Date: circa 1942-1945
Place: The Pacific Theatre
Event: World War II
Status: TOP SECRET
Follow the adventures of the brave fighting men of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines as they take on the Imperial Japanese during the Second World War. The enemy has taken up refuge in the thousands of tiny islands that dot the Pacific Ocean. One area of key interest is a mysterious island that always seems to be covered by a dense fog bank. But what lurks inside the mist is a danger far more deadly than the combined might of the entire Japanese Empire...
This books collects the original stories of the War That Time Forgot that were published in the pages of Star Spangled War Stories from 1960-66. It's an odd collection of early adventures and versions of some of the legends of DC's WAR comics including GI Robot, Caveboy and Dino, the Losers, and the Suicide Squad. They fight the Imperialist Japanese in the air, on land, and below the waves but in every one of these stories, they also battle dinosaurs!
1960s DC Comics is one of those eras in which you either love it or hate it. I grew up reading my father's comic book collection from when he was a boy and they were all titles from the 1960s. In other words, my heart belongs to Silver Age DC.
Not every one of these stories are gems. In every issue they phrase "relics from the Dinosaur Age" is repeated at least 3 times per adventure, during an thrilling attacks by the thunder lizards. But that's not what bothers me most about these adventures though it did get predictable over the course of this 500 page plus collection.
My biggest problem were the dinosaurs themselves. It wasn't that I thought the idea of the creatures surviving into modern times was a farce. No, my issue was that the sizes of the dinosaurs was preposterous. In at least 3 stories, a tank lands on the back of a dinosaur. But it doesn't crush the reptile, no it manages to carry the tank off into an other part of the island. There were never dinosaurs that big!
Then there are the pterodactyls. They're huge. I learned recently that some flying dinosaurs were the size of a small plane so having a P-47 Thunderbolt in a dog fight with a couple of these creatures is accurate. But there's no way that they were as large as a B-17 Flying Fortress!
Another issue was on how the soldiers dealt with these terrible lizards. Bullets seem to have no effect on them but a single hand grenade to the mouth can have these dinos pushing up daises? I find that highly suspect and felt a little like my intelligence was insulted.
Do I feel like I wasted my time with this book? Not at all. It is a little dated and kinda hokey? Yeah, but it was still an entertaining read. But if you are expecting a volume 2, forget it!
Every original Dinosaur Island story is collected in this archive. Why they numbered this volume 1 is something I don't have the answer to. But if you are looking to add to your collection some classic DC War stories without paying an arm and a leg, featuring artwork from legends like Joe Kubert, Ross Andru, and Mike Esposito, this is a very good buy, though now out of print, it can be a little pricey unless you shop around.
Worth Consuming
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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