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Showcase Presents: Sgt. Rock #3
Showcase Presents: Sgt. Rock, Vol. 3
Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume!
War is hell -- and no one knows that better than Sgt. Rock and the fighting men of Easy Company. These classic tales of World War II take readers deep behind enemy lines, where Easy Company never has it easy -- because battle can break out at any moment.
These hard-hitting tales star the man they call Rock and the colorful members of his platoon, including Wildman, Ice Cream Soldier, Bulldozer and more, as they face the enemy in one hopeless situation after another.
This volume features the iconic artwork of legendary comics illustrator Joe Kubert, whose new graphic novel, DONG XAOI VIETNAM 1965, is scheduled for release in May 2010.
War is hell -- and no one knows that better than Sgt. Rock and the fighting men of Easy Company. These classic tales of World War II take readers deep behind enemy lines, where Easy Company never has it easy -- because battle can break out at any moment.
These hard-hitting tales star the man they call Rock and the colorful members of his platoon, including Wildman, Ice Cream Soldier, Bulldozer and more, as they face the enemy in one hopeless situation after another.
This volume features the iconic artwork of legendary comics illustrator Joe Kubert, whose new graphic novel, DONG XAOI VIETNAM 1965, is scheduled for release in May 2010.
- GenresComics
496 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 2010
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kanigher
584 books8 followersSee also as Bob Kanigher
One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.
One of the most prolific writers in comics, particularly in the Silver Age. He took over scripting duties on Wonder Woman after William Moulton Marston's death, and handled the character's transition from the Golden to the Silver Age. He also created Barry Allen, the second Flash, for editor Julius Schwartz's superhero revival of 1956, as well as writing and editing DC's pioneering war titles.
His creations include Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, Barry Allen, Ragman, the Losers, Black Canary, the Metal Men, Poison Ivy, Enemy Ace, the Suicide Squad, and Rex the Wonder Dog.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 4, 2020
What can I say? first dip into this classic military series, and I perfectly understand why it's considered as such. Yes the soldiers are more akin to superhumans Castle Wolfenstein style than standard WWII troops, yes there is no continuity of any kind, but who cares? the internal struggles Sgt. Rock and the Easy company couldn't be more human and touching than they are in this book, which is what a military series should be about first and foremost. With Enemy Ace this is hands down one of the best series ever penned by Robert Kanigher, a man who simply should have not touch anything outside the military comic field period, leaving superhero fare to people who understood and had more ideas about those characters than he ever did in his whole career. On a side note, it's a shame DC never reprinted this series outside these (as of now) rare and pricey Showcase presents books because if this is the standard quality of the title, I'll take it any day over any military schlock written by complete hacks like Garth Ennis. We'll see if the next book lives up to the standards of this one...
On Joe Kubert and Russ Heath I don't need to tell anything more than WOW.
On Joe Kubert and Russ Heath I don't need to tell anything more than WOW.
December 13, 2017
Most of the stories in here follow the basic Sgt. Rock formula, and that would have been good enough for me, but there are also several stand out stories in here.
October 20, 2010
Sgt. Rock is starting to show some signs of pseudo-continuity in this volume, meaning he can actually remember some past adventures and take on the ideas from a new angle. The adventure in question comes when Rock, defending the oldest man in Easy Company who was just killed by a sniper while admiring a photo of his wife and children, shoots back and kills the sniper only to find a kid in a Nazi uniform, leaving Rock devestated. Not devestated enough to get the dead American's nickname right (he's "Pappy" in one story and "Pop" in the next), but he finds personal redemption getting another kid Nazi to realize Hitler was a liar and later has the strength to go on fighting after another (adult) sniper kills a medic.
Beyond that, and one or two other instances like that, its mostly the same: Sgt. Rock and Easy Company travel through random parts of the European theater, fight random Nazis who fortunately only attack in small waves or with a single random airplane or tank (all of which can be easily shot up by whatever hand-held weapons Easy's combat-happy joes have on hand, defying several laws of physicals) that pops up when least expected. Rock has to remember past fights, train replacements, mourn the dead, and kill half the German army from the looks of things. Author Bob Kanigher tries some new things here, like a reoccuring bad guy in the form of the Iron Major with the steel hand, and teaching tolerance in the form of ahistorical black-soldier-in-a-white-unit Jackie Johnson. Now, if Jackie wasn't known as a heavyweight boxer with a talent for singing, he might be even more racially progressive, though he's a heck of a lot better than the characterization of Native American soldier "Little Sure Shot".
Rock does get a first name here a couple times, when he's called "Frank", though most just call him "Rock", including curiously his own kid brother in one flashback...you'd think he was also a "Rock"...
Beyond that, and one or two other instances like that, its mostly the same: Sgt. Rock and Easy Company travel through random parts of the European theater, fight random Nazis who fortunately only attack in small waves or with a single random airplane or tank (all of which can be easily shot up by whatever hand-held weapons Easy's combat-happy joes have on hand, defying several laws of physicals) that pops up when least expected. Rock has to remember past fights, train replacements, mourn the dead, and kill half the German army from the looks of things. Author Bob Kanigher tries some new things here, like a reoccuring bad guy in the form of the Iron Major with the steel hand, and teaching tolerance in the form of ahistorical black-soldier-in-a-white-unit Jackie Johnson. Now, if Jackie wasn't known as a heavyweight boxer with a talent for singing, he might be even more racially progressive, though he's a heck of a lot better than the characterization of Native American soldier "Little Sure Shot".
Rock does get a first name here a couple times, when he's called "Frank", though most just call him "Rock", including curiously his own kid brother in one flashback...you'd think he was also a "Rock"...
August 1, 2011
Começo a admirar Robert Kanigher, argumentista da época dourada dos comics que escreveu para os títulos de terror da DC, e se especializou nos comics de guerra Enemy Ace e Sgt. Rock. Em Sgt. Rock encontramos algo que vai para além da história masculina de aventura em combate. Kanigher deu aos personagens uma forte componente humana. A Easy Company, liderada pelo sargento, pode hoje ser descrita como multicultural. A principal preocupação dos militares, além de cumprir as ordens que lhes são dadas, é a sobrevivência dos companheiros de armas. Ainda mais interessante, particularmente atendendo à época em que estes comics foram publicados, é a mensagem fortemente anti-racista que Kanigher passa em histórias onde um soldado negro vence übermenschen alemães com os seus punhos ou, no limite, salva a vida de um companheiro de armas racista.
Situado no cenário bipolar da II Guerra, simplifica o carácter moral com um dualismo primitivo distinguindo o heroísmo dos aliados e a brutalidade germânica. Mas ao longo das aventuras da Easy Co. nos campos de batalha estas linhas tornam-se ténues. Sgt. Rock lamenta a inutilidade da guerra, o desperdício de vidas e a destruição. Vivendo das aventuras nos campos de batalha, é talvez o mais pacifista dos comics de guerra.
Situado no cenário bipolar da II Guerra, simplifica o carácter moral com um dualismo primitivo distinguindo o heroísmo dos aliados e a brutalidade germânica. Mas ao longo das aventuras da Easy Co. nos campos de batalha estas linhas tornam-se ténues. Sgt. Rock lamenta a inutilidade da guerra, o desperdício de vidas e a destruição. Vivendo das aventuras nos campos de batalha, é talvez o mais pacifista dos comics de guerra.
May 7, 2013
A trip down memory lane for me. This took me back to when DC Comics were comic books, not graphic novels. I remember collecting empty soda bottles to get the 2 cent return value and make enough money on a Saturday morning get the 12 cent price of a comic book and buy several for an afternoon of quiet entertainment. Rereading Sgt Rock was at first exciting as the old feeling of imagining myself battling the enemies of America and overcoming all odds to win. The further I went into this collection, the more repetitive the stories became. Perhaps it is the age factor, but the magic is no longer there. I don't regret all of the time I spent in solitude or with friends in the backyard reading, passing around, and then re-reading these stories, but I've moved on. If you aren't familiar with this particular genre of graphic novel, war hero stories, it's worth investigating. Joe Kubert's graphic novel of Vietnam, "Dong Xoai" is also a great read. It's only one story about one particular incident. Sgt. Rock is the original"he-man", but 492 pages was a bit much for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews