Star Spangled DC War Stories Part 15: August 1960

By Corporals Enfantino and Seabrook

Joe Kubert

 Our Army at War 97

"What Makes a Sergeant Run?"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Joe Kubert

"Secret of the Ace's Helmet!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"You Can't Borrow a Star!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

Jack: New recruit Timmy asks Rock, "What Makes a Sergeant Run?" and Rock has a hard time coming up with a cogent answer. Luckily, battles keep getting in the way, but Timmy is tenacious, and Rock's difficulty in formulating a response leads to some good-natured ribbing from the combat-happy Joes of Easy Co. Finally, after a tense showdown with a tank Timmy tells Rock that he doesn't need an answer in words--everything Rock does for his men provides answer enough.

"What Makes a Sergeant Run?"

Peter: It’s a ludicrous plot hook that Timmy keeps stopping right in the middle of gunfights and mortar explosions to ask Rock “what’s a sergeant?” like some deranged parrot. Even less likely (at least in regards to the Sarge we’ve become familiar with) is that the question actually weighs on Rock’s mind and he finds himself (amidst the same explosions and shelling) pondering the subject while trying to keep his company alive. Though it’s a bit vague, am I right in assuming this incarnation of Easy is wiped out at the climax of the story, leaving only Rock and Timmy?

Jack: I don't think so--isn't that the rest of them standing outside the house in the next-to-last panel? Soon after his time in WWII, Timmy bought a lovely collie and starred in a TV show named Lassie. Lt. Walsh discovers the "Secret of the Ace's Helmet!" in the second tale, set in WWI among battling biplanes. German Ace Von Talz picks off the best of the Allies one by one until Lt. Walsh figures out his winning maneuver with a little help from a clue written inside the helmet of one of his fallen comrades. The coolest thing about this strip is the battles in the air between biplanes.

"Secret of the Ace's Helmet!"

Peter: This strip makes no sense to me at all. Why would Doug, in the heat of an aerial battle, take his eyes off “the road” long enough to discover and read a message in Roy’s helmet? And about that message: if Roy had figured out Von Talz’s trick, why didn’t he shoot the German down? Did he only discover the “secret” as his plane was descending in flames, so he whipped out a feather quill and jotted down the message in his hat before he hit the ground, knowing that Doug would take the helmet along with him on his next mission? I need answers.

Jack: Bill is embarrassed that he has not been awarded a Silver Star so that he can display it in a photo to be sent home to Bill Jr. Despite the urgings of his fellow G.I.s, he knows that "You Can't Borrow a Star!" and he has to go ahead and earn one on his own by dispatching a bunch of Nazis and a tank during some intense fighting.

"You Can't Borrow a Star!"

Peter: I’ve found that most of the stronger war tales are not built around a specific gimmick (here being Bill’s aim to get a silver star for the express purpose of impressing his kid) but upon the characters and the events that seem to almost spring up around them. Yep, those stories, in these early days, are few and far between but they do happen. Not here. Bill comes off as such a jackass (not, I’m sure, Bob Haney’s goal), almost forgetting he has other soldiers around him, whining that no one witnesses his acts of valor and, therefore, he can’t be rewarded. The message to most of these short tales, good and bad alike, is that war brings out “the best” in men but this tale shows us otherwise.

Jack: Bill is a real whiner, isn't he! And note that he still doesn't have a star at the end, but only the promise of one, yet that doesn't stop him from posing for a photo with someone else's star that he sends home to Bill Jr. I hope the lad did not read this comic book years later and learn the truth.

Jerry Grandenetti

All American Men of War 80

"The Medal Men!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"Christmas Tree for a Sub!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

"Red Letter Battle!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

Peter: A green recruit finds it hard to get "The Medal Men" to talk about their experiences leading up to the pinning of their medals. He becomes obsessed with winning one regardless of the risk. I know we've read something very similar to this before and I have to believe that story was more interesting than this one. Well, maybe not. The art here is really bad, Andru/Esposito at their "Opie Taylor" worst. It's an interesting cover design (which is redrawn on the splash by Ross and Mike), very eye-catching.

"The Medal Men!"

Jack: You know where we read this before? In "You Can't Borrow a Star!" in this month's Our Army at War. It does seem like certain themes pop up in more than one comic in the course of a month, doesn't it? One other interesting thing about this story is that it is only 12 pages long and not a "two-parter." Most of the DC war books have been featuring slightly longer stories that are broken up at a seemingly arbitrary point and labeled "two-parters." In the prior issue of All American Men of War, the two-part lead was 13 pages long. Now, we get a 12 page one-parter. Perhaps they realized that calling stories "two-parters" was not creating much excitement in the comic-buying public. We'll see what develops as the months march by. One other note: the hero strip "The Metal Men" debuted a year and a half after "The Medal Men," with the same creative trio of Kanigher/Andru/Esposito at the helm.

"Christmas Tree for a Sub!"

Peter: The crew of submarine Triggerfish, feeling a bit low during the holidays, decide to go ashore in Japan and cut down a Christmas tree for their ship. They're spotted and the deadly battleship Shinaru sneaks up and cripples her. In an effort to fool the enemy, the sub jettisons its tree and some other possessions to the surface. The ruse works and the sub surfaces, torpedoing the Shinaru. A fairly exciting read (albeit complete with a schmaltzy climax) and, more importantly, decent art by Jack Abel. Strange that a Christmas story would be featured in a comic cover-dated August (and on sale in May)!

Jack: My favorite part of this story comes when the Japanese woodcutter spies the Yankee Dogs cutting down a tree on his home island and exclaims, "By the Emperor's Sword!" The next caption is priceless: "Quickly, on rope-soled sandals the woodcutter ran to a nearby naval base . . ."

"Red Letter Battle!"

Peter: Eddie is about to celebrate his "Red Letter Day" with girlfriend Renee in Paris but the Nazis have other ideas for the young GI. This is one of those implausible tales where the German army throws its entire armada at two men and can't slow them down. Abel's art is back to its usual muddy look, with one character indiscernible from the next. In Sgt. Rock's Combat Corner, the Sarge has the unenviable task of answering this tough question from Charles Wade of Paterson, New Jersey: "What would you do if you pulled the pin on a grenade and then decided not to throw it?" Amazingly, Rock does not begin his answer with "Bend over and kiss..."

Jack: Renee is not nearly as tough as Mlle. Marie, our favorite battle doll. In fact, Renee seems like a bit of a pill. Doesn't she know that her G.I. squeeze might have other things keeping him busy? As for Sgt. Rock's Combat Corner, you missed what was (for me) the most interesting bit of trivia--the bazooka was named after a trick musical instrument played by a comedian named Bob Burns!

Jerry Grandenetti

Our Fighting Forces 56

"Bridge of Bullets!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Jerry Grandenetti

"Letter to a Frogman!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath

"Ace on the Spot!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"Bridge of Bullets!"

Jack: Gunner and Sarge have a new assignment: find a bridge and blow it up before the enemy uses it to cross and attack! After some harrowing near-misses they find the bridge but get trapped in the middle as Gunner hangs by a rope and an enemy plane bears down on them! Luckily, Gunner is "a man with a gun" and he is able to take out the plane and the enemy troops on the ground. See "The Rope Fighters" (G.I. Combat 82, July 1960) for the same predicament that is portrayed on the cover of this issue. This scene stretches the bounds of reality.

Peter: Yet another time-waster starring Whiner and Grump. DC should have wised up and morphed this strip into a superhero series as it sure isn’t believable as a “true to life war saga.” Gunner and Sarge manage to duck all streams of bullets, mortar, and aerial attacks thrown at them and emerge smiling and joking. Grandenetti’s art, as usual, is sketchy, with several panels looking unfinished.

"Letter to a Frogman!"

Jack: Certain that the "Letter to a Frogman!" he received from his gal Sally is a "Dear John" letter, Wally is afraid to open it and makes a series of mistakes, including putting the wrong explosive package on an enemy sub. His distractions lead to his being injured in an explosion and he ends up in the hospital being tended to by Sally, whose letter (had he read it) told him that she was now a Navy nurse.

Peter: Far from believable, this one should have been saved by the art of Heath but Russ must have had an off day as only a few panels here reach his past glory. The story is incredibly dumb, the idea that this professional frogman (constantly dealing with death) would be letting a simple letter risk his life and that of his partner just doesn’t ring true. The climax is right out of Girls’ Love Stories, the romance title DC was selling at that time.

"Ace on the Spot!"

Jack: I thought the Heath art was a big step up from everything other than Kubert that we've seen this month. Captain Hill is an "Ace on the Spot!" when he shows up for flying duty in Korea after having flown 50 missions in WWII. The only problem is that he has never flown a jet in combat duty before and now all of the new fliers are looking to him for guidance. He gets off to a shaky start but finds his groove soon enough.

Peter: "Ace on the Spot" was the last story I read this week and wins “Best of the Month” honors by default. It’s not that it’s a classic (we’ve seen the “old timer from WW2 comes in to show the young guys a thing or two” plot a few times already) but it’s exciting enough and the art is surprisingly good for Andru and Esposito. With only one art job apiece by Russ Heath (and a weak one at that) and Joe Kubert, this was a mediocre month at best.

Jack: I agree. This was good work by Andru and Esposito but at only six pages it's hardly a classic.