Last time, I introduced the Big Five DC War Comics: Our Army at War, Star Spangled War Stories, All American Men of War, Our Fighting Forces, and G.I. Combat.
The Big Five started off with collections of short stories, usually six to eight pages long, but this began change in the late 1950s. Longer stories (13 pages by 1958) and returning characters began to appear, thus setting the stage for Johnny Cloud.
By 1959 the mold was set, and Rock rose to prominence in a series of stories: The Rock in GIC (January); The Rock of Easy Company in OAAW (April); Hold up for Easy Company in OAAW (May); and finally, The Rock and The Wall in OAAW (June 1959).
Sgt. Rock and Easy Company went on to dominate OAAW from that point on, earning him a bold, red-white-and-blue title spot in OAAW in September 1965. The members of Easy Company were profiled over time with several standouts like Bulldozer, Ice Cream, and Wee Willie, to name but a few. This cast of personalities provided friendly banter within grueling plotlines that gave cohesion to Easy Company while capturing the loyalty of fans.
The formula worked spectacularly just as it did for comic book superheroes like Batman and Robin, the Justice League, and later, Marvel’s Fantastic Four. Rock owned OAAW until it folded in February 1977 – he was, and is, the most popular comic book war hero.
In his wake, other war heroes emerged, and the serial war comic book became the norm. It was only a matter of time before a fighter pilot like Johnny Cloud would get his own book.
... and we will finish our thumbnail review of DC War Comics next week!
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