages long and a 28-page (!) reprint of an early Enemy Ace story from Showcase that I liked better than Peter did when we first read it. We know these 25-cent books will be a colossal failure for DC, but looking back it seems that the scant amount of new material may have doomed them almost as much as the inflated cover price.

Kubert

Our Army at War 238

"I Kid You Not!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Joe Kubert

"XDD479"
Story and Art by Sam Glanzman

"Big War . . . Little War!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"The Battle of the Sunken Village"
(Reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #90, May 1960)

Jack: One hot summer day in France, Sgt. Rock and the men of Easy Co. are joined by their newest member, morbidly obese Horace "Heavy" Smith, whose size comes in handy when they need a float to get across a river while under enemy fire. Teased all his life for his weight, Heavy also comes in handy when he is able to push over a dead tree and smash the roof of a house where Nazis are hiding. Easy Co. enters the house and Heavy falls through the floor, killing a Nazi radio operator and allowing Ice Cream Soldier to use his fluency in the German language to summon tanks stationed nearby. Heavy dresses in a Nazi uniform and summons the tanks into a river, where they sink in the mud while he floats above them. Sgt. Rock praises Heavy for the help he's provided and Heavy is grateful to be accepted for once, repeating his favorite catch phrase: "I Kid You Not."

Like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Heavy is teased until the physical feature that made him the object of scorn becomes useful to those around him. Comic books, and American popular culture in general, no longer made fun of African-Americans by 1971, but obese people were still fair game. We've seen all sorts of new recruits over the years join Easy Co., but never one like this! I do not expect Heavy will reappear in future stories.

Early in WWII, the U.S.S. Stevens was used to test out whether a destroyer could carry a plane known as "XDD479" that would be used for reconnaissance. The experiment was deemed a failure and the equipment was removed. The last batch of U.S.S. Stevens stories have not been of much interest; I wonder if the series is petering out.

Luke Lassiter was happy riding around the wide open spaces at his ranch in Texas, but when war came and he was made a submarine commander, he had to learn how men fight and die in confined spaces. "Big War . . . Little War!" looks like a file story that was so weak that it sat in Bob Kanigher's drawer for several years. Andru and Esposito contribute the usual mediocre art and the plot moves back and forth between the sub and the open range to little effect.

Peter: "I Kid You Not" is just about the stupidest and most offensive script we've had the displeasure of reading during this journey. How did editor/artist Kubert ever thumb-up this nonsense? Just as badly written but nearly as offensive is "Big War . . . Little War," one of those really bad "fish out of water" western/war stories Big Bob never seemed to tire of. Bonus negative points awarded for the return of our pals, Ross and Mike. This here is one issue of Our War best left sealed in that Mylar.

Next Week . . .
The boys discuss whether the Kurtzelder team
has done it again!