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Post by brutalis on Sept 19, 2019 8:53:41 GMT -5
You may Choose 3!
The list is long and varied but War based comics have been a staple ofor many publishers and creators. Many were anthologies with a sometimes headlining series featured every few issues or as they became more popular that series would appear monthly or even take over the series turning it into it's own (I'm looking at you Rock and Unknown Soldier) carrying on the wars struggles. Growing up in the 70's I was exposed to lots of DC, Marvel and Charlton war comics only rarely ever purchasing any. As I have grown older I now truly appreciate these warrior's who starred in their series and find myself enjoying them more than ever! There are even a slew of British war comics that have made their mark for stories and graphic novels which I now enjoy finding! So put on your helmet, load your rifles and dig into the trenches and make your choices!
There are many series on the list I have yet to explore, so I chose based upon what I have read.
My choices:
1. Haunted Tank Something about a group of men in war and their Guardian Angel being a Civil War Ghost captured my imagination more than any other.
2. Unknown Soldier. A horribly disfigured GI who turns his personal tragedy into a weapon for battling Hitler by infiltration and disguise changing his face and role as necessary to defeat the Germanic Juggernaut War machine.
3. The Nam. So perfectly captures all the nuances of the Vietnam War and the men who were involved in that struggle. Truly is more than just a "war" comic.
Honorable mentions: Lonely War of Willie Schultz I have only read a handful of stories but ant to find more. Have heard so much about Charley's War and looking forward to delving into that one soon! Garth Ennis gets a SHOUT OUT for all the stories coming from his pen touching upon the human portions of the bloody business of war. Shotgun Harker and Chicken I have red quite a few from the Charlton War comics and find to be rather different and interesting. REALLY want to get Glanzman's U. S. S. Stevens and read as I have heard great things about it as well. And the 2 Sgts: Rock and Fury have to be mentioned as they have always been around for so many readers. Lasty: War That Time Forgot and Creature Commando's: dinosaurs and Universal Monsters, 2 great tastes that fit into the War scenario and are just plain old FUN.
So what do you like ladies and gentlemen???
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2019 9:24:35 GMT -5
Thank you for including Charley's War in there.
I read this at the age of 9. Although I missed the nuance that can only be appreciated by adults, I have re-read it (many volumes have been published).
It had a real impact on me. It didn't glorify war. It felt real. It was real. It had a memorable cast of characters (Captain Snell is a weasel!). But it did it all in a very credible way, never forgetting the humour that all human beings partake in even when things are at their most bleak.
Johnny Red is another one I appreciate. It's more action-driven, I guess, but very satisfying.
I really hope you enjoy Charley's War. Are you in the UK? Multiple volumes were published, but two new volumes have been released with more pages in; that said, the original volumes do contain commentaries by Pat Mills.
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 19, 2019 9:47:08 GMT -5
Since you asked for "Favorite" rather than best, I chose Sgt. Fury (I'm closing in on a complete run), Sgt. Rock, and Enemy Ace.
Cei-U!
Wah-hoooo!
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Post by brutalis on Sept 19, 2019 10:04:56 GMT -5
Thank you for including Charley's War in there. I read this at the age of 9. Although I missed the nuance that can only be appreciated by adults, I have re-read it (many volumes have been published). It had a real impact on me. It didn't glorify war. It felt real. It was real. It had a memorable cast of characters (Captain Snell is a weasel!). But it did it all in a very credible way, never forgetting the humour that all human beings partake in even when things are at their most bleak. Johnny Red is another one I appreciate. It's more action-driven, I guess, but very satisfying. I really hope you enjoy Charley's War. Are you in the UK? Multiple volumes were published, but two new volumes have been released with more pages in; that said, the original volumes do contain commentaries by Pat Mills. I am USA bound, but through Amazon have begun finding quite a bit of UK war stuff being compiled in to graphic novels. REally looking forward to purchasing some. Only one I have gotten is the hardback collection of Rat Pack which is a kind of Dirty Dozen style stories. Have Johnny Red and Charley's War in my Amazon bucket for my next order! |
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Post by brutalis on Sept 19, 2019 10:11:26 GMT -5
Since you asked for "Favorite" rather than best, I chose Sgt. Fury (I'm closing in on a complete run), Sgt. Rock, and Enemy Ace. Cei-U! Wah-hoooo! PRECISELY why I said "Favorite" versus best. As limited as Haunted Tank is a story idea and many of them may feel repetitive when read together, it was always my "favorite" of all those DC idea's. Being a history and western buff helps perhaps as to why I adore the series so much. Combining those likes along with WWII and a tank with it's own ghost and I am hooked!!! Sometimes you don't need to explain why a favorite is a favorite and just enjoy it for what it is, a FAVORITE. Know whud I mean?!? |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 19, 2019 10:22:16 GMT -5
I voted for "Other", Blazing Combat and U.S.S. Stevens. The other is Garth Ennis' war work, be it War Stories or Battlefields. Ennis, love him or hate him (I love him) is the best writer of war comics in the last 25 years. And he oddly tends to curb his excesses when he writes war comics. The Night Witches is as good as war comics get.
Blazing Combat was a shining meteor that burned so damn brilliantly before crashing to earth through no fault of its own.
I love U.S.S. Stevens for its intimacy and the look into the mind of regular men in a tense and horrible situation by someone who lived it.
Close also-runs would be Enemy Ace (gorgeous work by Kubert, usually fine, sometimes brilliant work by Kanighar but suffering from a bit of samey-ness if read in bulk) and Frontline Combat.
Some of these days I need to read Charley's War but I really want a great definitive edition when I do.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2019 11:01:34 GMT -5
I suspect the definitive Charley's War has been released: shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/RCA-B0022DI would be extremely surprised if they did a re-release (never say never, of course). I suspect they're going to collect the series in fewer books than when Titan did it a few years ago. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2019 11:01:51 GMT -5
My Top Three1) Sgt. Rock 2) Blackhawk For my others, Commando My dear friend Jeff, who used to operate a Comic Book Store for more than 30 years has over 2000 plus of this wonderful British War Adventure Series and I have 3 of them in my trips to England that I found and brought home as souvenirs and I gave them to Jeff to enhance his growing collections of these books and I have read over 100 of these books and enjoyed them and number 4528 is my last one that I read (read it two weeks ago) and it's written just precisely what I want here. Every one that I touched and read is pure gold.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 19, 2019 11:56:27 GMT -5
3 Favorite limits me, badly; but, I went with Sam Glanzman and Don Lomax. Why? Because they lived it and they conveyed the reality of it. Enemy Ace was close, as it is a poetic and incredible piece of art; but, it's a fantasy. It was a way to do an anti-war story, without it being an American, either conscientious objector or someone destroyed by war. It perpetuates the fantasy of chivalry in the air, when history tells otherwise, after the initial days (and that varied, even then),
Willy Schultz is a bit fanciful, in terms of premise; but, Will Franz really got to the heart of a soldier; fighting to stay alive and keep his biddies alive, no matter which side he was on. He and Sam Glanzman took a gimmick and made it poignant.
The USS Stevens stories are based on fact; Sam's experiences in the war, or experiences of others he knew or read about. he would expand the material into the more autobiographical A Sailor's Story, which is a must-read. He shows the lighter side of things, the mundane aspects of life on a destroyer, the day to day work, and the terror and excitement of enemy action. He also shows the casualties from things other than combat, as some people crack up.
Finally, Vietnam Journal is an unvarnished, raw look at a war that tore the country apart, by someone who was there fighting it. It throws grenades at the protesters who abused returning soldiers and the politicians and generals who sent them there with no purpose, little strategy, and dumped them in an endless meat grinder. It showed how some degenerated into savage animals and some didn't have that far to go. It showed how others were wounded far more than bullets or shrapnel could ever do. It showed that US soldiers were tough fighters, when the bullets were flying, displaying courage and valor equal to, if not greater than the so-called "Greatest Generation;" yet, when the battle was won, they were ordered to withdraw and the ground they took would quietly be reoccupied by the enemy, so the cycle could be continued, later. It was everything The Nam couldn't be (and wasn't allowed to be, by editorial and the Code).
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Sept 19, 2019 12:05:48 GMT -5
I selected Blackhawk for Evanier's run, Unknown Soldier, and Sgt. Fury. The caveat is some of these I have not read yet and expect will appreciate a lot when I do - U.S.S. Stevens, Charley's War, Vietnam Journal, and The Lonely War are all books I plan to read. I also really like The Losers and Nam but they just missed out on being "favorites" compared to the others.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Sept 19, 2019 13:10:36 GMT -5
If we're going favorite, I'm going to try to make the case that Corto Maltese is a war-time comic, as the entire saga is shaped by World War I and its impact upon both the world and the protagonist desperately seeking to escape from a world gone mad. Several volumes deal directly with World War I and ensuing wars, both global and civil, but it's more the work's attitude towards war that matters to the work than his occasional involvement in facets of the wars themselves.
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Post by brutalis on Sept 19, 2019 13:34:05 GMT -5
If we're going favorite, I'm going to try to make the case that Corto Maltese is a war-time comic, as the entire saga is shaped by World War I and its impact upon both the world and the protagonist desperately seeking to escape from a world gone mad. Several volumes deal directly with World War I and ensuing wars, both global and civil, but it's more the work's attitude towards war that matters to the work than his occasional involvement in facets of the wars themselves. I debated back and forth on Corto Maltese Shax. Eventually didn't include as to me it feels much more like an adventure series which just happens to be set during War times. Kind of figured you or someone else might include as "other" at some point. Does the Indiana Jones comics qualify as "war" based on this same idea that set during war time and includes war specifics and Nazi's? Even considered adding Charlton's Judo Master to the list. Also, only listed Blackhawk as a single choice while knowing there are many versions out there to choosing from. Same problem begins to occur for many of the DC war series as well as every few years somebody has updated the concepts for current times but they don't seem to last long even with any critical acclaim. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2019 14:38:29 GMT -5
I selected Blackhawk for Evanier's run, Unknown Soldier, and Sgt. Fury. You and I are very much alike and I'm very surprised by that. I selected Blackhawks for Evanier's Run too and I loved Sgt. Fury due to writing and the dramatic covers too. |
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Post by MDG on Sept 19, 2019 15:13:06 GMT -5
I voted for " Other", Blazing Combat and U.S.S. Stevens. Ditto, but for me, "other" meant Kurtzman's war comics. Or maybe...
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Sept 19, 2019 15:21:07 GMT -5
If we're going favorite, I'm going to try to make the case that Corto Maltese is a war-time comic, as the entire saga is shaped by World War I and its impact upon both the world and the protagonist desperately seeking to escape from a world gone mad. Several volumes deal directly with World War I and ensuing wars, both global and civil, but it's more the work's attitude towards war that matters to the work than his occasional involvement in facets of the wars themselves. I debated back and forth on Corto Maltese Shax. Eventually didn't include as to me it feels much more like an adventure series which just happens to be set during War times. Kind of figured you or someone else might include as "other" at some point. Does the Indiana Jones comics qualify as "war" based on this same idea that set during war time and includes war specifics and Nazi's? Even considered adding Charlton's Judo Master to the list. Also, only listed Blackhawk as a single choice while knowing there are many versions out there to choosing from. Same problem begins to occur for many of the DC war series as well as every few years somebody has updated the concepts for current times but they don't seem to last long even with any critical acclaim. Very fair counterparts, my friend. I had to try, of course 😁 |
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