Our Army at War

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Our Army at War
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Cover to Our Army at War #1 (August 1952).
Art by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre War
Publication date August 1952 – February 1977
Creative team
Writer(s) Hank Chapman, Sam Glanzman, Bob Haney, Robert Kanigher, Howard Liss
Penciller(s) Neal Adams, Ross Andru, Sam Glanzman, Joe Kubert

Our Army at War was an American comic book published by DC Comics that featured war themed stories and featured the first appearances of Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series started in August 1952 and ended in February 1977.

Publication history[edit | edit source]

Our Army at War was launched in August 1952 as part of a wave of war comics.[1][2] The stories were often followed by tag lines such as "Explosive Battle Action". One of the main characters was Sgt. Rock, who appeared in #81 (April 1959) as Sgt. Rocky along with his team, Easy Company.[3] The character got his final name in issue #83. Writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert introduced Enemy Ace in #151 (February 1965).[4] Artist Neal Adams made his DC Comics debut with the story "It's My Turn to Die", written by Howard Liss, in issue #182 (July 1967)."[5] Writer/artist Sam Glanzman began his series of biographical war stories about his service aboard the U.S.S. Stevens in issue #218 (April 1970).[6] The series' title was changed to Sgt. Rock with issue #302 (March 1977).[7]

Collected editions[edit | edit source]

  • Sgt. Rock Archives
    • Volume 1 collects Our Army at War #81-96, 240 pages, May 2002, ISBN 978-1563898419
    • Volume 2 collects Our Army at War #97-110, 216 pages, December 2003, ISBN 978-1401201463
    • Volume 3 collects Our Army at War #111-125, 224 pages, August 2005, ISBN 978-1401204105
    • Volume 4 collects Our Army at War #126-137 & Showcase #45, 248 pages, October 2012, ISBN 978-1401237264
  • Showcase Presents: Our Army at War collects Our Army at War #1-20, 512 pages, December 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2942-5
  • Showcase Presents: Sgt. Rock
    • Volume 1 collects Our Army at War #81-117, 544 pages, November 2007, ISBN 1-4012-1713-6
    • Volume 2 collects Our Army at War #118-148, 544 pages, November 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1984-5
    • Volume 3 collects Our Army at War #149-180, 512 pages, August 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2771-6
    • Volume 4 collects Our Army at War #181-216, 520 pages, February 2013, ISBN 1401238114
  • DC Universe Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 1 includes Our Army at War #182: "It's My Turn to Die" and Our Army at War #183: "Invisible Sniper" both by Howard Liss and Neal Adams; Our Army at War #186: "My Life for a Medal" by Hank Chapman and Adams; and Our Army at War #240: "Another Time Another Place" by Bob Haney and Adams, 192 pages, January 2009, ISBN 1401219179

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Our Army at War at the Grand Comics Database
  2. Irvine, Alex; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1950s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. DC's latest title, Our Army at War, emerged at the forefront of a wave of war-themed comics that swept the industry in the early 1950s. 
  3. Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 93: "In "The Rock of Easy Co.!" written by Robert Kanigher and Bob Haney, with art by Ross Andru, the reader was introduced to Sgt. Frank Rock of Easy Company."
  4. McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 114: "This landmark issue...presented a very different look at war through the eyes of Enemy Ace Rittmeister Hans von Hammer. Writer/editor Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert based von Hammer on German WWI pilot Manfred von Richtofen a.k.a. the "Red Baron"."
  5. McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 124: "Adams commandeered his first DC work as a penciler/inker with 'It's My Turn to Die' a nine-page back-up tale written by Howard Liss for Our Army at War #182 in July [1967]."
  6. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 139: "It was Glanzman's semi-autobiographical tales in Our Army at War that brought a harrowing realism to World War II that few war comics have matched."
  7. Sgt. Rock at the Grand Comics Database

External links[edit | edit source]