Star Spangled DC War Stories Issue 171: April 1976

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

Kubert

Blitzkrieg 2

"Walls of Blood"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ric Estrada

"Circle of Death"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ric Estrada

Jack: A Nazi soldier named Franz is not overjoyed to spend his birthday with his fellow soldiers killing Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. Among the Jews trapped in the ghetto are Benjamin, who is turning thirteen, and his grandfather, who insists on celebrating the boy's milestone birthday. The next day, as the trio of Nazi soldiers look on, Jews talk about the alternative to staying in the ghetto: being taken to work camps to be murdered en masse. Spurred on by Benjamin's grandfather, who recalls the ancient rebellion at Masada, and horrified by the Nazis' murder of children in the ghetto, the Jews revolt. A woman blows up a tank with a bomb in a baby carriage and Benjamin grabs a rifle and begins shooting. Nazi planes arrive the following day to bomb what remains of the ghetto and the Jews are wiped out. Franz wonders if he will ever forget the horrors in which he played a part and Benjamin secretly escapes through the sewers to keep fighting.

"Walls of Blood"

"Walls of Blood" is a powerful look at a horrible event in Poland during WWII, told with courage and unstinting naturalism by Bob Kanigher and drawn unflinchingly by Ric Estrada. It's an unusual story for a DC War comic due to its sheer brutality and Kanigher deserves credit for letting Franz show some humanity. Estrada's art is not top tier (compare it to Kubert's cover), but the story is so strong that it really doesn't matter. Anyone who thinks DC comics were just for kids should read this issue of Blitzkrieg.

In the fifth century, a cold, snowy winter in Gaul is made worse by the arrival of Attila the Hun, who spares one village when the residents pay him tribute. In spring, Attila approaches a camp of nomads who do not know him and thus do not prepare tribute, so he throws a noose around the neck of an elder and drags the man around the outskirts of the camp in a "Circle of Death," marking the boundary of where the nomads may advance. The Huns return at harvest time expecting tribute, but the nomads are ready for them and attack, killing the Huns and vowing to fight until Attila is destroyed.

"Circle of Death"

Kanigher's historical tale has clear parallels to "Walls of Blood," since both stories show a powerful army attacking a less powerful group of people and forcing them to stay in a confined space. Like the Jews of Warsaw, the nomads of this story are pushed to the limit and rebel, though their attack on their oppressors is more successful than the one 1500 years later. Again, Estrada's work is competent but not spectacular.

Peter: If Bob Kanigher's aim with Blitzkrieg was to enlighten and educate rather than to entertain, then he accomplished those feats in spades. "Walls of Blood" is a grim strip, full of evil and horror but also infinitesimal hope as well, one I'm surprised exited the CCA unscathed. As with a lot of aspects of World War II, I don't know much about the Warsaw Ghetto, but I should. Allan Asherman's text piece,"The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto," is a good place to start. I'm not as enamored of Big Bob's Hun series. We'll get a rest from that for two issues before a finale in #5. Two issues in, this new title is the place to turn for quality Kanigher material.

Dominguez

G.I. Combat 189

"The Gunner is a Gorilla"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Sam Glanzman

"Duel in the Desert"
Story by Murray Boltinoff
Art by Fred Carrillo

Peter: The crew of the Jeb Stuart take advantage of a Nazi-free evening to take in a local circus show but, right in the middle of a fabulous gorilla act, the Germans invade and the big top goes up in flames. Just before dying, the circus owner talks Jeb into taking Francois Le Grand, his intelligent gorilla, to the neighboring town, where the man's brother lives. Naturally, since this is a DC War Universe, Jeb happily complies and off the boys (and ape) go. Along the way, the Haunted Tank takes enemy fire and Commander Jeb is dazed. No problem, since this gorilla has taken machine gun practice and can tell the bad guys from the good. Nazis in the dirt, the boys drop the ape off in the little village and get back to the serious work known as... war!

Hard hittin' DC war action

Back in the bad old days of 1960s' DC, every title had to have an ape. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Jimmy Olsen, all of them. National became synonymous with gorilla comics. Now, Jack Seabrook's favorite gimmick comes back to haunt us in the 100th installment of The Haunted Tank. Rather than celebrate this milestone (in fact, the event isn't even mentioned in this issue's pages), Bob Kanigher resorts to silliness with "The Gunner is a Gorilla." No, you're right, I've been complaining about this odious title for "years" now but Big Bob's inane script and Glanzman's inarticulate graphics may have just combined to deliver the nadir in DC war comics. How is it a good idea for Jeb to bring a gorilla (even a trained one) along in a cramped tank? How is it Francois knows how to work a machine gun and how'd he get to be a crack shot? Never mind. On the bright side, Sam Glanzman draws a better gorilla than human. I'll try to forget this one until it's time to choose a Worst Story of the Year award.

Gorilla Grodd v. stick figure soldiers

"Duel in the Desert"

In the horrendous back-up, "Duel in the Desert," a G.I. is wounded by a Nazi but manages to overpower the German and take him prisoner. Now, the ordeal becomes taking him through the desert and surviving the Ratzi's vicious tactics. A tedious six pages lead to a ludicrous climax when the Nazi finally overpowers our G.I., strips him of his uniform, and attempts to infiltrate a G.I. outpost. Two soldiers on lookout gun the man down, opining that he must be a kraut infiltrator. What gave them the clue? Who knows?

Jack: If this month's issue of Blitzkrieg showed that not all DC comics in the '70s were aimed at kids, "The Gunner and the Gorilla" reminds us immediately just how bad things can get. The setup, at a circus where a gorilla trained to impersonate Adolf Hitler angers trigger-happy Nazi soldiers, is ridiculous, though I thought it was funny to see the simian join the crew inside the Haunted Tank. The final indignity came with the gorilla attacking the Nazis with a machine gun and his bare paws. At least Sam Glanzman's art makes Fred Carrillo's work on "Duel in the Desert" look surprisingly good in comparison. G.I. Combat has officially edged Weird War Tales out of competition as the comic book I'm most looking forward to being done with in a few months' time.

Kubert

Our Army at War 291

"Death Squad!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Frank Redondo

"The Saga of Butch O'Hare"
Story and Art by Norman Maurer

Jack: When Sgt. Rock and the men of Easy Co. come across a farmer, frozen to death after being buried up to his neck in snow, they continue on to a nearby town and find a horrible scene: six men dead by hanging, women and children shot dead in the street, and survivors in shock. A young woman tells of eight soldiers in S.S. uniforms who came into the town, led by a bald man, and slaughtered the residents before heading toward the forest.

Rock and his men set out to find the eight killers. In a forest clearing, everyone but Rock is injured by surprise gunfire but they manage to shoot and kill seven of the S.S. soldiers. Rock orders the others to patch themselves up and return to town while he tracks the bald S.S. leader through the snowy woods alone. Injuring his foot when he steps on a knife left sticking up through the snow, Rock trudges on until he finds the enemy, who shoots him. When the bald man approaches for the kill, Rock grabs his foot and they tumble over the edge of a cliff into a snowbank. Knowing it's kill or be killed, Rock smothers and kills the man with his bare hands in the deep snow.

This powerful spread really looks like Neal Adams had a hand in it.

Bob Kanigher must have been in a foul mood this month, what with the brutal story in Blitzkrieg and now this! The two-page spread that follows the story's opening page is powerful and, at first glance, I thought it was the work of Neal Adams, but that's unlikely. Perhaps Kubert helped Frank Redondo with it, because the art in the rest of the story doesn't reach the level of this spread. The story is wrenching and I have to say I think Rock acts out of character in tracking the Nazi alone. He's a good sergeant and he almost gets himself killed in an act of vengeance when it would have made more sense, from a military standpoint, to marshal the troops and track down the bald S.S. man.

The planes look like Grandenetti planes!

In early 1942, an American aircraft carrier in the South Pacific is menaced by Japanese bomber planes, but super-hero Butch O'Hare takes flight in his own aircraft and shoots down five bombers single-handled, saving the ship. His career as a flyer came to an end in combat in 1943 and he was awarded the Medal of Honor. "The Saga of Butch O'Hare" is a fascinating bit of WWII history about the man after whom Chicago's O'Hare Airport is named. I recently read an interview with Joe Kubert and learned that he and Norman Maurer were partners in business and close friends for many years; knowing that doesn't make me like Maurer's art any more, but at least I respect him and understand why he keeps turning up in books connected with Kubert.

Peter: Back in the '90s, there was scuttlebutt that Arnold Schwarzenegger had been signed to play Rock in a big-screen blockbuster, but that day never came. I always thought if Hollywood had to pick a superstar to play Rock, let it be Bruce Willis. If the movie had ever come to light, I expect the script would have been something like "Death Squad!," a very exciting little piece of vengeance fiction. "Death Squad!" is  the prototypical Rock script (the Sarge takes on great odds, always makes the right decision, and survives nasty wounds), but also shows a side of Rock we seldom see when he murders Stone (Rock and Stone--get it?) in cold blood rather than take the Nazi prisoner.

Our hero's thought balloon lets us know that the killing was necessary because, Rock rationalizes, "That wasn't a man I was fighting! That was the rotten evil this war's all about!" Whatever gets you through the day, Sarge, but the Ratzi you strangled wasn't armed (like the one on the cover). I think it's grittier and more realistic if we get to see this character lose it now and then. I always feel bad about disliking bio-back-up stories like "Butch O'Hare" but, doggone it, they all seem the same and the generic art really sinks my boat.

Kubert

Star Spangled War Stories 198

"Traitor!"
Story by David Michelinie
Art by Gerry Talaoc

"The Last Battle"
Story by Arnold Drake
Art by Frank Redondo

Peter: The Unknown Soldier has been arrested for treason! How could this be? Well, the long story short is that our bandaged hero was assigned the task of infiltrating the Nazi campaign in occupied France, hiding a new German secret weapon capable of killing hundreds of Allied soldiers in a matter of minutes. Taking the disguise of a French peasant with friends in high places, US gets into the death factory and steals some top secret notes and an electronic gizmo that looks important, unaware he's been found out. When he gets back to America and hands over the papers, he's horrified to learn the Nazis had rigged the gizmo with a tracking device and a bomb--BLEWIE!--and one very important American scientist is blown to bits! But a prison cell can't hold the number one Allied spy and US breaks out, ostensibly to clear his name.

"Traitor!"

One of the more contrived episodes of the Unknown Soldier and so, not as satisfying as the usual Michelinie masterpiece. "Traitor!" is set up from the very beginning to fail; we know US is a die-hard patriot and his uppers also know that, so where's the suspense? Even though the plot is a bit tired, Michelinie is such a craftsman that he manages to inject a few winning bits into even the weakest of his efforts. Georges, the French traitor who cozies up to the Nazis, meets a grisly accidental death by knife and the dialogue between Georges and his favorite German, the obese Sgt. Schepke, is crisp and memorable. A rare misfire for Michelinie but I have no worries he'll regain my complete respect.

Three G.I.s are wounded (one loses his sight, one his hands, the third his legs) and on their way home from the war but, when their hospital is attacked by Nazis, the trio combine their skills to fight "The Last Battle." While Bob Kanigher was out to lunch one day in early 1976, Arnold Drake ransacked Big Bob's Bag of Cliched Plots to craft this load of hooey. The only plus is Frank Redondo, whose work here closely resembles that of our old buddy, Mort Drucker. In fact, the whole package looks (and smells) like a 1950s reprint.

"The Last Battle"

Jack: The framing sequence at the beginning of "Traitor!" creates curiosity that is then satisfied by the flashback, but I agree with you that there's never any doubt that the Unknown Soldier will survive. The fun is in reading how it comes to pass! There's a nice bit of business when US is being given his assignment by a Marshall; US quietly carves a sculpted face out of a block of cheese and the entire thing is done visually, in counterpoint to the dialogue. There are some lapses in tone, especially in a non-verbal sequence of panels where sheep are targeted that reminded me of a comedy strip by Sergio Aragones, but I agree with you, Peter--it's problematic that we realize US is never in real danger. Gerry Talaoc's art continues to be first rate.

"The Last Battle" is fairly interesting for the first few pages, and Redondo's art is very nice, but once it becomes apparent that the story is heading down the old Kanigher cliche path of wounded soldiers banding together to fight as one, it loses momentum; it's odd that the final battle is disposed of in a few quick panels.

Kubert

Weird War Tales 45

"The Battle of Bloody Valley"
Story by George Kashdan
Art by Buddy Gernale

"Conquest"
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by Mike Vosburg & Vince Coletta

"Ordeal"
Story by Jack Oleck
Art by Noly Panaligan

Peter: A platoon of German soldiers is forced back into a strange valley covered in a thick mist. When the fog clears, the Nazis discover they've somehow entered into a place "time has forgotten," ruled by Romans who insist on training the Germans with medieval weapons before turning them loose. Too late, the Nazis discover it's all been a trick: the Romans have trapped their guests in a huge arena and let loose a flock (?) of giant vampire bats to slaughter them. Well, I have to admit I didn't see the climax of "The Battle of Bloody Valley" coming but not because it's some sly twist on George Kashdan's part but, rather, a supremely dopey out-of-left-field ploy in order to justify the title of "weird war tale." There's no real explanation for either the Romans that time forgot or why they keep pet vampires. And how many poor unfortunates find their way into the arena? Can't be much of a regular event.

"The Battle of Bloody Valley"

"Conquest"

"Ordeal" is a lazy bit of writing (more "Ripley's Believe It or Not"-style nonsense) about a Nazi who's trapped in a haunted cave but "Conquest!" proves, despite the evidence, that Jack Oleck could still pump out a clever tale now and then. In our distant future, man wages war against all in the galaxy, conquering planets and slaughtering billions merely to gain new real estate. While we're off bombing Saturn or Neptune, Mars comes calling (at least they look like Martians!) and plants its flag on our soil. Earth's mightiest warrior, "the Major," now relives his past in a burned-out rocket ship moldering in a scrap yard. Oleck manages to surprise with his downbeat ending and the art is serviceable. Additional kudos to our uncredited colorist this time out; the colors are vibrant and jump off the page. That alien to my left sure looks like a Wally Wood creation, doesn't it?

Jack: Once again, the sharp Kubert cover is the issue's highlight. "The Battle of Bloody Valley" is a weird melange of ideas with vampire bats that fly in from out of nowhere. I thought "Conquest" was an SF story that made little sense though, in comparison to what we've been reading in the Warren mags, at least the work is competent and everything is spelled right. "Ordeal" has up and down art with some nice bits. Overall, this issue left me cold. It's generic DC--a smooth product but nothing worth rereading over 40 years later.

Dominguez

Our Fighting Forces 166

"Sword of Flame"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by George Evans

"Death Ship"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by E.R. Cruz

Jack: The Losers are not happy to be put under the command of a young French woman named Major Orleans, who leads them in a parachute drop into occupied France. She insists that they must travel to a chateau and retrieve the sword of Joan of Arc before the Nazis take it and head back to Berlin; the loss of this precious item will surely spell doom for France! The Losers shoot Nazis out of trees and swim through a river before reaching the chateau, only to find that the Nazis just took the sword! Major Orleans and the Losers recover the sword and hide from the S.S. in a garden maze, but when the chips are down and it looks like the major is about to be shot by a Nazi officer, a bolt of flame shoots out from the sword and engulfs the enemy. The major reveals that she is the countess of the chateau where the sword is kept.

I really like George Evans's art on "Sword of Flame," and the Losers are definitely back as a functioning team after the Kirby period, but the story seems slight and the supernatural event at the end that saves the day doesn't seem to fit the gritty tone of the Losers series. I kept thinking the major would be revealed as Mlle. Marie but, though one of her names does turn out to be Marie, I don't think it's our favorite, long-lost freedom fighter.

"Sword of Flame"

On a two-day pass, Johnny Cloud plans to spend some time relaxing outside London, but a dogfight between a British flyer and a German ace results in the British pilot's death, so Johnny Cloud hops in the cockpit with the corpse and takes to the air to defeat the enemy with some fancy flying.

At five pages, "Death Ship" is little more than an anecdote, and it's a shame that George Evans was able to draw the lead story this issue but not the backup with aerial fighting. Still, E.R. Cruz's art looks nice and the story is reasonably entertaining.

"Death Ship"

Peter: For some reason, the powers-that-be believed that the Losers needed a female dynamic, so we’re amidst a constant carousel of brave female freedom fighters. Why no one thought to simply bring Ona back (or somehow make Mlle. Marie work in this title) is beyond me. Bob Kanigher (always a very smart guy) obviously thought adding a strong woman to the cast would make him (and the company) look hip. This was, after all, the peak of the '70s Women’s Lib movement. But if Bob really wanted to come off as some sort of equal rights freedom fighter, he’d have put Major Orleans in khakis rather than hot pants and ballerina shoes. The twist of “Death Ship,” that a pilot safely landed his plane even after he was dead, has been used way too many times. I don’t disagree with the idea of filling in the Losers’ back stories with these short-shorts, but these are disposable vignettes rather than enlightening pieces. "Tales of Asgard" this ain’t.

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