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The Brave and the Bold (1955) #52
Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank, Vol. 1
During World War II, the ghost of Confederat general J.E.B. Stuart protects his namesake, cavalryman Jeb Stuart.
560 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 7, 2024
The Haunted Tank was always a fun premise. Set in the European Theater during WWII, an M-3 Stuart class tank is haunted by the ghost of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, probably because the commander is a young man named Jeb Stuart. A bit of a weird setup, I'll grant you, but it works. Only Jeb can see and hear the General. His crew thinks he's just talking to himself up at the top of the turret.
A typical story will have the General appear and utter some cryptic warning, vanishing as Jeb cries, “What do you mean?” The tank will get into a fight that seems to be what the General was talking about, but he'll reappear and say, “No, that wasn't it.” A similar fight will then take place, but again: “No.” Finally, the actual thing prophesied will happen. “Oh. *That* was it!” Fadeout.
Formulaic, sure, but it works. For one thing, these stories weren't designed to be read all in one go like this. One of them would be included in the pages of the monthly issue of G.I. Combat, and then you'd have to wait a month to read the next one. It also helps that the legendary Robert Kanigher was writing them. He had a way with war comics like nobody else. Having the equally legendary Russ Heath and, later, Joe Kubert on the art didn't hurt either.
We also get a few crossover stories featuring Sgt. Rock, and also Johnny Cloud, a Navajo fighter pilot whose exploits are unfamiliar to me. DC had an impressive array of continuing characters for its war comics–especially impressive considering Kanigher was pretty much single-handedly writing, like, ALL of them–but Johnny apparently didn't quite manage to survive into the mid 70's and 80's when I started reading and collecting comics.
Anyway, I definitely enjoyed the book. As far as DC's War comics go, Sgt. Rock gets most of the attention–deservedly so. But their war comics were generally high quality, as this collection shows, weird premise and all. If you ever wanted to read 500+ pages of Haunted Tank stories, this is definitely the book for you.
A typical story will have the General appear and utter some cryptic warning, vanishing as Jeb cries, “What do you mean?” The tank will get into a fight that seems to be what the General was talking about, but he'll reappear and say, “No, that wasn't it.” A similar fight will then take place, but again: “No.” Finally, the actual thing prophesied will happen. “Oh. *That* was it!” Fadeout.
Formulaic, sure, but it works. For one thing, these stories weren't designed to be read all in one go like this. One of them would be included in the pages of the monthly issue of G.I. Combat, and then you'd have to wait a month to read the next one. It also helps that the legendary Robert Kanigher was writing them. He had a way with war comics like nobody else. Having the equally legendary Russ Heath and, later, Joe Kubert on the art didn't hurt either.
We also get a few crossover stories featuring Sgt. Rock, and also Johnny Cloud, a Navajo fighter pilot whose exploits are unfamiliar to me. DC had an impressive array of continuing characters for its war comics–especially impressive considering Kanigher was pretty much single-handedly writing, like, ALL of them–but Johnny apparently didn't quite manage to survive into the mid 70's and 80's when I started reading and collecting comics.
Anyway, I definitely enjoyed the book. As far as DC's War comics go, Sgt. Rock gets most of the attention–deservedly so. But their war comics were generally high quality, as this collection shows, weird premise and all. If you ever wanted to read 500+ pages of Haunted Tank stories, this is definitely the book for you.
October 21, 2007
I love DC's Showcase Presents book because it's the best way I can get my hands on their old stuff in bulk and on the cheap. I don't mind the lack of colour since that accentuates the linework of the penciller. HAUNTED TANK is yet another WWII adventure comic written by Robert "I like to write the exact same stories over over again" Kanigher. The stories are stupid, silly fun. American tank crew gets to kill Nazi tanks. Next issue, same thing happens. Yo Joe! And oh yeah, the tank is accompanied by the ghost of the tank commander's ancestor. Erwin Rommel never had THAT advantage, did he? That's why he had to kill himself in 1944. What the hell am I blabbering about?
December 7, 2022
This was good stuff, but it was more of a straight war comic than I expected. There is some supernatural action, and the tank's ghost does play a part in the stories, but I was expecting something closer to Weird War Tales, while this was closer to, say, Our Army at War. There are plenty of tank battles, as you'd expect, but at times things did seem repetitive. One thing notable is that although these were comics from the 1960s, they didn't read like silver age comics as the stories were most serious for the most part.
The art is the strong point. Most of the stories are either by Russ Heath or Joe Kubert, two of the best war comic artists ever.
Overall a strong volume.
The art is the strong point. Most of the stories are either by Russ Heath or Joe Kubert, two of the best war comic artists ever.
Overall a strong volume.
September 29, 2007
Oh, Haunted Tank.
This series is about a WW2 tank commander named "Jeb Stuart" in charge of a M-3 (Stuart) tank. The tank (and commander are haunted by the ghost of the Civil War General, Jeb Stuart since both they are both named after him.
Initially the haunting consists of the general taking over the tank when the crew gets knocked unconscious and getting them out of tough scrapes. But soon enough (and for the majority of the book) the haunting falls into a giant formulaic cliche:
1) The ghost shows up and warns Jeb of some vague threat. ("Before another night-- You're going to hang like a rabbit!")
2) Some trap is narrowly avoided making Jeb think the General's prophecy has come to pass.
3) General says "The day is not yet over..." or some such crap.
4) Repeat step 2.
5) Repeat step 3.
6) Repeat step 2.
7) General confirms this last event is what he was talking about.
In every single issue their tank single handedly destroys at least two (larger) Nazi tanks and one Nazi plane. I would not be surprised if more Nazi tanks were destroyed by the Haunted Tank in this book than in all of the actual WW2.
Halfway through this book, there is a crossover story with two other DC War comic heroes, Sgt. Rock and Johnny Cloud. From this point on nearly every story has one of these characters in it.
The two best stories in this book deal with a Nazi tank (and later a plane) haunted by Atilla the Hun. Many questions are, however, left unanswered. Do they know about their ghost? Are they named after Atilla? Why did the ghosts of Stuart and Atilla fighting on a bridge remind me so much of Gandalf and the Balrog?
This series is about a WW2 tank commander named "Jeb Stuart" in charge of a M-3 (Stuart) tank. The tank (and commander are haunted by the ghost of the Civil War General, Jeb Stuart since both they are both named after him.
Initially the haunting consists of the general taking over the tank when the crew gets knocked unconscious and getting them out of tough scrapes. But soon enough (and for the majority of the book) the haunting falls into a giant formulaic cliche:
1) The ghost shows up and warns Jeb of some vague threat. ("Before another night-- You're going to hang like a rabbit!")
2) Some trap is narrowly avoided making Jeb think the General's prophecy has come to pass.
3) General says "The day is not yet over..." or some such crap.
4) Repeat step 2.
5) Repeat step 3.
6) Repeat step 2.
7) General confirms this last event is what he was talking about.
In every single issue their tank single handedly destroys at least two (larger) Nazi tanks and one Nazi plane. I would not be surprised if more Nazi tanks were destroyed by the Haunted Tank in this book than in all of the actual WW2.
Halfway through this book, there is a crossover story with two other DC War comic heroes, Sgt. Rock and Johnny Cloud. From this point on nearly every story has one of these characters in it.
The two best stories in this book deal with a Nazi tank (and later a plane) haunted by Atilla the Hun. Many questions are, however, left unanswered. Do they know about their ghost? Are they named after Atilla? Why did the ghosts of Stuart and Atilla fighting on a bridge remind me so much of Gandalf and the Balrog?
August 30, 2023
THE HAUNTED TANK is proof that the world is ready for anything that is weird, done well and urgent. Put yourself in the tennis shoes of a ten year-old kid in 1970, in Baptist school yet! You are already a history buff and news junkie. The Viet Nam War is on the boob tube every night, complete with the Thursday U.S. body count and estimates (by which I mean lies) of South Vietnamese, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong dead. Nixon invades Cambodia in 1970. U.S. puppet South Vietnamese forces invade Laos in 1971, and get mauled, a foreshadowing of how this war will end. You know the words of Whitman, "Dost thou not know that there is but one subject fir for a poet and that is war and war?". You crave excitement but not vicarious killing. Into your hands at the local supermarket in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles drops THE HAUNTED TANK, American soldiers fighting in a "good war" a quarter of a century earlier. But, this story has been told a thousand times. Why should you give it one more go? THE HAUNTED TANK came like a give from the gods, or better still, the spirit world. The tank commander, Jeb Stuart, is a direct descendant of Confederate cavalry General and military genius J.E.B. Stuart, feared by the Yankees and personally disliked by Lee. He decides to help out his namesake by giving him tips on how to win the war against that paper-hanging son-of-bitch in Berlin. Whether being surrounded by Nazi tanks with guns blazing or brought intact to Berlin for inspection and denunciation by Hitler himself, the tak and its crew can always count on J.E.B. to find a way out. Of all the G.I. COMBAT series of comics this was my personal favorite and I never missed an issue. Is it dated, or still readadble today. That depends on you and the state of the world.
February 14, 2024
It’s a pretty crazy concept, but it’s also not the weirdest team from DCs World War II era…
Showcase Presents Haunted Tank VOL 01 collects the earliest stories of the famous Tank, its crew, and the ghost that haunts it…
The Haunted Tank is the second weird concept from the MANY stories that DC Comics published (first weirdest is the Creature Commandos, third weirdest is GI Robot, the war that time forgot doesn’t count since they were All unrelated stories and characters and roughly told the same story every time).
The ghost of confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart is said to haunt a tank crew and guide them to victory…or maybe Lt Jeb Stuart (his alleged descendent) suffered a concussion and imagines it. Either way it’s the most successful tank crew in the war as they fight across North Africa and later Europe.
Tank stories may not be everyone’s bread and butter, but it’s still impressive they told as many as they did. They even managed to work in a few cameos here and there with other DC war characters.
Extra points goes to the modern reboot from a decade ago where they broughtht back the haunted tank during the Iraq war with an African American decedent who is not comfortable with the situation…but handles it nonetheless…
Showcase Presents Haunted Tank VOL 01 collects the earliest stories of the famous Tank, its crew, and the ghost that haunts it…
The Haunted Tank is the second weird concept from the MANY stories that DC Comics published (first weirdest is the Creature Commandos, third weirdest is GI Robot, the war that time forgot doesn’t count since they were All unrelated stories and characters and roughly told the same story every time).
The ghost of confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart is said to haunt a tank crew and guide them to victory…or maybe Lt Jeb Stuart (his alleged descendent) suffered a concussion and imagines it. Either way it’s the most successful tank crew in the war as they fight across North Africa and later Europe.
Tank stories may not be everyone’s bread and butter, but it’s still impressive they told as many as they did. They even managed to work in a few cameos here and there with other DC war characters.
Extra points goes to the modern reboot from a decade ago where they broughtht back the haunted tank during the Iraq war with an African American decedent who is not comfortable with the situation…but handles it nonetheless…
July 16, 2014
I often talk of the big box of comics my Dad bought at a swap meet when I was a kid. It was probably that box that cemented my life long relationship with comics. The DC war comics were another of the treasures I discovered there. Rereading them now is like a chance at revisiting the most magical moments of my childhood. So there is a chance that my reviews are not without a bit of bias. That being said I love these stories, formula and all. Robert Kanigher's writing coupled with the artwork of Joe Kubert and Russ Heath were masterpieces that defined the genre.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews