Star Spangled DC War Stories Issue 136: March 1973

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

Mike Kaluta

Weird War Tales 12

"God of Vengeance!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Gerry Talaoc

"Hand of Hell"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Tony DeZuniga

"The Warrior and the Witch Doctors!"
Story by Arnold Drake
Art by Don Perlin

Peter: In ancient Egypt, Hassup murders the beautiful Dinna when the girl shuns his advances. As she lays dying, she curses Hassup, promising that "God of Vengeance!" Anubis will strike him down. Later, Hassup engages in a battle with the Persians and shows no mercy, beheading their leader, Xeno. A huge sandstorm strikes and Hassup sees what he thinks are two mirages, one of the dying Dinna at the feet of Anubis and the other, the floating head of Xeno. Hassup is buried up to his neck in sand and then set upon by jackals. Dinna's curse has come to fruition. When Big Bob goes supernatural, he likes his Egyptian lore; we saw that years ago when we ran through the DC mystery titles and stumbled across some of Kanigher's work in House of Mystery. I like Talaoc's art (even if it sometimes strays into Frank Robbins territory) but I'm not keen on the story, which is nothing more than standard Egyptian curse fare.

"God of Vengeance!"

"Hand of Hell"

In a quasi-sequel to "God of Vengeance!," Bob Kanigher brings back goddess Dinna to face the evil Nazi, Lieutenant Krantz, an officer serving under Rommel. Dinna doesn't last long, however, since Krantz shoots her (and two Allied soldiers) in cold blood (in front of the statue of Anubis, which sits out in the middle of the desert by this point in time) when the information he's seeking is not forthcoming. Rommel arrives and orders Krantz and his men to advance as the Allies are mounting a huge attack. The Nazis find themselves turning tail quickly and Krantz's tank is destroyed right in front of the statue of Anubis. Even more frustrating than the first story, "Hand of Hell" is obviously Big Bob trying to make a point by tying goddess Dinna in with two time periods (that is, if Kanigher is insinuating this is the same girl as in the first story and not a descendant) and two completely different wars. Yes, the eons pass but man gets no more merciful. I get it. As much as the script makes me snore, Tony DeZuniga's art makes me sit up and take notice. It's dynamic, gritty, and photo-realistic. Joe Orlando may have been a bust when it came to illustrating EC stories but, when it came time for Joe to become editor of the DC mystery titles and he needed new blood, he obviously paid attention to the renovation being done over at Warren, as the DC mystery titles (including WWT) are the spitting image of the kind of material that was being presented in Creepy, Eerie, and (especially) Vampirella. Well, minus the swearing and the naked chicks, that is.

"The Warrior and the Witch Doctors!"

Me and my big mouth. Just as I'm celebrating the influx of new talent to the ranks of the DC bullpen, Joe Orlando goes and throws Don Perlin and Arnold Drake at me. Yeccch. "The Warrior and the Witch Doctors!" is a nonsensical bit of rubbish about a Roman soldier sent forward in time by British druids. There, in Times Square, Claudius hides from police in a grind house playing Rome Against the Druids and sees the light as he's never seen it before. He returns to ancient times to counsel Polonius Maximus and they plan their strategy for total defeat of the Brits. I'm not really sure what this mess adds up to other than, possibly, an homage to all those awful 1950s Sci-Fi tales they would reprint in House of Mystery and Unexpected. No possible motive is given for why the druids would teleport the soldier to 1970s New York but if the explanation were to take up another page, then I'm happy with the obfuscation.

Jack: More Weird than War, "God of Vengeance!" features very good art, an entertaining story, and crisp action. It helps that I love tales set in Ancient Egypt! The art in "Hand of Hell" is even more impressive, and I like how Kanigher continued the theme from the first story into this one set in WWII. "The Warrior and the Witch Doctor!" is not nearly as bad as I expected when I saw that it was by Arnold Drake and Don Perlin. The time travel aspect is fun and Perlin's work is better here than some of what we'd see over at Marvel.

Kubert

Star Spangled War Stories 168

"The Glory Hound!"
Story by Archie Goodwin
Art by Jack Sparling

"The Last Raid"
Story and Art by Tom Sutton

Peter: His super secret mission behind enemy lines must be put on pause as the Unknown Soldier deals with one of his own, a "Glory Hound" Captain by the name of Ransom who wears a red holster and packs a Nazi hand gun. Ransom holds US, decked out in Nazi officer uni, until word comes down from higher-up that this is a man on an important mission and he should be aided in any way possible. The pig-headed Ransom refuses to listen to US's warning that an all-out attack is on the way and Ransom's men need to pull back. No retreat, no surrender for the gung-ho captain until his men start dying around him and the Soldier unwraps his bandaging and assures him that he knows war and a big battle is on the horizon if they don't ease on down the road. Ransom finally listens and orders a pull back but, just then, the squad is attacked by a Tiger attempting to cross an important bridge. Ransom shows he can be just as brave as foolish and the Tiger is dispatched. His job done, the Unknown Soldier heads back to his mission.

"The Glory Hound!"

Just one more foolish, headstrong soldier story, this one with some really bad art and a few silly plot points. The unmasking of the Unknown Soldier begins well enough but ends laughably, with Captain Ransom's near-breakdown upon seeing US's scarred visage. I'm finding myself tuning out to anything Archie is trying to do here for the simple fact that Sparling's art is so rancid it ruins any kind of suspenseful vibe and, instead, elicits chuckles and eye-rolling. As the Losers strip continues its ascent, the previously-essential Unknown Soldier series becomes the 1970s' answer to Gunner and Sarge.

"The Glory Hound!"

"The Last Raid"

In a last-ditch effort to delay inevitable defeat, the Nazis create the largest zeppelin in history (over 700 feet long) and assign Captain Peter Strasser to "The Last Raid," a deadly bombing run over London. This zeppelin (dubbed the L-70) is designed to fly higher and carry a larger payload than any of the previous airships and Germany's idea is to bomb London off the face of the Earth. But Major Egbert Cadbury has something to say about that and, along with his trusty mate, Leckie, he jumps into his trusty DH-4 and hits the sky. It's a long, arduous journey, one that sees Cadbury and Leckie close to extinction several times but, in the end, the good guys win and the L-70 is reduced to burning rubble. A really exciting tale, one that almost pulses with danger and adventure; the panel where Cadbury sees the massive zeppelin for the first time is particularly dazzling. One drawback, of course, is the fact that Tom Sutton excelled at horror comics and most of his characters, no matter what genre he's dabbling in, come off creepy (and that includes the major and captain both). But Sutton nails the air battles, the carnage and, perhaps most importantly, the drama.

Jack: I was in agreement with you that "The Glory Hound!" was a weak story with terrible art until the moment the Unknown Soldier took off his bandages. Is this the first time he's done that? I thought it was a powerful scene and one that was easily the highlight of the story. While I have fond memories of Tom Sutton's work, "The Last Raid" is not among his best. I always like to see new artists and it's a decent tale overall but it seemed kind of plodding and the art looked muddy to me.

Kubert

Our Army at War 255

"What's It Like?"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Russ Heath

"Red Rain"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by ER Cruz

Jack: Lamenting that he is desk-bound and never has any excitement, Sgt. Egbert gives Rock another order, this time to rescue a lieutenant and his jeep from a river. Easy Co. makes its way to the river but finds that Nazis set the soldier and vehicle as bait and as soon as the Americans arrive, the shooting starts. "Nick" and "Al" are killed in the gunfire and the lieutenant on the jeep was dead anyway.

Back at H.Q., Sgt. Egbert issues another order: repair some road signs that have been turned around and are causing confusion. The job is accomplished in the pouring rain and a plane flying overhead drops a bomb that kills "Sol" and "Phil." After another return to H.Q., the men of Easy Co. bed down for the night while snow falls outside. Rock takes off on his own to handle Sgt. Egbert's latest order, which involves finding the general's lost bulldog mascot. Rock finds that some Nazis picked up the dog and, after he blows up their tank, he takes the Nazi commander prisoner and brings him back to base. Rock is injured and getting a blood transfusion, so Bulldozer reports in the Sgt. Egbert, who assumes Rock is enjoying coffee and donuts.

"What's It Like?"

I happened to read this issue last of the five we're covering this month, and the quality of "What's It Like?" in both script and art far outpaces any of the other new material. I only have one complaint, and it's a big one. Why, oh why, did they give us a cover that makes it look like Pooch has returned? It's a total cheat, since the dog in the story has nothing to do with Gunner and Sarge. I love Kubert's covers, but this one got my hopes up unfairly! Also, it's a little suspicious that the only soldiers in Easy Co. who ever get killed are the ones we've never heard of before!

"Red Rain"

Allied soldiers in 1917 France are led through a mine field by a brave French soldier who disappears as soon as the coast is clear. The soldiers then enter a village, where they see a statue that looks just like the French soldier. When an enemy tank attacks, the same French soldier charges it and destroys it, allowing the Allied soldiers to fight off German troops and retreat to safety. This time, they see the statue of the French soldier, bleeding from a shot to the heart. The "Red Rain" goes unexplained.

ER Cruz's art isn't up to the level of his fellow Filipinos at this point, but I like the gritty, violent nature of Kanigher's story, another in a string of good "Gallery of War" tales.

Peter: "What's It Like?" is one of the best Rocks, in both script and art, we've seen in some time, but maybe I'm just up for something that doesn't involve the rescue of a frail Fräulein or cute little kid. It's a nice touch that Egbert remains confident that Rock and the boys have a cushy job; there's no final page reveal.  Russ, as always, is aces. "Red Rain" is an interesting change of pace (perhaps one that might have been better suited to Weird War) but it makes no sense. Big Bob tips his hat and the reveal halfway through the story and then continues on with the narrative as if we don't know what's going on. The living statue plot may have been used one too many times.

Kubert

G.I. Combat 159

"Mission: Dead End!"
Story by Archie Goodwin
Art by Sam Glanzman

"Swords at Dawn"
Story by John Warner
Art by Ric Estrada

Peter: "Hard-chargin', gold-plated" General Norton is back (from GIC #148) and he wants the boys of the Jeb Stuart to take on a suicide mission to a POW camp deep behind enemy lines. The boys grudgingly accept their duty and head out, unhappy that the general has decided to send an escort, one of his top dogs, Major Cord, along with them. The presence of extra eyes alerts the men to the importance of the mission. Meanwhile, Arch's true love back home has written him a "Dear John" letter and that's wreaking havoc with his duties.The Jeb arrives at Wehrstadt to find it empty save POWs. Something's up! Sure enough, they find themselves surrounded by Tigers in an ambush. They load up as many POWs as they can carry and hightail it but the boys are taking on loads of artillery and suffering heavy casualties. Only through quick thinking and battle smarts are the boys able to survive. When the smoke clears, Jeb demands to know why they were sent on this mission and the major confesses that one of the POWs was Norton's son. Unfortunately, the man did not survive the battle but the crew are elated that they were able to save a handful of prisoners.

"Mission: Dead End!"

"Mission: Dead End!"

Now that Sam Glanzman's art doesn't irritate me as much (I'm up to "Slightly Irritated" on the Irri-mometer), the Haunted Tank has moved up comfortably to the #3 slot in regular war series for me (far ahead of the "Grossly Irritating" Unknown Soldier but still behind Rock and the Losers); though it's still got its contrivances. Why not ditch the ghostly general altogether since he only shows up for a panel or two each issue? If Archie's not going to throw open the curtain for the rest of the tank crew, don't bother wasting the panels. Archie's a great writer and his scripts are always sharp. "Mission: Dead End!" begins as a cliche ("oh no, not another impossible mission!") but the climax holds a bit of a twist with the death of General Norton's son and the welcome absence of a page of the general's grief. Nice ironic twist that, as Jeb observes, "in trying to save his son, Norton's lost him . . ."; if he had left him alone in the POW camp, chances are he'd have been liberated before long anyway. But what else could a father do?

Samurai Zenkiyata must battle his old mentor, Mulaido in "Swords at Dawn," a well-written but cartoonishly-drawn back-up strip. It's tough for me to get into these ancient tales of war but newcomer John David Warner throws enough interesting twists to keep my attention. Warner would go on to become an editor at Marvel, overseeing several of the black and white titles as well as creating the goofy supernatural superhero, Ulysses Bloodstone.

"Swords at Dawn"

Jack: I'll grudgingly admit that Glanzman's work had its moments of less than awfulness this time out, but I still think it dragged down what is probably a good script. It's discouraging that we've gone from a diet of Heath and Kubert to a diet of Sparling and Glanzman, but the DC War books have recovered before and I hope they'll recover again. If not, maybe we should start blogging about Tarzan. I like to see that Archie studied up on past issues and cites them in Marvel-like footnotes. As for "Swords at Dawn," I'm a sucker for samurai stories, so I was predisposed to like this one and I thought Estrada's art fit the topic well.

Heath

Four ★★★★ Battle Tales 1

"Be Brave--Be Silent!"
(Reprinted from All-American Men of War #94, December 1962)

"Tin Pot Lottery!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mort Drucker
(Reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #73, September 1958)

Peter: The DC War line must have been doing better than we thought if the powers that be decided that a reprint series was in order. Four Star Battle Tales (or, to be technical, Four ★★★★ Battle Tales) would last a mere five issues before getting the ax, but more reprint titles would follow.

"Tin Pot Lottery!" has some good art from one of our reprint favorites, Mort Drucker, but there's an overly familiar ring to the script. Three G.I.s wager a month's pay on whether the new sergeant will last three days without being blown to kingdom come. By the end of the story, naturally, the sarge has won three new fans.

"Tin Pot Lottery!"

Jack: Looking back at our post on December 1962's DC War Comics, I see that I was very impressed by the Johnny Cloud story, "Be Brave--Be Silent!" Mort Drucker's work on "Tin Pot Lottery!" is so good that it makes most of the new stories we read this month look bad in comparison. Bob Kanigher may be the king of the DC War Comics writers, but Bob Haney sure could spin a great yarn himself! The one thing I love/hate about Mort Drucker's war stories is that the characters look like movie actors but I can never quite pin down which ones.

Next Week . . .
The septic tank is getting full