DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #6

After a series of missteps, Sgt. Rock Versus the Army of the Undead ends on such a high note. There's mention of a department that specializes in the military investigating paranormal and extraterrestrial activity. It's almost like SHIELD but with weird phenomenon. I'd order this series new and monthly if it ever came to pass. However, it's been over a year since issue #1 of this series debuted and I feel like if we've not heard about such a series coming forth by now, it's not going to happen.

The individual issues must not have sold as well as DC had hoped. No surprise there. DC has been tanking in sales for some time now. However, a hardcover collected edition is coming out sometime this month; just in time for All Hallow's Eve. Maybe if the hardcover sells very well, it might re-start the gears for that foretold future series. But if that happens, I expect the paranormal Sgt. Rock story to be repackaged as a graphic novel instead of floppies. 

This final issue was wild. If you are familiar with how Inglourious Basterds ended, then you'll probably love this finale. Add in the penultimate scene of the under-rated Tom Hanks vehicle, The 'Burbs and you'll almost forget some of the errors made in the storytelling in issues #2 and 5. 

The covers by Gary Frank have been awesome. I've also liked the interior art crafted by Eduardo Russo. Some might not like his minimalist technique. But I appreciated the use of shadows and dark voids to heighten the intensity of the drama. Russo's style reminded me a lot of Mike Mignola. So if you are a fan of Hellboy, you'll really dig the artwork of this book.

This was Bruce Campbell's first comic book. For a first effort, it was pretty darn good. I just felt that things kept going back to the starting line instead of going for the finish line. That might not even be the author's fault, but poor story advice from the editor. If not for that, this offbeat World War II horror-fantasy would have been perfect. Still, this was a good read to start off my October, 2023 reads.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #5

When the last issue ended, Sgt. Rock was positioned outside the secret compound of Adolf Hitler. So you'd expect this issue to have Easy Co. arrive and under Rock's leadership, they'd all unleash Hell on the Fuhrer. Instead, the penultimate issue of Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead starts back at HQ with the regiment aboard a transport vehicle about to parachute onto the compound. 

I had to double-check and make sure I hadn't missed something. Did I skip an issue? Why would Sgt. Rock go back to England and then get on a plane back to Nazi Germany? Let's be honest, if this was Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos, they would have stormed the compound immediately. There wouldn't have been any backtracking.\

I'm no four-star general but it seems to me that going back to home base increases the possibility of everyone getting wiped out and Hitler survives to live another day. Sure, if you are the writer, you'll do everything to keep the main character from dying. But if this was real life, it just seems an unnecessary risk to venture back through enemy territory just to regroup and pick up more fire power. I understand why you'd want reinforcements. It just seems too big of a risk. Plus, don't you run the risk of Hitler moving on to another secure location. Did Easy Co. leave a spotter???

As you can tell from the cover, the story is no longer historically accurate. Like having zombie storm troopers was historically accurate. But, with Hitler turning himself into a member of the walking dead, we're no longer trying to match the events of the last days of World War II. Actually, with this mission being Hitler's last hurrah, we're venturing into Inglourious Basterds territory as this European campaign is about to come to a close in 1944- almost a full year before things came to a close in real life! 

How we would have fought the war if Germany was defeated before the bomb was complete is an interesting prospect. I wonder if that concept has ever been explored. I'd definitely be interested in reading that alternate history. 

An action packed next-to-last issue. The logistics of things don't make a lot of sense to me and the complete 180-swing in the story was confusing to the point, I thought I had accidentally starred reading issue #4 or #6 out of order. But it's always nice to see Adolf Hitler getting his ass handed to him!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #4

In this issue Rock and Easy Co. locate Hitler's personal physician after having destroyed the facility being used to make the Nazi army of the undead. Up next, track the doctor to Hitler's hidden lair.

Finally, an issue that really moves things forward. Well, actually, last issue saw the destruction of the zombie making facility. It's complete destruction wasn't made totally clear until this issue. I kept wondering why Sgt. Rock was so intent on tracking Doctor Morell when his primary mission was to eliminate the Nazi's ability to make resurrected troops. Turns out that Hitler only had the one place to create his own army of darkness. Thus objective #1 is complete.

Other than the gore, I've been wondering why this series has been rated for readers aged 17 and up. In this issue, the swears start being added to Easy Co.'s vocabulary. I haven't seen the big one yet. But this is a Bruce Campbell venture and I expect it's singular appearance to be a doozy.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #3

Issue #3 sees Sgt. Rock and his troops back at headquarters. They've located Dr. Morrell, the personal physician of Hitler's. That means the Further can't be too far away. Armed with a new set of hi-tech (well, hi-tech for 1944) weapons and a plan, Easy Company must re-locate the Nazi doctor, follow him to the site where the undead are being produced and destroy it. Then, possibly kill Hitler if the chance arises. 

Basically, we're back where we were at the end of the first issue. The only thing that has progressed is that the US Army knows what city/region the factory making the zombies is. The only thing that has changed is the tech now being welded by Rock's regiment of soldiers. Plus, by issue's end, Easy Co. will have split into 2 groups; one led by Sgt. Rock and one by his second-in-command, Bulldozer. After another run-in with some Nazi ghouls, Rock's group have uniforms to disguise themselves. So if we're lucky, issue #4 will actually start going somewhere. 

This really isn't a bad story. It just keeps going around in circles. It reminds me of the classic Doctor Who TV series where episode one would set everything up, episode 2-5 would see the Doctor and his companions doing the same thing, over and over and over, and then the final episode of the story arc wraps everything up. If that's the way Bruce Campbell is doing things with this story, no wonder publishers like DC Comics are in trouble. Stop stretching things out in order to make a buck. Clean and concise is much more appreciated than a story with too many chapters that do nothing except repeat what happened up until that point. 

More than anything, I just feel a little cheated having bought each issue new. But at least I supported my favorite LCS in the process. Supporting small businesses. That's something to cheer about even though it doesn't exactly help my wallet.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #2

Issue #2 sees Sgt. Rock and Easy Co. on reconnaissance. Yes- there's several encounters with undead Nazis. Lots of gore. Lots of combat. There's even a scene at a bier haus in which we see a bunch of zombie soldiers drinking beer and having antics. 

It all feels very unnecessary. 

The undead Nazis at a bar seemed very out of place. I'm sure it was part of Bruce Campbell's quirky sense of humor. I was reminded of that scene in Gremlins where those little green boogers took over a local watering hole and went wild. 

The combat scenes used almost all of the tech introduced in the last issue up already. Generally, when this would happen to an action character like James Bond, the hero wouldn't go through his entire arsenal until the final act. What a waste!

There was 1 thing that did advance the plot: Rock and his troops do locate Hitler's personal physician. That means that the fuehrer can't be very far away. However, instead of capturing the doctor, the boys end this issue by heading back to base. 

Nothing in this issue pushed the plot line any forward. Any progress made by locating Dr. Theodor Morell was walked back with Sgt. Rock not doing anything. I'm a little bit miffed. I paid $3.99 new, for this issue. I feel a little bit cheated. No, not cheated. I did enjoy a lot of segments in this book. I just wish I had gotten this issue for less than cover at a bargain bin. Very glad I didn't pay the extra dollar for the variant cover. That's okay. The Gary Frank covers have been awesome!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock Vs. The Army of the Undead #1

Bruce Campbell has made a career out of over the top macho characters that have a smarmy sense of humor. Not afraid to step on anybody's toes, his works are terrifying, insensitive and kinda gross and I love it! When I found out last year that the Chin was writing a 6-issue horror themed Sgt. Rock miniseries, I immediately contacted my LCS and pre-ordered it. 

The first couple of issues were released in time for Halloween 2022. I was hoping that I would have the complete run in order to read it for last season's spooky reads. Unfortunately it wasn't until the Spring of this year that the 6th and final issue debuted in stores. That's okay. I get to enjoy the spooky offbeat fun this season!

It's 1944 and things are going really bad for the Nazis. Running out of resources, fuel and especially conscripts, Hitler has a plan to build up an army of the undead! To stop the zombie goose-steppers, the Army recruits their top non-com, Sgt. Rock and his boys of Easy Co.! The mission won't be easy though as Rock and his men will have to dive deep into Nazi territory to find where the ghouls are being manufactured. Added to the complexity of the assignment, these low-budget Deadites cannot be killed by normal means. You've got to take them out with a head shot and not just any head wound will do as there is a special device in each corpses' head that keeps them going. 

At least if they bite you, you won't turn into one of them. Right???

Issue #1 was a good start up. You get Hitler. You get Sgt. Rock. You know what the mission is and you're introduced to an assortment of tech that Easy Co. will use to go up against this army of the undead. It almost felt like the first 20 minutes of a James Bond film. Not exactly oozing with Bruce Campbell's humor and charm, but it's a very good first chapter.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Rock #378

I've been holding on to this issue for quite some time in hopes to finally read it during Christmas in July. Yet, I kept forgetting about it. WELL, NOT THIS YEAR, FOLKS!

The title story is the only tale that is 'seasonal'. But it's a Joe Kubert classic. 

Sgt. Rock and Easy Company are so far into Enemy territory that it takes forever for the mail to arrive. When it finally catches up to the men, it's mid-July and yet their Christmas cards and presents have just now hit their hands. One of the soldiers, Jackie, has just become a father. Since he can't be home to play Santa to his newborn baby girl, Jackie's wife sends him a Santa suit and a bunch of toys in hopes he can play Father Christmas for some needy children on the front lines. Thus, for a bunch of French orphans, it truly is a Christmas in July to remember. 

Other stories are by Kubert's son Andy, members of the Joe Kubert School of Art and Robert Kanigher. These war tales involve a French child who finds a discarded Nazi helmet, a young American G.I. who fights bravely for his 'gal' back home and a set of 'fact sheets' about the war culture of a primitive tribal culture in South America, everything you need to know as World War II submarine warfare conducted by the Americans, and the various ways mine fields have been disarmed. 

My favorite story of course was the first one. The scene where Jackie is dressed as Santa and he's hesitant to go down the chimney, least he gets stuck was hilarious. Especially, when some Krauts show up with guns blazing and Jackie jumps down the chute head first- without thinking! Just brilliant stuff from Joe Kubert. The second story had that tragic 'war is hell' twist as did the third tale. But I think with a small child being the ironic victim, it's shocking finale was more gut wrenching.

I knew before I bought this book that there was only 1 Christmas story. Honestly, did one expect Joe Kubert and his disciples to come up with an entire set of warm weather Christmas-themed war stories? This book was published in 1983. Was Christmas in July even a thing back then? It's not the Hallmark Channel summertime movie marathon maker that the event has become today. That's for sure.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest #23 (2022 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From 1979-1986, kids got a real treat everytime they went to the supermarket: The Best of DC Blue Ribbon Digest and it's shorter lived sister series DC Blue Ribbon Digest. For only $.95 ($1.25 for the longer 'Best Of' books), kiddos hot 100 pages of your favorite superheroes and comedic characters. 

Each issue had a specific theme. There was Superman Vs. Luthor. The Years Best Team Stories. Binky's Summer Fun. Batman's Villains. There were even a couple of holiday editions too! 

Sure, the books were released in digest form. Sure, the original source material wasn't designed for digest form so things didn't quite look right. Sure, the lettered dialogue was like a font size 2. But the covers rocked and if you annoyed mom and dad long enough in the checkout line, you were guaranteed a copy or two.

The Best of 1981 issue of the series featured 10 tales from DC's vast line of titles. The overall winner was from Detective Comics #500. 'To Kill A Legend' sees Batman and Robin gifted a chance from the Phantom Stranger to save a Wayne family on another Earth from the gun of Joe Chill! It's an Alan Brennert, Dick Giordano and Adrienne Roy instant classic!

The other 9 stories: 

Sivana's Nobel- Dr. Sivana's reputation as an evil mad scientist is at risk when Captain Marvel nominates the fiend for a Nobel Peace Prize, based on the fiend's 'failed' experiments that end up benefiting humanity.

The Dummy- Sgt. Rock's Easy Company have just lost their BAR man. Their new recruit ends up being a real dummy. Literally!

A Day In The Lives- Witness a typical day in the lives of the New Teen Titans. Changeling has to save his dad's company. Cyborg meets some special fellas who totally relate to him. Kid Flash enjoys dinner with the fam. And Raven takes on a demonic power. 

Piper at the Gates of Hell- A House of Mystery yarn about a small town that participates in a hellish rite in return for it's societal panacea. 

The Haunting- After his wife and son leave him, Jonah Hex goes on a binder that brings up ghosts from his past.

The Triumph- Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps take on a pair of foes that will one day usher in a CRISIS and a BLACKEST NIGHT.

Whatever Happened to the Crimson Avenger?- Len Wein, Alex Saviuk and Dennis Jensen answer that question.

The Pursuit of Joy- A segment from the short-lived but powerful 'Tales of Gotham City' series. A virtuoso and a struggling violinist are destined to meet on the streets of Batman's home turf.

The Dying Day of Lois and Lana- Superman struggles to find the cure to a plague that has Lois Lang and Lana Lang's hours numbered. It's the same virus that killed Ma and Pa Kent! So for the Man of Steel, this is personal!

I didn't feel that this was a perfect collection of stories. The Sgt. Rock adventure was rather odd. I can't believe that Rock would be tolerant of a rookie that carries a ventriloquist dummy with him everywhere. But he does! If it was Nick Fury, the kid would have his butt chewed out and the dummy in pieces. 

Personal tastes aside, this was a wonderful anthology issue based on the top tales of 1981. Even at 44 years old, I jump for joy when I find one of these beauties for a good price. Sure, I need a magnifying glass now to read them. But there's such a wave of nostalgia that comes over this madman when I hold one of this tiny beauties in my hand. The smell of the newsprint. The feel of the smooth cover and rough paper. I loved it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #36 (Issue from an Anthology Series) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

 

Strange Love Adventures #1

For the past couple of years, I've been lamenting both the pricey $9.99 MSRP and the lack of quality of the over-sized DC holiday specials. Well, it's Valentine's Day and I laid down a Hamilton for this years romance offering. 

And I must say- this one was great!!! 

Instead of trying to make a political statement (or insult it's bread & butter readers), DC actually crafted 8 stories that were entertaining and fun! They all had heart, which is probably a good thing since this is a Valentine's Day special. True, not every story takes place during V-Day but love is definitely in the air. 

Highlights include: 

• Harley Quinn goes on the rebound from the Joker once again to become the Bride of Black Adam?!
• Sgt. Rock is sent to dinosaur island and makes allies from unlikely pair of love birds
• Alfred reflects on his time as the patriarch of the Batman Family
• Billy Batson calls upon Clark Kent to help him navigate his first date
• Iris Allen and the Flash go on a Valentines double-date with Grodd

I am surprised that DC didn't focus on same-sex relationships or gender identity in this special. While the Alfred story is about the bonds of family love and the Harley story ends with her and Poison Ivy having a romantic night together, the majority of these stories are about heterosexual relationships. I really would have thought that DC would be all about Love is Love in this special, which for a special about love and romance, would have been completely appropriate. I'm just thankful that for once DC left out references to Trump, Global Warming and more of it's triggering soap boxes. 

Now if only DC would carry this formula to it's Halloween and Holiday specials. But with the forthcoming deaths of most of the heavy hitters of the DCU, I'm not holding my breath. At least this special was satisfying!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Rock:Between Hell and a Hard Place

After a nearly 10 year absence, Joe Kubert returned to his best known character, Sgt. Rock. With Brian Azzrello writing, Kubert plotted and illustrated this 2003 graphic novel under the Vertigo imprint. Meant to be more edgy and adult, other than maybe a bit more violence, I could not tell a difference from this and the stuff my father used to read in the 70s and 80s.

I'm going to make a stunning confession here. Most of you know me as a big DC fan. Yet, when it comes to the World War II characters, I prefer Sgt. Fury and His Howlin' Commandos over the guys of Easy Co. I always felt that the Commandos had more personality. In contrast, I felt like Easy Co. was just a rotating group of grunts that had very little personality and even less chance at staying alive than a red shirt on Star Trek.

I bought this book more for the something extra inside it than the art and story. Along with this book, there was a piece of DC Comics stationary that was meant to drum up business for a book seller into buying multiple copies of this book. This volume I purchased wasn't a proof, but it was sent out in advance. Seeing as DC stationary is considered a holy grail among DC fans, I had to have this book if only for that treasure piece of comic book history.

Between Hell and a Hard Place was an okay read. The story has Sgt. Rock and his men finding a group of Nazi officers. Rock decides to take the men back to base in hopes of gaining some valuable information that might put an end to the war. But on the journey back, 3 of the officers are murdered at point blank range, during an assault from another group of German soldiers. With a fourth officer on the run, Rock must play detective as one of his own soldiers may have been who shot the other Nazis in cold blood.

I felt that the main storyline gets gobbled up in other elements, like the origin of the Ice Cream Soldier and the introduction of new recruits to Easy Co. I was fine with the ending but I did feel that elements of the murder mystery tied themselves up in just too neat of a bow.

My favorite part of this book was the art. I love Joe Kubert. His work on Weird War Tales is just fantastic. His images of Rock adorned in red, white and blue tipped bandoliers was awe-inspiring. It also felt nostalgic as I feel like that is how I grew up seeing Sgt. Rock in the comics as a kid. But I cannot find any evidence on this on Google.

A good read but if not for the stationery treasure contained within, I wouldn't keep this book as a part of my collection.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

DC Holiday Special 2017 #1

DC Comics made 2017 a holiday season to remember yet again! In a massive holiday special, a team of legendary writers and illustrators put together 10 amazing stories including a Neal Adams Batman classic from the 70s.

Highlights of this holiday special include:

• A World War II tale recounted by Sgt. Rock spans a frosty week in the life of a wounded Allied solider and his Nazi captive.
• The Teen Titans take on the Ghost of Christmas Past and the nasty memories of holiday horrors from yesteryear.
• The Flash struggles to find time for his nephew Wally on Christmas Eve.
• Batman Icon Denny O'Neil returns to Gotham with a Solstice story starring the Dark Knight and Wonder Woman.
• And much more...

For the second year in a row, DC asked a cover price of $9.99 and I willingly shelled it out. Last year, the entertained the hell out of me! And they did it again this year!

The 2016 special had Harley Quinn as host and a superhero hero holiday party as the centralizing element of the special. That stabilizer was the only thing missing from this edition. 

Worth every penny, if you only buy one holiday special this season (well, it's Christmas Eve, so what's left of it,) this is the one to get! Shame on you Marvel for being a Scrooge this year!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Happy Veteran's Day...

Thank you for serving!

Joe Kubert Presents

Celebrate the life and art of DC Comics legend Joe Kubert in this collection of stories. Joe Kubert Presents in a decades old project that Kubert had been pitching for quite some time. It features stories starring some of Kubert's most iconic characters including Hawkman and Sgt. Rock. There's also tales of heroes that Kubert dreamed of doing but never got the chance such as the last boy on Earth, Kamandi and Jack Kirby's rhyming hellion, the Demon. 

Some stories are either all-new material or never before published works. His stories of SPIT, an 18th century waif who takes up on a whaling ship hearkens to Kubert's inspiration of Melville's Moby Dick. Then explore the first few chapters of the Redeemer. This era-spanning adventure tells of a man who is constantly reincarnated in order to prove his worth as the redeemer of humanity. This was originally to be a 12-issue maxi-series in the 80s but for one reason or another, it just never got past the initial product stages.

Not all of these stories are of Joe Kubert's. Hoping to share the spotlight with some unsung friends of his, Kubert highlights fellow war illustrator Sam Glanzman and up-and-comer Brian Buniak.

Sam Glanzman was a Navy seaman in the Pacific theatre during World War II. His adventure's aboard the USS Stevens are chronicled here. The level of detail on the ships and planes is amazing. His stories are powerful and tear-jerking. It's amazing stuff.

Brian Buniak was tasked with writing and drawing a multi-issue episode of the Angel and the Ape. Based on an idea by Joe Kubert, Buniak has the unlikely detectives solving a pair of murder attempts on identical twin restaurateurs and then taking on a mad scientist who has created an evil android version of Ape!

Overall, Joe Kubert Presents was a fantastic read. It's tragically poignant that this was Kubert's last work. It's almost as if the art educator knew that his time was coming to a close. If his Sgt. Rock story was the last story to chronicle the DC Comics war hero, I would be more than okay with that. 

With a slew of Kubert pieces along with the long awaited Redeemer chapters and Sam Glanzman's recounts of WWII, this is an essential read for DC fans and collectors of war comics. Who am I kidding?!  This is a must read for any comics fan!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Sgt. Rock #374

For a late era Sgt. Rock book, this isn’t half bad. Rock goes out on patrol (and revenge) after some paratroopers are massacred and ends up being the protector of a Jewish boy in really bad shape. Can Sgt. trust the German doctors that offer to care for the boy or has he walked into a Gestapo trap?

Along with this story is a very funny (yes, humor in a war comic- ever heard of MASH?) that goes through the history of warfare. There’s also a tale about a craps game on an aircraft carrier that has a shocking twist ending (I bet this was a reprint from Weird War Tales!)

Great stuff with another fantastic Joe Kubert cover.

Worth Consuming.

Sgt. Rock #390

Issue #390 isn’t exactly Sgt. Rock in his prime. By now, Rock is coming to the end of his decades long run. It’s the mid-80s and only the most die-hard fan of Joe Kubert and war comics are keeping the fledgling title afloat.

So, what I expected here is what I got. Superb Kubert art on the cover but none to be found inside. The Sgt. Rock story was okay, but it sorta “phoned in” in terms of plot and art. The story ends with a poignant “War is Hell” message, but the path getting there was confusing. Lastly, the book contains a couple of 70s era reprints that aren’t bad, but they don’t star Sgt. Rock and the are mostly forgettable after you’ve read them.

It’s not my favorite, but it wasn’t something I disliked or thought was incredibly lame. Worth Consuming, but really it’s not worth paying more than a buck for.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.