The EC Archives: Frontline Combat Volume 3

The EC Archives

by Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis (Illustrator), Alex Toth (Illustrator)

In these classic EC tales of war, legendary Writer/Artist/Editor Harvey Kurtzman collaborates with some of the greatest artists of all time in Wally Wood, John Severin, Alex Toth, and many others to create stirring tales of daring soldiers and the horrors of war in stark, uncompromising detail.

Collecting Frontline Combat #12-#15, this volume features--in fully remastered digital color--the work of comic book greats Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, John Severin, Bill Elder, George Evans, and Alex Toth!

Genres: Comics, War

152 pages, Hardcover

Published November 16, 2021

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. Even better than the horror comics EC was known for. Each issue featured a main story taking place during the Korean War as these were published while the war was going on. I really liked how these stories really drew you into the war, where it felt like I was actually there. Typically there were 3 additional stories each issue that took place during wars throughout history. The Alex Toth story really stook out. His art is just outstanding.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rever estas histórias é recordar um período de ouro dos comics. Não pelas histórias em si, são bastante banais, como se esperaria de revistas de consumo popular. Olham para a guerra pela vertente de enaltecimento do heroicismo, do patriotismo. Nada contra, claro, há que olhar para elas com a lente da perspetiva histórica. Mas não merecem ser esquecidas, pelo seu elevado nível gráfico. A EC Comics legou para o futuro o trabalho de ilustradores geniais, as suas publicações sempre foram sinónimo de qualidade visual. Nesta colectânea dedicada a Frontline Combat, podemos recordar o traço de Alex Toth, John Severin, Joe Kubert, e o sempre incrível detalhe de Wally Wood.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is five-star brilliance as always. I don't know if Kurtzman was distracted by MAD and its success, but I felt the stories were not up to the par of earlier Frontline Combat issues. Very little of Kurtzman's humanitarian, anti-war sentiments seep into this volume - only one story that I can recall. The overwhelming theme of the stories is almost procedural - how do seaplanes land and take off, how do helicopters pull off battlefield rescues, etc. The procedurals are crafted professionally.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The majority of these are airplane stories. Most are biographical, some are straight propoganda. Very little in here packs the emotional impact of the stories in volume 1. These still look really good, but I think if I'd started with this book instead of reading them in publication order, I wouldn't have come back for more.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A who's who of the great comics artists of the 50s. Kurtzman writes pretty faithful stories about combat, mostly from a Western perspective but across different eras. I didn't find any of the stories very engaging and they're too short to get invested in.

[Robert Fiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please take the time to see my review here:


https://youtu.be/-Z1Im6LKKZE

OR

https://rumble.com/vkycjq-frontline-c...

[Tim Deforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume contains the last four issues of Frontline Combat. Along with Two-Fisted Tales, this comic book set a standard for intelligent and impacting war stories. Highlights in this volume include several tales of World War I pilots illustrated by George Evans, the story of the Bonhomme Richard with Joe Kubert art, and a heartbreaking Civil War tale with Jack Davis artwork.