{"id":35574,"date":"2026-05-22T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T08:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=35574"},"modified":"2026-05-22T15:36:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:36:07","slug":"dc-finest-sgt-rock-the-rock-of-easy-co","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2026\/05\/22\/dc-finest-sgt-rock-the-rock-of-easy-co\/","title":{"rendered":"DC Finest: Sgt. Rock: The Rock of Easy Co."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Robert Kanigher<\/strong>, Bob Haney<\/strong>, Joe Kubert<\/strong>, Ross Andru & Mike Esposito<\/strong>, Russ Heath<\/strong>, Jerry Grandenetti<\/strong>, Irv Novick<\/strong>, Mort Drucker<\/strong>, Jack Abel<\/strong> & various
\nISBN: 978-1-79950-809-0 (TPB)<\/p>\n

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

Sgt Rock<\/strong> and the \u201ccombat-happy Joes\u201d of Easy Company<\/em> are one of the great enduring creations of US comic books. The gritty metarealism of Robert Kanigher\u2019s ordinary guys in life-&-death situations compellingly captured the imaginations of generations of readers, young and old, for decades. So pervasive is this icon of comics combat, that\u2019s it\u2019s hard to grasp that Rock is not an immortal industry prototype like Superman<\/strong>, Batman<\/strong>,Wonder Woman<\/strong> or the original Captain Marvel<\/strong> – with us since the earliest moments of the industry – but was, in fact, a rather late addition to and child of the Silver Age of Comics.<\/p>\n

This trade paperback compendium collects the tentative first step and early days in the character\u2019s evolution from G.I. Combat<\/strong> #68 and compiles his subsequent missions in Our Army At War<\/strong> #81-122, covering January 1959 through September 1962: a period wherein the American comic book market was undergoing a staggering revolution in style, theme and quality.<\/p>\n

The majority of the stories come courtsey of Kanigher & Joe Kubert at their creative peak, occasionaly supplemented by some of the best artists in the business, and we open after a stunning Jerry Grandenetti cover (first of many) with G.I. Combat<\/strong> #68. There lurked a quiet, moodily unassuming fable of an anonymous boxer who wasn\u2019t particularly skilled but simply refused to be beaten. When \u2018The Rock!\u2019<\/em> enlisted in the US Army, however, the same Horatian qualities 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.<\/p>\n

Dubbed \u201cRocky\u201d, the character returned as a sergeant in the April Our Army at War<\/strong> (#81), again facing superior German forces as \u2018The Rock of Easy Co.!\u2019<\/em> in a brief but telling vignette from Bob Haney, Ross Andru & Mike Esposito before finally winning a personal and extremely individualistic identity as Sgt. Rock<\/em> in the next issue. This was Haney\u2019s Mort Drucker-illustrated \u2018Hold Up Easy!\u2019<\/em>: another harsh and declarative mini-epic which saw hard-luck heroes Easy Company delayed and then saved by callow replacements who eventually came good…<\/p>\n

Firmly entrenched now, Our Army at War<\/strong> #83 (June 1959) saw the true launch of the immortal everyman hero in Kanigher & Kubert\u2019s \u2018The Rock and the Wall!\u2019<\/em>, a tough-love, battlefield tutor shepherding his men to competence and survival amidst the constant perils of war. This time the grizzled nomcom meets a rival for his men\u2019s admiration in the equally impressive Joe Wall<\/em>…
\n\"\"
\nIrv Novick illustrated \u2018Laughter on Snakehead Hill!\u2019<\/em> as the embattled dogfaces of Easy fight to take a heavily-fortified citadel before OAAW<\/strong> #85 introduces the first continuing cast member in Kubert-limned \u2018Ice Cream Soldier!\u2019 <\/em>Here Rock assuages a fearful replacement\u2019s jangled nerves with tales of another hopeless \u201cgreen apple\u201d who grew into his job. This ploy of incorporating brief past-action episodes into a baptism of fire scenario would play over and over again, and never got old…<\/p>\n

Haney returned in #86 to script \u2018Tank 711\u2019<\/em> for Kubert as the terse topkick educated another newbie in combat etiquette. Kanigher then described the taking of \u201cNo-Return-Hill\u201d and the initiation of four more raw recruits in \u2018Calling Easy Co.!\u2019<\/em> after which Grandenetti illustrated a brace of tales in #88 and 89: \u2018The Hard Way\u2019<\/em>, in which Rock suffers a shocking crisis of confidence and \u2018No Shot from Easy!\u2019<\/em> wherein the indomitable sergeant is forced to give his toughest ever order…<\/p>\n

OAAW<\/strong> #90 offered classic Kubert as \u20183 Stripes Hill!\u2019<\/em> revealed how Rock won his stripes, after which the traditionally anthological Our Army at War<\/strong> offered three complete Sgt. Rock sagas in #91, beginning with \u2018No Answer From Sarge!\u2019<\/em> as the NCO risks everything to drag a recruit out of a crippling funk; \u2018Old Soldiers Never Run!\u2019<\/em> where he must weigh an old man\u2019s pride against Easy\u2019s continued existence, and the Haney-scripted tragic fable of a sole-surviving Scottish soldier in \u2018The Silent Piper!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

OAAW<\/strong> #92 saw Kanigher & Kubert tackle battlefield superstitions in \u2018Luck of Easy!\u2019<\/em>, before \u2018Deliver One Airfield!\u2019<\/em> introduces Zack Nolan<\/em>, a son of privilege who must learn teamwork the hard way whilst #94\u2019s \u2018Target… Easy Company\u2019<\/em> pits the unit against a German General determined to eradicate the increasingly high-profile heroes. Issue #95 debuted charismatic, ambitious Bulldozer Nichols<\/em> who wants Rock\u2019s rank and position in \u2018Battle of the Stripes!\u2019<\/em>, after which \u2018Last Stand for Easy!\u2019<\/em> sees our still-in-charge topkick compelled to relinquish his lead-from-the-front position, after which \u2018What Makes a Sergeant Run?\u2019<\/em> finds him again sharing his hard-earned war wisdom with the young and the hapless.<\/p>\n

Haney penned \u2018Soldiers Never Die!\u2019<\/em> in #98, with Rock forced to overcome his team\u2019s trauma at losing a beloved comrade, whilst Kanigher described \u2018Easy\u2019s Hardest Battle!\u2019<\/em> in #99, with the weary warrior recalling instances which all qualified, before once more triumphing over insurmountable odds and adding one more clash to the list. The Stalwart Sergeant risked everything to save a broken replacement in #100\u2019s \u2018No Exit for Easy!\u2019<\/em> and repeated the task in \u2018End of Easy!\u2019<\/em> as a parachute drop goes tragically awry, before #102\u2019s \u2018The Big Star!\u2019<\/em> concedes the consequences of depending on a young man utterly unsuited for combat…<\/p>\n

\u2018Easy\u2019s Had It!\u2019<\/em> in #103 was another Haney contribution, exploring what happens when Rock is wounded and the company has to fight without their guiding light and lucky talisman, after which Kanigher assumed regular scripting duties beginning with #104 and \u2018A New Kind of War!\u2019<\/em> portraying the grizzled vet totally outgunned by a valiant nurse who refuses to retreat and never surrenders. In #105 a \u2018TNT Birthday!\u2019<\/em> has Rock worried about the underage kid who somehow got past all the instructors to join Easy under terrifying fire, whilst \u2018Meet Lt. Rock!\u2019<\/em>(illustrated by Novick) sees the resolutely dedicated noncom forcibly promoted… until he manages to undo the horrifying prospect, after which #107\u2019s \u2018Doom Over Easy!\u2019<\/em> again sees the savvy soldiers in his care afflicted by crippling superstition…<\/p>\n

Having already contributed a few covers, the superb Russ Heath drew his first Rock strip in OAAW<\/strong> #108 as \u2018The Unknown Sergeant!\u2019<\/em> sees the squad pass through a French village with a statue of a WWI Yank \u201cdoughboy\u201d bearing an uncanny resemblance to their own indomitable leader, and provoking some very uncomfortable historical hallucinations before Kubert\u2019s return in #109\u2019s \u2018Roll Call of Heroes!\u2019<\/em> This signals a dose of grim reality as Rock recalls his own deadly baptism of fire and lost comrades, after which a green Lieutenant almost provokes mutiny and murder until he learns the rules of Combat Arithmetic in \u2018That\u2019s An Order!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018What\u2019s the Price of a Dogtag?\u2019<\/em> is painfully answered in the occupied streets and on seemingly deserted beaches in #111, before \u2018Battle Shadow!\u2019<\/em> focuses on the burgeoning supporting cast in a blisteringly explosive extravaganza heralding a bold move. Now African American soldier Jackie Johnson<\/em> takes centre stage (in a remarkable early example of comic book affirmative action) for a memorable last-stand moment in \u2018Eyes of a Blind Gunner\u2019<\/em> (#113, cover-dated December 1961).<\/p>\n

The incessant toll of lost comrades hits hard in \u2018Killer Sergeant!\u2019<\/em>, whilst civilian survivors and partisans who comprise \u2018Rock\u2019s Battle Family!\u2019<\/em> help him survive the worst the war can throw at him. This tale features a cameo from French Resistance star Mademoiselle Marie<\/em> (as usually seen in Star- Spangled War Stories<\/strong> ) – before the ragged warrior finds himself all alone when answering #116\u2019s \u2018S.O.S. Sgt. Rock!\u2019<\/em> to save lost comrade Ice Cream Soldier…<\/p>\n

Next comes a dramatic tale of three hopelessly square pegs who finally find their deep, round holes in #117\u2019s traumatic saga of \u2018The Snafu Squad!\u2019<\/em> before we see \u2018The Tank vs. the Tin Soldier!\u2019<\/em> – magnificently illustrated by Heath – wherein movie idol Randy Booth <\/em>is mustered into Easy Company but spends all his snobbish energies trying to get out again. By the time he learns how to be a real soldier, his moment in the limelight has turned from cinematic melodrama to Greek tragedy…<\/p>\n

The artist most closely associated with Rock is Joe Kubert, who illustrated #119\u2019s memorable fable \u2018A Bazooka for Babyface!\u2019<\/em> wherein another kid who lied about his age makes it to the Front, but doesn\u2019t fool the indomitable noncom. Of course, by the time the fighting dies down enough to send him back, the Babyface is a seasoned combat veteran…<\/p>\n

Kubert superbly limned the majority of stories in this volume, such as #120\u2019s \u2018Battle Tags for Easy Co.!\u2019<\/em>, which deployed brief vignettes to illustrate how squad stalwarts Ice Cream Soldier, Bulldozer and Wild Man<\/em> earned their nicknames, before showing the latest raw recruit why the Sarge was called Rock, after which \u2018New Boy in Easy!\u2019<\/em> (#121) introduces a chess-obsessed replacement who takes a lot of convincing that war is no hobby and men aren\u2019t mere pawns…<\/p>\n

This narrative device of incorporating brief past-action episodes into a baptism of fire scenario played over and over again in Sgt. Rock and never got old. Here it brings us to a natural pause as OAAW<\/strong> #122 reveals the \u2018Battle of the Pyjama Commandoes!\u2019<\/em>, comprising more portmanteau tales as assorted Easy Joes recuperate in a field hospital… until Germans break through and the weary wounded must pick up their weapons again…<\/p>\n

Robert Kanigher at his worst was a declarative, heavy-handed and formulaic writer, but when writing his best stuff – as he does here – remains an imaginative, evocative, iconoclastic and heart-rending reporter and observer of the warrior\u2019s way and the unchanging condition of the dedicated and so very human ordinary foot-slogging G.I.<\/p>\n

With superb and iconic combat covers from Kubert, Grandenetti, and Heath fronting each episode, this battle-bible is a visually perfect compendium and a certain delight for any jaded comics fan looking for something more than flash and dazzle. A perfect example of true Shock and Awe from an era when US soldiers were welcome almost everywhere; these are stories all comics fan and combat collector must see.
\n\u00a9 1960, 1961, 1962, 2026 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Today in 1907 Belgian graphic god Georges Prosper Remi<\/strong> – \u201cHerg\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>\u201d was born. In 1915 George<\/strong> (Sad Sack<\/strong>) Baker<\/strong> arrived, as did comics scripter Maxine Fabe<\/strong> (DC genre anthologies, Lois Lane<\/strong>) in 1943, and Colombian inker Carlos Garzon<\/strong> (Star Wars<\/strong>) and Filipino illustrator Steve Gan<\/strong> (Star-Lord<\/strong>, Conan<\/strong>, Dracula<\/strong>, Skull the Slayer<\/strong>) in 1945, with Stephanie Williams<\/strong> popping by in 1988.<\/p>\n

Today in 1949 Warren Tufts<\/strong>\u2019 sublime western newspaper strip Casey Ruggles<\/strong> began, and in 1962 we lost Dixie Dugan<\/strong> co-creator John H. Striebel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Robert Kanigher, Bob Haney, Joe Kubert, Ross Andru & Mike Esposito, Russ Heath, Jerry Grandenetti, Irv Novick, Mort Drucker, Jack Abel & various ISBN: 978-1-79950-809-0 (TPB) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. Sgt Rock and the \u201ccombat-happy Joes\u201d of Easy Company are one of the great enduring creations of US … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “DC Finest: Sgt. Rock: The Rock of Easy Co.”<\/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":[191,232,122,179,210,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-dc-war","category-historical","category-sgt-rock","category-sport","category-war-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-9fM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35574","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=35574"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35574\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35578,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35574\/revisions\/35578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}