Star Spangled DC War Stories Part 13: June 1960

By Corporals Enfantino and Seabrook

Joe Kubert

Our Army at War 95

"Battle of the Stripes"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Joe Kubert

"Topsy Turvy Fighters!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

"3 Tanks to Tangu!"
Story by Hank Chapman
Art by Russ Heath

Jack: Bulldozer Nichols has decided that Sgt. Rock is about ready to retire, so Bulldozer will earn his stripes and take his place. By telling Rock this at every turn, Bulldozer begins to demoralize the other men in Easy Co., even as he demonstrates his own heroism. Rock decides to let actions speak for themselves and, when he rescues Bulldozer and other soldiers who are pinned down in a deserted farmhouse by a Nazi tank, Bulldozer realizes that everyone is lucky to have Sgt. Rock in charge. Kubert is back on his game this month with an exciting tale of yet another member of Easy Co. who gets too big for his britches until Rock teaches him a lesson.

"Battle of the Stripes"

Peter: This isn't the first Sgt. Rock tale to feature an arrogant co-star, one who'd like nothing else than to see his name in lights and wear those stripes. While Our Army at War Featuring Bulldozer Nichols isn't in the cards, he's an involving character for the 13 pages he's been written into. The Kanigher/Kubert/Rock triumvirate continues to churn out exciting and intelligent yarns, putting most of the other war tales in the dust. Thankfully, the trio have a long, fruitful career ahead of them (and us). We've got another identified Easy Co. grunt, this one a blonde shrimp by the name of Mickey Sloane.

Peter and Jack 45 years ago

Jack: As little boys, brothers Ed and Mike dream of commanding a tank and a sub. When they grow up, they are disappointed to find each other in the opposite job. Fortunately, Ed manages to use his bazooka to sink a sub after his tank is sunk, and Mike destroys a tank on land after his sub gets stuck in some coral rocks. Jack Abel's art is better than usual but this story is pretty unsubstantial.

Peter: The coincidences are flowing free and easy this month at DC War Central. The idea that one brother, a sub lover since birth, lands up with tank duty and the other brother, vice versa, is laughable enough, but then throw in the use of their vehicles as the opposite's vehicle (tank used as a sub/ sub used as a tank) and you've got a genuine howler.

Jack: A platoon of G.I.s must take out three enemy tanks to reach the Korean town of Tangu. Heath does a nice job with this short tale, and the conclusion is impressive.

Peter: You had me at Heath. Never mind the simple story (more like a fragment, actually). I love those last lines: "Once there were three tanks to Tangu! Now there are none!"

"3 Tanks to Tangu!"

Joe Kubert

All-American Men of War 79

"Showdown Soldier"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

"Sundown Squadron!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

"No Round Trips in the Infantry!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Jack Abel

Peter: "Showdown Soldier" focuses on three different men of war: a GI heading into just another bombed out village comes under fire from the Nazis and manages to survive because he has a showdown with the stupidest soldier Germany ever put on the front line; a fighter pilot overcomes impossible odds in order to bomb an important bridge; and a submarine skipper holds off an enemy bomber and an enemy cruiser all while trapped atop a submerging sub. What do these three heroes have in common? They all started the morning thinking it was just another day but overcame deadly force to emerge triumphant and exclaim "This was the showdown!" Oh, and all were depicted by the fumbling pencil and ink of Andru and Esposito. The "three-story coincidence" gimmick has been played before in the pages of DC war and, in "Showdown," there are not enough original ideas to keep this reader's interest for 13 pages.

"Showdown Soldier"

Jack: I was primed not to like this story from the start but it drew me in as it went along. The three similar stories avoided being too repetitive and that Nazi fighter pilot looks maniacal! I must admit I was disappointed after that Kubert cover to see that this was not a Sgt. Rock crossover.

Peter: A PT Commander, facing the inevitable sinking of his ship, uses ingenious strategy involving the setting of the sun and a lot of paint to fool the enemy into thinking his one ship is an entire squadron. Interesting gimmick to "Sundown Squadron" (quick, say the titles of the first two stories three times fast if you can), one that takes a stretch of credibility at times but still maintains the tension right up to the climax, when the PT crew fires their last torpedoes as their own ship goes down. The quality of Jack Abel's art continues to see-saw but, thankfully, here we get decent Abel.

"Sundown Squadron"

Jack: I thought this one was clever and I agree that Abel's art was not bad.

Peter: Abel's art isn't the problem with "No Round Trips in the Infantry." This time out it's the story, or lack thereof. Two soldiers discuss the concept of a one way trip and a round trip ticket in the war: "it's all one way in the infantry... unless the enemy gives you a round trip." So, of course, we spend the next six pages reading the phrases ad nauseum. Just once I'd like to get to a climax and the hero utters the wrong catchphrase ("This was a showdown!" or "I got one for Smitty!") all while his comrades look on in bewilderment.

Jack: Two Jack Abels and one Ross Andru made for a real letdown after that cover. Have you noticed that the letters pages are now about half story comments and half military questions? We're seeing a noticeable change as time goes by with more reader involvement.

"No Round Trips in the Infantry"

Jerry Grandenetti

Our Fighting Forces 55

"The Last Patrol!"
Story by Robert Kanigher
Art by Jerry Grandenetti

"Tic-Toc Sub!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Mort Drucker

"The Flying Bridge!"
Story by Bob Haney
Art by Russ Heath

Jack: Gunner and Sarge are sent out on what they hope will be "The Last Patrol!" for awhile. Their lieutenant promised them leave if they can bring back a prisoner to disclose details of an upcoming enemy attack. The duo keep running into the enemy--they down a sniper from a tree, blow up a tank, and take out a machine gunner, but because they keep killing everyone they meet they don't come back with a prisoner. They finally meet up with some underwater frogmen and find themselves captured and held prisoner on a sub. Managing to blow up the sub, they take a sailor prisoner, only to find that the lieutenant is not happy because the sailor knows nothing about operations on land. Gunner and Sarge continues to be a boring series with uninspired artwork by Jerry Grandenetti. In this story, we begin to see some of the unfortunate trends that will reach full bloom about ten years later in the horror titles.

Sarge finally reveals his true feelings to Gunner

Peter: "The Last Patrol" is what you'd get if Quentin Tarantino had been around to direct one of those screwball 1950s Martin and Lewis films. Lots of carnage and casualties with a wink at the audience. These guys just can't catch a break, all the while stepping over nonexistent corpses (that might have given us toddlers a skewed outlook on war, no?) and cracking wise. I found it more palatable than the usual Gunner and Sarge (Pooch must be off making films with the army while all this action is going on) but it's not my idea of time well spent. Would any man in WW II actually have said "I dig you, Sarge"? And how do you deliver a knockout blow to the head deep under water? Grandenetti's art, much maligned in these quarters, has a bit of a Ditko look to it here (see sample to my right). Bad Ditko, but Ditko nonetheless. On the Sgt. Rock's Combat Corrner letters page, Richard Fiske O'Neal of Memphis says Corporal Peter is out of his mind and Gunner and Sarge is the swellest. So top of the charts, in fact, that Richard and 17 of his buddies in the neighborhood formed a Gunner and Sarge Fan Club. I'd remind Richard (if he's reading this) that even Yoko Ono had fan club members at one time and there's no reason to look back in shame.

Jack: Frogman school dropout Wilson is the only one on his sub who has a prayer of removing a ticking time bomb from the outside hull. Holding his breath and swimming for his life, he not only manages to save the day, he also outdoes a couple of Nazi frogmen and blows up their destroyer! "Tic Toc Sub!" is a little far-fetched but the art by Mort Drucker looks great and the relentless "Tic Toc" that runs through the panels creates some tension.

Wilson has to go because he's the only
one with his name on the back of his shirt

Peter: "Tic-Toc Sub" is an exciting short that almost resembles a kid's video game. Wilson can't swim, has only a matter of seconds to dislodge the bomb, is attacked by enemy frogmen, and nearly blown to pieces by depth charges, all before planting the explosives on the Nazi sub. I'd say if you can make it through all those levels you'd score 2000 points. Ah, but wait until you start swimming back to your own sub and you're attacked by that giant octopus! I love Mort Drucker's art here much better than on Mlle. Marie and the underwater fighting is a bit more realistic than in our opener.

"The Flying Bridge!"

Jack: A jet pilot in Korea needs to find a bridge that reinforcement troops can cross to help the tired G.I.s of Baker Company, who are barely holding on to Dirty Ridge. He is attacked by ground fire and enemy planes and finally has to crash land, only to find that, by keeping the enemy busy, he allowed the reinforcements to swim their way to Dirty Ridge! This is not Russ Heath's best work, but he always draws nice air action.

Peter: Heath's best art is almost panoramic in scope. "The Flying Bridge" has way too many small panels and close-ups for Heath to "breathe." It's still high art compared to Grandenetti, Abel, and Andru and Esposito.