Star Spangled DC War Stories Part 37: June 1962

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

Russ Heath

All American Men of War 91

"Three O'Clock Killer!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"Two Missions to Doom!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Jerry Grandenettti

"Ace in a Cage!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

Peter: German ace Von Luft (aka The "Three O'Clock Killer") goads his American counterparts into fighting him every day at three o'clock around a clock tower behind German lines. One by one, the American heroes are shot down until pilot Jimmy uses a little ingenuity (and smoke) to muck up Von Luft's pattern. Without a visual on the clock tower, the German ace becomes distracted and easy prey for our hero. We've read so many stories featuring variations on The Red Baron that they all blend together after a while but at least this Baron has a hook. I thought Jimmy's tricks were pretty ingenious but, in the honorable playing field of aces, isn't it cheating?

Jack: Von Luft looks at the watch Jimmy sent him and suddenly realizes that he's sunk because there are no hands on the watch to tell him what time it is. He didn't have a backup? This was a cool story because of the biplanes and the clock tower but Von Luft was a dope. The Allied fighters weren't much better--if you know you're going to be shot down if you go into battle with Von Luft at three o'clock--don't go into battle with Von Luft at three o'clock! Reminds me of the line from Inglorious Basterds: "You know, fightin' in a basement offers a lot of difficulties. Number one being, you're fightin' in a basement!"

Peter: Aircraft mechanic Shamrock is constantly asking ace pilot Johnny Cloud what it's like to fly a bomber but Johnny is mum on the subject. Shamrock gets to find out when he's taken prisoner by Nazis in a tank and Johnny Cloud swoops in to save his hide. On the way back to base, the duo have to fight off a squadron of enemy aces and just make it back to mother earth before the flying fortress blows. If not for a couple of references to the Great Spirit in the sky (and that strange red tan Johnny sports) you'd never know this was a Johnny Cloud adventure. Thankfully free of any Indian-baiting or flashbacks from the reservation, "Two Missions to Doom" is a solid little thriller with some doses of genuine suspense and nice touches. When Shamrock first bugs Cloud for details on his mission, Johnny gets a far away look in his eyes and you can almost feel the tension our hero is feeling. Jerry G. holds himself in check for the most part and he gets the most important bits, the dogfights, done satisfactorily. One of the better Johnny Cloud adventures.

Jack: Jerry G is not a good fit for Johnny Cloud. His "special" way of drawing human faces and bodies does not work when he's trying to draw a Native American. Not that it works very well for other races, either! This story chugs along toward the inevitable conclusion but the storytelling seems clunky and the panels are too busy.

Peter: Ace pilot Mike Ross sits in a North Korean POW camp, rotting away but he's using his time to train a youngster named Palmer all he knows about fighting MIGs. When Palmer manages to escape the camp, he makes his way to an American base in Japan and convinces his CO to allow him to fly under Captain Ross's color and credit his own kills to Ross as a tribute to the man who taught him everything. Palmer becomes an A-1 ace but Ross continues to remain an "Ace in a Cage!" Equal parts gritty and sappy, this one manages to tick all the right boxes and finish off on a somber but hopeful note. Very rarely do you see the fate of the drama's hero up in the air but, here, it very much remains questionable whether Captain Ross will see America again. Pretty powerful stuff.

"Ace in a Cage!"

Jack: I had to read this one twice to figure out what was going on but when I did it was pretty cool. This reminds me of a great Russ Heath story of a couple of years ago that was in our ten best for that year. Abel draws some nice panels of the haunted P.O.W.'s face and the air battle scenes with the Korean War jets squaring off are impressive. Funny how the main story in this issue held the least interest for me.

Peter: To show just how clever I am, Jack, I'll point out that the stories, in descending order, all begin with a number (well, an ace is a one in a card game -- work with me).

Joe Kubert

Our Army at War 119

"A Bazooka for Babyface!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Joe Kubert

"Battle Eagle!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

"Canteen That Won an Island!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jerry Grandenetti

Jack: When Sgt. Rock meets new recruit Private Benjamin B. Barrett, it takes the grizzled veteran about half a second to figure out that the kid lied about his age in order to join the army. Rock orders him sent home but war gets in the way, so Babyface Barrett slowly becomes a member of Easy Co., step by step. He first shows his mettle by probing a field for land mines, then he saves Bulldozer from a couple of enemy tanks. But it's not till he gets "A Bazooka for Babyface!" and has to obey Rock's order to shoot at a tank covered by Easy Co. men that he earns the right to stay right where he is, as a "soldier in the army of the United States." With Kubert back this issue, he and Kanigher continue their string of classic stories. This series keeps getting better!

"A Bazooka for Babyface!"

Peter: There are a few good lines included in this one (That tank came at us--like it was breakin' a sixty-day fast...) but, for the most part, "A Bazooka for Babyface" feels like lukewarm leftovers topped with some really bad cheese. There's the repeated mantra about the boy's papers claiming him to be "a soldier in the U.S. Army..." and  we all know the green teen will grow up fast and be embraced by the guys of Easy but Rock's 180 degree turn in the last two panels defies logic (and we've gotten to know Rock pretty well in the last 37 installments) and rolls eyes. In fact, the boys surviving Babyface's bullseye bazooka shot is less of a stretch.

Jack Abel's take on Hitler

Jack: Adolf Hitler himself gives a solid gold "Battle Eagle!" to his best Panzer division to take into battle, making them certain that it will guarantee victory. A lone G.I. Scout tosses a grenade and, when the German jeep overturns, the American ends up with the golden souvenir. The Nazis chase him all over the desert to regain their prize but, in the end, he triumphs--only to leave the eagle in the shifting sands because it's too heavy to carry away. The end of this story has echoes of "Ozymandias" as the symbol of power is being covered up by the desert winds.

Peter: This is the 100th story we've covered that featured Jack Abel art and this one, for me, tends to lean on the good Abel side. For those keeping track, that's exactly 50 good and 50 bad. I liked the story too; it's a bit offbeat. I couldn't guess where it was going and that's always a good thing.

Jack: Marine Jim Lucas is the last U.S. soldier left on an island. He tosses a canteen into the water with a note for his son Ed, who is fighting somewhere too. The ship Ed is on is destroyed by a mine and he is the only survivor. Bobbing in the water, he finds the canteen and reads his father's note, which inspires him to become a one-man fighting machine when he is washed up on an island. He works his way across the island and ends up meeting his father, who survived. The coincidences here are far-fetched but I kind of like Grandenetti's art, I am surprised to admit. The colors and stylized panels look pretty cool, though there are some faces that point toward the mess his work would become in a decade.

"Canteen That Won an Island!"

Peter: I'm sure coincidences like this happened every day in World War II, right? I think Jerry should have made Jim Lucas look a tad bit older as that last panel doesn't give off father and son vibes. Brothers maybe.

What's so horrifying?
Find out in our next issue!