Dec 12, 2024
I needed closure after the latest episode
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I needed closure after the latest episode
Bonus:
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365 DC Comics Heroes & Villains Paper Cut-Outs
Sergeant Rock
Franklin John Rock was an Army infantryman the United States during the Second World War. Promoted to the rank of Sergeant, he led the ‘Easy Company,’ a unit of soldiers composed of a rather disparate group of personalities, nationalities and specialties.
Sgt. Rock and The Easy Company had a storied campaign throughout the war, managing to participate in nearly every major action in the European theater of combat during the war. Sgt. Rock was a true soldier, a fierce combatant, a shrewd tactician and, above all, a great leader to those who served at his side.
The majority of Sgt. Rock’s adventures were special missions behind enemy lines. Many of his adventures were standard war-time fare… although some of Easy Company exploits veered into the fantastical (such as adventures alongside the Viking Prince, the mystical Haunted Tank and even a mission involving a time-displaced Batman).
There are conflicting tales regarding the ultimate fate of Sgt. Rock. In one telling, the hero perished on the final day of the war. He sacrificed himself so to shield a child who had wandered onto the battlefield and was killed by the last shot fired by the enemy. Other tales have him surviving the war and going on to have further adventures as a covert operative exploring locals such as Dinosaur Island and tracking down his old adversary The Iron Major.
Actor Blair Penner portrayed a version of the character in the television series Legends of Tomorrow. The hero has additionally appeared in animated projects voiced by actors Fred Dryer, Fred Tatasciore Maury Sterling and Karl Urban. Sergeant Rock first appeared in the pages of Our Army at War #83 (1959).
Lex you called Frank Rock out of got knows how many decades of retirement for the sake of running the military for you, and you keep him in the DARK?! Action Comics 781
Sergeant Rock and Batman by Jim Aparo
My DC Cinematic Universe - Creature Commandos: Part V
Chapter Five: Cheers to the Tin Man
Y'know, I had a few ideas for titles of this essay, but this is honestly the perfect title, which is probably why Episode Three of the series also has it. Cheers to the Tin Man is far-and-away my favorite episode of the series, because it's honestly just a hell of a lot of fun, and justifies the Creature Commandos in this universe by making them terrifyingly (and mostly realistically) effective, while also giving us the backstory of one of its best-executed characters: G.I. Robot.
Like the Frankensteins in the last essay, I won't waste time and say that G.I. Robot was always going to make it into my version of the Creature Commandos. He's one of my favorite Weird War characters, and the idea of an automated soldier is gold, both for creativity and comedy, as this series proves. Unlike the Frankensteins, I think Gunn nailed this character, and honestly gave him more dimension than I would've expected from this character. This is an example of a character with little-to-no personality in the comics, elevated to his best possible form. God, I can't speak highly enough of this guy, and this'll be the complete opposite of the last essay.
Of course...the episode isn't perfect. But we'll get there. For now, let's actually go through this episode, because there are a slew of other characters and references here that flesh out the universe, also making this one of the more important episodes of the season. But yeah, let's start with the Tin Man himself.
First appearing in Star-Spangled War Stories #101 in 1962, the first G.I. Robot had a name: "Joe". A functional prototype, this robot responded to commands, and was sent into the field on a test run with a necessary human handler, a private named Mac. To test this machine, the creator, Professor Zurin, sent the duo to a super-safe testing area: an island full of still-surviving dinosaurs. Yeah, uh, Dinosaur Island is a major feature of 1950s DC, and is a central part of a period known as "The War Time Forgot." And, oh, don't worry: I'll be revisiting Dinosaur Island very thoroughly at a later date. With that said, the two survive their encounter, with G.I. Robot interpreting (and sometimes misinterpreting) Mac's commands, and saving him on multiple occasions. But Joe, as a prototype, would only last a few issues.
The next G.I. Robot was nicknamed "Mac", in honor of the prototype's handler. This one was also sent to Dinosaur Island, this time with a new helper named Reed, and the two had the same kind of shenanigans, with an improved response to commands in Mac as compared to Joe. However, this iteration died on his first seen mission, saving Reed in the process. And, heads-up, G.I. Robot getting destroyed is a trend throughout his comic book history. That may come back into play later. At this point, though, in 1966, the last story about a G.I. Robot is published for years, until Weird War Tales #101 in 1981. This time, he's not a prototype...and he's fit for war.
20 years later, G.I. Robot comes back in a story written by Ross Kanigher, who also invented the previous two iterations, and had obviously been trying to get this character to catch on. Guess he saw the opportunity, and decided to throw him into actual war. This iteration, named J.A.K.E. (Jungle Assault Killer Experiment), was now invented by...Myron Mazursky. Oh, HOOOOO, now that's an interesting connection, isn't it? Now, to be fair, having Mazursky be both a biochemist and a mechanical/software engineer is...silly. Even for comic book standards. However, the other person involved in making G.I. Robot is Charles Grayson, who absolutely makes sense in this role. A relative of the original Robin, Dick Grayson (yes, REALLY), Chuck was also the assistant to another prominent World War II era scientist, Robert Crane. Crane would be in an accident, forcing his brain to go into a mechanical body, and becoming the first Robotman in the process. So, yeah, Grayson had some experience.
G.I. Robot, therefore, was a part of Project M, the think tank responsible for the Creature Commandos, establishing that link. There's more to this story, but just know that J.A.K.E. was sent out outfitted with multiple weapons, and with new human handler Sgt. Coker. The two had several mission in the South Pacific campaign of World War II, mostly fighting the Japanese forces, until J.A.K.E.'s destruction in 1943 via self-sacrifice. Again. There's a trend here. A second G.I. Robot, J.A.K.E. II, was built afterward, and accompanied by a robotic companion, C.A.P.D.. This version of the character would eventually team up with the Creature Commandos in earnest, all of whom were stationed on Dinosaur Island during the latter days of the war. Afterwards, he would be silently decommissioned in 1945, but would survive into the present day this time! But, he would have very few appearances, and would return during the New 52 era with a whole new backstory. Now. Allow me to show you one of the best comic book pages I've ever seen.
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Seargant Rock...
Mademoiselle Marie has had many incarnations. She first appeared in DC’s Star Spangled War Stories #84 (August 1959), the creation of writer Robert Kanigher and illustrator Jerry Grandenetti. Marie, whose real name was Anais Guillot, was a female French Resistance agent and fighter during World War Two. The character was based on a number of real women members of the Maquis, particularly Simone Segouin. Marie has the distinction of probably being the only major comic book fighting war heroine, and certainly the only one with her own lead story, albeit under the auspices of Star Spangled War Stories. Marie began life as an ordinary Parisian girl, but was driven to join the Resistance at the age of 17, by the depredations of the occupying Nazi German forces, but principally after her Resistance leader father was killed by German troops, dying in Anais’ arms. Anais took the nom de guerre, Marie, and developed into a capable markswoman, spy, saboteur, kidnapper and assassin, and assisted Sergeant Rock in various escapades after D-Day, eventually becoming Rock’s love interest. Distinguished by her knee length skirt, tight yellow sweater and red beret, Marie became a focus of particular hatred on the part of the Germans, who could not abide the thought of being outwitted or outfought by a mere woman.
Anais/Marie eventually falls into the hands of the Germans and is executed. The title Mademoiselle Marie, then becomes an overarching title for a number of female Resistance operatives, thus keeping the legend of Marie alive and frustrating the bemused Nazis. This “collective” of Maries feature in the Checkmate title in the late 1980s - with the Maries apparently existing as far as back as the French Revolution as well as in modern day France as secret service agents.
The original Mademoiselle Marie was perhaps the most straightforward - a rare example of a brave female soldier when women did not fight on the front line. Marie was undoubtedly titillating, but in some respects, given her appearance ahead of the “Second Wave” of feminism, she was genuinely iconic. The complication of her character, as with so many DC heroes following the Infinite Crises, removed the intriguing, if camp, nature of Marie’s first incarnation and her successors were altogether more dark, which is a shame.
The cover featured is from a retro Star Spangled War Stories one-off (#1), featuring Marie, published in November 2010. The story, entitled Vive Libre Ou Mourir!, is by Billy Tucci and illustrated by Justiniano, Tom Derenick and Andrew Magnum.
Sources: Mademoiselle Marie Wikipedia page and Comics Vine website.
DC Horror Presents: Sgt. Rock vs. The Army of the Dead #2 (2022)
Art by: Gary Frank and Brad Anderson