G.I. Combat #170 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The Haunted Tank became the main feature of the war anthology comic book with its debut in issue #87 (May, 1961). This occurred shortly after National Publications (DC Comics) acquired the properties from floundering Quality Comics. Under Quality, G.I. Combat focused on war stories that warned against the Red Scourge of Communism. Under new ownership, the book's tone changed to having a more dovish perspective against war to the point that in the 1970s, all of DC'S war comics carried a bullet that proclaimed 'Make War No More.'

The primary protagonist of the Haunted Tank stories is the American G.I. Jeb Stuart Smith. A Northerner, Stuart Smith, later rectonned to being named without the Smith, is sent to basic training in the deep South. He eventually comes to command a M3 Stuart tank whose crew are all good ol' Southern boys. At first Jeb's crew protest a Yankee being named after a beloved Confederate general. However, Stuart's ingenuity and grace under fire earn him the respect of his crew.

One reason the tank commander is so successful is due to the supernatural assistance he receives from the ghost of rebel general J.E.B. Stuart. Only the American G.I. can see and hear the legendary ghost. This leads his crew to think Jeb Stuart might be up for a section eight. However, as the guidance of the general continues to lead true, Stuart's men place a rebel flag atop their vehicle and christen it, the Haunted Tank.

There would be several incarnations of the Haunted Tank. Perhaps the most famous version is the Jigsaw Tank. After being damaged in a fire fight behind enemy lines, the crew of the Haunted Tank picked from some damaged Russian tanks to create an ersatz version of a Stuart tank. Before the end of World War II, Stuart's crew would be assigned to a Sherman tank which was originally guided by the ghost of the Union general William T. Sherman before being reunited with the spirit of General Stuart.

In this issue, Jeb Stuart has his eyes set on revenge against a one-armed Nazi soldier responsible for the death of a young woman the commander had a dalliance with a couple issues prior. In a twist, the Nazi is bent on revenge over the loss of his arm, which was taken in a firefight with a Stuart tank bearing a Confederate flag! As Stuart and the German play a deadly battle of cat and mouse, the church in which their confrontation occurs is falling down around them meaning that the next wrong step could be their last.

Featuring art by Sam Glanzman and story by series editor Archie Goodwin. In typical fashion, Glanzman's illustrations are so perfect, the only thing that has this much attention to detail are the technical guides used by G.I.s in order to operate the weapons and vehicles that pepper the feature adventure.

The backup feature titled 'Every Battle... Y'Die A Little!' is by the creative team of writer Frank Robbins and artist Jack Sparling. It's about a veteran soldier known to work alone, who reluctantly takes up a partner when the grunt saves him from a Nazi soldier sneaking up upon the older G.I. in a blizzard. The tragic ending is typical of DC's anti-war slant and though this is a tale set in the European theater of World War II, this is clearly an allegory about the many young men who die prematurely in Vietnam.

G.I.s. Nazis. Tragedy. Dovish views on war. This is a nearly perfect example of a DC war comic. Only there's no contribution by DC's quintessential talent of the war genre titles, Joe Kubert. Not even the cover. Instead, the artwork is by Ken Barr.

Completing this review completes Task #15 (A War Comic/Graphic Novel) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.