DC's War Comics Salute Our Fighting Forces - Week 4

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This fall, DC Comics revisits some of its most historically important titles in five one-shots chronicling the horrors of War and the honor of the men and women caught in the crossfire.

For decades, war comics played an important role in DC’s success, offering some of the most provocative, emotionally charged tales of combat ever printed. Starring grizzled servicemen like Sgt. Rock, Captain Storm, Johnny Cloud, and Jeb Stuart – and French Resistance fighter Mademoiselle Marie – these popular comics presented both realistic and fantastic war stories. With consumer interest piqued by projects such as HBO’s Band of Brothers and The Pacific, and books like Flags of Our Fathers, chronicles of war have once more become profit generators in specialty stores’ sales arsenal.

In these five books, creators like Darwyn Cooke, B. Clay Moore, Matt Sturges, William Tucci and others add to the rich history of DC’s war comics with all-new, stand-alone stories. Priced at $3.99 each, the specials ship one per week throughout September. Click on the Item Code for full details on these war-torn one-shots.

• Our Army at War #1 (JUL100132D; ships September 1)

• Weird War Tales #1 (JUL100133D; ships September 8)

• Our Fighting Forces #1 (JUL100134D; ships September 15)

• G.I. Combat #1 (JUL100135D; ships September 22)

• Star-Spangled War Stories #1 (JUL100136D; ships September 29)

DC also offers a wide selection of hardcovers and trade paperbacks chronicling the bravery of America’s fighting forces abroad. In Dong Xoai, Vietnam 1965 HC (JAN100309D, $24.99), writer, artist and former DC “War Comics” Editor Joe Kubert returned to the killing fields for an original graphic novel recounting one of modern warfare’s bloodiest battles.

More than most creators, Kubert’s ability to illustrate both the heroism and heartbreak associated with war has made him a legend in the industry for nearly six decades. In this gripping 200-page, full-color hardcover, Kubert – best known for his work on Our Army at War and the fighting forces of Sgt. Rock’s Easy Company – shifted his focus to South Vietnam in the turbulent era of the '60s.

Written by Robert Kanigher with art by Kubert, Russ Heath & Jerry Grandenetti, DC’s Sgt. Rock Archives & Showcase Presents TPs reprint classic World War II stories detailing the adventures of the battlefield-promoted Sgt. Frank Rock and the grizzled combat veterans of Easy Company, the most rough and tumble band of infantrymen in the European Theatre of operations. From North Africa to the Rhine, the combat-happy Joes of Easy Company faced insurmountable odds thrown at them by the Axis powers and lived to tell the tales.

Kubert returned to writing and illustrating the character that he made famous in Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy (JAN070311D, $17.99), set in 1943, when World War II had reached a fever pitch. In a village in Nazi-occupied Lithuania lies a secret treasure that must be returned to U.S. Forces, unharmed and by any means necessary. It's up to Sgt. Rock and the rough-and-tumble G.I.'s of Easy to retrieve it, but when they discover what the "prize" really is will they follow through with the mission?

In Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion HC (JUL090238D, $24.99), Billy Tucci takes command of Easy Company to recall to duty DC's iconic Army hero in a carefully researched tale set against actual historical events. The Lost Battalion is the story of the doomed Operation: Dogface undertaken by a battalion of the 141st infantry in 1944, and their heroic rescue by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, comprised of Japanese-American volunteer soldiers classified as “Enemy Aliens.” This acclaimed saga casts Sgt. Rock and Easy Company as part of the “Lost Battalion” and brings to light the realities of American internment camps and the courage of the 442nd RCT, which suffered heavy casualties and became known as the “Purple Heart Battalion”. Tucci was assisted in his research by veterans from the Japanese-American 442nd Regiment.

Fans of flying aces and aerial combat can turn back the clock and relive some classic wartime adventures with the Enemy Ace Archives Volumes 1-2 (STAR16658D / JUN060187D; $49.99 ea.) and Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace Volume 1 TP (NOV070243D, $16.99). Written by Kanigher & Joe Kubert with art by Kubert, Heath, Frank Thorne & Neal Adams, these volumes reprint the saga of World War I German aviator Hans von Hammer from the pages of Star-Spangled War Stories. Faithfully restored and recolored, the books compiles numerous tales from 1969-76 – considered by many critics as the best period for DC’s acclaimed war comics.

“The Hammer of Hell” returned to the skies of the DC universe in writer Garth Ennis & artist Chris Weston's acclaimed Enemy Ace: War in Heaven (TP STAR18918D, $14.95), set during WWII, an era that was further explored in Ennis’ War Stories Volume 1-2 TPs (JUL068335D / DEC050339D; $19.99 ea.). Featuring art by Dave Gibbons, John Higgins, David Lloyd, Gary Erskine, Weston, and others, and suggested for mature readers, these compelling collections tell vastly different stories set during World War II and examine the horrors of war in tales that reflect the complexity, frailty and humanity of the soldiers caught up in one of the world’s most devastating conflagrations.

DC’s War Comics present the ideal opportunity to offer your customers a lesson in history – and humanity – from some of the industry’s top talents. Enlist these titles today and salute the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine personnel who sacrificed all for flag, faith and freedom.

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