VETERANS DAY: A Look at Sgt. Rock

November 11th, 2009 COMICS, War Comics Contributor Source

If you are a veteran – combatant or otherwise – Thank you for your sacrifice. Without your collective efforts on behalf of a larger society, the world would be all the poorer

Writer-editor Robert Kanigher created Sgt. Rock as the first recurring feature in DC’s line of war comics, beginning in Our Army At War in 1959. Kanigher designed Rock to be largely a composite of several other lead characters he had used to that point in various previous stories. Originally named “Sgt. Rocky”, with the nickname “The Rock of Easy Company”, Kanigher revised his lead’s name within a few issues and positioned him as the platoon leader at the same time that reknowned artist Joe Kubert came onboard to take on art responsibilities.

Kanigher gave Rock an origin in 1963, within the pages of Showcase, saying that Rock had enlisted as a private during the early days of World War II. Rock later rose to the rank of sergeant after he held Easy Company’s position on a hill despite a German onslaught that killed the other men in his unit. In subsequent years, Rock would routinely turn down offers of promotion, choosing instead to remain on the battlefield with the other “Combat Happy Joes of Easy”, as they were commonly referred to due to their propensity of finding their way to the thick of the battlefield.

Rock was joined in Easy Company by a wide variety of other G.I.s, including the three named in the above strip: Wildman, Four-Eyes, and Ice Cream Soldier. According to Maurice Horn in his ‘World Encyclopedia of Comics’, the Sgt. Rock feature was also notable for introducing one of comics’ first non-stereotyped black characters, Jackie Johnson.

Why these nicknames in particular? They came from the characterizations that Kanigher and Kubert created for the Joes of Easy. As stated in DC’s Who’s Who series, “Private Phil Mason hated the heat, but turned out to be a perfect “Ice Cream Soldier” when it came to combat in freezing weather. A soft-spoken history teacher became a “Wildman” when pushed too far…”Four-Eyes” was Easy’s bespectacled sharpshooter…” and so on. The list is long; Kanigher and Kubert knew that sacrifices are made during war, and the ever-changing line-up in Easy Company reflected that awful reality.

The Rock stories dealt with their subject matter deftly and with compassion, highlighting their battles in the European theatre and the personal strains that infantry members endure in wartime. These aren’t always easy stories to read, as a result of this, but still, they should be read.

Via Source