War comics is a genre of

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

American war comics

Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began including stories of wartime adventures in the multi-genre omnibus titles then popular as a format. Even prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, comic books such as '' Captain America Comics'' #1 (March 1941) depicted

superheroes A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

fighting

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

. Golden Age publisher

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

debuted its title ''

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

'' in 1944; the title was published more or less continuously until the mid-1980s. In the post-World War II era, comic books devoted solely to war stories began appearing and gained popularity in the United States and Canada through the 1950s, the 1960s, and 1970s, i.e. covering the time periods of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The titles tended to concentrate on US military events, generally in

, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Most publishers produced

anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...

; industry giant

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

' war comics included such long-running titles as '' All-American Men of War'', ''

Our Army at War ''Our Army at War'' was an American comic book anthology published by DC Comics that featured war-themed stories and featured the first appearances of Sgt. Rock and Enemy Ace. The series was published from August 1952 to February 1977, then ...

'', ''

Our Fighting Forces ''Our Fighting Forces'' is a war comics anthology series published by DC Comics for 181 issues from 1954–1978. Publication history ''Our Fighting Forces'' began with an October–November 1954 cover date. Writer-editor Robert Kanigher's w ...

'', and '' Star Spangled War Stories''. Another prolific publisher of war comics was

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...

, which produced a wide variety of titles beginning in the 1950s, such as ''Battlefield Action'', ''

Fightin' Army ''Fightin' Army'' was a bimonthly war comic published by Charlton Comics from 1956–1984 (though it was primarily a reprint title from 1978 to the end of its run). Telling fictional stories of the United States Army, it was a sister title of the ...

'', and '' Fightin' Marines''. Quality also began publishing ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' was an American comics anthology featuring war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication history The focu ...

'' during this era.

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

also produced war titles, notably ''

Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' was a comic book series created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and published by Marvel Comics from 1963 to 1981. The main character, Sgt. Nick Fury, later became the leader of Marvel's super-spy agency, S.H.I.E. ...

''. In contrast to the typical glamorizing approach of most war titles, the

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

titles ''

Frontline Combat ''Frontline Combat'' is an anthology war comic book written and edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published bi-monthly by EC Comics. The first issue was cover dated July/August, 1951. It ran for 15 issues over three years, and ended with the Januar ...

'' and ''

Two-Fisted Tales ''Two-Fisted Tales'' is an anthology war comic published bi-monthly by EC Comics in the early 1950s. The title originated in 1950 when Harvey Kurtzman suggested to William Gaines that they publish an adventure comic. Kurtzman became the editor o ...

'' (produced in the early 1950s) depicted the horrors of war realistically and in great detail, exposing what editor

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...

saw as the truth about war without idealizing it. (The mid-1960s black-and-white comics magazine ''

Blazing Combat ''Blazing Combat'' was an American war-comics magazine published quarterly by Warren Publishing from 1965 to 1966. Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth ...

'', produced by

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren (publisher), James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include ''After Hours (magazin ...

, was similarly devoted to authentically drawn and researched combat stories with a self-professed

anti-war An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

slant.) Around 1959, several recurring characters began to appear in mainstream comic lines, including Sgt. Rock and The Haunted Tank in the DC line. These recurring characters began as regular "guests" of anthology titles such as ''

'' and later graduated to their own titles.

End of the Silver Age

By the late 1980s, a great number of venerable war titles (most of which were either anthologies or else World War II-themed titles) from the late 1950s and 1960s "

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an int ...

" died out. War comics series that ended long runs in the 1980s, following publication of over 100 issues, include: * ''

'' (Quality/DC, 273 issues from 1944 to 1984) *''

'' (Charlton, 157 issues from 1956 to 1984) *'' Fightin' Marines'' (Charlton, 163 issues from 1955 to 1984) *''

'' (Quality/DC, 288 issues from 1952 to 1987) *''

'' (DC, 181 issues from 1954 to 1978) *''

'' (Marvel, 167 issues from 1963 to 1981) *'' Sgt. Rock'' (DC – includes a retitling of the earlier ''

'', the combined run was 422 issues from 1952 to 1988) *'' Unknown Soldier'' (DC – a retitling of '' Star Spangled War Stories'' that ran from 1952 to 1977, then continued as ''The Unknown Soldier'' from 1977 to 1982, with number 268 the final issue). *''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'' (DC, 124 issues from 1971 to 1983) New titles were still appearing, however – notable among these being Marvel's ''

the 'Nam ''The 'Nam'' was a war comic book series detailing the U.S. war in Vietnam from the perspective of active-duty soldiers involved in the conflict. It was written by Doug Murray, initially illustrated by Michael Golden, edited by Larry Hama an ...

'', which debuted in 1987 and was based during the first year on writer Doug Murray's actual Vietnam experiences (through the eyes of fictional character Ed Marks). Murray was surprised that his proposal for a Vietnam-war themed comic was accepted during this period: "I never expected anything to come of it because war books were already pretty much dead at that point in 1985." Another notable war comic focused on Vietnam was Don Lomax's '' Vietnam Journal'', published by

Apple Comics Apple Comics, also known as Apple Press, was an American comic book publisher which operated from 1986 to 1994. Founded by Michael Catron, they began by taking over the publishing elements of comic production from WaRP Graphics, before expanding ...

from 1987 to 1991. Also from Marvel in the 1980s was the toy tie-in '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' which focused on a fictional counter-terrorist team in a contemporary setting, and a limited run of ''Tales of the Marine Corps'', similar in tone and style to Charlton's ''Fightin' ''line of war anthologies.

British war comics

Black and white anthology stories were popular in Britain in the 1960s and early 1970s. Examples include ''

Commando Comics ''Commando For Action and Adventure'', formerly known as ''Commando War Stories in Pictures'', and colloquially known as ''Commando Comics'', is a British comic book magazine that primarily draws its themes and backdrops from the various inciden ...

'' and weekly comics such as ''

Battle Picture Weekly ''Battle Picture Weekly'', at various times also known as ''Battle Action'', ''Battle Action Force'', ''Battle'' and ''Battle with Storm Force'', was a British war comic book magazine published by IPC Magazines from (issues dates) 8 March 1975 ...

'', '' The Victor'', and ''

Warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

''.

Reprints

Trade paperback reprint collections of war comics include: *''

Archives Vol. 1'' (reprints "Blackhawk" stories from ''Military Comics'' #1–17) *''

Enemy Ace ''Enemy Ace'' (german: Feindliches Ass) is a DC Comics property about the adventures of a skilled but troubled German anti-hero and flying ace in World War I and World War II, Hans von Hammer, known to the world as "The Hammer of Hell". Debutin ...

Archives Vol. 1'' (reprints "Enemy Ace" stories from ''

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

'' #57, 58, '' Star-Spangled War Stories'' #138–142) *''Enemy Ace Archives Vol. 2'' (reprints ''Star-Spangled War Stories'' #143–145, 147–150, 152, 181–183, 200) *'' The Losers by

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

'' (reprints ''

'' #151–162) *''Marvel Masterworks

Sgt. Fury ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' was a comic book series created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and published by Marvel Comics from 1963 to 1981. The main character, Sgt. Nick Fury, later became the leader of Marvel's super-spy agency, S.H.I. ...

Vol. 1'' (reprints ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' #1–13) *''Marvel Masterworks Sgt. Fury Vol. 2'' (reprints ''Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' #14–23, Annual #1) *'' Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 1'' (reprints ''

'' #68, ''

'' #81–96) *''Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 2'' (reprints ''Our Army at War'' #97–110) *''Sgt. Rock Archives Vol. 3'' (reprints ''Our Army at War'' #111–125) *''Showcase Presents Blackhawk Vol. 1'' (reprints ''Blackhawk'' #108–127) *''Showcase Presents Enemy Ace Vol. 1'' (reprints "Enemy Ace" stories from ''Our Army at War'' #151, 153, 155, ''Showcase'' #57–58, ''Star-Spangled War Stories'' #138–152, 158, 181–183, and 200, ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' #404, ''Men at War'' #1–3, 8–10, 12–14, 19–20, ''The Unknown Soldier'' #252–253, 260–261, 265–267, ''DC Special'' #26) *''Showcase Presents The Haunted Tank Vol. 1'' (reprints "The Haunted Tank" stories from ''G.I. Combat'' #87–119, ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by two mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007. The focus of the series has varied ...

'' #52, ''Our Army at War'' #155) *''Showcase Presents The Haunted Tank Vol. 2'' (reprints "The Haunted Tank" stories from ''G.I. Combat'' #120–157) *''Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock Vol. 1'' (reprints "Sgt. Rock" stories from ''Our Army at War'' #81–117) *''Showcase Presents Sgt. Rock Vol. 2'' (reprints "Sgt. Rock" stories from ''Our Army at War'' #118–148) *''Showcase Presents The Unknown Soldier Vol. 1'' (reprints "Unknown Soldier" stories from ''Star-Spangled War Stories'' #151–190) *''Showcase Presents

The War that Time Forgot ''The War that Time Forgot'' was a comic book feature published by DC Comics beginning in 1960 in the title ''Star Spangled War Stories'', created by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. It ran for eight years, ending in 1968 and return ...

Vol. 1'' (reprints "The War that Time Forgot" stories from ''Star-Spangled War Stories'' #90–137)

References

External links

Cord Scott discusses ''Comics and Conflict: Patriotism and Propaganda from WWII through Operation Iraqi Freedom''
at the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...

{{Comics Comics genres