Jeb Woodard

Beautifully packaged hardcover collection spanning six decades of war stories from DC Comics. If Golden Age tales featuring characters like the Kid Commandos are goofily simplistic, the book rewards your patience with increasingly subtle writing and absolutely gorgeous art from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Among the standouts are "Head Count" (story: Robert Kanigher / art: Joe Kubert), a grim Sgt. Rock story about the manner in which war can be used to justify human butchery, and "8,000 to One" show more (story: David Michelinie / art: Gerry Talaoc), detailing the efforts of the Unknown Soldier--my favorite DC war hero--to prevent the deportation of Danish Jews to Nazi death camps. Along the way you also get stories featuring classic characters like Gunner & Sarge, Enemy Ace and the crew of the Haunted Tank, with art by masters like Jack Kirby, Russ Heath, Jerry Grandinetti and Alex Toth. There's even a rare Vietnam War-era tale featuring a character named Captain Hunter, which--if not especially nuanced in its treatment of that conflict--at least boasts a fantastic Kubert cover. show less