Fall in! Shag and Rob celebrate Veterans Day and #WarComicsMonth by looking at two classic war comics stories: Sgt. Rock’s “What’s The Color of Your Blood?” by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert from OUR ARMY AT WAR #160, and The ‘Nam “5th To The 1st” by Doug Murray and Michael Golden, from SAVAGE TALES #1!
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Thanks for listening! At ease, soldier!
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Happy War Comics Month, I must dig out something special to read.
That Sgt Rock story may have been unsubtle, but as you said, it’s heart was very much in the right place and it was well ahead of its time.
I’ve not read the Savage Tales, I’ve never read a book involving thr Vietnam war… I dunno why, but I don’t DO war stories or films set in my lifetime. Mind, that cover would have put me off the book anyway, it’s so tacky… and that logo doesn’t suggest ‘Savage’, it’s far too shiny. Perhaps chainsaw savage. I looked at the CGD gallery of covers and that tone seemed to be the norm. A couple, though, were great.
The Herb Trimpe art is my favourite here, the least appealing is the Will Jungkuntz (made-up name, surely!) stuff, which I assume was published because someone was blackmailing Hama. Oh dear, dearie me.
With the Sgt Rock story it wasn’t just Germany that was racist about blood it was also the US. The Red Cross and the United States military had a blood segregation rule until 1947 and several states had blood segregation rules through the 60s up to the 70s. So when this was written the story could have been also for pointing that out.
I just read some P.T. Boat Capt. Storm comics, which proved that there wasn’t one service of the military Kanigher couldn’t entertainingly write about.
I’m surprised Shag didn’t point out the ‘black blood’ bit was very similar to the “there are four lights!” thing used in his TNG so many years later!
Great show, guys. I wish Rob would open up more. Had no idea he went to the Kubert school. What else don’t we know? We don’t even know if Rob Kelly is his real name!
Great show guys. When was Jackie Johnson first introduced into Easy Company? I know Marvel has often laid claim to having the first African American hero in a comic with Gabe Jones over in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos.
This reminded me a bit of when John Stewart joined Easy Co. in the Justice League animated episode “The Savage Time”. John didn’t have to deal with enemy racisim, but Bulldozer seemed a bit less than enthusiastic to have John join up with Easy, and you could read he was at least somewhat bigoted. That episode was covered on JLUCast by me, Cindy, and some topkick named Rob Kelly!
The ‘Nam story looks stunning. Wow. I agree Rob, Golden’s linework is sublime. The story is just amazingly moving. Gets in and gets out, and leaves an indelible memory.
Chris
Chris, I read Bulldozer’s hostility as bigotry against 1) Marines, and 2) presumed hotshot elitists who wear non-standard uniforms and move in non-standard formations on the battlefield. Those prejudices are not nearly so ugly as racism, but they are just as real. I mean, they were, of course. We’re all much more enlightened now. 😉
Yeah, there are reasons other than John’s skin color, thankfully. I wouldn’t want them to make Bulldozer deplorable, but there is just a hint of some latent racism that certainly would not be out of place for the time period, even for an otherwise “upstanding” hero-type.
Well, I think it’s established that I give the material and the protagonists the benefit of the doubt wherever I can, so you may be correct.
Chris, according to online, Jackie beat Gabe by two years, 1961 vs 1963.
Well, there you go. I’m not sure how often Jackie appeared, so maybe Marvel can still claim Gabe is still the first REGULARLY featured African-American hero.
Chris
IT was deadly dozen Rob furthermore “Deadly dozen” was added to the Marvel title but the name goes back to ATlas
DC has a Dirty Dozen too, it’s called Hunter’s Hellcats.
I bet you thought I was gonna say Suicide Squad.
The cover of Savage Tales shows the mad max, gun-wielding hotty. The inside … not so much. Somewhere, Tomahawk is nodding his approval!
I was never one for War comics outside of the occasional Weird War Tales. It is why I appreciate coverage of stories like this, something I know I would never have heard about otherwise. Thanks!