Tomahawk #125

Tomahawk #125 (On Sale: September 4, 1969) has a cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with "A Chief's Feather for Little Bear" by Robert Kanigher and Frank Thorne. The back-up Tomahawk story is "Village of Death" by Howard Liss and Frank Thorne.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Our Army at War #209

Our Army at War #209 (On Sale: June 3, 1969) has another cool cover by Joe Kubert. The "we think we are OK but the Nazis are about to attack us" cover might be a cliche of DC war books, but nobody does this cliche better than Kubert.

We begin with Sgt. Rock in "I'm Still Alive" by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath. While on patrol in Nazi country, the new replacement in Easy Co., Tiny Tim, wants to buddy up with Rock, telling Rock, "M-my old buddy g-got killed!" Before Rock can answer Easy is awash with Nazis in close hand-to-had and gun-butt to face combat. When the Nazis take off, Tiny Tim seems dazed and amazed that he is still alive.

He relates to Easy the fate of his last four-man squad, guys he had been through basic with, as they hit the beach at Normandy and how they came face-to-face with a Panzer. Tim loaded their bazooka, but before his buddy Charlie could fire, the Panzer ripped into them. Charlie was the only survivor and used the bazooka to take out the Panzer, but his friends were still dead. Just then Easy is attacked by two Focke-Wulf 190's and as they come in for a strafing run Tim screams that he is a jinx and so he runs off into the strafing, pulling the F.W.'s attention and making them easy pickings for Easy.

They find Tim lying face down in the dirt, but he's OK. A bullet had punctured his helmet, but missed his head. They leave his helmet as a signpost reading, "I walked away from this one! Tiny Tim" Rock remarks how none of them know when he is going to meet the bullet with his name on it and it is best just not to worry about it.

Next is a two-page Battle Album spread by Ken Barr on the Dive-Bombers of Midway.

Our back-up story is "Fill a Dead Man's Boots" by Howard Liss and Fred Ray. Fred Ray is not one of my favorite artists, but he has some fairly nice figures and composition in this story of the Civil War. The Confederates are getting blasted in battle and Sgt. Mal Walker carries his wounded Captain to safety only to realize that the Captain has died. Walker's boot are a mess, so he takes the boots off of his dead Captain, before crawling back behind his own lines.. There he is ordered to take charge of the company and head off whit his men, taking Cedar Mountain from the Union. All the while Walker is just trying to "fill a dead man's boots."

Walker gets order from Stonewall Jackson to destroy the supply depot at Manassas. Using his men as back-up and cover Walker sneaks into the depot and sets fire to the power dump, blowing the depot sky high. When Jackson congratulates Walker he just offers that he is trying to "fill the boots of a good man." Walker's boots are now as tattered and worn as his old pair and Stonewall remarks that "Boots don't lead armies...men do."

Edited by Joe Kubert.

G.I. Combat #136

G.I. Combat #136 (On Sale: April 8, 1969) has a nice Haunted Tank cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with the Haunted Tank in "Kill Now – Pay Later" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Haunted Tank Vol. 2 TPB.

Next is "No-Name Hill" by Robert Kanigher and Ed Robbins. This is the last of the three war stories Robbins would do for DC during his short return to the company. We end with "The 13th Bullet" by Howard Liss and Fred Ray.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Our Fighting Forces #119

Our Fighting Forces #119 (On Sale: March 11, 1969) has a Lt. Hunter's Hellcats cover by Joe Kubert.

Inside we have Lt. Hunter's Hellcats in "Bedlam in Berlin" by Robert Kanigher and Artie Saaf. That is followed by "Home..." by Howard Liss and Fred Ray and and "This Story Has No Title" a reprint from All-American Men of War #4 by Robert Kanigher, Gene Colan and Bernard Sachs.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Tomahawk #121

Tomahawk #121 (On Sale: January 7, 1969) features another stunning cover by Neal Adams. Nobody else did anything even remotely close to this quality in 1969.

This issue sported two Tomahawk stories. "To Kill a Ranger" is by Robert Kanigher and Frank Thorne began the book. "Aim Your Cannons at Me" by Howard Liss and Frank Thorne came next. It was reprinted in Sgt. Rock Special #7.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Our Army at War #199

Our Army at War #199 (On Sale: September 3, 1968) has a Sgt. Rock cover by Joe Kubert

We begin with "Nazi Ghost-Wolf" a Sgt. Rock story by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. Next is "Think Like a Nazi Soldier" by Howard Liss and Frank Thorne, thorne's second story for DC. Lastly we have "Shadow Targets" a reprint from Our Army at War #42 by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Our Army at War #197

Our Army at War #197 (On Sale: July 2, 1968) has a Sgt. Rock cover by Joe Kubert. I think better coloring could have made this one more effective.

We begin with Sgt. Rock in "Last Exit for Easy" by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath. The back-up story is "No Foxhole for Baby" by Howard Liss and Jack Abel.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Our Army at War #196

Our Army at War #196 (On Sale: June 4, 1968) has an interesting cover by Joe Kubert.

Sgt. Rock stars in "Stop the War -- I Want to Get Off" written and drawn by Joe Kubert. After three nights of no sleep Rock takes four green Easy Co. replacements out on patrol, where they are killed by the big gun fire from an enemy bunker. Seeing his dead comrades, Rock goes a little crazy and after tossing a few grenades into the enemy turret Rock declares, "I-I've had enough! ENOUGH! No more killin'... No more blood... NO MORE WAR!" Out of the smoke of the burning tank an unknown soldier confronts Rock, telling him he is not alone, that every soldier has felt the same.

As the smoke gets thicker Rock sees back into prehistoric time as cave men band together as an army to fight a bear, to protect their families. Rock shuts his eyes and when he opens them again he is looking at a Roman soldier, Horatio, who fought the Etruscan Army in order to give his comrades time to regroup. The white smoke turns to snow and Rock is now watching General George Washington at Valley Forge, who must watch his men suffer because the country depends on them.

Then Rock sees Hitler, slave labor camps and finally concentration camps and he finally says he has seen enough. When he looks up the unknown soldier is gone and Rock is all alone. (Thanks to my friend Dave Potts for sending me scans of this story.) This is Kubert's second Rock script and proved quite popular as it was reprinted in Our Army at War #269, DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #21, Sgt. Rock #395 and Sgt. Rock #20.

The back up story "Indians Don't Fight by the Book" was written by Howard Liss and drawn by Russ Heath. It was reprinted in Four-Star Battle Tales #2

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Our Army at War #194

Our Army at War #194 (On Sale: April 2, 1968) has a nice cover by new editor Joe Kubert.

The Sgt. Rock tale, "A Time for Vengeance, " is written and drawn by Joe Kubert. The back-up, "Second-Best Means Dead" is by Howard Liss and Jack Abel.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Star Spangled War Stories #137

Star Spangled War Stories #137 (On Sale: December 19, 1967) sports a Russ Heath War That Time Forgot cover marred by some really dreadful coloring.

The first story is a War That Time Forgot story, "Fight to the Last," by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. That is backed by "Mud Soldier" by Howard Liss and Jack Sparling and "Human Booby Trap," a reprint from Our Fighting Forces #1 by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti.

Edited by Robert Kanigher.

Our Army at War #189

Our Army at War #189 (On Sale: December 5, 1967) has a Sgt. Rock cover by Joe Kubert.

"The Mission Was Murder" is a Sgt. Rock story by Robert Kanigher, Joe Kubert and Jack Abel. It is followed by "Tag for a Tail Gunner," a reprint from Our Fighting Forces #1 by France Herron and Arthur Peddy. Rounding out the issue is "You Can't Bust a Sergeant" by Howard Liss and Jack Sparling.

Edited by Robert Kanigher.