{"id":30600,"date":"2024-09-25T08:00:15","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T08:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=30600"},"modified":"2024-09-24T17:49:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T17:49:28","slug":"showcase-presents-sgt-rock-volume-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/09\/25\/showcase-presents-sgt-rock-volume-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock volume 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Robert Kanigher<\/strong>, Bob Haney<\/strong>, Joe Kubert<\/strong>, Russ Heath<\/strong>, & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012- (TPB)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

In America after the demise of EC Comics in the mid-1950\u2019s and prior to game-changing Blazing Combat<\/strong> magazine, the only certain place to find controversial, challenging and entertaining US war comics was at DC. In fact, even whilst Archie Goodwin\u2019s stunning but tragically mis-marketed quartet of classics were waking up a generation, the home of Flash<\/strong>, Green Arrow<\/strong> and the Justice League of America<\/strong> was a veritable cornucopia of gritty, intriguing and beautifully illustrated battle tales presenting combat on a variety of fronts and from differing points of view.<\/p>\n

Whilst the Vietnam War escalated, 1960s America increasingly endured a Home Front death-struggle pitting deeply-ingrained Establishment social attitudes against a youth-&-freedom oriented generation with a radical new sensibility. In response DC\u2019s (or rather National Periodical Publishing, as it then was) military-themed comic books became even more bold and innovative\u2026<\/p>\n

For what seemed like forever at the time, the \u201ccombat-happy Joes\u201d of Easy Company<\/em> and their indomitable invincible \u201ctop-kick\u201d Sgt Rock<\/strong> were one of the great and enduring creations of American comics. The gritty meta-realism of Robert Kanigher\u2019s ordinary guys in a constant welter of life-or-death situations captured the imaginations of generations of readers, young and old. So pervasive is this icon of pictorial combat that it\u2019s hard to grasp that Rock is not an immortal industry prototype like Superman<\/strong>, Batman<\/strong> and Wonder Woman<\/strong> – with us since the earliest moments of the industry – but was in fact a late addition to and child of the Silver Age of Comics: debuting as just another Kanigher & Joe Kubert tale in war anthology G.I. Combat<\/strong> (#68, January 1959). Happy 65th<\/sup> Anniversary you G.I. guys!<\/em><\/p>\n

The archetypal and idealised \u201ccommon man\u201d sergeant was an anonymous boxer who wasn\u2019t especially skilled or gifted but simply refused to be beaten: absorbing all punishment dealt out to him. When \u2018The Rock!\u2019 <\/em>enlisted, that same Horatian quality soon attained mythic proportions as he held back an overwhelming Nazi attack by sheer grit and determination, remaining bloody but unbowed on a field littered with dead and broken men. The tale inspired an instant sequel or two before – in Our Army at War<\/strong> #83 (June 1959) – the mythmaking truly began\u2026<\/p>\n

This fourth monumental military milestone collects in chronological publishing order and stark, stunning monochrome, more of the groundbreaking classics which made Sgt. Rock<\/strong> a legend. These grimly gritty, epically poetic war stories are taken from still-anthological Our Army at War<\/strong> #181-216 (bracketing cover-dates June 1967 – February 1967): a period when American comics underwent a spectacular renaissance in style, theme and quality, even as the Vietnam war took over the nation\u2019s consciousness and conscience.<\/p>\n

They are also still criminally unavailable in modern editions – colour and\/or digital – but hope and profit motives still cling on\u2026<\/p>\n

Scripted throughout by Writer\/Editor Kanigher and illustrated primarily by Russ Heath and\/or Joe Kubert, the terse episodes herein begin with #181 as the taciturn topkick meets \u2018Monday\u2019s Coward – Tuesday\u2019s Hero\u2019<\/em> with Heath depicting how the sarge helps three deserters find their fates whilst Easy escort them to a firing squad, after which a change of venue – to North Africa – sees \u2018The Desert Rats of Easy!\u2019<\/em> (#182, Kanigher & Heath) avenge their comrades of Baker Company<\/em> by destroying a cunningly concealed munitions dump…<\/p>\n

A general industry shift towards mystery and supernatural themes was impacting all sectors of DC\u2019s output and OAaW<\/strong> #183\u2019s \u2018Sergeants Don\u2019t Stay Dead!\u2019<\/em> tipped into symbolism and metaphysics as a dying soldier\u2019s drawing and an exploding tank seemingly send the titanic topkick back into earlier manifestations as a key combatant in the Revolutionary, Civil and First World wars, prior to Kubert illustrating a terse ethical psycho-drama in #184 as Rock and his comrades risk their lives saving a \u2018Candidate for a Firing Squad!\u2019<\/em> who is happy to see them all die if he can save his own skin…<\/p>\n

Unsafely ensconced in Europe again, \u2018Battle Flag for a G.I.\u2019<\/em> finds the weary warriors endangered by a starry-eyed young patriot whose battle banner imperils and – ultimately – inspires them all before #186 reprinted the Kanigher\/Kubert classic from OAaW<\/strong> #90 as \u20183 Stripes Hill!\u2019 <\/em>revealing how Rock won his stripes, after which Heath returns for #187\u2019s \u2018Shadow of a Sergeant!\u2019<\/em> as a hero-worshipping replacement dogs Rock\u2019s heels and gets too close to the action…<\/p>\n

Kubert & Jack Abel limn \u2018Death Comes for Easy!\u2019<\/em> as Easy are knocked off-kilter by fortune-telling replacement \u201cGypsy\u201d<\/em> after which #189 tackles the unsettling topic of child-soldiers in Kanigher, Kubert & Abel\u2019s \u2018The Mission was Murder!\u2019 <\/em>When French resistance fighters are killed, their kids regroup as Unit 3<\/em> to assist Rock and Easy in eradicating a hidden Nazi radar station, after which Our Army at War<\/strong> #190 (an 80-page Giant reprint issue) offers another chance to read Kubert\u2019s \u2018What Makes a Sergeant Run?\u2019<\/em> as Rock shares his hard-earned war wisdom with the young and the hapless, as first seen in OAaW<\/strong> #97.<\/p>\n

Air Ace and proud Navajo flier Johnny Cloud<\/em> co-stars in 191\u2019s \u2018Death Flies High!\u2019<\/em> as the soldiers and airman complete a downed bomber\u2019s mission against a lethal windmill(!) after which Kubert & Abel illustrate another Unit 3 thriller as Rock is captured and faces \u2018A Firing Squad for a Sergeant!\u2019<\/em>, before Kubert flies solo in #193in a flashback to Easy\u2019s African campaign. \u2018Blood in the Desert\u2019<\/em> sees the tough top kick playing bodyguard to a farmer obsessed with making the sands bloom, even if he must irrigate it with his own blood…<\/p>\n

Kubert writes and draws the next Unit 3 yarn in #194 as a mission goes sour and Rock is caught by sadistic Colonel Koldbludt<\/em>. The gleeful torturer really wants the kid guerillas and in \u2018A Time for Vengeance\u2019<\/em> regrets getting his wish…<\/p>\n

Kanigher & Kubert reunite for #195 as Rock and the kids hit a \u2018Dead Town!\u2019<\/em> dripping with recent blood and ancient history to liberate slave labourers before another Kubert all-alone tale foresightedly explores PTSD before we even had the term when Rock reaches his limit in \u2018Stop the War\u2026 I Want to Get Off\u2019<\/em> and a mysterious figure helps him out with a perspective-altering voyage through history…<\/p>\n

In OAaW<\/strong> #197, Kanigher & Heath place Rock\u2019s guys and Unit 3 between the German army and a doomed French village in \u2018Last Exit for Easy\u2019<\/em> (if you are precious about chronology the inexplicable placement of this yarn just after Dunkirk will drive you bonkers, but just remind yourself it\u2019s only comics and you\u2019ll survive), after which Kanigher & Kubert return to basics for # 198\u2019s \u2018Plugged Nickel!\u2019<\/em> as the sarge proves the true value of good luck keepsakes in combat and tackles an alpine fortress and its \u2018Nazi Ghost-Wolf\u2019<\/em> in #199…<\/p>\n

As much to celebrate the era as the anniversary, Our Army at War<\/strong> #200 inducted proto-hippie \u2018The Troubadour\u2019<\/em> in a bizarre tale of frontline pacifism and protest (delivered in rhyme and sans word balloons, too!). It\u2019s supplemented by a classy \u2018Special Battle Pin-up\u2019<\/em> by Kubert and precedes a subtle shift in narrative emphasis beginning with #201\u2019s \u2018The Graffiti Writer!\u2019<\/em> as Easy company slog across battlefield and devastated villages only to discover that \u201cKilroy was here!\u201d first…<\/p>\n

The \u201dcombat happy Joes\u201d take centre stage in #202 after learning (erroneously) that \u2018The Sarge is Dead!\u2019 <\/em>but their battles briefly pause for an 80-Page Giant in #203 which offers similarly-themed reprint \u2018Easy\u2019s Had It!\u2019 <\/em>(by Bob Haney & Kubert from #103), exploring what happens when Rock is wounded and the company must fight without their guiding light and lucky talisman…<\/p>\n

OAaW<\/strong> #204 & 205 were also reprint issues, represented here by their superb Kubert covers, but #206 resumes abnormal military service with \u2018There\u2019s a War On!\u2019<\/em> as a Nazi psy-ops expert targets Rock with drugs, women and real food, but still fails to break his resolve, after which \u2018A Sparrow\u2019s Prayer\u2019<\/em> harks back to North Africa where a tough spot seemed to need a devout recruit\u2019s ardent orisons to save his companions\u2019 bodies and souls…<\/p>\n

Heath returned as regular artist with # 208 as \u2018A Piece of Rag\u2026 a Hank of Hair!\u2019<\/em> found Easy in a French village and reluctant babysitters to a little girl used a decoy by SS killers, before \u2018I\u2019m Still Alive!\u2019<\/em> focussed on a replacement who was convinced his days were numbered…<\/p>\n

Our Army at War<\/strong> #210 delivered a much-demanded sequel when Easy infiltrated an Italian fishing village and found their cheeky bugbear was still there first in \u2018I\u2019m Kilroy!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

A spiritual tone pervades #211\u2019s Alpine adventure \u2018The Treasure of St. Daniel!\u2019<\/em> as the liberation of a small village reveals the location of a long lost treasure and the fact that the greedy occupiers didn\u2019t really leave, after which a bombing raid renders the sarge deaf in in the middle of a joint US\/UK commando raid in \u2018The Quiet War!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

A small tale with big impact comes in #213\u2019s \u2018A Letter for Bulldozer!\u2019 <\/em>as the company strongman is torn apart by an envelope he dares not open, prior to the arrival of disruptive loner PFC Willy Hogan<\/em> who leans too late how to be Easy in 214 \u2018Easy Co\u2026 Where Are You?\u2019 <\/em>before the new material concludes with \u2018The Pied Piper of Peril!\u2019<\/em> in #215, wherein French kids appear to prefer their retreating Nazi overlords to the liberating Americans. Of course, there\u2019s a simple nasty explanation if only Rock can find it…<\/p>\n

Designated Sgt. Rock\u2019s Prize Battle Tales<\/strong>, 80-Page Giant OAaW<\/strong> #216 ends this combat catalogue with Kanigher & Kubert\u2019s classic yarn \u2018Doom over Easy!\u2019 <\/em>– as seen originally in #107 – with the usually savvy soldiers afflicted by crippling superstition until the sergeant steps in…<\/p>\n

Robert Kanigher at his worst was a declarative, heavy-handed and formulaic writer, but when writing his best stuff – as here – his stories are imaginative, evocative, iconoclastic and heart-rending. He was a unique reporter and observer of the warrior\u2019s way and the unchanging condition of the dedicated and so very human ordinary foot-slogging G.I. He was also a strident and early advocate of equality and integration.<\/p>\n

With superb combat covers from Kubert or Heath fronting each sortie, this battle-book is a visually vital compendium and certified delight for any jaded comics fan seeking something more than flash and dazzle. A perfect example of true Shock and Awe; these are stories every comics fan and combat collector should see, and one day we\u2019ll have them in the full archival dress and trimmings they deserve\u2026
\n\u00a9 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 2013 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Robert Kanigher, Bob Haney, Joe Kubert, Russ Heath, & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012- (TPB) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. In America after the demise of EC Comics in the mid-1950\u2019s and prior to game-changing Blazing Combat magazine, the only certain place to find controversial, challenging and entertaining US … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock volume 4”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[305,232,122,225,179,43,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dc-horror","category-dc-war","category-historical","category-mystery","category-sgt-rock","category-showcase-presents","category-war-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7Xy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30602,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30600\/revisions\/30602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}