WORLD WAR STORIES "Victory on the Marne"

Before the year ends, let's look at the battle that ended up...

Art by Vic Prezio

..defining the basic strategy of the next few years of conflict!

To be continued...

at

Gallipoli!

The First Battle of the Marne established the pattern that would define most of the Great War including the introduction of trench warfare with its' costly (in terms of human lives) tactics.
Dell Comics launched this series around the 50th Anniversary of the Great War in 1964, probably hoping to cover the major events of the entire conflict, but the series ended after only three issues.
Their primary military artist, Sam Glanzman illustrated all the stories in the first issue (including this one) and most of the remaining issues,with Frank Springer filling in when Glanzman was unavailable.
The writers for all three issues are unknown.

Bookmark this blog since we'll be re-presenting the complete HTF World War Stories series as well as other WWI tales from other books.

WORLD WAR STORIES "Attack"

Continuing the graphic retelling of World War I...

...from a never-reprinted story originally-published on the 50th Anniversary of the beginning of the "Great War".

To be continued...

at the

Battle of the Marne!

Dell Comics launched this series around the 50th Anniversary of the Great War in 1964, probably hoping to cover the major events of the entire conflict, but the series ended after only three issues.
Their primary military artist, Sam Glanzman illustrated all the stories in the first issue and most of the remaining issues,with Frank Springer filling in when Glanzman was unavailable.
The writers for all three issues are unknown.

Bookmark this blog since we'll be re-presenting the complete HTF World War Stories series as well as other WWI tales from other books.

The 100th Anniversary of the Beginning of World War I "Two Shots Heard 'Round the World"

One hundred years ago today, the globe was plunged into the planet's first world-spanning conflict!

To commemorate the date ("celebrate" seems too tacky), we're re-presenting a never-reprinted tale published on the war's 50th Anniversary that gives a lot of background information that even textbooks tend to leave out!

Dell Comics launched this series around the 50th Anniversary of the Great War in 1964, probably hoping to cover the major events of the entire conflict, but the series ended after only three issues.
Their primary military artist, Sam Glanzman illustrated all the stories in the first issue and most of the remaining issues,with Frank Springer filling in when Glanzman was unavailable.
The writers for all three issues are unknown.

In America, comics dedicated to WWI have a poor track record.

EC published Aces High, which cover-featured WWI dogfights, but also included the occasional WWII aviation story.

By their fifth and final issue, the cover was given to WWII-era aviators, but even that couldn't save the book.

DC Comics had the fairly successful Enemy Ace strip in Showcase and Star Spangled War Stories featuring a German aviator and the not as successful Steve Savage: Balloon Buster series in All-American Men at War with his American counterpart.
They dueled several times...always to a draw.

Bookmark this blog since we'll be re-presenting the complete HTF World War Stories series as well as other WWI tales from other books.

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED "Battle of the Bulge"

People complaining about how cold the Polar Vortex is...

...should be glad they weren't fighting for their lives in the snow at the Battle of the Bulge!

This short feature from Classics Illustrated Special Issue 166A (1962), illustrated by Norman Nodel, shows one of the least-known aspects of the battle; that the Luftwaffe utilized most of their few operational jet aircraft against the Allies!

Under the Evergreen is...SUPER GREEN BERET!

Never failing to capitalize on a pop culture trend, '60s comics publishers, noticing the popularity of the hit single Ballad of the Green Berets (by Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler & Robin Moore) quickly produced comics series featuring the elite Army unit.
Most were standard war comics, but one stood out from the rest for sheer weirdness...

What do you get when you combine...
1) Green Berets and the VietNam War
with...
2) Teenagers...
and
3) SuperHeroes?
Why,
SUPER GREEN BERET,
of course!

Green Beret Roger Wilson saves a Vietnamese monk from a wild boar, and in return the grateful priest attaches a pin to his beret which makes it glow.
Home on leave, Roger gives the glowing beret to his teenage nephew Tod Holton, who discovers that, when he puts it on his head and salutes, he's transformed into a super-powered adult dressed in a soldier's uniform!
(It's sorta like the Golden Age Captain Marvel, a teenager who said the magic word SHAZAM and was transformed into a super-powered adult, albeit with his teenage mind.)
Using his new-found powers of teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, transmutation, time travel, invulnerability, and super-strength, Tod decides to fight Enemies of Our Country, mostly in present-day Asia, but also travels through time to the American Revolution and World War II, during his two-issue run!
Yes, it's as hokey as it sounds!

We at Atomic Kommie Comics™ felt that we couldn't let such an outrageous character and concept be forgotten, so, as part of our War: Past, Present, & Future™ line, we incorporated Super Green Beret as a light-hearted example of 1960s funkiness to contrast with the seriousness of our World War II and Korean Police Action material (plus we wanted an excuse to make some kool SGB collectibles for ourselves)!

So stick a Super Green Beret collectible under the tree or in a stocking for your loved one!
It's the next best thing to an original 11.5" GI Joe!
(And I should know, since I received one of the first Joes at Christmas, many years ago!)

BONUS: A FREE Christmas present for you: the never-reprinted premiere of Super Green Beret!
You gotta see it to believe it!
(And there'll be more to come next year!)