War comics
Encyclopedia
War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II
.
#1 (March 1941) depicted superheroes fighting Adolf Hitler
and the Nazis. In the post-war era, comic books devoted solely to war stories began appearing, and gained popularity through the 1950s. Several anthologies
by various publishers began to appear, such as Frontline Combat
by EC. The most prolific publisher of war comics was Charlton Comics who produced a wide variety of titles beginning in the 1950s, such as Battlefield Action, though the mainstream publishers such as DC also began to produce war titles, which gained in popularity in the United States and Canada even during the Vietnam War
. The titles tended to concentrate on US military depictions, generally in World War II
, the Korean War
or the Vietnam War.
Around 1959, several recurring characters began to appear in mainstream comic lines, including Sgt. Rock
and The Haunted Tank
in the DC line. These recurring characters began as regular "guests" of anthology titles such as Our Army at War
and later graduated to their own titles. Marvel Comics
also produced war titles, notably Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
. Warren Publishing
published a black-and-white comics magazine Blazing Combat
devoted to authentically drawn and researched combat stories with a self-professed anti-war slant.
" had died out, though newer titles were still debuting. Notable among these was Marvel's the 'Nam
which debuted in 1987 and was based during the first year on writer Doug Murray
's actual Vietnam experiences (though it followed fictional character Ed Marks) and written in "real time" following a single character through his tour of duty and then progressing through every month of the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1972.
Writer Doug Murray opined that his proposal for a Vietnam-war themed comic did not look promising in this period: "I never expected anything to come of it because war books were already pretty much dead at that point in 1985".
Also from Marvel in the 1980s was the toy tie-in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
which focused on a fictional counter-terrorist team in a contemporary setting, and a limited run of Tales of the Marine Corps, similar in tone and style to Charlton's Fightin' line of war anthologies.
War comics series that ended long runs in the 1980s, following publication of over 100 issues, include:
and Battle Picture Weekly
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
American war comics
Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre omnibus titles then popular as a format. Even prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II, comic books such as Captain America ComicsCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
#1 (March 1941) depicted superheroes fighting Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and the Nazis. In the post-war era, comic books devoted solely to war stories began appearing, and gained popularity through the 1950s. Several anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
by various publishers began to appear, such as Frontline Combat
Frontline Combat
Frontline Combat was a bi-monthly, anthology war comic edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published by EC Comics. The first issue was cover dated July/August, 1951. Over a three-year span, the title ran for 15 issues, ending with the January, 1954 issue...
by EC. The most prolific publisher of war comics was Charlton Comics who produced a wide variety of titles beginning in the 1950s, such as Battlefield Action, though the mainstream publishers such as DC also began to produce war titles, which gained in popularity in the United States and Canada even during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The titles tended to concentrate on US military depictions, generally in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
or the Vietnam War.
Around 1959, several recurring characters began to appear in mainstream comic lines, including Sgt. Rock
Sgt. Rock (comics)
Sgt. Frank Rock is a fictional infantry non-commissioned officer during World War II in the . He first appeared in Our Army at War #83 , and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert.-Publication history:...
and The Haunted Tank
The Haunted Tank
The Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. It was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in G.I. Combat #87 ....
in the DC line. These recurring characters began as regular "guests" of anthology titles such as Our Army at War
Our Army at War
Our Army at War was the title for a comic book published by DC Comics that featured war themed stories and was the first appearance for popular heroes such like Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series started in August 1952 and ended in February 1977....
and later graduated to their own titles. Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
also produced war titles, notably Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos are a fictional World War II unit in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 . The main character, Sgt...
. Warren Publishing
Warren Publishing
Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades...
published a black-and-white comics magazine Blazing Combat
Blazing Combat
Blazing Combat was an American war-comics magazine published by Warren Publishing from 1965 to 1966. Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth, and Wally Wood, it featured war stories in both contemporary and...
devoted to authentically drawn and researched combat stories with a self-professed anti-war slant.
End of the Silver Age
By the late 1980s, a great number of venerable war titles (most of which were either anthologies or else World War II themed titles) from the late 1950s and 1960s "Silver Age of Comic BooksSilver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
" had died out, though newer titles were still debuting. Notable among these was Marvel's the 'Nam
The 'Nam
The 'Nam was a war comic book series detailing the U.S. War in Vietnam from the perspective of active-duty soldiers involved in the conflict...
which debuted in 1987 and was based during the first year on writer Doug Murray
Doug Murray (comics)
Doug Murray is an American comic book writer. He served in the Vietnam War, and was the main writer on the popular comic book series The 'Nam.-Bibliography:*The 'Nam #1-45, 49-51, 75 Dec 1986-Dec 1990*Mark Hazzard: Merc #5-12, March 1987-October 1987...
's actual Vietnam experiences (though it followed fictional character Ed Marks) and written in "real time" following a single character through his tour of duty and then progressing through every month of the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1972.
Writer Doug Murray opined that his proposal for a Vietnam-war themed comic did not look promising in this period: "I never expected anything to come of it because war books were already pretty much dead at that point in 1985".
Also from Marvel in the 1980s was the toy tie-in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a military-themed line of action figures and toys in Hasbro's G.I. Joe franchise. The toyline lasted from 1982 to 1994, producing well over 500 figures and 250 vehicles and playsets. The line reappeared in 1997 and has continued in one form or another to the...
which focused on a fictional counter-terrorist team in a contemporary setting, and a limited run of Tales of the Marine Corps, similar in tone and style to Charlton's Fightin' line of war anthologies.
War comics series that ended long runs in the 1980s, following publication of over 100 issues, include:
- Fightin' ArmyFightin' ArmyFightin' Army was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1984...
(Charlton, 157 issues from 1956-1984) - Fightin' MarinesFightin' MarinesFightin' Marines was a bimonthly war comic published by St. John Publications from 1951–1953, and Charlton Comics from 1955–1984, although it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 to the end of its run...
(Charlton, 163 issues from 1955-1984) - G.I. CombatG.I. CombatG.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics.-Publication history:...
(Quality/DC, 288 issues from 1952-1987) — acquired by DC in 1957 - Our Fighting ForcesOur Fighting ForcesOur Fighting Forces is a DC Comics war-anthology comic book series that ran for 181 issues from 1954-1978.Writer-editor Robert Kanigher and writer-artist Jack Kirby were among the comics creators whose work appeared in the title...
(DC, 181 issues from 1954-1978) - Sgt. Fury and his Howling CommandosSgt. Fury and his Howling CommandosSgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos are a fictional World War II unit in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 . The main character, Sgt...
(Marvel, 167 issues from 1963-1981) - Sgt. RockSgt. Rock (comics)Sgt. Frank Rock is a fictional infantry non-commissioned officer during World War II in the . He first appeared in Our Army at War #83 , and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert.-Publication history:...
(DC — includes a retitling of the earlier Our Army at WarOur Army at WarOur Army at War was the title for a comic book published by DC Comics that featured war themed stories and was the first appearance for popular heroes such like Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series started in August 1952 and ended in February 1977....
, the combined run was 422 issues from 1952 to 1988) - Unknown Soldier (DC — a retitling of Star Spangled War Stories that ran from 1952 to 1977, then continued as The Unknown Soldier from 1977-1982, with number 268 the final issue).
- Weird War TalesWeird War TalesWeird War Tales was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics which ran from September 1971 to June 1983.-Background:...
(DC, 124 issues from 1971-1983)
British war comics
Black and white anthology stories were popular in Britain in the 1960s. Examples include Commando ComicsCommando Comics
Commando For Action and Adventure, formerly known as Commando War Stories in Pictures, and colloquially known as Commando Comics, are a series of British comic books that primarily draw their themes and backdrops from the various incidents of the World Wars I and II...
and Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly, at various time also known as Battle Action Force, Battle and Battle with Storm Force, was a British war comic published by IPC Magazines from 8 March 1975 to 23 January 1988, when it merged with Eagle...
.
Reprints
Trade paperback reprint collections of war comics include:- BlackhawkBlackhawk (comics)Blackhawk, a long-running comic book series, was also a film serial, a radio series and a novel. The comic book was published first by Quality Comics and later by DC Comics. The series was created by Will Eisner, Chuck Cuidera, and Bob Powell, but the artist most associated with the feature is Reed...
Archives Vol. 1 (reprints "Blackhawk" stories from Military Comics #1-17) - Enemy AceEnemy AceEnemy Ace is DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell."-Overview:...
Archives Vol. 1 (reprints "Enemy Ace" stories from ShowcaseShowcase (comics)Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
#57, 58, Star-Spangled War StoriesStar-Spangled War StoriesStar-Spangled War Stories was the title of a DC Comics comic book series that featured war-themed characters and stories. Among the features published in this series were writer-editor Robert Kanigher and artist Jerry Grandenetti's "Mlle. Marie," about a World War II French Resistance fighter,...
#138-142) - Enemy Ace Archives Vol. 2 (reprints Star-Spangled War Stories #143-145, 147-150, 152, 181-183, 200)
- The Losers by Jack KirbyJack KirbyJack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
(reprints Our Fighting ForcesOur Fighting ForcesOur Fighting Forces is a DC Comics war-anthology comic book series that ran for 181 issues from 1954-1978.Writer-editor Robert Kanigher and writer-artist Jack Kirby were among the comics creators whose work appeared in the title...
#151-162) - Marvel Masterworks Sgt. FurySgt. Fury and his Howling CommandosSgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos are a fictional World War II unit in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 . The main character, Sgt...
Vol. 1 (reprints Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1-13) - Marvel Masterworks Sgt. Fury Vol. 2 (reprints Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #14-23, Annual #1)
- Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 1 (reprints G.I. CombatG.I. CombatG.I. Combat is a long-running comic book series published first by Quality Comics and later by National Periodical Publications, which was the primary company of those that evolved to become DC Comics.-Publication history:...
#68, Our Army at WarOur Army at WarOur Army at War was the title for a comic book published by DC Comics that featured war themed stories and was the first appearance for popular heroes such like Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series started in August 1952 and ended in February 1977....
#81-96) - Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 2 (reprints Our Army at War #97-110)
- Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 3 (reprints Our Army at War #111-125)
- Showcase Presents Blackhawk Vol. 1 (reprints Blackhawk #108-127)
- Showcase Presents Enemy Ace Vol. 1 (reprints "Enemy Ace" stories from Our Army at War #151, 153, 155, Showcase #57-58, Star-Spangled War Stories #138-152, 158, 181-183, and 200, Detective ComicsDetective ComicsDetective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#404, Men at War #1-3, 8-10, 12-14, 19-20, The Unknown Soldier #252-253, 260-261, 265-267, DC Special #26) - Showcase Presents The Haunted TankThe Haunted TankThe Haunted Tank is a comic book feature that appeared in the DC Comics anthology war title G.I. Combat from 1961 through 1987. It was created by writer and editor Robert Kanigher and artist Russ Heath in G.I. Combat #87 ....
Vol. 1 (reprints "The Haunted Tank" stories from G.I. Combat #87-119, The Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
#52, Our Army at War #155) - Showcase Presents The Haunted Tank Vol. 2 (reprints "The Haunted Tank" stories from G.I. Combat #120-157)
- Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock Vol. 1 (reprints "Sgt. Rock" stories from Our Army at War #81-117)
- Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock Vol. 2 (reprints "Sgt. Rock" stories from Our Army at War #118-148)
- Showcase Presents The Unknown Soldier Vol. 1 (reprints "Unknown Soldier" stories from Star-Spangled War Stories #151-190)
- Showcase Presents The War that Time ForgotThe War that Time ForgotThe War that Time Forgot was a comic book feature published by DC Comics beginning in 1960 in the title Star Spangled War Stories, created by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito...
Vol. 1 (reprints "The War that Time Forgot" stories from Star-Spangled War Stories #90-137)