Star Spangled DC War Stories Issue 130: September 1972

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

Kubert

Star Spangled War Stories 164

"Remittance Man!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Dan Spiegle

"White Devil . . .Yellow Devil!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Alex Toth

Peter: "On a wild jungle island . . . (in) the South Pacific," evil Japanese Colonel Tanaka searches for the "Remittance Man!," a brave civilian who's hidden himself in a cave and is transmitting important info to the Allies. Tanaka discovers the location of the cave and has it bombed. Thinking no one could survive the explosion, Tanaka congratulates himself on a job well done and  informs his higher-ups that they are free to send ships through an important waterway. Meanwhile, in Washington, the Unknown Soldier accepts orders to impersonate the dead remittance man and deliver one last important message. When messages are intercepted by the Japanese, Tanaka flips his lid and sets traps all over the island for our undercover hero. US is too smart for these dopey soldiers and, with the help of the real remittance man (who wasn't dead but just buried under tons of rubble), the important radio transmission is sent and Tanaka and his men are eliminated. "Remittance Man!" isn't a great story but it holds the interest and, more importantly, Dan Spiegle's art looks a heck of a lot better here than in the previous issue. I question why the Unknown Soldier feels the need to don a disguise to hide in a cave from the Japanese. Why not do the job with or without bandages? Since no one even knew who the remittance man was or what he looked like, who's going to recognize our hero sans a get-up?

"Remittance Man!"

"White Devil . . . Yellow Devil!"

Toshiro has been taught by his commander that the Americans are the white devils, monsters who do not kill for honor but for "souvenirs." While on a patrol, Toshiro is jumped by an American soldier, who holds up just before plunging a knife into his heart. The G.I. is taken aback by Toshiro's youth and promises to tend to his wounds after he's escorted him back to a prison camp. One of Toshiro's comrades sneaks up behind the G.I. and kills him. Later that night, Toshiro buries the G.I. but is shot and killed. A simple synopsis does not do justice to this nicely-written and gorgeously-illustrated war tale, one that sees Big Bob shake off the dust and get down to business for the first time in a long time. Toth's stark visuals are one-of-a-kind and instantly recognizable; his art tells so much more of the story than the captions and word balloons can hope to. "White Devil . . . Yellow Devil!" is an installment in a new series of vignettes under the heading, "Bob Kanigher's Gallery of War" and, if the first tale is any indication, we're in for some good reading.

More Toth!

Jack: I wonder if Col. Tanaka knows Col. Hakawa, that practical joker of the Pacific Theater? No matter, Haney and Spiegle give us a decent story that doesn't get very exciting but isn't bad, either. The Kanigher/Toth tale fits well into the late Vietnam-era mood of 1972 DC War Comics in that it shows the point of view of soldiers from both sides and demonstrates acts of mercy and cruelty. Toth does nice work with a wordless sequence and muted colors suggesting night action.

Kubert

Our Army at War 249

"The Luck of Easy!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Russ Heath

"Wing Man"
Story and Art by Wally Wood

Jack: As they make their way through Italy, Rock and Easy Co. meet an Italian peasant who pulls his very pregnant wife in a cart, intent on having her deliver their baby at the farm home from which they fled when the Nazis came. Easy Co. is going the same direction, so they accompany the couple, wiping out Nazis along the way. When they arrive at the farm, the men of Easy Co. must hold off approaching Nazi soldiers as the couple wait inside their small home for the baby to arrive. Rock single-handedly returns a live potato masher and wipes out the enemy just as the baby is born.

"The Luck of Easy!" is a dull entry in the Easy Co. series, with little to generate excitement in story or art. There is virtually no suspense created and the plot moves from one battle to another until Rock executes his usual heroics at the end to save the day.

"The Luck of Easy!"

"Wing Man"

During WWII, the fliers of the R.A.F. are shooting down enemy planes left and right, but "Wing Man" Archie Pyke does not have a single German kill to his name. He is very good at sticking to his leader plane and protecting it, but he laments the fact that he never gets to shoot anyone down himself. Finally, he shoots a jet out of the sky in order to protect his leader, finally proving his mettle.

It's such a pleasure to see Wally Wood back drawing war comics after all these years that I can forgive the fact that his story is a bit perfunctory. His DC work in the '70s never reached the heights of his EC work in the '50s, but he's still one of the all-time greats in my book.

Peter: I'd have never pegged Wally Wood as the man responsible for "Wing Man," but then this was nearly two decades after his stint at EC and styles change.Woody still has the chops, even in the script-writing department; "Wing Man" is a bit deeper than the usual gung-ho pilot filler tale. Our hero manages to save the day through dumb luck rather than a last-second elevation of skills; that's a refreshing change of pace. The Rock tale is an amiable piece of fluff with a beautiful coat of Heath paint to make it shine.

Kubert

G.I. Combat 155

"The Long Journey"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Sam Glanzman

"Ashcan Alley!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Joe Kubert
(Reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #67, March 1958)

Peter: Stuck in icy Russia, the men of the Jeb Stuart must depend on the help of a few friendly Commies to get their hides back to the front in one piece. Trouble is, the ghostly General who has given his name to his descendant and to the Haunted Tank has already told Commander Jeb that they won't make it back in one piece! After a particularly nasty village battle, in which they befriend a one-armed Russian freedom fighter named Gorki, the boys find that the only way they'll make it back home is by hiding the tank. They dismantle the Jeb and transport her, via horse and wagon, back to the front. A direct sequel to last issue's adventure (a facet of the "recent" installments of some of these series I'm digging--now let's get Rock in line, Big Bob!), "The Long Journey" is a decent page-turner with plenty of action and pathos. Maybe I'm getting used to it, but Sam Glanzman's art isn't as annoying as it's been in the past. Sure, his G.I.s have a few too many freckles, but I can live with that.

"The Long Journey"

A navy frogman finds that dodging mines and enemy subs in "Ashcan Alley!" is a little more difficult than avoiding bowling balls (seriously!) back home. I like these underwater adventures as they mix things up a bit and take us away from the same ol' battlefield drama. Problem is, so many of these are just the same ol' underwater pinball, where one frogman manages to outwit the entire German sea force and come out the other end with all limbs intact. Our hero this time out sidesteps mines, E-boats, depth charges, torpedoes, and a particularly soft Nazi flipperman. At least it's got the Kubert sheen.

"Ashcan Alley!"

Jack: It's not bad enough to suffer through 14 pages of Sam Glanzman's attempt to draw the Haunted Tank, but do we have to read Bob Kanigher's attempt to mimic Russians trying to speak English? "No time bury dead" is one of the choice sentences, making the Russian peasants sound like the Frankenstein monster. The backup story looks much better, with smooth Kubert art but, as Peter points out, you read one frogman story, you've read 'em all. Bob Haney uses the term "ashcan alley" seven times, including the title, but it felt more like seventy.

Next Week . . .
The Final Crime!