Suicide Mission For Sgt. Rock, Haunted Tank and Johnny Cloud

Talking about the greatest generation, and times when they fought for our freedom.

One time brought together the greatest fighters of that generation for their greatest mission....

...and here is that story, from Brave and the Bold #52 (February-March, 1964) by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert (under a cover by Kubert), when they had to work together on a...

Suicide Mission

An agent needed behind the lines in World War II, so the United States sent its best flier, Johnny Cloud, on a secret mission to retrieve the hero (but, with a plan so secret, his plan had a bomb implanted, rigged to explode to prevent capture).  After a pitched battle against Nazi fighters, Cloud landed his P-41 to find the informant, code named "Martin", sealed in an iron suit, as a torture by Nazis who had captured him.  

 

Still, the resistance helped the agent escape with vital information, but had no time to remove the suit.  To allow Cloud and Martin to get into the air, the resistance fighter sacrificed his life fending off attacking Nazi troops.  In the air, more planes attacked, but Cloud was saved when a tank joined the fray, taking out the last Nazi fighter.  

After landing carefully (to not trigger the explosives), Cloud and Martin had to hurry to get into the M-3 (the Haunted Tank of Jeb Stuart), as they provided cover for Nazi troops who had been attracted to the air battle.  The troops were little trouble for Stuart and his crew, but soon, a Nazi Tiger tank arrived, bringing more trouble than they could handle.  Still, Stuart went for advise from his ghostly Civil War namesake (who only he could see and hear), and led the Tiger to crashing into Cloud's plane, which exploded on impact, taking out the Tiger.   

Stuart, Cloud, Martin and the crew were rolling on, with the ghost giving Jeb the advice of needing a rock of strength....which, after an encounter with another Tiger tank, they needed.  Sgt. Rock and Easy Company approached, being drawn in by the tank battle.  

Rock and bazooka holding Dead-Eye could decide the fate of the mission, having to take down the Tiger, but enemy fire weakened the two men....yet, as he was dying, Dead-Eye wouldn't stop staring at Sgt. Rock....which gave him the strength to lift the bazooka, firing it and taking out the Tiger tank.  

Rock, Stuart and Cloud had to take "Martin" away on foot, finding the iron suit too hard to manage, finally freed the agent from it....to find out that it was French resistance fighter Sgt. Rock had met before!  The four continued on, being found by another Nazi tank....where the commander wanted to know which of the four was "Martin".  They all claimed to be...distracting him long enough for Sgt. Rock to dive under the tank and use the remaining bazooka shells to blow up the tank.  

The team was able to deliver the agent to the Allies, where the information delivered was able to stop a Nazi terror invasion.  This work and sacrifice resulted in Rock and Stuart being promoted to Lieutenant, and Cloud to Captain....yet Frank Rock was already working on getting demoted, as he only ever wanted to be a sergeant, and top kick of Easy Company.

Now, some quick files on the men of this mission (with a reveal of who was behind the iron mask at the end!).

Sgt. Rock of Easy Company

Sgt. Rock premiered in Our Army At War #81 (April, 1959) by Robert Kanigher, Bob Haney, Ross Andru and Michael Esposito) but became the Sgt. Frank Rock of Easy more readily recognized about two issues later.  The son of a miner, who became a boxer, then worked at a steel mill, Rock enlisted, and embodied the fighting spirit of the average American, finding leading men into battle to be where he truly belonged.

Johnny Cloud

Johnny Cloud premiered in All-American Men Of War #82 (November-December, 1960) by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick,  Johnny was the son of a Navajo Indian Chief, who called his boy "Flying Cloud", who took inspiration from the clouds.  Johnny suffered discrimination in the air corps, yet became a lieutenant, and leader of his squadron, after dispatching the enemy fighters who attacked his squadron, fatally wounding their leader, Mack, who recommends Johnny as the new leader of the squadron, now nicknamed the Happy Braves.

Jeb Stuart of the Haunted Tank

Jeb Stuart and his haunted tank premiered in G.I. Combat #87 (April-May, 1961) by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath (though not on that first cover), with Stuart and his M-3 crew going into battle against a Nazi Tiger tank team.  The M-3 was lighter and more maneuverable, taking out the more powerful Nazi tanks, with a little help from the ghost of Civil War General Jeb Stuart (a forefather of Jeb's, and spiritual protector of the tank).  Later, the ghost would appear to Jeb, giving him advice which allowed Stuart and his crew to fight well in World War II. 

Mademoiselle Marie

The "man" in the iron suit was really a doll....a French resistance fighter named Mademoiselle Marie, who premiered in Star-Spangled War Stories #84 (August, 1959) by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti, Marie had many missions in France, trying to free her occupied land from the Nazis who had unjustly taken their land.  Marie fought on even after many sacrifices, including her father (though she seemed to lose a father many times, a bit of contradiction in her stories).  Marie even lost her own series, but continued to aid the Allies, popping up to help Sgt. Rock and Easy Company in Our Army At War #115 before her appearance in B&B.

This "Suicide Mission" was reprinted many times, including in Battle Classics #1 (September-October, 1978) and Sgt. Rock Special #2 (1988), both with covers by Joe Kubert, detailing the hard work that our armed forces must endure to protect our freedom!

These heroes would also join forces many times in the future as well (with additional heroes, like the Losers and the Unknown Soldier), keeping an ever vigilant battle against the forces of evil, to prevent them from winning the fight, no matter the sacrifice.

Losers Of World War II

It's a sad fact of comics that at some point characters lose their own features, but very rare for those losers to get back together and make something of themselves.

Such was the case for Captain Storm, Johnny Cloud, Gunner and Sarge....all features set during World War II who lost their own individual features, but were brought together (along with the crew of the Haunted Tank) in G.I. Combat #138 (October-November, 1969) by Robert Kanigher, Russ Heath and Joe Kubert, and then given their own spot in Our Fighting Forces, starting with #123 (January-February, 1970), by Robert Kanigher and Ken Barr.

But, let's take a quick look back to see where these Losers came from....

Gunner And Sarge

Gunner and Sarge were Marines fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II, starting with All-American Men Of War #67 (March, 1959) by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, were in the next issue, before moving over to Our Fighting Forces, having a run there for issues #45 to #94 (May, 1959 to July, 1965).

The boys even worked with the brother of Sgt. Rock, the Fighting Devil Dog (Lt. Larry Rock) and Captain Storm in Capt. Storm #13 (May-June, 1966) on the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

This was the last appearance of Gunner and Sarge before they were recruited to the Losers.

Pooch

Billy was a combat dog Sarge assigned to Gunner in Our Fighting Forces #49 (September, 1959) by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti, but Gunner, resentful of his new partner, just called him Pooch.  Gunner, blinded in a firefight, and separated from Sarge, gets help from Pooch to save Sarge from an incoming tank, so Gunner got use to his new partner.  Pooch appeared with Gunner and Sarge here and there during their run, and eventually joined them in the Losers after their initial appearances.

Johnny Cloud

Johnny Cloud was named Flying Cloud by his Navajo Indian Chief father who saw an Indian brave in the clouds above his birth, all related in his first appearance in All-American Men Of War #82 (November-December, 1960) by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick.  Johnny had worked his way to being a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and singlehandedly defeated a Nazi squadron of planes that took out his squad, with his dying commander suggesting Johnny should lead his own group, becoming the Navajo Ace.

Johnny was eventually promoted to Captain after saving the life of a French operative with Sgt. Rock and Jeb Stuart (of the Haunted Tank) in a tale chronicled in Brave and the Bold #52 (February-March, 1964), and continued on working with both men over the years, including past the end of his solo features in All-American Men Of War #117 (September-October, 1966).

Captain Storm

Lt. William Storm is given command of a U.S. Navy PT Boat in Capt. Storm #1 (May-June, 1964) by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick, but it is taken out on its first mission by a Japanese submarine.  Storm survives, but loses a leg in the water, having it replaced by a wooden one after he is found.

Instead of accepting a transfer home, Storm fights for another command, and, in spite of his handicap, proves himself a worthy commander with another PT command.  Storm first meets Gunner, Sarge and Pooch when taking them off their Pacific island in Our Fighting Forces #87 (October, 1964), and meets Lt. Larry Rock in Our Fighting Forces #95 (October, 1965).  Storm's solo adventures end with Capt. Storm #18 (March-April, 1967).

The Losers worked together in Our Fighting Forces, and occasionally helping other of DC's war time heroes.  Captain Storm proved particularly prone to injury, as he was presumed dead for a time (starting with #135, replaced by Norwegian freedom fighter Ona Tomsen).

Storm was later found, having lost an eye (taking away his original premise, being close to the story of President John F. Kennedy's time on a PT Boat).

Writer/artist Jack Kirby took over the series for a memorable run of issues (#151 to #162), as Jack Kirby drew upon his real life experience as a soldier during World War II (though he was not allowed to do all the covers for the book during the length of his run).

After Kirby, the title continued on, still fighting the good fight in World War II, at least until Our Fighting Forces #181 (September-October, 1978), at which point the Losers lost their title.



But, they battled on....

The team appeared a few more times in the Unknown Soldier title, before facing their end in the Crisis On Infinite Earths #3 (June, 1985) working with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, the Haunted Tank and time displaced heroes including Geo-Force of the Outsiders to save Markovia.  Their final mission, without all the time travel additions, was chronicled in the Losers Special #1 of 1985, where the Losers lost, and were never to be seen again....

The Losers did live on, with a relative of Johnny Cloud's (Professor John Cloud) helping the Thanagarian Hawkman and Hawkwoman during the run of John Ostrander's Hawkworld, and Black Canary ended up fighting the War Time Forgot on a mystical island with dinosaurs, and included a time lost Gunner and Sarge (who had taken a dinosaur as a new Pooch) at the end of Chuck Dixon's Birds of Prey.

The original Losers had many of their tales reprinted, though mostly in black and white in the Showcase Presents The Losers (G. I. Combat #138 and Our Fighting Forces #123 to #150), and the Jack Kirby issues in Jack Kirby's the Losers (with the later tales being lost to the ages so far.....and subject to the idiosyncrasies of DC's reprints).

The Losers even lost yet again....fighting dinosaurs during the New Frontier mini-series (all but Johnny dying first, but he recorded their story, before his own death by dinosaur) by Darwyn Cooke....sacrificing themselves quite literally to allow the new breed of super heroes to take center stage, in a world based around the truly secret origin of the Justice League of America, that had the JLA and JSA living on the same world (which Rebirth has put closer to the DC world of now, there seemed to be more to the Crisis...and they didn't lose quite the way the Losers Special showed).

Except that they were seen again.  The Losers were revived as a Vertigo title in the 21st Century (except it wasn't these Losers, but instead secret agents left for dead, who survive to get revenge - though it was once planned to be the original Losers in a book set in the 1950s).  The original Losers even returned in a one shot set in World War II in a book in 2010.

Proving the Losers do what they need to do, even though they feel beaten, they return....

....even during the U.S. Bicentennial, where various legends of World War II gathered to remember the late Sgt. Rock in DCU: Legacies #4 (October, 2010) including the Losers, who seemed to somehow have survived World War II and had lives afterward!

 

For Memorial Day

Remembering our soldiers that didn't come home with this Joe Kubert cover from Our Fighting Forces #135 (January-February, 1972), where the Losers lost one of their own, with Sarge, Gunner and Johnny Cloud...

...mourning for the loss of Captain Storm, but preparing to go on.

Early Brave and the Bold Team-Ups

Before Batman, Brave and the Bold had team-ups, starting with issue #50 (October-November, 1963) with the magazine “You ask for” (though one wonders if readers weren’t asking for more Suicide Squad, Justice League of America, Cave Carson or Hawkman…a few series who had tried out in Brave and the Bold before this team-up idea…).

It was really the magazine writer Bob Haney asked for, and was a chance to spotlight some of DC’s stars who were back-up features in other comics at the time….but soon grew into more!

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

In Brave & the Bold #50 (written by Bob Haney, with art by George Roussos), it was Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) and the Manhunter from Mars (John Jones, or J’onn J’onnz in his native Martian) working together (along with Ollie’s partner, Speedy/Roy Harper) to fight evil Martian Vulkor and his men…Michael Uslan had this to say in the Brave and the Bold Team-Up Archives (March, 2005) “It was the first time either a Green Arrow or a Manhunter from Mars logo appeared atop a comic book. One reason these two characters may have been selected for the first B&B team-up is the success of Batman and Superman in World’s Finest. What DC hero was most like Batman? With his red-clad sidekick, Arrow Car and Arrow Cave, wealthy playboy Oliver (Green Arrow) Queen was certainly at the time being presented as an imitation Batman. And what super-hero was most akin to Superman? But for the fact that his weakness was fire and not Kryptonite, the Manhunter from Mars best qualifies. More likely, this was a way to promote the Martian Manhunter, who would shortly gain his very own cover-featured series beginning in House Of Mystery #143.”

While it might have helped J'onn, it didn’t seem to help Green Arrow and Speedy, who were nearing the end of their run in World’s Finest Comics…and Green Arrow would only have the JLA he joined to appear in for a time.

Air and Water Mix

Next up…was Aquaman (Arthur Curry) and Hawkman (Katar Hol, or Carter Hall on Earth) in Brave & the Bold #51 (December-January 1963-1964, by Haney and artist Howard Purcell) that had the two (as well as their partners of Aqualad/Garth and Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol) facing off against Tyros, a man cast out of Atlantis who found a gem that gave him power that he would use to try to take over Aquaman’s home! 

Aquaman was losing his space in World’s Finest Comics, but had his own magazine at this time, and Hawkman was a half-feature in Mystery In Space, but soon to get his own comic as well (and soon after that, the Thanagarian would join the Atlantean in the Justice League as well…).

Brave and the Bold Goes To War

For something a little different, Brave & the Bold #52 (February-March 1964) featured a trio of DC’s war heroes…Sgt. Rock, the Haunted Tank (led by Tankman Stuart) and Lt. Johnny Cloud (the Navajo Ace).  Written by Robert Kanigher with art by Joe Kubert, these 3 battle stars had to work together to save an important agent (codenamed “Martin”) from the Nazis (and, this agent was someone whom they had worked with before!).

Sgt. Rock would come back to Brave & the Bold quite a few times in stories by Bob Haney (but, they weren’t exactly Robert Kanigher‘s favorites, as they featured Sgt. Rock AFTER World War II, which Kanigher didn’t approve of…).

DC’s war titles had characters meet all the time, so this wasn’t quite as special as it was for the other DC heroes…who rarely crossed over at this time.

A Quick Little Story

Back to the superheroes, with Flash (Barry Allen) and the Atom (Ray Palmer) in Brave & the Bold #53 (April-May 1964) where these two scientific heroes had to deal with “The Challenge of the Expanding World”…that is, a micro-world that was to expand into and destroy our world!

Written by Haney, with art by the incredible Alex Toth, and a cover by Bob Brown, this story was also reprinted in the Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told (1989) and it’s two heroes already had two successful titles of their own, as well as being fellow JLA members!

(A little ironic, that this team up could also happen live, as the Flash TV show ties in with Arrow on the CW, and Atom is a character on the TV show Arrow....where they had Arrow and Flash team up!)

Kids Come Together

Flash (Barry Allen), as well as Aquaman (Arthur Curry), were back for a little cameo in the next issue, Brave & the Bold #54 (June-July 1964) as well as Batman making his first team-up appearance in B&B (outside of the JLA premiere in B&B #28-30), but they were just there to advise their sidekicks of Kid Flash (Wally West), Aqualad (Garth) and Robin (Dick Grayson)…who were the stars of the issue!  The kids of Hatton Corners were kidnapped by Mr. Twister (Brom Stikk) and it was up to these three to save them!  Thought by many to be the first appearance of the Teen Titans, it just isn't so…even though Bob Haney wrote this issue (with art by Bruno Premiani),  the Teen Titans didn’t get a formal name until later in the Brave and the Bold run…it also seems odd that Speedy wasn’t there…

All of these issues are reprinted in the Brave and the Bold Team-Up Archives (as well as a few more), and those will be coming soon!

B&B seeing you!