The DC War Comics Appreciation Thread (2019)

[MajorHoy]

Have to admit, going to DC because of superpowered men in tights, the only war comics I'm interested was War That Time Forgot, because it has dinosaurs. Does it count or are we just talking about the realistic war stories?

May depend on which run(s) you're talking about.

When it was first introduced back in the early 1960s and written by Robert Kanigher, it seemed to solidly qualify as a DC "war comic" series.

If you mean the New52 version written by J. T. Krul, I didn't read it so I can't say for sure how that one went.

[LifeIsILL]

The story of Enemy Ace is one of the best DC stories of all time. Anyone who says that silver age DC is goofy and silly just show them Enemy Ace comics.

[MajorHoy]

By the way, back in the 1970s, DC also tried a few times to add comic books that featured reprints of their Silver Age war stories. Two that I'm aware of (and bought an issue or two) were:

G.I. War Tales, which ran for four issues in 1973.
The first two issues reprinted stories of The War That Time Forgot.

The last two issues featured various 1950s war stories.

Another reprint title only had one issue:

Battle Classics #1 (September-October 1978),
which reprinted a story originally from
The Brave and the Bold #52 (February-March 1964).

There was suppose to be at least a second issue, but rather than being a casualty of war, the title was instead a casualty of the "DC Implosion".

[MajorHoy]

Our Army at War, perhaps one of DC's most successful long-running war titles, had its first issue in 1952.


Our Army at War #1 (August 1952)

In issue #81 of Our Army at War (April 1959), the story "The Rock of Easy Co.!" has often been credited by DC as the first appearance of Sgt. Frank Rock.


However, in the Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 1 (2002), DC did also include an earlier story from G.I. Combat #68 (January 1959) titled "The Rock!"

[MajorHoy]

And while Sgt. Rock's first recognized story in Our Army at War was called "The Rock of Easy Company" (in issue #81), DC's Who's Who series from 1985 placed the first appearance of "The Combat-Happy Joes of Easy Co." in Our Army at War #83 (June 1959).

[MajorHoy]

Our Army at War #112 (November 1961)


from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. VII (September 1985)

[MajorHoy]

Our Army at War #158 (September 1965) started to use Sgt. Rock's name more prominently on the cover.


The practice would continue for several more years, until Our Army at War #301 (February 1977).


The following month, issue #302 would become simply Sgt. Rock.


Issue #422 (cover-dated July 1988) would mark the final issue in that run.

[MajorHoy]

Back in the late 1970s into the early 1980s, DC had the DC Special Series which would spotlight different characters / genres from issue to issue.
Sgt. Rock was the headline feature for two of those:

DC Special Series #3 - Sgt. Rock Special (1977)


DC Special Series #13 - Sgt. Rock Spectacular (Spring 1978)

There was also DC Special Series #18 - Sgt. Rock's Prize Battle Tales (Fall 1979), but that was part of the "DC Blue Ribbon Digest" line and featured several reprinted stories of Sgt. Rock and others.

One other issue of the DC Special Series that featured war-related stories was:

DC Special Series #22 - G.I. Combat (September 1980)

[signalman112]

Cover to Sgt. Rock #338


SgtRock338.jpg

[MajorHoy]

Another $1.00-size war comic book series introduced by DC towards the summer of 1979 was All-Out War, headlined by Valoric: The Viking Commando.


All-Out War #1 (September-October 1979)


from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. XXV (March 1987)

The book lasted a year with six bimonthly issues, the final one being #6 (July-August 1980)

[MajorHoy]

From 1985, the Losers become a casualty of Crisis on Infinite Earths:

[MajorHoy]

In 1977, DC launched a new war comic book set during the days of World War II:
Men of War.


The lead feature was "Codename: Gravedigger", starring a black soldier in a U.S. Army that, at that period in U.S. history, was not exactly African-American-friendly.


The last issue of that title was #26, cover-dated March 1980.

[MajorHoy]

On the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy,

From History of the DC Universe Book Two (1986):

[signalman112]

In remembrance of D-Day.


SgtRock389.jpg

[signalman112]

The Haunted Tank faces off with a Nazi U-Boat in GI Combat #136

TankSub.jpg