Ezine Artical: Star Spangled DC War Stories Issue 113: August/September 1970

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

Kubert

Our Army at War 222

"Dig In, Easy!"
Story and Art by Joe Kubert

"The Defeat of the Spanish Armada"
Story and Art by Ric Estrada

"Black Smoke"
Story and Art by Sam Glanzman

Jack: The men of Easy Co. follow Sgt. Rock into a town held by Nazis and, when the shooting starts, Rock is captured by a Nazi major who thinks that if he can get at what motivates Rock he can figure out how to win the war. Realizing that the sergeant's weak spot is his men, the major chains Rock to a post on a balcony and demands that his men surrender. Despite Rock's order to "Dig In, Easy!" the men throw in the towel and let themselves be brought before the major--or so it seems. Before you can say "Trojan horse," Rock realizes that some of his men are impersonating Nazis and have "captured" the rest of his men; the disguises are discarded, the Nazis are defeated, and the major is subjected to a lecture by Rock about the strength of the common soldier.

"Dig In, Easy!"

Where to begin with what's wrong with this story? Perhaps it starts to go off track during the initial attack by Nazi soldiers, where Rock tries to save the newest member of Easy Co., whom he refers to as "the kid" and who is not even given a name, much less remembered after that page. The major's plan is unclear and the heavy-handed "crucifixion" of Sgt. Rock seems rather pointless. The idea that members of Easy Co. could impersonate Nazi soldiers successfully--including Wildman, with his bushy red hair and beard--is ridiculous, and the concluding fight is so perfunctory that it might as well be the conclusion of an entry in Hunter's Hellcats or the Losers. Perhaps letting Joe Kubert write his own stories is not a great idea.

"The Defeat of the Spanish Armada"

In 1588, the British fleet manages "The Defeat of the Spanish Armada," aided by favorable winds. There's not much to this four-page entry in The Great Battles of History, but it passes pleasantly enough.

After the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific during WWII, the U.S.S. Rake is sending up "Black Smoke" because the engineers below deck aren't taking good care of the engines. Chief Water Tender Harry Nugent tells them to knock it off but they laugh at him, thinking that he's old-fashioned in his concern that black smoke is like a black flag that attracts the attention of enemy ships. Little do they know that a Japanese ship twenty miles away saw their smoke and sent missiles that are about to destroy the ship!

"Black Smoke"

In this month's letter column, editor Kubert remarks that Glanzman was on a ship like the U.S.S. Stevens and many of his stories are based on true events. This one is particularly interesting, even if I still don't quite understand the cause of the black smoke.

Peter: Good rough, tough Rock this time out, but I wish that Joe had taken the bull by the horns and allowed these stories to have some carryover. There's no sense of an event in one story having an impact on the next (and, yes, I remember that Kubert has explained that the Rock stories follow no chronological order but why not a multi-parter?) so it's near-impossible for the secondary characters to become familiar and Easy fatalities leave us shrugging. "The Defeat of the Spanish Armada" tries hard but can't break through my interest barrier (and the tempo of Estrada trying to cram a full battle into a few pages comes across like a grade-school re-enactment), something "Black Smoke" does with ease. Sam Glanzman is hitting a bulls-eye with story (if not art) every time out with these little anecdotes and episodes from his military years. Glanzman died in July at age 92.

Kubert

G.I. Combat 143

"The Iron Horseman!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Russ Heath

"Taps for a Bugler-Boy!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Fred Ray

Peter: Ol' Pop Peters keeps the children at the convent entertained with stories of his tank combat in World War I. Trouble is, they're only stories, as Pop was too young to see battle in the Great War and now he's too old to fight the Ratzis as Commander Jeb Stuart is kind enough to point out. But Pop sure can fix a tank and the Jeb rolls out of the convent yard as fresh as a French daisy. After the Haunted Tank is ambushed by a pair of Tigers, the Ghostly General pops up for more veiled advice and predictions, this time informing his descendant that "the past and present will fight in one battle!" Gee, thanks, General!

At least she doesn't fly

The Jeb narrowly avoids destruction but another fleet of Nazi tanks heads for the convent, its General convinced the structure hides an "artillery observation post." The Jeb manages to blow all but one tank to hell, but the remaining tin can heads into the churchyard, bent on total annihilation. It's up to Pop Peters to save the day. "The Iron Horseman!" is built around a schmaltzy script, one that climaxes with a total groaner (after Pop is wounded in the battle, we discover the only person with the same blood type is the mother superior, who thankfully does not have a guitar within reach), but I'm glad that Big Bob managed to work in a response to Pop's assertion that he couldn't be considered a man without seeing combat with Jeb's curt, "You don't have to fight to be a man, Pop!" Just one lone panel afforded to our ghostly bodyguard and the crew of the Jeb are reduced to cameos as well. Russ's art here runs hot and cold; the battle scenes are customarily excellent but the convent scenes staring Pop invite comparisons to Andru and Esposito.

Pops becomes a man

Bob Kanigher falls asleep
as he types up this script

Tommy never tires of hearing his great-granddad's stories of serving with General George Washington in the Revolutionary War as a bugler-boy. When the old man dies, Tommy picks up the bugle and heads for the Civil War but discovers that the bugle is an antiquated weapon. In the end, Tommy uses the instrument to rally a weary regiment to victory. If "The Iron Horseman!" was a bit . . . saccharine . . . then "Taps for a Bugler-Boy!" is a bowl of Cocoa Puffs drowned in a bath of syrup. It's tough to get past Fred Ray's increasingly annoying and ugly doodles but it seems like the bugler-boy angle has already been done . . . and much better.

Jack: "The Iron Horseman!" has a great opening as Pop is introduced as a storyteller and remains entertaining to the end. Maybe I'm a sap, but I enjoyed this sentimental tale more than any Haunted Tank story in quite a while. "Taps for a Bugler-Boy!" is also sentimental but it's not helped any by Fred Ray's art. Still, I welcome the connection between the Revolution and the Civil War as embodied by the old man.

Kubert

Our Fighting Forces 126

"A Lost Town!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"1-2-3"
Story and Art by Sam Glanzman

"The Fall of Constantinople"
Story Uncredited
Art by by Ric Estrada

Jack: Why are the Losers being tried before a Court Martial, accused of desertion under fire and at risk for the death penalty? They had taken ammunition by jeep to a French outfit under enemy fire when a Nazi plane blew the French to bits and the dying French commander told the Losers to fall back and hold a nearby town. The Losers hop back into their jeep, bring down the plane with a blast from a bazooka, and head for the town, which turns out to be named Perdu. Can the Losers do anything to help "A Lost Town"? Not much, it seems, since it is deserted. But wait! Here come a blind old man with a blind boy and girl alongside him. Why are they the only people left in town? Who knows? The Losers stow their new blind friends in a building and go out into the streets to defeat a Nazi tank and Nazi soldiers on foot. Why are the Nazis shelling and attacking an abandoned town? Ask Bob Kanigher! Of course, the Losers quickly dispatch of the much larger Nazi force and liberate the blind trio, who run their hands over the faces of the Losers in thanks.

"A Lost Town!"

Back to the present, and the Losers stand accused of failing to deliver the ammo to the French post that was wiped out. No one believes the story abut saving the blind trio until the sightless folks appear in court and identify the Losers by feeling their faces again. Later, at a cafe, the blind old man asks the Losers to rename Perdu and Johnny Cloud suggests renaming the town, "The Losers"!

"1-2-3"

Can we take a minute to deconstruct the current DC war story, of which "A Lost Town!" is a good example? It usually starts in the middle of the action and sets up a seemingly unlikely situation, like the Losers being Court-Martialed. Pages 4-6 go back in time to show how they got there. Page 7 begins with "Conclusion," as if a long and complicated story has already been presented and finally we're reaching the exciting climax. We then bring matters back to the present, at which point we see that the initial situation was ridiculous and someone comes along to clear everything up. It's all kind of rushed. At least Andru and Esposito's art continues last issue's trend of not being as annoying as it was in the '60s.

When a mine-sweeping ship is blown up, everyone thinks it was due to a mine, but the captain of the U.S.S. Stevens figures out that the Japanese have a gun hidden in a cave. He draws fire to locate it and then uses guns "1-2-3" to blow it up. Another story of the Stevens, another relatively interesting incident, but don't look for well-drawn humans or much (any) character development, because you won't find it.

"The Fall of Constantinople" occurred in 1453 when Sultan Mahomet II and his army laid siege to the great city, the last bastion of the Roman Empire. Justinian fought bravely but when he was killed it was all over for the Christians. I read the abridged version of Gibbons's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, so I find these stories interesting, but there's not a lot that can be done in four pages. Attack city, declare victory. The end.

"The Fall of Constantinople"

Peter: Always wiz zee peegeon Eengleze/Fronch accents . . . it makes me geegle! As a matter of fact, the story makes me giggle as well. Thank goodness Captain Storm's leg has already been replaced with wood as he takes a shot at least once an issue, it seems, and it's always in the fake drumstick. This one moves at a snail's pace and seems to hit just about every beat we've been exposed to already on our journey. Just a few installments in and this series is already out of gas. Does not bode well for the future. Though I didn't care much for Ric Estrada's history lesson this issue (and that could be down to my short attention span when it comes to 15th-Century battles), Sam Glanzman continues to drop interesting nuggets with his U.S.S. Stevens series. These are just the right length for my little brain.

Kubert

Star Spangled War Stories 152

"Instant Glory!"
Story and Art by Joe Kubert

"Rain Above--Mud Below!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Russ Heath

Peter: Five G.I.s stop in what they presume to be an abandoned town for a well-deserved round of ales and get a huge surprise when a band of Ratzis storm in and get the jump on our boys. Luckily, one of the Joes is the Unknown Soldier, super-secret Allied agent called in by the government to impersonate a Corporal and motivate the grunts. The G.I.s are lined up and are about to be shot when an emaciated man steps from the shadows, wearing the Star of David and identifying himself as an escapee from a nearby concentration camp. The Nazi commander orders the ex-internee to kill the American soldiers but the man, instead, levels the Commander, leaving the door open to action on the American front. The Ratzis are defeated and the Unknown Soldier returns to Washington to await his next assignment.

The Unknown Soldier could be the closest we'll get to a consistent level of excellence now that the Enemy Ace has pretty much flown his last mission. "Instant Glory!" is an exciting and well-plotted installment that could have been made so much better by a few more pages; its climax seems rushed after a nice, tension-filled build-up. The final panels, which show the Unknown Soldier holding up the tattered remains of the POW's shirt, are particularly potent. On the letters page, regular Gary Skinner (who always came up with interesting points) lauds the Enemy Ace series but bemoans the shortening of page count that occurred towards the series' end. I'd agree completely but Kubert subtly tells Skinner that, to please more readers, there needs to be more than one story.

Hans von Hammer is given orders by the pompous Colonel Schlein: send pilots into the vicious storm for reconnaissance and come back with the information on nearby enemy trenches. Knowing he can't send fresh pups out alone on what he considers a suicide mission, the Enemy Ace informs two of his newbies they'll be accompanying him on an observation run. The trio fight the elements but manage to locate the newly-dug trenches. One of Hammer's cadets is shot down and the other is struck by lightning but the Hammer of Hell returns with the vital information, a look of disgust across his face for his disinterested Colonel. Though "Rain Above--Mud Below!" is a stellar achievement and stands with some of the best of the Enemy Ace stories, it's got a weird vibe to it. That could be because the writing chores are handed to Joe and art to Russ, a combo we've seen on other strips but not, unless I've forgotten, on this one. Joe does a little monkeying with Heath's art here and there, most evident in the very Kubert-esque fury on Hans's face in the final panel. This would prove to be the last chapter in the Enemy Ace saga until Hans pops up in SSWS 181-183 for a team-up with Steve Savage, Balloon Buster. Hans, you may have been the enemy, but I am sure going to miss you.

Jack: Overall, this is a terrific issue of SSWS! I have to reproduce the beautiful, Eisneresque splash page below--with its bent lamp post and alley cat it sets just the right tone for a story that takes place near the end of the war. The Kubert art is stellar, some of the best we've seen from Joe recently, and is this the first time we've seen someone from the camps? I question the wisdom of a Nazi officer giving a camp survivor a weapon, but it works dramatically. The Enemy Ace story is also very good, just not quite up to the Unknown Soldier story. I see Kubert's hand in several places and guess that he wanted to make sure von Hammer's face had a consistent look. I like the way that Kanigher backs off the verbiage and lets Heath tell parts of the story visually. It's a fitting sendoff for our German friend.

Kubert

Our Army at War 223

"On Time!"
Story by Joe Kubert
Art by Russ Heath

"The Kunko Warrior"
Story and Art by Sam Glanzman

Jack: Sgt. Rock and Easy Co. are trying to hold a small village in occupied France where the Nazis stored food. As they await reinforcements, the Nazis attack! Rock must contend with a new recruit who soon earns the nickname "Turtle," because he seems to move slowly. Will the reinforcements arrive "On Time!" or will Easy Co. be blown to bits by the incoming fire from Nazi infantry and tanks?

Things are looking dire until Turtle takes it upon himself to rush an enemy tank, destroy one of its treads with a well-placed grenade, and drop a smoke bomb down the hatch, allowing him to march the tank's crew into Easy's hideout at gunpoint. The Nazi tank commander reveals to Rock that the house where they are hiding sits on top of a huge, hidden ammo dump, and the men of Easy Co. make good use of the newly-discovered ammunition to wipe out the attacking Nazis.

Decent art by Heath helps elevate this story above being just another tale of a new recruit with a funny nickname. Rock and Easy Co. have an amazing ability to survive despite incredible odds. At least Kubert and Co. have stopped killing off the new recruit of the issue every time.

As 1944 dawns, Allied ships attack the Marshall Islands. Suddenly, "The Kunko Warrior" appears--a Japanese soldier in traditional dress riding a white horse! Shelling of the islands continues from the ships and he disappears into the flames. Later, when the island is wiped out, he appears again and is shot to death by someone aboard ship who disobeyed orders. These stories about the U.S.S. Stevens don't feel like anything else in the DC War Comics right now and, while they lack much plot or direction, they are usually interesting.

Peter: Between the cracklin' Kubert script and the eye-poppin' Heath art, "On Time!" is just about the best Rock we've had this year. Only time will tell if new recruit "Turtle" will become one of the regular gang. Sam Glanzman delivers the best U.S.S. Stevens installment yet, a poignant tale devoid of any Rah-Rah for the war; instead, acknowledging the respect between warriors. A solid issue!